Edward Hanley-Trent had moved into a grand Georgian house when he had inherited it from his mother. It had a beautiful wood panelled library which already had plenty of books. The room would be rearranged so that it could house his personal collection of books and articles relating to things of an occult nature.
Some of the books he owned were very rare and had cost a fortune. He spent more money having the library insulated and temperature controls fitted which would keep his collection in the optimum condition. The most expensive books were kept in specially designed, glass, cases that kept them free of dirt and pollutants.
The books were just part of his collection. There were also dozens of documents, photographs and articles which related to his research. The process of transferring it all into a digital archive had started, but he would not be parting with the original, paper based, pieces. There was something comforting about knowing that he could lay his hands on the real objects.
As a young man he had served in the RAF as his father and grandfather had done before him. During his early years of service, he had heard an almost unbelievable story from one of his colleagues. Michael Graves had told him about an encounter he had barely survived. He had revealed the details when he had drunk a few glasses of brandy and when it was just the two of them.
In vino veritas was the saying. Having a few drinks had made Michael tell a truth that he had tried hard to forget. It was not something that he wanted to share with a crowd or brag about. He had made sure that they were alone and would be uninterrupted before he began his tale. As he talked Edward could see how the memory of the man who had attacked Michael was still haunting him.
"It was late at night and I was coming home from a party. I was eighteen and I thought I was invincible, as you do at that age. I became aware that someone was following me and so I turned to confront my pursuer. I was tall and well-built, even then, and I thought that if it was just one man then I could chase him off with no problem. It was one individual, but it wasn't a man."
Michael had to take a few breaths and compose himself before he continued.
"I swear to you that I saw this man change. He didn't become an animal, but he became, I don't know, a sort of cross between a man and a beast. I stood there and watched as this, thing, grew claws and fangs. Hair was sprouting on his head and neck. In the end it looked like he had a mane. When he started growling, well, I was terrified."
Edward saw the colour drain from his friend's face. A sheen of sweat appeared on his top lip as he continued the tale.
"The man, beast, call it what you will, leapt at me. Like most young men, I thought I was pretty tough, but in that moment, I knew that I didn't stand a chance against him. I made the wisest decision of my life and I turned and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. Luckily, I was fairly fit, so I ran fast and for a long time. It did follow me, but eventually I got away."
Slumping back in his chair, Michael seemed exhausted from relating his story,
"I'm not lying, Ed, it was like a werewolf or something. I watched it change and I have never been so scared in my life. To this day, I don't like going out alone at night. I still have nightmares about that thing and what it would have done if it got hold of me."
Edward listened to the story, spellbound by his friend's description and shocked by his ongoing horror of the event.
The two men were posted to different bases soon after and Edward didn't see Michael often after that. They never mentioned the bizarre conversation when they saw each other. Edward would have liked to ask some questions, but he acknowledged the difficulty his friend had suffered in talking about it in the first place.
Edward had never doubted that what Michael had told him was the truth. It was the terror in his eyes and the confessional tone which made it ring true. Edward guessed that it was not a tale he had told to many other people, if he had shared it at all. The conversation stuck with him and when he left the RAF and became a commercial pilot, he began his search for the beast.
Travelling all over the world, he researched local legends and news stories about men turning into animals, wherever he found himself. Edward enjoyed his job as a pilot and enjoyed a good social life, but he had never felt the urge to settle down and start a family. Being constantly on the move suited him. It gave him an excuse to remain single and unfettered by responsibility. And he could pursue his hobby, or was that obsession, of searching for the beast.
When he had inherited the family house, he had been uncertain about the benefits of owning the grand home. It would tie him to a certain place and change his lifestyle. It coincided with his retirement from flying and he thought that he would give normal living a go. Edward moved in and began reorganising the library.
How had he spent so long without a proper base? Working so many hours had seriously hampered his research and he did not miss his job at all. The dread of staying in one place was gone as the benefits revealed themselves. Why had he not done it before? The money that had been bequeathed to him, along with the house, allowed him to buy rare books and manuscripts which related to his area of interest and keep them in fine style.
Edward had managed to interview a few people who claimed to have seen something like a werewolf. They told similar stories to Michael and all had feared for their lives. Some of the accounts had been elaborated, he was sure, and some were the products of over imaginative minds. None of the people were able to tell him where he might find one of these men with an ability to change.
The second letter from Jane and Hannah had piqued his interest. These women must know the name of one of these beast men. They were keen to see the summoning spell as they needed to help someone who had the potential to become inflicted with the curse. Finally, people who knew about beasts. A reply must be sent straight away.
Sat at a desk he took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a letter to the ladies. They were invited to his home to view the book and discuss what they knew. This could be a real bonus for his investigations. All of the things he had read, the interviews he had done, and now he would meet people who had interacted with beasts.
In the library, he retrieved his copy of Demons and Fairies. The book had gone unread for some time. The summoning spell was found and read afresh. The somewhat cryptic description of the people required to enact the ritual and the warnings which it contained, were fascinating. Were these women really considering trying to cast the spell to call a half man half beast? If they were, he wanted to be there, too.