by P. Mattern
“I can see it Ian.” She said, hushed excitement in her voice, not wanting to take her eyes off of it for even a moment for fear she’d lose track of it. ”How do we go through? Can we just jump up into it?”
Without preamble Ian scooped her up into his arms.
“It’s a smallish one, I’m afraid.” He explained, an apologetic tone in his voice,” It’s probably best if I carry you.”
Not bothering to wait for her response Mitzi felt Ian elevate into the air above the meadow and hurdle toward the shimmering oval. The opening was no more than 6’x 5’. Its small size notwithstanding, the portal felt like any Mitzi had ever traveled in. First she felt the electromagnetic resistance as they plunged into it, as if they were pressing themselves into a wall of Jello. Once through, they were propelled rapidly through a tunnel that seemed to be composed of rings of light rotating in a counterclockwise direction. After 10 or 12 seconds Mitzi could see a prismatic green shimmer appear in front of them and they tumbled through it, finding themselves rolling down a mossy bank before they came to rest at the trunk of a tree.
It was the most humongous tree that Mitzi had ever seen, and by a LOT. As big as a house.
Ian helped her up, and dusted his clothing off as well, gazing upward to follow the tree trunk up to branches that seemed to go upward for miles. Then he smiled excitedly at her, his eyes twinkling.
“Mitzi your portal goes here-into the Redwood National Park in California of all places! The land of the Sequoia Sepervirens - redwood trees 2,000 years old they say.”
Mitzi was amazed. As far upward as she could manage, even craning her neck, she couldn’t see the tops of the trees.
“How many stories tall are these?” She asked a tone of genuine awe in her voice. Mitzi hadn’t been well traveled by a long shot before her Turning-and even since then had only been to Motuo County China in the Tibetan Autonomous region when she was abducted by Adrastos, and to Paris on a honeymoon trip with Cass. She had only ever resided in two of the United States, Virginia and Indiana.
“I’ve heard that some of the trees are several stories taller than the Harbor Lady, the Statue of Liberty.” He replied, gazing pleasantly at her as she continued to gaze upward .He couldn’t imagine a more romantic setting. The forest surround was a deeply verdant green, and birds called and sang all around them. They seemed to be standing on a small but fairly traveled looking red dirt path, and the tree that they were standing before was so large in circumference it made him feel as if they were standing in a setting for a proper fairy tale.
Looking at Mitzi in profile, her strawberry blonde hair curling into ringlets in the heat, words from his beloved Welsh tongue rose in his throat and escaped unbidden from his lips.
“Fi cariad eich.” He said, speaking softly, and adding ,”Fy colomen.”
Mitzi turned quickly toward him, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’.
“You mustn’t say these things,” she said, ”Though I don’t understand Welsh - and I assume that was Welsh you were speaking - my HEART understood what you said perfectly, Ian.”
As they continued to stare at each other Ian noticed Mitzi’s eyes had softened, and her lips were slightly parted. Ian could smell the sweetness of her breath suspended in the air between them.
“I said I love you, Mitzi.” He confessed, the light in his eyes burning brighter.” And I called you ‘my dove’. Because you are graceful, gentle and true-the best, really, of all of us I think. And I know that you are thrice-bitten, and can detect deception effortlessly. So I ask you now.
Is my love for you true? Tell me what you sense.”
A myriad of emotions seemed to swirl around them as they stood under the near - celestial canopy of the giant redwoods. As a prescient tribite she could feel all of them: deep longing, admiration, empathy; also a protective fierceness lest anything should happen to her.
And more than all of these, an immense overriding swell of pure love. It was so palpable that she imagined that it came with a scent that she wanted to breathe in, in huge, grateful lungfuls … it was the scent of lilacs and field violets, their sweet faces turned upward to the sun.
The next moment she was pressed against his chest inside the cradle of his arms, both of their hearts beating wildly as they kissed passionately, a never ending kiss that was only paused briefly in order for him to gently strip off her clothing and his own before he laid her, naked as Eve, with utmost care, in a shallow, moss covered indentation between two giant redwood roots that hid them from view. She could feel the moss at her back and the heat of him at her loins and she received him greedily, like a wet throbbing flower starving for the length and breadth of his manhood.
Charley Rabbit stood on the doorstep of the home he had grown up in, He had just unlocked the door and the measured ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer before him was the only discernible sound. There was a stale smell in the air, and he automatically reached behind the open door to the wall thermostat, to crank on the air conditioning.
He was filled with a myriad of emotions as he stood there, partly because it was the house he had grown up in during the first 23 years of his life as a mentally disabled male. He’d lived with his mother Mitzi AND his father here, when his dad had still been living. The tree house his dad had built for him was still planted on the lowest forked branches of an elm in the back yard. Since he’d been Turned and his intelligence had skyrocketed, he had realized that his father built the tree house unusually low to the ground - it was only really about 5 feet up from it - probably so that if he fell when he’d been retarded he wouldn’t sustain any serious injuries.
At moments like these he wished he had known his father while he was still alive. In his duller, more slowly witted state Charley could barely remember him, and most of his memories were centered on shared activities: circus visits, picnics, camping, fishing, trips to the zoo - his dad had been a family man and must have also been patient with his disabled son.
Charley walked over to the mantel and picked up the large ornately framed picture of his mom and dad that rested there. His mom’s hair was ridiculously frizzy from an 80’s perm and his dad looked like an older version of himself, only with horn rimmed glasses. Charley realized as his vision suddenly blurred that he was tearing up for some reason.
“Hi dad” he said softly,
”I grew up to be a vampire, don’t you know. But I’m smart now too. Smarter than you ever thought I would be. I guess everything is a tradeoff, huh?”
A noise behind him made him startle and nearly drop the framed picture. When he turned, it was Fressenda he saw standing in the doorway. She looked as startled as he was.
“Two minds with a single thought.” she commented, entering the room. In spite of the heat she looked cool and fashionable in a white printed halter sundress and white sandals. Her blue eyes shone out from underneath the fringe of her bangs and her luxurious blue black hair was up off her neck in a ponytail. ”How are you Charley?”
Charley looked down at her smiling.
“Good to see you Fress.” He said, meaning it. Even if they were no longer an item, he loved her, and would always love her. ”I came to see how the place was holding up. Without the Hybrid threat the house is officially liveable. I was thinking about moving in again.”
“Oh Charley I’m so glad!” Fress exclaimed. “Your mom loves the farm, especially since she gets to ride horses all the time. She told me that she could never be a suburbanite again and I can’t blame her. I think the house makes her feel a little sad, also, since she lived here with your Dad. She told me that you could sell it as far as she’s concerned, but I was hoping you’d decide to stay here instead.”
“Lots of memories, for sure.” Charley answered, winking at her. ”You guys ‘came out’ as vampires to my mom here as I recall.”
“And YOU ‘came out ’yourself as intellectually superior!” Fress responded. ”Not to mention all the games of ‘World of Azglen’ we played around the kitchen table.”
Charley snapped his fingers.
“I know what I should do Fress! I should have a house warming and invite everyone here to fill the house up with laughter and exorcise the vibes from the Hybrid attack. How does that sound?”
Spontaneously Fress threw her arms around Charley in a warm hug.
“That’s a fabulous idea, Charley! And I’m glad you’ll be staying here. It seems perfect.” She finished, looking up at him without letting go. The truth was, she didn’t feel like letting go. It had been weeks since she and Charley had even hugged each other, and it felt natural to be in such proximity to him again.
Charley cleared his throat.
“Fress thank you for the hug - and for everything else. You’ve been wonderful, helping my mom, giving Cass a place to stay-not to mention what you’ve done for Carey, Kimbra and Avi. And I heard about the new vamp Blue… are you going for your own TV reality show?” Charley teased, making her giggle. Her arms were still around his waist.
“Charley you know I love it. I always wanted a big extended family!” she said smiling beatifically upwards at him. ”And I’m glad we ran into each other here. We should be comfortable with each other, just like this. Please let’s not be awkward. There is love and a deep caring connection between us, and always will be. I still adore you, you know.”
Charley pulled her to him so that her head rested against his chest, and kissed the top of her head. He knew she was right.
“I will always adore you as well.” He answered, meaning it. “And I’m done with the jilted, furious boyfriend stage. We need to be unified as a family, Fress, you’re right. Depend on each other and look out for one another. I may not be as prescient as some vampires, but I’ve been getting an inkling lately that there’s been an energy shift of some kind, a major one. It gives me an unsettled, ’draw the wagons in a circle’ feeling that I can’t explain away. It’s something huge, maybe even global… And I don’t know what it is, or when it will arrive. But I do know this.
“Something is definitely coming. ”He finished, his blue eyes turning a cloudy blue grey as he stared past her, unseeing, off into the distance.
They were on a mountaintop known as Cragg’s Hill. It was the place Celeste came to weep, and because she so rarely did, she and Ariel did not frequent this place often.
Ariel held her partner closely in her arms while the striking blonde with the glacial blue eyes sobbed as though her heart was breaking. The death of Sephla, the vampire nurse who had once been a Declared Woman of Adrastos Animavorous, had been nothing more than a relief to the other V-net vampires. They were grateful that Sephla had been thwarted in her plan to murder Mitzi and her two offspring as soon as Mitzi gave birth to them. Sephla’s main target had been Absolam, the blonde babe that had presumptively been fathered by Adrastos-Sephla had decided that in retribution for Adrasto’s cruelty toward her, including branding her permanently on her cheek with his mark, she would end the life of his newborn son. Only the Vampire Pierre ending Sephla’s life with a poisoned dagger prevented her from consummating her plan.
None of the other vampires, other than Ariel, knew that Sephla had been Celeste’s half-sister.
For centuries after Adrastos had thrice - turned Sephla, Celeste had supported and nurtured her younger half-sister. Sephla hadn’t instantaneously gone dark after her Tribite turning, but had rather shown a slow descent into darkness – and madness-over time. It was Celeste that had encouraged Sephla to become a medical specialist for clones, dhampirs and other phylums of creatures that never had access to meaningful medical expertise. Sephla, who was also brilliant in spite of her strangeness and bouts of madness, and had made solid contributions to the well-being of many creatures.
Celeste had always felt guilty because Sephla had been basically ‘given’ to Adrastos by their King father in order to settle a debt that he would never be able to repay. Celeste’s queen mother had died giving birth to her, and the King had remarried promptly. His new wife, the Queen Nerja, was kind and gentle toward Celeste and had given the King two sons and a daughter, Sephla, who was appreciably younger than Celeste and very much looked up to her.
“You never knew her,” Celeste said between bouts of harsh sobbing,” By the time you met her she was just a shell of the lovely girl she once was. She was shy, and kind, and sweet… and Adrastos RUINED her!!! He beat her and Turned her and then when she tried to escape he mutilated her, Ariel, even her secret places, so that she would never have children!! And then he threw her away, as if she were rubbish, as if she were NOTHING!”
Celeste’s voice broke on the last word and she began sobbing again, inconsolable.
“That’s what the rest of them don’t understand - that she was once beautiful and kind and GOOD. That she wasn’t a monster until Adrastos poisoned her with his venom and MADE her into one.”
Ariel sighed as she held Celeste. Throughout their relationship Celeste had always kept in touch with Sephla, mentored her, cheered her when she felt down, gave her encouragement and praises for her nursing skills. Since Sephla had been tortured and abandoned by Adrastos Sephla had lived in a state of Recovery and Celeste had played the role of her Sponsor. Ariel wondered if part of the reason Celeste was so distraught was that she had lost her mentoring role.
“Celeste, look at me now.” She said kindly and calmly. As soon as Celeste raised her swollen and teary eyes to meet Ariel’s gaze, she continued.
“What’s done is done. You were the very best sister Sephla could have hoped for, and you stayed with her up to the end, even though she was dying inside the entire time… but you never let go. I am proud of you. Her condition killed her as surely as if it had been an incurable disease. You will probably mourn her for awhile, but in time you will see more clearly that her death was not only a mercy to Mitzi and the twins but also to herself.
Now she lives in the World of Smoke and Shadow, and she is at peace. Can you feel it, oh most Prescient One? Sephla is finally at peace.”
Celeste wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jacket and pulled herself up the hill to sit beside Ariel. Gazing down they could see a panoramic view of meadows turning from springtime into Summer. The hum of bees was in the air. Fluffy looking white sheep were grazing to one side.
“I think I’d like a farm, someday.” Celeste remarked, sniffing and wiping the sleeve of her hoody over her face again. What do you think, sweet one? Something like this, where we can get a crow’s view of the world spread out below us from time to time… it’s a great way to restore perspective.”
Ariel leaned over and kissed Celeste gently on the lips. Celeste responded by pulling her closer for a more lingering version of the kiss.
“I think that would be lovely,” she said, gazing into Celeste’s eyes.” And healing. Some things take time to reconcile, my brave warrior princess. I am here for you…
Take all the time that you need.”
The fraternal twins Coriander and Absolam (called Cory and Ab for short) were 3 months old, the human equivalent of over three YEARS old, and they were curious, messy, talkative and hyperactive. Mitzi had hired an extra vampire nurse named Phoebe to assist in making sure that they didn’t hurt themselves. Both had neat caps of hair to their chins in the old fashioned style of the middle ages - Cory’s hair was brown and curly, like Cass’s, and Ab’s hair was silver blonde and straight.
It was a joke among those in Fress’s V-net tribe that the two boys were the ‘mini-me’s’ of Lux and Cass.
Kimbra’s younger sister Channing had recovered enough to assist in caring for the two little boys also. Kimbra and Carey visited her often. Channing was on a special blood diet, and Dr. Caligare said she seemed to be responding well, but after some initially promising verbal attempts she was still without speech, and he couldn’t figure out why. There seemed to be no physiological cause. The Doctor postulated that her muteness was psychological in origin, related to the obvious trauma that she had suffered. But the following facts he had been able to disc
ern.
Channing had been beaten nearly to the point of human death. And savagely raped by multiple assailants. And Turned Twice.
Dr. Caligare also noticed that Channing had supernaturally burned patterns that looked like starkly white tattoos at the small of her back. The symbols appeared to be some kind of ancient writing, but his research turned up nothing. All he knew was this: she had been exposed repeatedly to unspeakable acts and rituals.
So it was no wonder that she was now mute.
She had a beautiful smile however, was affectionate, recognized and showed love toward everyone and especially her sister and Carey. She was a beautiful young woman, graceful and gentle with Mitzi’s boys. In her spare moments she seemed to read voraciously, borrowing stacks of books at a time from the library shelves in the Great Room at the Farm.
Once a week Carey and Kimbra came with a picnic basket and had a relaxed two hour long picnic lunch with Channing. Channing had learned sign language, even though her hearing was perfectly fine, so that she could ’speak’ to the others. Carey picked it up as well so that he could join in conversations with the two young ladies. Kimbra had been able to sign since high school, and had volunteered extensively in summer camps for deaf children.
It was a Wednesday and Channing and Kimbra skipped ahead of Carey as he toted the heavy picnic basket and several quilts toward a favorite spot by a stream on the property that was overhung by weeping willows. As they approached the picnic spot, Kimbra suddenly stopped and said, ”Listen to the sound the willows make in the wind-there’s no sound like it. It’s a sweeping sound, or like the sound of theatre curtains being drawn back!”
Carey summarily dropped the heavy picnic basket several feet from the stream and began to unfold the quilts.
“It is a nice sound. And this is a groovy spot to picnic.” Catching Channing’s eye he teased, ”And we didn’t cook except for the deviled eggs, but we have KFC everything - extra crispy Miss Channing just like you prefer!”