"Blue Loup Garou" is the second story in Haunted Mansion #5. It was written and illustrated by Ben Towle.
Synopsis[]
A forlorn howling from the graveyard gets the attention of the mansion's resident mummy. He follows the noise to a small swamp pond where Bisclavret, a Cajun Loup Garou that the mummy calls "Biscuit," is fishing as he howls. Asked what the noise is about, and why he's always staring off toward the distant town of Bien Chasse, Bisclavret tells the mummy his story:
Loup Garous are bound to the service of a powerful spirit, a cigar-smoking entity called Basil as he goes about striking deals with the townsfolk of Bien Chasse, offering a life of leisure at the expense of their souls. The job of the Loup Garous is to provide the work for that leisure, and one night Basil pays a visit to a farmer with his four Loup Garous ready to do hard labor around the property. Basil orders Bisclavret to make a stew for the farmer while the rest of the werewolves go to the fields. He does as ordered, but sees this as his chance to escape.
Basil and the farmer go walking to discuss the nature of their deal. Basil claims he won't be returning next week, and the farmer complains that he's supposed to be served for life. Basil replies that this is correct, for however long or short that life may be. As the farmer's dying screams echo through the swamp, Bisclavret makes a run for it, where he happens to stumble onto the grounds of Gracey Manor. He hides there hoping that the sun will rise before Basil realizes his servant is gone.
When morning comes, Bisclavret feels safe but is confused why he didn't return to a human form. He finds he cannot leave the grounds due to an invisible barrier, and spots one of Basil's cigar stubs on the other side. He speculates that Basil had punished him by trapping him on the mansion grounds forever.
Back in the present, the mummy feels that Bisclavret is sad because of that, but the Loup Garou says that's not the reason; he actually really likes it at the mansion. His sadness comes from the fact that almost everything on the grounds is a ghost, including the fish he catches in the pond. Eternally denied a good fish dinner, Bisclavret howls sadly into the night.