Luke Draven wiped the sweat from his brow after loading another crate of cider bottles with the distinctive Red Wolf logo into the pickup truck and stretched out his back to work out the tired muscles. His father came up behind him and patted him on the back before closing the truck bed. "Good work. I'll get this down to the market, and you go help your brothers finish setting up the pumpkin patch."
Luke smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Dad." He strode off toward the pumpkin patch as his father drove to town. The Draven family had been in Autumn Valley from the beginning. Their farm was within eyeshot of the town and had been a fixture in the daily life of the locals. They had spent the last week preparing the farm for visitors. With the annual harvest festival starting today, Draven Farms turned into a combination farmer's market and fair for the community. Though the chores were all handled by the family, they hired a few local teenagers to fill in the extra labor every afternoon and evening.
Luke pulled the band off of his short ponytail and shook out his mane of sweaty, dark hair. His brothers all had dark brown hair like he did, but his was unusual in that it was streaked with natural red highlights, giving it the appearance of rust. He spotted his brothers over at the pumpkin patch. Nolan was setting up a pyramid of pumpkins while Carson was cutting stalks so that the farm visitors could pick them out. They both looked up when they smelled more than heard their elder brother's approach. There was another feature all three brothers had: mismatched eyes. They all had an icy blue left eye and yellow right eye. It was the most obvious sign of their family's lycanthropy. The Dravens had been werewolves for as long as they could trace their family tree. All the men in their family had those same mismatched eyes.
"How's it coming along?" Luke asked as he strode up to the pumpkin patch, retying his ponytail. He drew his knife and began helping Carson cut stalks on the pumpkins. This was usually the first stop families made, wanting to find good pumpkins for the jack-o-lanterns and for baking. Luke had a soft spot for the children in particular. He enjoyed telling them ghost stories around the fire pit in the evenings and playing his acoustic guitar for them.
"We're just about done," Nolan said as he capped the pyramid, took off his signature cowboy hat and used a bandana to wipe his face. It was only in the low 70's today, but the brothers had been working nonstop since dawn and it was now almost lunchtime. "Help us cut the last of the stalks here and you can take off." There were several more patches that they wouldn't be cutting stalks on yet. Those wouldn't be open to the public until the pumpkins in this one ran out.
Luke nodded and continued helping his brothers finish everything up. When the last of the stalks were cut, he went back to the house, hopped in the shower and changed into the archetypal denim and flannel ensemble. He let his hair drip dry as he pocketed his wallet, phone and keys. He grabbed a binder containing a copy of his play off his desk and headed downstairs. He was an aspiring writer and the Sons of Liberty theater company was putting on a production of his whodunit "The Murder of Judge Cooper."
Coming downstairs, he passed through the kitchen where his mother was preparing a pot of blackberry jam. She smiled over at her son when she looked up from the stove. "Going into town?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm meeting with George for a late lunch and a production meeting." George Bronson was producing and directing the play. He had seen Luke's work when the young werewolf worked crew for him on a Christmas production last year.
Cora Draven beamed at her son and pulled him into a hug. They kissed one another on the cheek before pulling back. "I'm so proud of you. I can't wait for opening night."
"Thanks, Mom." Luke gave her another hug before heading out the door into his truck. He tossed the binder into the passenger seat and drove out into town. He passed by a mix of colonial, Victorian and modern architecture. Large chunks of the town appeared unchanged since they were first built. The whole town was decorated for the harvest festival with hawthorn wreaths, Halloween decor, garlands of leaves and branches and berries, and various folk charms. He parked on a street near Mason square at the heart of town that still had the old cobblestone paving. From there he could see the 7-foot-tall wicker man being constructed for the bonfire next week. A short walk away was his destination: Jenny's Den.
He had his meeting with George at the restaurant, and was thrilled to hear how wonderfully everything was coming together. Opening night was next week and the cast could barely wait. Donations and a thrift budget had given them enough money to have a run of three weeks with four shows a week. George then popped a little surprise on him. "Have you read the paper this morning?"
Luke looked up from his large bowl of beef and barley stew and shook his head as he used his napkin to wipe his lips. Tonight was a full moon and keeping a full-grown werewolf fed during one was a tall order. "No, we were too busy with chores and setting up the farm for the public this morning."
George's smile widened and he handed Luke a copy of the Autumn Valley Press opened to the entertainment section. "Take a look."
Luke looked at the paper and his eyes widened. He saw his picture beside a headline, "Rising Star: Local Farm Boy Makes His Big Debut in the Theater." He had given the interview to the paper not long after rehearsals began, but he didn't know it was printing today! "Well hot damn! I have to grab a copy on the way out."
After their meeting, Luke still had some time before he had to get back to the farm so he walked across the street to bakery to grab a little desert, snagging a copy of the newspaper on his way in. The post-lunch crowd meant there was a short line, but he didn't mind waiting. While he stood patiently, he looked again at the newspaper and couldn't keep the smile off his face. His parents had both told him they couldn't wait for opening night next Thursday. Neither could he.
Luke smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Dad." He strode off toward the pumpkin patch as his father drove to town. The Draven family had been in Autumn Valley from the beginning. Their farm was within eyeshot of the town and had been a fixture in the daily life of the locals. They had spent the last week preparing the farm for visitors. With the annual harvest festival starting today, Draven Farms turned into a combination farmer's market and fair for the community. Though the chores were all handled by the family, they hired a few local teenagers to fill in the extra labor every afternoon and evening.
Luke pulled the band off of his short ponytail and shook out his mane of sweaty, dark hair. His brothers all had dark brown hair like he did, but his was unusual in that it was streaked with natural red highlights, giving it the appearance of rust. He spotted his brothers over at the pumpkin patch. Nolan was setting up a pyramid of pumpkins while Carson was cutting stalks so that the farm visitors could pick them out. They both looked up when they smelled more than heard their elder brother's approach. There was another feature all three brothers had: mismatched eyes. They all had an icy blue left eye and yellow right eye. It was the most obvious sign of their family's lycanthropy. The Dravens had been werewolves for as long as they could trace their family tree. All the men in their family had those same mismatched eyes.
"How's it coming along?" Luke asked as he strode up to the pumpkin patch, retying his ponytail. He drew his knife and began helping Carson cut stalks on the pumpkins. This was usually the first stop families made, wanting to find good pumpkins for the jack-o-lanterns and for baking. Luke had a soft spot for the children in particular. He enjoyed telling them ghost stories around the fire pit in the evenings and playing his acoustic guitar for them.
"We're just about done," Nolan said as he capped the pyramid, took off his signature cowboy hat and used a bandana to wipe his face. It was only in the low 70's today, but the brothers had been working nonstop since dawn and it was now almost lunchtime. "Help us cut the last of the stalks here and you can take off." There were several more patches that they wouldn't be cutting stalks on yet. Those wouldn't be open to the public until the pumpkins in this one ran out.
Luke nodded and continued helping his brothers finish everything up. When the last of the stalks were cut, he went back to the house, hopped in the shower and changed into the archetypal denim and flannel ensemble. He let his hair drip dry as he pocketed his wallet, phone and keys. He grabbed a binder containing a copy of his play off his desk and headed downstairs. He was an aspiring writer and the Sons of Liberty theater company was putting on a production of his whodunit "The Murder of Judge Cooper."
Coming downstairs, he passed through the kitchen where his mother was preparing a pot of blackberry jam. She smiled over at her son when she looked up from the stove. "Going into town?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm meeting with George for a late lunch and a production meeting." George Bronson was producing and directing the play. He had seen Luke's work when the young werewolf worked crew for him on a Christmas production last year.
Cora Draven beamed at her son and pulled him into a hug. They kissed one another on the cheek before pulling back. "I'm so proud of you. I can't wait for opening night."
"Thanks, Mom." Luke gave her another hug before heading out the door into his truck. He tossed the binder into the passenger seat and drove out into town. He passed by a mix of colonial, Victorian and modern architecture. Large chunks of the town appeared unchanged since they were first built. The whole town was decorated for the harvest festival with hawthorn wreaths, Halloween decor, garlands of leaves and branches and berries, and various folk charms. He parked on a street near Mason square at the heart of town that still had the old cobblestone paving. From there he could see the 7-foot-tall wicker man being constructed for the bonfire next week. A short walk away was his destination: Jenny's Den.
He had his meeting with George at the restaurant, and was thrilled to hear how wonderfully everything was coming together. Opening night was next week and the cast could barely wait. Donations and a thrift budget had given them enough money to have a run of three weeks with four shows a week. George then popped a little surprise on him. "Have you read the paper this morning?"
Luke looked up from his large bowl of beef and barley stew and shook his head as he used his napkin to wipe his lips. Tonight was a full moon and keeping a full-grown werewolf fed during one was a tall order. "No, we were too busy with chores and setting up the farm for the public this morning."
George's smile widened and he handed Luke a copy of the Autumn Valley Press opened to the entertainment section. "Take a look."
Luke looked at the paper and his eyes widened. He saw his picture beside a headline, "Rising Star: Local Farm Boy Makes His Big Debut in the Theater." He had given the interview to the paper not long after rehearsals began, but he didn't know it was printing today! "Well hot damn! I have to grab a copy on the way out."
After their meeting, Luke still had some time before he had to get back to the farm so he walked across the street to bakery to grab a little desert, snagging a copy of the newspaper on his way in. The post-lunch crowd meant there was a short line, but he didn't mind waiting. While he stood patiently, he looked again at the newspaper and couldn't keep the smile off his face. His parents had both told him they couldn't wait for opening night next Thursday. Neither could he.