After her husband’s funeral, the stepmother left her mute stepdaughter to die in the forest swamp… But a year later, a surprise awaited everyone…

Sensing the swamp relenting, Mary clutched the creature’s neck and began to crawl out of the muck. Both of them were gasping for breath, but Mary’s savior growled and bit her hand, not too hard, but enough for her to feel its teeth. Somehow, Mary sensed what it wanted from her and followed it, carefully retracing her steps.

Occasionally, the beast looked back as if to check if she was still there. The journey through the swamp felt like an eternity, and Mary couldn’t believe it when she managed to grab onto a branch and pull herself onto dry land. She lay on her back and closed her eyes.

It seemed she had lost consciousness again, as she opened her eyes only when she felt a rough tongue against her cheeks. The creature was nearby, breathing heavily. It did indeed resemble a wolf, although Mary had only seen them in the zoo or in pictures.

Well, now he’s going to eat me, Mary thought with a strange indifference. Such overwhelming sadness had taken over her that she had no desire to live or move at all. Nevertheless, she lifted her head and gazed into the creature’s eyes.

Somewhere, she had heard or read that animals couldn’t stand a direct human gaze. Apparently, this one didn’t get the memo since it looked straight at her, almost reproachfully. Then it turned around and trotted into the thicket, glancing back.

At first, Mary didn’t understand what it wanted, and she even felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps it was full, or she looked unappetizing. In that case, there was a chance that the creature would run away, and she could get up and walk away.

But where will I go? She asked herself. I don’t even know which way the road is. I’m about to get completely lost, and then I’ll probably encounter someone less discerning who will definitely devour me.

In the meantime, the creature, seeing that the girl was still standing still, let out an irritated growl and returned. Mary flinched. When it grabbed the edge of her wet jacket and started pulling, she moved, indicating that she understood.

What difference does it make, she thought. I’ll follow it. Maybe it really knows the way to people, and it’s not trying to lead me to its lair to keep me as a snack.

Her doubts were dispelled when, after half an hour of incessant whining through the branches, they reached a clearing in the middle of the forest. There stood a small hut that only seemed to lack gnarled branches on the roof, Mary thought. Still, her love for fairy tales surfaced, even in these critical situations.

The creature approached the dwelling and emitted a raspy sound that resembled a growl. It fell silent for a minute, and Mary pondered whether she should escape. «Is that you, forest spirit?» A voice emerged from the hut.

«Are you hungry, wanderer?» The door swung open, revealing an enormous man who, to the frightened girl, looked like a forest ranger or a hunter. Her thoughts raced in her head like panicked squirrels, but now she was afraid to even take a step. What was the point, anyway? In the end, either one or the other would catch up with her.

«Who have you brought with you?» The man asked in bewilderment, surveying Mary, who was trembling from fear and cold. «Did you pull her out of the swamp?» The forest spirit let out an affirmative growl and whimpered, as if to say, «I’m freezing, too. Can’t you see?» «Who are you?» the man asked as he towered over Mary.

He was indeed well over six feet tall, and Mary could only look at him by tilting her head back. She moved, gesturing to her mouth, and shook her head. «And mute, too,» the man exclaimed.

«Where did you come from?» Mary burst into tears. After all, she had experienced enough shocks today. «No use wetting everything; you’re already soaking wet,» grumbled the man.

«Come inside the hut. My shirt is on the bench; take off your wet clothes and put it on. While you change into dry clothes, I’ll deal with this shaggy one.»

Mary, shivering, entered the small hut. Inside, it was warm and smelled of herbs. She removed her wet clothes and found a warm shirt.

She wrapped herself in it like a dress, buttoned it up completely, and climbed onto the bench with her bare feet. She closed the door, and the man returned, taking a look at the pile of wet rags that had once been her clothing. «Go get the warm felt boots from the stove, and don’t shake like that; I don’t eat small ones like you.»

In the hut, there was indeed a small but effective stove. When Mary looked at it, she discovered a pair of warm felt boots. She put them on and felt a blissful warmth.

Peering out the window, she saw the man drying the fur of the creature that had saved her with some kind of cloth. Then he put something in a dish and gave it to the creature. Mary hoped it wasn’t some stew made from another lost girl.

Strangely, after warming up, she stopped being afraid. Apparently, her limit of fear had been reached, and now indifference had taken its place. Well, what else could happen? Would the man turn out to be a maniac or a rapist? Well, then she would start thinking about it, but for now, she was very hungry.

After some contemplation, Mary approached the table and saw a newspaper with a crossword puzzle next to it, along with a pencil. Apparently, the local hermit had some connection to the outside world, as he was interested in the news. But what made her happiest was the pencil.

She wrote on the margins of the newspaper, «My name is Mary. I lost my voice because of my stepmother; she tried to kill me.» After thinking, Mary added, «I’m very hungry.»

Taking the newspaper with her, the girl went into the yard. Both the man and the creature turned to look at the creaking door. «So, what do you have there?» The man looked at the newspaper, read her scribbles, and let out an astonished whistle.

«Leshy, look at this; it’s a whole thriller here. You’re not making this up, are you?» He directed this question to Mary. She shook her head.

«Well, what do you think, Leshy? Should we believe her?» The man turned to the creature. The creature made a short sound, as if confirming the story. «Well, you’ve had quite an adventure,» the man muttered, examining the girl.

Mary lowered her head, realizing that she looked like a complete scarecrow in her oversized shirt and mismatched felt boots. «Alright, first, we need to feed you. Shall we have a bath like in the tales?» The man grinned.

As if remembering something, he added, «So, you’re Mary, right?» The girl nodded. «You’re already acquainted with Leshy,» the man continued. Hearing his name, the creature growled.

«And how come you weren’t scared of him? You probably thought he was a wolf, right?» Mary nodded again. «He is a wolf,» the man chuckled. «I rescued him as a little cub from a trap, and now we’re living together like two peas in a pod.»

«Call me Kevin. I’m sort of the forest ranger around here.» Mary nodded and said, «Nice to meet you.»..