Dark World: Interview with the Werewolf

(The story begins here.)

“My name is Henry Lassiter,” the former werewolf said, coughing. “What did you do to me, anyway?”

“You don’t remember?” Dr. Fleming asked.

“I only remember snatches of what the wolf does, like bits of a dream. I remember that your friend did something that infuriated me, and I was going to tear him apart. Then I felt as though I was burning up from the inside out, and I came to in that cell. I assume you believe now, doctor?”

“Let’s say that I am willing to investigate,” the doctor replied. “If you want belief in the supernatural, that’s Darren’s department. Darren Christopher, Mr. Lassiter, and vice versa. Darren is quite useful, if you can overlook his religious mania. He was the child of missionaries, and after they were massacred, he traveled around the world on his own until quite recently. He can do nearly anything, and his knowledge of languages, geography, and cultures is astonishing. He is also fearless and good in a fight. He saved me from a small mob a few months ago, and we’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.”

Lassiter pointedly ignored the introduction. “I have a medical problem, so I am seeking medical help. It’s a very difficult problem, though, so I looked for a doctor who is a genius not only in medicine but also in chemistry and physics. I am a man of science myself, doctor, being an engineer. I do not require the help of superstitious people.”

“I am a man of honor as well as science,” Dr. Fleming said, “and as such, I must point out that it was this superstitious barbarian who figured out how to subdue you. He stays, or you leave.”

“How did he do it? I remember breaking the gun—”

“And when you did so, you must have ingested a small quantity of the silver shot. I suspect that it impaired you enough that I was able to escape and hold you off. Darren ground up the remaining silver and blew it in your face as you inhaled. Then he appealed to your better nature with a rather expensive chair. I almost wish I could bring myself to bill him for it, but you seem a better choice.”

“If you had used the gun, he wouldn’t have needed the chair.”

“We can discuss that later,” Darren said. “Right now, I’d like to hear more about your hairy little hobby and when you took it up.”

“It took me up. I am an engineer, but times are tough, and I was in Europe, working as a surveyor. They are trying to bolster their economies through public works programs. The Germans are determined to unite Europe—the Germanic parts first, then the rest. They’re trying to bring the whole place into the twentieth century with a modern railway system. The French claim it’s a scheme to dominate Europe, but the Germans had that nonsense knocked out of them at Versailles. They know now that only a united Europe can stand, and they’re determined to make it happen.”

“Thank you for the Panglossian panegyric,” Dr. Fleming muttered. “So they recognized your efforts by making you a werewolf?”

“No. That was just the culmination of several disturbing incidents. It was a dark and stormy night…”

Next: The Werewolf's Tale