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saw what was happening and ran toward the children. She put herself between them and the wolverine.
    Please don't bite any of them she pleaded. Be nice and I'll help you end your pain and suffering.
    It snarled at her while ropes of saliva drooled from its open mouth, revealing very sharp white teeth. Samantha knew the saliva was loaded with the lethal infective stuff of rabies, but she stood fast.
    I promise , she assured it again, while the madness roiled in its brain. Just lie down and wait right here for a little while. Will you?
    It thought about its predicament for a moment then decided to let the human cub see what it could do. But only if it could stand the crazy, vile thoughts whirling in its mind for a just a little longer without going into a raging storm of violence. It lay down on the grass in front of her. Samantha approached and stroked its head, talking to it soothingly. She could tell by its garbled speech that its mind was mostly gone. She hoped it could concentrate on staying put long enough for someone to return with a gun.
    Time seemed to stretch out endlessly as she knelt by the crazed wolverine. The younger children waited, unable to get past her and the sick animal and into the confines of the school house. Each time one moved, the wolverine snarled and slavered. Samantha stroked it, telling it to please wait.
    At last a nearby shop owner appeared with a rifle. "Stand back, girl!" he yelled at her. The noise caused the rabid creature to move under Samantha's soothing hand.
    Just a little longer. It will be over. I'm going to stand up and move. Shut your eyes and your suffering will end.
    The wolverine's madness abated a moment at the thought that the pain that made it crazy and sick would go away. It closed its eyes, waiting.
    Samantha stood up and backed away, not wanting to get splattered with infective particles when it was shot. The sound of the rifle boomed through the schoolyard. The Wolverine shuddered, twitched, then rolled over and died.
    "What were you thinking of, you crazy girl?" The man who shot the rabid animal shouted. "You know it could have bitten you and given you rabies, too!"
    "It wouldn't bite me and I couldn't let it get near the little kids. I told it to stay still and someone would put it out of its misery. It did."
    She walked away, then went to the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly. When she came out, teachers were waiting on her. They stared at her as if she were a goblin---or a witch with a forest full of familiars. The other students gazed morbidly at her as they would have a crazy person. Brave, but crazy just the same. All of them had heard of rabid animals and knew what they could do.
    A few minutes later her mother arrived. She was concerned but it was covered by the grimness of her expression. After a brief explanation, she turned to her daughter. "Come on, we're going home."
    That night Samantha was sent to bed early so that she couldn't hear the discussion taking place between her parents. Nothing was said the next day, nor the next. Or at least she heard nothing but snatches of conversation that were meaningless without knowing the whole context. When she went to school, she was avoided. There had been talk before, but after the wolverine incident it grew ugly. Parents told their children to avoid her for fear she might infect them with her strange ideas. They were afraid their children would take a notion to play with wolves or bears and get hurt or killed. The third day afterward one teacher flatly refused to have her in her class. She was sent to the principal's office. The principal called Mrs. Douglas to come get her child.
    Although she was told to sit outside the office while her mother talked to the principal there was no one there to make her obey. It was nearing noon and the secretary had gone for lunch. Samantha stood near the closed door of the principal's office. She overheard every word of what the school head said to her mother.
    "I'm sorry, but