"Wild Children" Richard Roberts starts off with basics of a morality but it grows into so much more.
Act:1 Scene:1
All the townsfolk knew to stay in on Walpurgis Night and not talk to Wild Children but these dire warnings are ignored. Jenny, our first protagonist, who is teacher’s pet and intelligent, perhaps beyond her own good. She is bored and curious being ahead of the class and soon enough she is intrigued with the wolfish Wild Boy. It takes two years for her to be able to run with them but with her first tastes of the wild side she cannot help herself. In a scene reminiscent of Pleasure Island from Disney's Pinocchio, the town's children are running amok. They steal food, yell and harass the town along with Wolfgang and his pack, even going so far as to howl like wolves and feel as if they are running on all fours until they are taken to fountain of youth. The “fountain” is in the basement storage area of the church, which is auspiciously left unlocked. They are told all that is left is to drink a beer and it will be plenty to tumble them to their destiny. The group has dreams of being a wolves like Wolfgang, but it was not meant to be, and the whole group is changed to donkeys instead! The changes ranging from extremely little in Hind, just donkey ears and a tail; all the way to two boys who are completely transformed into animals, one even losing all power of speech. Jenny, now Bray, is more completely transformed having: fur, ears, hooves, a tail, and loss of speech. She is the last to be appraised by teacher in terms of sale because Wild Children are never allowed to remain in the village. In this bestial state all would seem to be lost, if her teacher did not take pity and convince the others he would take her and retire. The others involved are the mayor and the priest, antagonists in their own right, who are soon killed by being fed that transformative beer, the final part of the tales turns out to be true too, that adults cannot become wild children.
A great deal of what is interesting in this story is how the official story and reality don't always coincide. We are told that is sinful and disobedient children that become Wild Children. On the surface that is exactly what happens, naughty children don't listen and are lured out by the wolves. The town folk are frightened and the mayor and priest offer the most dire warnings to ensure that all the wild children are sent/sold away to avoid corruption and temptation. All pretty standard boilerplate for morality tales, well except the whole becoming half-animals but how different is it? Yet, there are cracks.
The first crack is when it is revealed that Wolfgang's previous name was Pepper. We are told that Wild Children get new names and don't know their old names but it is revealed and later followed up with the revelation that his last name was Birch. One guess as to the surname of the town's fire and brimstone preacher's name? The story does not delve into that any further and its enough to make you pull your hair by its roots. It could explain so much, it is the exact story of a disobedient child getting punished, and the wrath and fear of parents who’ve lost everything lashing out; or perhaps the fear or the anger of a brother left behind. Still, it is only implied in a vague way.
The second crack is the revelation that the “fountain of youth” is in the church's basement. Perhaps one could accept ignorance if it was some disused room, some secret passage or the like. Instead its in one of the many barrels of beer the town is storing. Even at that reveal there a chance that this is some secret but then after the donkification we have the mayor-priest-teacher saying at least they know when and where it will occur and the teacher appraising the recently lost children. They even discuss how this happens yearly, and that at least they know where it will occur. At that point its beyond credulous to believe that its a secret. At least, the town leaders are aware of what they have in that barrel.
With just those two cracks I felt that the idea of this being a heavenly punishment was wearing thin. There was a magical draft, and despite the children howling and nearly running on all fours they all became donkeys. Something smelled rotten in the state of Denmark. The villagers knew about Pepper/Wolfgang, they were aware of where and I suspect how the changes occurred, and had cause beyond the simple for wishing revenge on those who changed. Oh yes this is already so much for than a simple morality tale. Like all good lies its built on truth. The children who are changed are disobedient, and they are children. Adults do not change, lest they die. But why donkeys and not wolves? It is hard to believe all of those children, including one we know to have been quite the student at shiftless and lazy as the donkeys are supposed to have been. Its only the end of the first scene, but already we are beginning to see that the whole story is yet to be revealed.
