Inspiration Words: Gummy Bears and Floss
Ellie glanced around the darkened houses in the village. She had to act quickly, and her mission was urgent. Some dangerous characters lurked in this village, and she was outside after curfew, even though that was strictly against the village leader’s orders. However, he had given her special permission to get some information tonight, and she only had a couple more minutes before time ran out.
The evening before, Ellie had arrived in the village and immediately knew something was wrong. But she’d only gotten a brief glimpse of the other villagers before curfew . As she glanced around at the houses, she finally made her choice and sneaked into the house of her friend, Adam. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for clues. First, she saw a bearskin rug in the living room, and she started to wonder if maybe he was a hunter. A mounted deer head on the wall seemed to confirm her suspicious, but she wanted to be sure. If Adam was a hunter, he could help her to find and eliminate the evil creatures in their village, but she had to be sure. If she trusted him and he turned out to be evil, she would be in serious danger.
She tiptoed into the hall and stopped. That was what she needed. At the end of the hall, carefully mounted on a hook, was a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Adam was a friend who could be trusted. She picked up the bow, just to check that it wasn’t fake, but she realized time was probably running out.
Ellie glanced at her watch. She had to go. She leaned the bow against the wall, forgetting to hang it up again. She ran back to her own house and closed the door just as another door at another house opened.
For the duration of the night, Ellie knew she was supposed to be sleeping, but instead she sat in a corner of her house and munched on gummy bears. She thought about the rest of the town and who could be evil. Every once in a while, she heard the howl of a wolf.
The next morning, Ellie slipped out of her house as soon as the morning bells announced that curfew was over. She first glanced at Adam. Would he know she had been in his house? She would have to reveal her information carefully if she wanted him to also trust her.
The neighbors peered around at everyone else as they slowly immerged from their homes. Everyone here was either suspicious or guilty. She knew this. They had all heard the wolves last night. There had been rumors and reports of werewolves in the area, and the sounds last night convinced her that there were at least two werewolves in the village.
Which of her friends were guilty? She knew all of these people, but as she glanced around the circle in the living room of the Airbnb, she was unsure which of her friends she could trust. Adam, (his Chinese name was Zhanqi, jahn chee) was quiet and studious. He had just moved to the city after he got his pilot’s license, so she didn’t know him that well, but she was thankful she could trust him.
Ellie ran through the list of characters in her mind as well as their possible roles. If she could figure out who was good and who was a werewolf, she could win the game. She constructed a chart in her mind and looked around her. Who was playing the part of each character?
| Role | Task | Who??? |
| Seer | Can see one other character | Ellie! |
| Hunter | If voted out, can choose one other person. If he chooses a bad person, the good team wins, if he chooses a good person, the bad team wins | Adam |
| Troublemaker | Trades the cards of two other characters | |
| Insomniac | Can see their own card at the end of the game | |
| Robber | Takes another player’s card and becomes that character | |
| Drunk | Trades his card with one card in the middle, but doesn’t look at it | |
| Villager (2) | No special task—normal good person | |
| Werewolf (2) | Bad character! If he is killed, the good people win | |
| Minion | Bad character! If he is killed, the bad team wins | |
| Tanner | Bad character (but on his own team)! If he is killed, only he wins |
Mikael (mee-kayl), a Russian exchange student in Ellie’s school, could never be trusted. His smile was too flippant, and he was so good at making everyone believe whatever he said. She glanced at him. He nodded at her, “Who are you, Ellie?”
“I’m a good person, of course, but I am less likely to believe the same of you,” Ellie replied.
“Come on, what could I have possibly done last night? I was sleeping peacefully the entire night!” Mikael flashed his best smile, and Ellie rolled her eyes.
“I don’t know who Mikael thinks he is, but I was also someone who was sleeping peacefully the whole night,” Adam broke in. “But last night, someone was definitely in my house.”
The bow. She’d forgotten to hang it back up. Ellie realized her mistake, but it didn’t matter now. “I can vouch for Adam. He is a good character.”
Adam looked at her. “Did you see who I am?”
“Yes, you’re the hunter.”
Adam smiled and nodded. “Ok, I can trust you too.”
Mikael and the others watched the exchange. “Or, you two could be werewolves.” Mikael accused. “Or a minion and a werewolf.”
“Come on, give it a rest,” Adam said. “Who are you, anyway? You’re awfully suspicious.”
“I’m just a villager.” Mikael said. “A boring old villager.”
Ellie wondered if perhaps she could trust Mikael today. Maybe he’s actually good.
“What makes you so sure someone was in your house last night?” Sofya, Mikael’s girlfriend, asked Adam.
“Something had been moved when I woke up. It wasn’t where I had put it when I went to sleep last night,” Adam answered. “Do you know anything about that?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Everyone glanced at Sofya as she continued. “You are no longer the same person you used to be.”
“What a troublemaker!” Mikael laughed as he pointed at Sofya.
“Sure, you could say that,” Sofya smiled, and Ellie made a mental note of Sofya’s role.
“Who did I become?” Adam asked.
“I’ll wait to reveal that bit of information.”
What an active night everyone had. Perhaps Adam is no longer trustworthy! Ellie looked around the circle and noticed that Angel and Jack, her previous students, hadn’t said anything. “Who are you guys?”
“I couldn’t sleep all night. I kept hearing all those sounds of wolves, and I just kept waking up. But I know I haven’t changed. I’m still the same person I was last night.” Angel was new to the village, and Ellie wondered if she could trust her.
Jack laughed, “I was drinking all night, and I think I may have forgotten who I am now. I don’t think I did anything bad though. In fact, most likely, I am innocent.”
“Well, we’re going to have to eliminate someone, and since you were drinking, there’s a chance you could have done something bad without realizing it.” Mikael pointed an accusing finger at Jack.
“That’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Carina, you’ve also been pretty quiet. Who are you?” Ellie asked.
“Oh, I’m quiet because I’m just a normal villager, so I actually don’t have any information,” Carina replied, as she glanced around the circle, seeming to challenge anyone to call her a liar.
Carina was Ellie’s oldest friend in the group, and she felt like she had a pretty good understanding of her friend’s character, so she was inclined to believe her. Ellie added the new information to the chart:
| Role | Task | Who??? |
| Seer | Can see one other character | Ellie! |
| Hunter | If voted out, can choose one other person. If he chooses a bad person, the good team wins, if he chooses a good person, the bad team wins | Adam?? |
| Troublemaker | Trades the cards of two other characters | Sofya |
| Insomniac | Can see their own card at the end of the game | Angel |
| Robber | Takes another player’s card and becomes that character | |
| Drunk | Trades his card with one card in the middle, but doesn’t look at it | Jack |
| Villager (2) | No special task—normal good person | Mikael? And Carina |
| Werewolf (2) | Bad character! If he is killed, the good people win | Mikael??? |
| Minion | Bad character! If he is killed, the bad team wins | |
| Tanner | Bad character (but on his own team)! If he is killed, only he wins |
The group of friends kept talking, trying to figure out who could possibly be a werewolf, who was innocent, and who was suicidal. The safety of the village depended on finding and killing the werewolves, but there were a couple of characters who would not help the good team win if they were eliminated. Everyone had to analyze the situation and judge carefully between good and evil.
“Does anyone have any floss?” Angel interrupted the conversation to ask the group.
Ellie was about to answer when Mikael jumped in.
“Why do you need floss? Are you trying to escape suspicion by leaving the village meeting?
“No, I just have a piece of meat stuck in my teeth from dinner, and I wanted to try to get it out. Besides, I already gave all of my information, and I don’t think there’s anything else I can say to help.”
“What kind of meat were you eating last night?” Mikael continued the interrogation while Ellie pointed to some toothpicks nearby.
“I already told you, I couldn’t sleep. I was just eating some beef jerky.”
“ Right . . .” Mikael glanced at Sofya. Don’t believe her, he mouthed. “Hey, you never told us what trouble you made last night. What did you do to Adam?”
“Yeah, who is he now?” Ellie asked. Since Ellie knew Adam had been good, she wasn’t inclined to put him on trial even though several people seemed to think Mikael’s theory about her and Adam being werewolf partners seemed legitimate. They had suggested putting Adam on trial, but Ellie also wanted to wait to see who his new identity was. His trial really depended on that.
“I switched him with Jack.” Sofya glanced from Jack to Adam. “So, Jack the drunk is now doubly suspicious.”
If Jack really is the drunk, and Sofya is also telling the truth, then that means no one is the hunter. But who could the werewolf be?
Mikael turned to Ellie again, “Who did you say you are?”
“I told you! I saw that Adam is the hunter. And he confirmed it.”
“Of course he would confirm it if you are both bad together.”
“Come on. You have to believe me. I don’t know if we can trust Adam now—depending on if Sofya is telling the truth, and who Jack was, but originally, Adam really was the hunter.”
“Ok, Adam, right now, you are just the normal village drunk.” Mikael turned his attention to Adam. “So, if you and Ellie were bad before, you can tell us now.”
“I really was the hunter!” Adam continued to insist.
“As long as Adam keeps backing up Ellie’s story, we can trust them, but if he backs out of the story, we definitely have to put Ellie on trial. If Jack is telling the truth, then the hunter is in the middle now. But Jack is still possibly suspicious because he was the drunk even though Adam has the drunk card now.” Mikael addressed the village. He was again controlling the entire village. If he was evil, then they had to be careful of him, but Ellie really did think he was innocent today.
The discussion continued as the sun rose in the village, and everyone ate more gummy bears and Orion cream pies. Accusations went back and forth. Should they kill Jack as a possible suspect, or Angel, because her alibi was so weak? What about Ellie if Adam turned on her? Everyone argued, fighting for their innocence, and trying to sway the votes in the way they wanted.
“Mikael, who are you going to eliminate?” Ellie finally asked.
“You.” Mikael smiled.
“If you want to lose, then fine, eliminate me, but that’s the worst choice you could possibly make!”
“Hmm, that’s not such a great defense, but I’m just kidding. I don’t think it’s actually you. Ok, it’s time to vote, people. Remember, you get one chance, and you can’t change your vote. You also must vote when I finish counting down. No delays or your vote won’t count.”
Ellie held her breath. This was the moment of decision. She had to choose, but she still wasn’t sure. Anthony was really quiet, but that was normal. In fact, he had barely spoken except to say that he didn’t really understand the rules. Maybe it was him, but for some reason, Ellie suspected Angel. She didn’t like agreeing with Mikael, but she was pretty sure he would vote for her, and this time she was sure he was right. She ran through the chart in her mind one more time:
| Role | Task | Who??? |
| Seer | Can see one other character | Ellie! |
| Hunter | If voted out, can choose one other person. If he chooses a bad person, the good team wins, if he chooses a good person, the bad team wins | No one |
| Troublemaker | Trades the cards of two other characters | Sofya |
| Insomniac | Can see their own card at the end of the game | Angel??? |
| Robber | Takes another player’s card and becomes that character | |
| Drunk | Trades his card with one card in the middle, but doesn’t look at it | Adam |
| Villager (2) | No special task—normal good person | Mikael and Carina |
| Werewolf (2) | Bad character! If he is killed, the good people win | Angel??? Mikael? |
| Minion | Bad character! If he is killed, the bad team wins | |
| Tanner | Bad character (but on his own team)! If he is killed, only he wins |
“3…2…1…vote!” Mikael’s voice rang through the village.
A moment later, the votes were calculated. Several people had voted for Ellie and Jack, but the most votes pointed toward Angel. Ellie held her breath as they all followed Mikael into her house.
“Yes! We were right!” The house was full of the broken plates and claw marks from Angel’s nighttime alter-ego. The clues to her fellow werewolves were also revealed, and they were immediately executed. The villagers had succeeded in foiling the plans of the werewolves and other bad characters.
The group of friends stood up and stretched. They had been playing werewolf, a Mafia-style game, for the last three hours, and it was getting late.
“Anyone feel like a movie?” Mikael grabbed a handful of M&M’s and wolfed them down. It’s a holiday, and the night is still young!
“Speak for yourself! It’s already after midnight!” Ellie was glad the girls had a room upstairs in the loft apartment they had rented for the short holiday. “Hanging out is super fun, but I’m still exhausted! You all watch a movie if you want!”