Interviewer’s note:
The following is a rare interview with a werewolf who disappeared for a long while, then suddenly reappeared, still lost in time and disoriented, like Rip van Winkle of legend.
I got hold of the werewolf last night, still in mostly human form, while he was struggling to keep a normal behavior, in that full-moon twilight zone between human sanity and canine lunacy.
I felt unusual warmth and vigor pass from him to me, as we shook hands.
His long white hair and beard ran wild, untrimmed and unkempt.
“Call me Rip van Werewolf,” he said with a shy smile... an odd thing for a man who would soon turn werewolf.
“Hi Mr. Rip. Are you ready to reveal your secrets like you promised last month?”
“It depends. But yeah, sure, go ahead and shoot your questions,” he replied with guarded confidence.
We settled onto comfortable lounge chairs in the lobby of the university guesthouse where he was staying.
The first thing he did was to show me some pictures, including this...
“Interesting,” I remarked.
And the interview proceeded thus:
Q: First, about the photo. When was it taken, and who are the people in it?
A: The photo was taken some years back. I’m the sleeping man. The two girls are Corinne and Nadine. They would be a lot more grown-up-looking now. I had to apply some filters to blur some details. You understand of course why.
Q: Did you really look that old back then?
A: (Laughs.) The long white hair is fake. I put it there just now to hide my real face, and to assume my Rip van Werewolf persona for this interview.
Q: You could easily do that?
A: Sure. At this time of month, I could easily grow an extra appendage in a jiffy. Wanna try me?
Q: Uh, ehrm. No, of course not. (Tries to focus on topic.) In the picture... why were you sleeping, and why were the twins laughing?
A: (Chuckles softly.) I remember that funny scene. It was springtime. I had spent the whole morning working in the garden and around the house. I was exhausted, so I took a short rest on a sofa chair after lunch, watching TV I guess. I must have dozed off. If you look closely, I’m still wearing my eyeglasses. Sometime later, the girls tried to wake me up but couldn’t. So they cuddled by my side and pretended to sleep and snore like me. It was at that point when Sophie took the pic. She was so amused by the scene. I woke up as they were all laughing at me and tickling my ribs and feet.
Q: Seems like you were one happy family back then. Were your two sons there when the pic was taken?
A: I’m not sure if Jiggy was around that day. I think he was. I recall Miggy was on his first year at the university. He was supposed to come home that week, but got delayed. Yes, we were one happy family. (Pauses. Smiles wistfully.)
Q: Ok, let’s go straight to the heart of why I’m interviewing you.
In your 2006-2007 blogs, you often referred to Corinne and Nadine. For example, in Sophie's back, finally. Then in Mr. werewolf, call from your twins. (Btw, I loved that post.) And this cute little post entitled Sweet torture, I believe, also centers on your father-daughter relationship with them. But after January last year, after your post Walk to the future..., you stopped writing about them. What happened?
A: You ask a very difficult question. (Frown crosses his face.)
Q: But you promised to tell all today.
A: No, I didn’t. I only promised to tell some. And remember, it’s still a full-moon night. One wrong turn of phrase, one hair-trigger thought, and I could shift to werewolf shape this very moment and tear your guts out.
Q: Aww, come on. You won’t do that to me. We’re good friends. Where are Corinne and Nadine now?
A: (Chooses words very carefully.) They are with... their real mother. Studying in a distant city. Maybe even planning their return to Europe soon.
Q: (Interviewer is stunned, stutters momentarily.) Oh. You mean... not Sophie? I’m sorry, did I get you right? Sophie isn’t their real mother? Who is the real mother?
A: For the purposes of this interview, let’s call her Natalya. She was born in Europe, spent most of her childhood there, then her father’s assignments took the family to distant lands later.
Q: So how is it that the twins stayed with Sophie and you?
A: Nadine and Corinne were babies when Sophie took them in. At first I objected, but a father soon learns to fall in love with such lovable daughters. They learned to walk and talk and read in our care. Sophie taught them how to read and write. During bedtime, I played CDs and read them children’s books in Natalya’s native language. They adored Jiggy like an older brother, and all three practically grew up together. My mother, sister’s and brothers’ families doted on them. Natalya, Sophie and I were very close friends. We still are. The girls... (pauses, fidgets, grows uneasy.) Can we stop for a while? I need a drink.
Q: (Disregards the hint, pursues the hunt.) Yes, that’s all very interesting, but you didn’t answer my question. Why were the twins left in your care in the first place?
A: You ask a very difficult question. Beware. I can feel my hormonal balance shifting.
Q: This will be the last question, I promise. Why did the twins stay with you? Did Natalya abandon them?
A: No no no. (Sighs, fidgets some more.) Natalya loved them more than her own life. But she and Sophie... they made a pact... they both deeply, deeply loved the girls ... as any mother would. They both wanted the girls to stay with us, to grow up as part of our family.
Q: But why??? Didn’t she want them? Didn’t the girls miss their real mother?
A: They did. They absolutely missed Natalya. And she, them. But they also wanted to stay with Sophie and Jiggy. Sophie was heart-broken when they went away for good. Last question, you promised! (Getting restless, looks at trembling hands.)
Q: Ok, this is the very very last question. Who’s the father of the girls?
A: (Stutters...) Their father? Uh, no, you ask me something I... I... I warned you... (body heaves, convulses)... aaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!
(Interviewee finally assumes classic werewolf shape, and strikes. I crumple in a corner, my guts spilled around me, my torn-out heart still pulsing with life. The werewolf leaps across the lobby. I can hear the front-desk lady’s blood-curdling scream as my vision fades into a brightly-approaching tunnel of light.)
