Day 156: Wodger Werewolf

Wodger Werewolf
by
Matt Zurbo

Wodger was a werewolf who went crazy every half moon. It didn’t mean to, just couldn’t wait for it to be full.

The other werewolves were jealous that Wodger could have twice as much fun, so kicked him out of their pack. “Full moon or nothing!” they growled. Things were done a certain way, and that was that!

Alone, Wodger found Lou. A vampire, who put enough makeup on to see itself.
(Lou, lots of makeup on, looking at self in mirror, while other vampires recoil with no reflection.)

“I just wanted to know I was there,” Lou said. “Surely that’s not so bad.”  
(Lou standing alone, as other vampires turn to bats and fly away.)

Together, (under half moon) they found Sonker, a mermaid who was born wrong, yet still had a beautiful song.
(Reverse mermaid, seal top half, girl’s bottom half, singing on rocks, other mermaids swimming away. Lou and Wodger watching in background.)

Wondering, they found Blue. A bunyip in plain sight. These hidden, mysterious creatures, now seen, it could no-longer fright.
(Bunyip walking, dejected, while other bunyips of different shapes and sizes, slink and hide behind trees and under rocks, etc, watching Blue.)

Wodger, Lou, Sonker and Blue met the zombie next. (Sitting, eating pumpkins in a pumpkin patch.) It wouldn’t eat flesh, so was kicked out of the rampage with the rest.
Always full, content, nobody screaming. It struggled to see what all the fuss was

Then, the strangest thing happened.
(All of them looking in same direction as ordinary people and children of all sorts run terrified from that direction past them. Some holding spilling popcorn or peanuts)

(Then gorilla is charging past them, chasing people.)

(Then every other zoo animal and bird.)

Dingbat was a zookeeper’s daughter who had become sick of the crowd.
(Girl in an otherwise empty monkey cage. Watching our group.)

‘Well, together, we’re the not-quite-right,” Wodger said. “We should do something.”
“Become pirates…” called Dingbat.
“Form a band…” said Lou.
“Become a travelling circus,” said Sonker.
“That’s it!” Wodger wailed.

Together, each night, they howled.
(Everybody in, or around, and old donut van, dressed like gypsies, howling, Wodger out front. Maybe five people watching them.)

Juggled.
(Blue out front, everybody juggling. Blue, skulls. The zombie pupkins. Lou, bats. Dingbat fumbling everything. Etc… Crowd number have doubled.)

Sung.
(Sonker out front, in a bath, all singing, Dingbat getting the drums all wrong. Big crowd now, dancing, having a ball.)

After each show, while the others snored, Dingbat would stare at the stars. It felt weird, belonging. Fitting in. Nice.
“So this is family…” she would mumble, every time, before sleep.

But, eventually, the crowds got too much for Dingbat!
(Double page of her, small, back to us, staring out at laughing, gawking, eating faces.)

“BOO!” she cried.
(Shouting BOO! Super loud, hands in the air.)

And called the slithery swamp things out.
(Creepy, long, skinny people coming up from a drain, crowd fleeing in horror. Others in troupe confused.)

That made Lou go crazy!

Sonker run away.

Blue ate a customer or two.

And Wodger fight with the zombie over fresh meat.

Soon, the mob came. Everybody scattered back into mythology,
(Sonker slipping back into the ocean. as mob storms by with flaming torches.)

shadows,
(Lou fading into tree shadow.)

the night.
(Wodger and Dingbat running from mob with flaming torches.)

“I never would have bet it was you to break up our gang,” Wodger said. “I guess, sometimes, loners were meant to be loners,” he added.

Wodger saw Dingbat’s tears. “But that’s okay. Sometimes we have to be who we are,” he said.
(Wodger cupping Dingbat’s face with his hand.)

Dingbat just bit his hand and fled into the dark.

Eventually, Dingbat got a job in the Antarctic. She thought about Wodger’s group sometimes, whenever loneliness got too much.
(Dingbat, totally rugged up, fur-lined hood, goggles, standing in sideways snow.)

It was warming to know there were others like her out there, loners doing fine.

The thought of fitting in with pumpkin eating zombies and reverse mermaids always brought a smile to Dingbat’s face.

 

The End