The Kludde
Near the tower in Lieferinge, stories circulated about a strange creature that wandered at night. It wore a sheepskin and made noise with bells or rattles. No one knew what it was, but everyone knew one thing: you must not be afraid.
The Kludde leapt upon those who were afraid, forced them to carry the beast on their backs, and did not let them go until they were drenched in sweat.
1 The Game of the Kludde
In the village of Lieferinge there was a poor laborer. The village lords offered him work: play the Kludde. They gave him a sheepskin, bells, and a rattle. At night he would dance on the roads and frighten young people.
He did it well. Too well. Many youths were seized with fear when they met him on the heath at night. Some lay down beneath him from pure terror. He rolled them over, as if he were truly a supernatural being.
2 The Girl Who Was Not Afraid
One evening a young girl walked across the heath. It was late and dark, but she told her friends she was not afraid. “The Kludde is only a man in a skin,” she laughed. “It will not frighten me.”
But when she saw the laborer, it was not the laborer. It was truly the Kludde – larger, wilder, with eyes of fire. The girl ran, but the beast was faster. In one leap it was on her back.
3 The True Kludde
The girl felt it was not ordinary. The Kludde pulled at her clothes with claws, not hands. She screamed, and the beast laughed – a laugh that was nothing human. She gave way in her legs, soaked in sweat and trembling.
In desperation she reached for a handkerchief in her pocket. She threw it at the beast. The Kludde stopped and began to unravel the cloth, inch by inch, as it must do. While the beast was occupied, the girl ran away. She ran until she was home, where she sat the whole night in the darkest corner.
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