The Metzgermann

Image by Tomasz Proszek from Pixabay



The woods can be a terrifying place,

full of wolves, and bears, and sudden ice falls. Parents around the world warn their children of the dangers of playing outside alone, lest they be snatched away forever by one of these.

Yet, in the small village of Brettlesdorf in Austria, to
this day, they tell a different story, as if the wolves and bears were not
enough. In the woods outside their village, the Metzgermann drives his sleigh.

It comes without warning, day or night, from the first snow
to the last. Only the sound of his whip precedes him, sounding like the
cracking of a branch overladen with snow. Quick as a hare it rounds the bend and
is upon you. Most will freeze in fear, and the Metzgermann will lean out of his
sleigh and snatch them up to drop into his blood-soaked sack.

The lucky few might hear his merry laughter upon snatching
up another child, for those may find a place to hide before he finds them.

The most pitiable, however, are those who neither freeze nor
hide. For if you run, the Metzgermann delights in chasing you down. Quick as
you like, in any direction, once the horses have your scent, there is no
escape. And those roan monsters that pull his sleigh have been raised on the
taste of flesh.

They dog the heels of such unlucky children, staying just a
step behind, taking nips out of them until the child falls, exhausted, and they
feast.

You may wonder why I’m telling you. It’s because the boring
beetles are killing local trees, and the Forestry Service brought in special saplings
from Austria because the beetles don’t like the taste.

And in Brettlesdorf, they say the Metzgermann is tied to the
trees.

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