A. C. Nicholas

Anna and the Tale of the Wolf A. C. Nicholas

"You, my little Anna, have my blood in your veins." Nonno said proudly. You think like a Del Forno. Yes, my mother told us stories about the wolves, but never to frighten us. To us, at that time, the wolves were just a fact of life, like a storm or people you had never met before and really just didn't understand. With wolves, one needs to learn, and having learned, one needs to adapt. It all revolves around Anna. 1965- Anna Del Forno was fifteen when she and her sister visited their grandparents at the farmhouse outside of Binghamton, New York. When a storm forced them to stay longer than expected, her grandfather, a reserved, almost reclusive man began telling them a story, one that he had kept to himself since his youth in the 1920's in Sicily, with his sister Gelsamina, and the baron D'Arcamo, and the wolves. 1980- Fifteen years later, Anna finds herself returning to the now abandoned farmhouse, only to discover clues and messages that begin a journey that takes her from Binghamton, all the way to Sicily. A journey that all along, she was intended to make. Some called it a legacy, others a curse. Gelsamina, the young woman in the portrait, can only offer so many clues. The rest, Anna must discover by herself. And yet, Gelsamina is always there, sharing a meal, sharing what she knows, sharing the legacy. And when she hears the wolves howling l'anelito, the longing, Anna understands what she must do. There comes a point in time when, wanted or not, ones family gives them things. There also comes a time when one must accept them.