The Wehrwolf

by Alma Katsu

The illustration was just comical enough to keep from frightening children, but there was no mistaking the message, the implied threat. The wolf is no animal, but a type of man. And this man is dangerous.

Wild things were beautiful; maybe their wildness was their beauty, the knowledge that you could never possess them. Also, the wolf’s size, its hugeness, created an irrepressible excitement. There was something otherworldly about it. It could be a magical creature sent expressly to find him.

Yet it had been fairy tales that led Germany into war, the Nazis wanting everyone to believe Aryans were descended from mythic god-men and that they could regain godlike powers if their blood were pure enough.

“Look, there are two kinds of men in the world. One kind takes responsibility for the things he’s done, both the good and—more importantly—the bad. The other kind always blames his misfortune on someone else. It’s never his fault when his crops fail or his wife leaves him.”

it’s dangerous to lie to yourself. Before long, you can’t tell lies from the truth.”

Obviously, if the Devil could make your life easier than God could, then God just chose not to. Maybe the Devil was the good one. Maybe it was a fairer fight than church people would have you believe, a lie devised by God’s people to trick others into coming over to their side. Perhaps it had all been propaganda and they’d been worshipping the wrong one all along.