The Lunenburg Werewolf by Steve Vernon

spite of the Cemetery Commission’s bylaw strictly forbidding the placement of such fences.
    Now, thanks to the GRS Society and the citizens of Lunenberg, Sophia’s grave has been restored. Along with the new iron railing, which makes it easy to spot the gravesite from a distance, there are two decorative plaques that retell Sophia’s story. Each plaque is attached to a chain, and the chains are suspended from an iron heart, broken in the middle. The biblical quotes that Sophia refers to in her letter to Mrs. Trask are reproduced on one of the wrought iron plaques.
    Exodus XX , 16: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
    Matthew V , 10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
    Matthew V , 11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
    Matthew V , 12: Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
    Matthew VII , 1: Judge not, that ye be not judged.
    Some people swear that on certain nights they can hear the sound of Sophia weeping at her gravesite. It may just be the wind working through the tombstones. It may just be the calling of some gentle little night bird. Whatever the cause, do not grieve, for there is a happy side to this story as well: just as many times as the weeping has been reported, folks have also reported that the figures of three young girls—Sophia, Ella May, and Atholea—have been seen running and giggling through the thick Lunenburg mist. May they always be happy and may they play together forever in the green grass of the Hillcrest Cemetery.

The Lunenburg Werewolf
    Werewolves have always been one of my favourite movie monsters. I have always felt them to be both tragic and terrifying.
    So when I found out that an actual werewolf was reported to have lived in the little town of Lunenburg, I knew I needed to include it here. Let me tell you about Gallows Hill, and the cemetery that some people swear is the burial place of Hans Gerhardt—the werewolf of Lunenburg.

    Nannette in the Wilderness
    It was late December 1755—a time of all-too-real horror, shortly after the Acadian Expulsion had taken place. The Acadians had been brutally rounded up and ruthlessly removed from their homes around the Maritimes. Barns and farmhouses had been burned down or simply taken over. Homesteads had been given over to anyone who was not remotely French Acadian. Only a few courageous and desperate families had remained, hiding in the woods and wilderness, living in caves like animals.
    In the turmoil a young Nova Scotia Acadian girl by the name of Nannette had become separated from her family. She’d lived for a time by herself in the woodlands. She’d learned to hunt and to forage and had managed to survive. Her life had changed and she’d done her very best to adapt to this change. After a while of wandering she’d fallen in with a band of Mi’kmaq, who’d treated her as one of their own.
    Now Nannette accompanied her Mi’kmaq friends into a small German settlement on the outskirts of Lunenburg. They’d come to trade for steel utensils and spices that were hard to find. It was there that Wilhelmina Buchart spotted Nannette.
    â€œThat girl,” Wilhelmina said. “She is a white girl. She should stay here.”
    The Mi’kmaq were cautious at first. They had been taken advantage of more than once by the settlers and were feeling somewhat protective of the little girl. Still, Wilhelmina’s argument had some sense to it. The girl belonged with her people and the winter was coming on and food was beginning to grow scarce.
    A deal was struck. Nannette did not have any say in her fate. She was still very young, and a little shy at that. She did not ask why the woman was giving so many supplies to her