The Mystery of Ouela - Original Story featuring characters from classic fables

Jennifer

I posted this over at the Double Fine forums, but figured I'd post it over here since the fact that I loved The Wolf Among Us so much gave me the boost I needed to finally start writing this. I thought I’d have some fun and make a story of my own based on classic characters. Those who have read my webcomic know I enjoy using characters from the public domain, as I have been using classic story characters in my comic for several years now. However, this story’s going to be much darker. Some of the characters from my comic will show up though. I had this idea in my head for several years now (it’s based on a Native American legend from my hometown), but my enjoyment of The Wolf Among Us finally gave me the impetus to give it a go.

Here’s a teaser:

== The Mystery of Ouela ==

It was a beautiful summer day. The ducks and geese were huddled together at the side of Lake Ouela, enjoying the slight breeze from the lake’s small waves. This day wasn’t like any other summer day though, since the fisherman who normally adorned the lake were replaced by a dozen police officers. They were joined by a small group of people who had been walking the paths around the lake, but were now curious as to why so many police officers had arrived. The police were doing their best to keep the onlookers away, keeping them behind the police blockade, but it was difficult to keep the curiosity of the residents at bay, since very little ever happened in their small town.

Beyond the blockade lay a body, which appeared to have been attacked by a wild animal. The lake used to be known for mysterious incidents of bodies appearing on the shore, but such events haven’t taken place since the 19th century. Back then, the people were superstitious, believing it to be the work of a serpent creature who was protecting the lake from anyone who had dared dive too deep into its depths. Times had changed, of course, and now the police took the matter much more seriously. Captain Krebs brushed his fingers through his thinning red hair and rubbed his temples where a migraine had been forming. He enjoyed being the captain of a police force in a small town, as the biggest threat he normally had to deal with was larceny, not murder. He cleared his thoughts. They didn’t even know whether it was murder until the body came back from autopsy. It could just be a wild animal attack. He couldn’t assume that a copycat murderer was on the loose, especially since the murderer would be copying a scenario from over a century ago.

Just then, a black haired young man in jeans and a “Jupiter Beagle” band T-shirt began pushing through the barricade. Officer Stacy Stevens, a brunette woman who didn’t look much older than him, pushed the man aside, just as he managed to get a brief look at the body. “Step back from the crime scene”, she ordered, with a look of frustration on her face. He complied, heading back to the parking lot, and getting into his beat up white pickup truck. He picked up his cellphone and hit the first button on his speed dial. “It’s me, Dorian. We have a problem.”

The old warehouse on Market Street didn’t get much use these days. The only reason why it still stood was because it was protected as a historic site. However, today it was filled to the brim with people, all with a look of anxiousness on their faces. A tall pale man with curly black hair, dressed in black trousers with a neatly pressed white button-down shirt spoke up. “Why did you call us here, Merlin?” The bearded man spoke, his voice calm but with a hint of annoyance discernible by those who knew him. “Dorian didn’t say, Hook. His call was short and to the point. Which isn’t like him. So, it has to be urgent.” Hook’s pale face became bright red as his temper rose. “Well, if it’s so urgent, why isn’t he here yet?” He got ready to launch into a tirade just as the warehouse door opened.

“What took you so long? You call us and then keep us waiting. This better damn well be important!” Dorian gave Hook a cold stare, let out a large sigh, and said, “I had a police escort. They followed me since the crime scene. I had to go to the other side of town in order to not bring them here.” A pretty young blonde in a blue skirted business suit suddenly got a worried look on her face. “Crime scene? What happened Dorian?” Dorian frowned, his good looks briefly overshadowed by his frustration. “It’s not good, Beauty. They found a body by Lake Ouela. It was bitten apart, the same way Gaspara attacked his victims in the old days.”

Hook shouted “That blasted Gaspara! We all agreed that we wouldn’t continue our old ways after the people from this realm started gaining technology, in order to not be spotted. He’s going to alert them, they’re going to fear us, and it’s going to lead to all out war. We’re going to have to go back through The Blazing World. We should send him through The Blazing World, or better yet, do to him what he did to his victim.”

Merlin’s voice took on a deep timbre as he stated “That’s enough! We have to at least let him speak for himself. Gaspara, come up, and face your charges.” When no one came forward, the crowd began to look around. Hook shouted, “Bloody hell! He’s not here!” Merlin took up his staff and scanned the crowd. “I’m afraid he’s right.” Hook’s face was now burning with rage, as he shouted “Well that just proves it. Someone shows up dead, in the manner that he’s known for, and we suddenly hold an emergency meeting. Of course he’s not going to show up.” A mysterious man in jeans, a black leather jacket, and a baseball cap makes his way through the crowd. “It just fits too well. There’s no way he’d commit a murder this way because he’d know we’d immediately suspect him. There’s obviously more to it than that.”