Wolf Blood

A pint, please

A scream echoed in the forest now lit only by the faint light of the moon. The person was lying on the ground with his bowels scattered across the grass, while his final spasms caused streams of blood to gurgle from his mouth. The thing that had killed her took one last look at her before running away into the heart of the forest, while in the distance, in the city of Galway, life continued as usual. 

After spending nine years in London, in her father's house, Niamh decided to return to her mother in Galway. He had decided to abandon the man because in the last few months, that is from the beginning of living with his new partner, the air in the small apartment had become unbearable. Lizzie, the new arrival, had destroyed that little sacred space, with her rules and her complaints. Niamh had tried to resist as much as possible but in the end, she had given in and with a bitter taste in her mouth, one evening she told her father that she wanted to go to her mother and made up an excuse. So, a week later, he found himself in front of the door of his mother's small but welcoming house. He rang the bell next to the wooden door and waited.

In no time at all, the door opened and showed a middle-aged woman, about the same height as the young one, her hair, once dark brown, was now dyed a beautiful mahogany red, and her face presented the classic expression lines, which now accentuated by the fact that he was smiling.

"Niamh! Finally, come in, come in!" The mother moved to the side, inviting her daughter to enter with the movement of her hand.

"Mom, sorry for coming with such short notice," said the girl, carrying two suitcases with difficulty.

"Calm! You don't bother me at all! I have an empty room that I had made in case you had trouble with the London air" he said, taking a suitcase and walking towards the free room.

They put the bags down in the room and Niamh looked around.

The bedroom was more spacious than the one he had in his father's apartment. The French bed was positioned under the window, and the white walls were decorated with some paintings, in front of the bed there was a cedar wardrobe, on the wall to its left there was a desk, also made of cedar, and a swivel chair white.

"It's a little bare but I wanted to give you the freedom to decorate it however you wanted," said the mother, placing her hands on her hips.

"Thank you" Niamh replied smiling at her: "Now if you don't mind I would like to unpack and then sleep"

"Of course," the mother exclaimed, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Niamh was finally alone, she sat on the mattress, firm but not too much, just the way she liked it.

Maybe the Galway air would have done her some good.

************************

Niamh woke up the next morning with a slight sore neck. She hadn't been able to sleep as she wanted, the noise of the forest and various nightmares had done nothing but keep her awake and alert. He would have to get used to his new surroundings, even though he had spent most of his life in Galway. They had lived in their maternal grandmother's house until their parents divorced. Niamh still remembered that old lady who was too agile for her age, the curved back and the toothless mouth, the always cold and bony hands that caressed the then-little girl's skin while she told her the legends of the place.

He left his bedroom walked halfway down the photo-filled hallway and turned right into the kitchen. The butter-colored walls and the light brown kitchen made it welcoming, the mother was in front of the stove cooking a dish of pasta while singing a little song with her mouth closed.

"Good morning," Niamh exclaimed, her voice still hoarse.

"Good morning darling," her mother replied, turning slightly towards her, smiling, and then continuing: "Did you sleep well?"