The Silence of Night

As the night became late, Beowulf and his companions began to fortify the hall against the dangers of Grendel, a monster that they intended to lure in and slay. Beowulf knew of Grendel's brutality. The lord of the mead hall warned Beowulf when they had arrived. Grendel loved to sneak in at night and tear apart his victims, limb from limb, and consume their flesh. Beowulf committed to not sleep the entire night so that he might keep watch on his men. Though he wouldn't ask the same of them, they needed the rest for when the time came.

With preparations finished and the fires now but a warm glow, his men lay down on the various benches to get some rest before the fight. Hondsico had been chosen to take first-watch so that they would not be surprised by an attack. Beowulf approved of this choice. The man was young and capable of surviving off of little sleep. Hondsico took his post near the door and a silence fell over the hall as more and more men drifted to sleep. Beowulf noticed something strange about this silence. He had taken to lying down, eyes open, at the head of the large table. He remained still, not even turning his head. Something was missing. The rustling of wildlife and even the ever-present chirping of the crickets was not audible. Even the wind, which the previous night had been a gale, was a whisper through the trees. It was as if the land itself was holding its breath in anticipation.

Beowulf watched with steady breathing as a fog began to cover the moon. He felt as if unseeable creatures were lurking just outside, and yet he still heard no sound.

After what may have been an hour, the fog thickened further, and Beowulf was fighting off a strong urge to close his heavy eyes. In his half-conscious state, he heard and saw visions of his men being clubbed by a great beast and falling dead to the floor one after another. Bam! Bam! Bam!

A few minutes later, there came a much louder bang which jolted Beowulf back to full consciousness. There at the entrance of the now dislodged entryway stood a hulking evil mass, Grendel. The monster was tall, having to lean down to enter the doorway. Its face barely resembled any sort of human features. He had large fangs, and his body was covered in scales that glistened in what little light of the moon broke through the fog.

In a second, Beowulf scanned the room. His companions were still sleeping under the spell that had nearly taken him. Even the watchman hadn't escaped. Beowulf shook his head to alleviate his drowsiness. There was no time to wake and rally the others; he had to do something now. He rose to his feet but was too late to save his companion, Hondsico, as Grendel snatched him and tore the limbs from his body, devouring them. Amidst all the chaos, Beowulf drew steadily closer, hoping to close the gap. Despite the sounds of gnashing and tearing, Grendel's head perked and spun around. Beowulf froze as those glowing white eyes fixed onto his.

Beowulf knew this was going to be a long fight. He needed to lure Grendel away from his sleeping companions. Beowulf steadied his breathing and charged the large creature, tackling it through the entryway of the hall. And so, the two began their silent duel, their movements like a dance through the foggy moonlight night.