"Bill, are you ever going to tell them that Grendel isn't real?  They can't enjoy the vacation if they're terrified the whole time," Marie said.

"Come on, just trust me on this one.  I'll finish the story tonight, and they'll sleep nightmare-free," Bill replied.  The children returned with the wood, and their father began building a campfire.

"Alright, Dad, we brought the wood, so tell us how the king stopped Grendel!" Billy Jr. said excitedly.

"Well, word spread all the way to a place called Gothland about Grendel and the havoc he wreaked on the Danish people.  A mighty warrior named Beowulf..."

"Was he a real wolf?" Joanie interrupted.

"No, sweetheart, he was a man.  I know his name sounds like it ends with 'wolf,' but that's just how you pronounce his name.  He was certainly much stronger and kinder to people than a real wolf," Bill explained.

"Anyway, Beowulf was a mighty warrior known for his bravery.  He begged his own king to send him to Daneland so he could battle Grendel.  His king agreed, and Beowulf took fifteen of his fellow warriors on a boat to Daneland to fight the evil beast.  The men arrived later that day, and they greeted King Hrothgar and his council.  Beowulf explained who he was and asked if he could fight Grendel all by himself.  Hrothgar warned him of the ogre's power but welcomed Beowulf to fight if he really believed he could win.  Then they all feasted in Hart Hall and enjoyed the rest of their evening.  By nightfall, everyone had fallen asleep except Beowulf; he was waiting for Grendel to arrive.  He didn't have to wait long before the beast knocked the door down.  The monster paused for a moment to stare at his feast for the night:  the sleeping warriors.  His eyes were blazing like a campfire, and he let out a shrieking howl.  The ogre did not see Beowulf because he was standing in a dark corner of the room.  Suddenly Grendel reached for a man asleep on the floor, but Beowulf reached over as fast as lightning and caught the ogre's arm.  Grendel screamed in pain because he had never experienced this much strength from a lowly warrior.  He grew very angry because he could not pull away from Beowulf's powerful grip.  The struggle turned into a battle as the other warriors awoke and began chopping at Grendel with their swords.  Their efforts were useless because the ogre's skin was stronger than steel, and their swords could not hurt him.  The battle intensified because Grendel began to panic.  No matter how hard he pulled, he could not loosen the grasp on his arm.  Tables were knocked over, leftover food fell to the floor, and even windows were broken as the fight continued.  Suddenly there was a tremendous crack that sounded like thunder, followed by another sharp scream of pain.  Grendel's arm had broken, and it was ripped off from the shoulder.  He pulled so hard to get away that he actually ripped his entire arm from his body."

"Was there a lot of blood squirting everywhere?!" Billy Jr. asked with wide eyes and a smile on his face.

"Sure there was!  Grendel had to take off his shirt and cover his shoulder just to stop all the bleeding!" Bill said.




"The beast ran back to his swamp and dived in to reach his cave at the bottom.  Hart Hall burst into cheers as the men celebrated Beowulf and his victory over the ogre.  They even nailed Grendel's arm on the wall to show everyone that he had been defeated.  News of the battle spread throughout Daneland and Gothland very quickly.  Beowulf was truly a hero to the Danish people.  King Hrothgar promised that he would treat Beowulf as his own son from that day forward because he rescued the king and his land from weeks of terror.  Beowulf thanked the king, but he was still disappointed about the battle.  He was upset because he could not kill Grendel in Hart Hall, although everyone knew he died from his injuries once he got back to the swamp.  The next several days were very happy ones.  People came from near and far to see Grendel's arm that was still nailed to the wall inside Hart Hall.  They were amazed by the incredibly sharp fingernails and the skin that was tougher than steel.  Everyone was relieved that Grendel had been defeated, but..."

"What happened next?" Joanie asked.

"Yeah, what happened next?" Marie surprisingly asked.  She quickly glanced around feeling embarrassed for getting so caught up in the story.  "I'm going to get some marshmallows out of the truck.  Go ahead and keep telling the story to them."

"No, I'll wait for you.  I wouldn't want you to get scared out there with all those monsters roaming around," Bill teased.  Marie rolled her eyes and walked into the darkness toward the vehicle.

"You lied to us!  You said Grendel would be out here in the woods, but he's dead!" Billy Jr. exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't exactly lie to you.  His spirit still roams this earth in search of more people to eat.  He especially likes to eat little boys and girls who don't listen to their parents.  Disobedience is bad, and Grendel loves to be around bad people.  Next time, you need to stop arguing with each other when your mother and I tell you to stop.  If you listen to us, Beowulf will keep Grendel away and you'll be safe," Bill said.  The children nodded their heads in acceptance of their father's explanation.  Bill stoked the fire and added another log as the three of them waited in silence for Marie to return with the marshmallows.

Author's Note:  This chapter is actually a combination of two separate stories from the online book I'm using.  The first story was a detailed account of Beowulf in Gothland and how he came to Daneland.  I only took the important parts from that story and did not focus on it very much, but it was important to explain how Beowulf came into the picture.  The second story was all about the battle with Grendel and the celebrations following his death.  I wrote most of this chapter from that story.  I reduced the combined information from these two stories from approximately 1500 words to about 950 words (including the addition of my frametale).  It was a challenge to condense two stories and incorporate the frametale effectively, but I was able to write about everything I felt was important.  The original story about the battle had many details about the celebrations that took place after Grendel was defeated.  I left out most of those because I would not have been able to talk about the actual battle as much if I had included them.  Next, I will introduce Grendel's mother, the Water Witch.  That's right, he has an evil mother, and she will be out for revenge!