Short - Wishing Wolf

Once upon a time there was a wolf and he would grant anyone their wildest dream, but at a price it would at random eat a person for every wish. Even though he would do this people still flocked to his forest saying “Dear wolf, Dear wolf come grant me a wish.”

And the wolf would appear at the forest edge his yellow eyes watching carefully. His grey coat would always be gently moving as if a wind was perpetually around him. The wolf would speak back to the person, saying

“You who have called me, I shall grant your wish, but be warned I will devour someone in the world.”

A young boy came to the wolf crying at the edge for he lost his ball and couldn’t find it. The boy remembered about the wolf and cried out “Dear wolf, Dear wolf come grant me a wish.”

The wolf came again and spoke to the child and even warned him about the devouring yet the child didn’t heed him. And he wished for his ball. The wolf granted it and sent the boy on his way.
A few years past and the boy came back no longer a boy but a young man. He called for the wolf. As before the wolf appeared stated his peace and waited for the wish. The young man wanted to have the best blacksmith shop in the world. And, as before the wolf granted it and sent him on his way.

Not a long time after that the young man cam back again and bade for the wolf to come to him. The wolf without fail appeared as he did before stating his peace and waited. The young man not being a patient person had no skill for metalworking. So he wished to be a master smith. And yet again the wolf granted his wish and sent him on his way.

Many, many years past and the young man was married to a beautiful woman. They also had a child. The man ran into a dilemma though a great king came to him and told him to make the finest sword out of a bar of the finest metal. But he couldn’t find any of the metal. He remembered the wolf from a long time back and he went to the forest once more, saying “Dear wolf, Dear wolf come grant me a wish.”

The wolf came to the edge of the forest again and said “You who have called me, I will grant your wish, but be warned I will devour someone in the world.”

The man wished for a bar of the finest metal in the entire world. The wolf granted it and sent him on his way. When the man returned home the wolf sat at his steps.

“Dear wolf,” The man said, “why are you at my house?”

The wolf sat and turned its head in contemplation. “I have come for your child. He is the one who was chosen to be devoured this time.”

Horror struck the man and he cast the metal at the wolf striking it in the head killing it. The man stepped into the house with the metal to work it into a sword but as he entered the building everything was sand and in his hand the metal sifted away amongst it.

Even as the man tried with all the money he had he could never work metal. All the metal he touched rusted away.