Whaling City Vampires: Love Beyond Death

by Alison Fish

  Chapter 9

  "I saw your face!" Amy scolded Ruthie as they slowed their pace when they were a mile from the scene of their crime.

  "What do you mean?" Ruthie asked as she walked alongside Amy with her eyes to the gravel-covered road.

  "You were actually about to tie that man's boot, weren't you?" Amy accused.

  "No," Ruthie started and changed her solemn tone to one of indecisiveness, "I don't know. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want you to attack him and I hoped that if I fixed his boot he would just go away."

  Amy looked at Ruthie in disappointment and impatience, "When will you ever accept the fact that you're no longer a servant. In fact, you are strong and powerful. You can defend yourself against any man and should take advantage of it."

  "I guess it just takes a long while to get used to," Ruthie didn't know what else to say, "I been a servant all my life. You said yourself it took you a while to get used to it."

  "I just hate to see you being treated in such a humiliating fashion and I hate seeing you respond to it in such a manner of acceptance. You are far too good of a person to be treated in such a low and degrading manner."

  "Well," Ruthie put her head up and smiled, "thank you for saying so and for believing so. I promise to remember that I'm not a servant anymore. Once and for all."

  "And never will be," Amy added.

  "And never will be," Ruthie repeated with enthusiasm.

  "Now that we have that problem resolved, would you care to return to the man we fed upon and see how he looks after being hit by a train? Knowing that Ruthie would be repelled by the morbid suggestion, Amy waited with a facetious smile for Ruthie's response.

  Ruthie, as expected, was not amused by Amy's attempt at humor. "It's sinful enough that we killed that man without going back to stare at his corpse, or what's left of it. I'm amazed that you would even suggest it."

  "Oh, come now, Ruthie," Amy laughed, "Surely you know I was just having some fun."

  "Sometimes it's hard to tell," Ruthie explained, "the vicious way you attacked that man made me believe you enjoyed it."

  "You know I don't love being the creature that I am, but I've been this way for over five years and I've learned to accept it and to live with it."

  "I think maybe sometimes you enjoy it too."

  After a slight pause Amy said, "Maybe sometimes I do. I can't hate myself for eternity because of who or what I am."

  Ruthie was silent as she considered how life would be if she hated herself for eternity. On one hand, maybe she deserved to hate herself forever, but on the other hand, it wasn't her choice to become the creature of the night that she was. If ever she should die she would certainly be condemned to hell. Wasn't that punishment enough? "I'll never enjoy being a murderer. If I have to kill to survive, I suppose I will because I don't want to die, but I'll always be guilty and I'll never enjoy it."

  "Let's talk about something else, Ruthie, you're making me feel guilty and sinful."

  "Well, that's an improvement, I'd say, but I'm willing to change the subject."

  "Would you like to take a walk along the wharves before we go home?"

  Ruthie consented to walk along the wharves under the condition that Amy refrained from any more killing for the night. Ruthie wouldn't have been able to enjoy her walk if she had to fear that Amy might attack any lone shipbuilder or sailor they happened upon.

  The smog from the mills combined with the heavy humid air that seemed as though it would never release the city from its grip sat heavily over the city and the waterfront. Amy and Ruthie enjoyed being concealed in the low-lying smog and less obviously noticeable by whoever was still about. As they strolled along a desolate dock listening to the usual comforting sounds of water lapping against the boats and the creaking of the boats themselves, they heard a distant commotion from over the water.

  "A ship is coming in, Ruthie," Amy announced and her eyes grew wide as she tried to see through the gloom.

  "It can't be docking here because there would be people to meet it."

  "Yes" Amy relaxed slightly, "you're right. I don't know how it can find its way in this weather. Let's move further on and listen to find out where it's anchoring."

  In their haste to reach the end of the dock in the smoggy darkness, Ruthie sped her way right into a lone dockworker.

  "Pardon me, miss," the man said in surprise as he turned and saw who had bumped into him. He was surprised to see a lady out on the dock alone so late. Amy had already disappeared ahead into the heavy air. On hearing the man's voice behind her, however, she stopped to listen to Ruthie's response.

  "I'm sorry, sir," Ruthie said shyly with her face down and hidden from his full view, "I didn't see you in this weather."

  "I'm surprised to find such a fine lady out on the docks at night," smiled the young black man.

  "How nice of you to say," Ruthie blushed and slightly lifted her eyes upward to see his face, "I was surprised to find anyone out here myself."

  "Well, I just arrived here today and don't have no home here. I'll be sailing out next week so I guess I don't really need a home here anyway," Ruthie's shy smile gave the man courage to continue, "I'm sleeping on the ship until we sail."

  "I was just out walking," Ruthie replied defensively, "I couldn't sleep."

  "Well, I'm glad you were here, miss," the man smiled sincerely, "You're the prettiest lady I've ever seen in my life."

  "I don't believe that," Ruthie blushed again.

  "Well, it's true and I never lie unless I'm talking to a white man."

  Ruthie laughed at his response, "I better go now. Somebody's waiting for me."

  The incoming ship was moving closer to shore and lights were now shining in some of the hotels as they sent men out in rowboats to compete for their business. Silently and suddenly Amy appeared at Ruthie's side and urged her to follow.

  "Oh, you're not alone," the man exclaimed in surprise at seeing Amy seemingly appear out of nowhere.

  "No," Ruthie smiled and turned back as Amy led her away by the hand, "this is my sister."

  "Sister!" the man said to himself as the two girls disappeared away from him down the dock, "all those stories about blacks and whites being equal up here in the north must really be true."

  "What's the matter," Ruthie asked Amy as they left the dock for the shelter of the dark, desolate buildings along the train tracks, "why are we running in this direction when a few minutes ago you were running the other way?"

  "Because I heard what the men were saying on the ship," Amy answered as she slowed her pace in the security of the shadows, "they have a pirate on board and they intend to turn him over to the authorities upon landing."

  "A pirate," Ruthie exclaimed," I hope he doesn't get loose. My mama told me some dark tales about pirates she heard about over the years."

  "Yes," Amy added, "I would hear about them in the stories my father would tell my brother. He didn't realize that I was listening, but I would sometimes hide behind the drapes while my brother sat on my father's knee. I was supposed to be in the nursery practicing my Bible lessons, but I wanted to learn why I wasn't allowed time with my father the same as Samuel."

  "Were any of your father's ships taken by pirates?"

  "I don't know." Amy replied, "I never was able to hear everything. My father didn't often speak about business around the family. He had a study where he entertained business associates. I would never dare to hide behind the drapes in his study. In fact, none of us but the servants were allowed inside."

  "Why are we hiding from this pirate?"

  "We're not, Ruthie," Amy whispered urgently, "we're hiding from all the men who will descend on the ship as soon as word spreads that a pirate's been brought in."

  Ruthie was silent for a moment, then said, "Wouldn't you like to get a look at the pirate too, Amy?"

  "Ruthie!" Amy said in surprise, "why would I be interested in seeing a filthy pirate? He's a thief and a killer."

  "Have you ever seen one be
fore," Ruthie was excited at the prospect of seeing something she had heard so many stories about.

  "No, I haven't," Amy seemed insulted that Ruthie would ask such a question. Why would Amy place herself in the company of a criminal?

  "I want to see him," Ruthie admitted to Amy's surprise, "he can't be any more of a killer or thief than we are."

  "How can you think so, Ruthie," Amy was astonished, "I think your little chat with the dockworker has made you very daring. We kill and commit thievery as means of survival. Pirates do so for pleasure and greed. It makes them feel superior and invincible. They find happiness in their victims' suffering."

  "What do you think the authorities will do to him?" Ruthie didn't want to argue with Amy, but she felt that in describing the pirate's lust for larceny and murder she could also describe Amy. It was just a short time ago that Amy had enjoyed attacking the pipe smoking man with the untied boot.

  "There will be a trial and then they will hang him," Amy declared in a tone of finality.

  "Then he'll be in jail for some time?"

  "A week or more, I assume."

  "Tomorrow night we must visit his jail cell," Ruthie said with excitement in her eyes.

  Amy looked at Ruthie in disbelief and said, "All right, Ruthie, if only to prove to you what a filthy scoundrel he truly is."

  Standing in the shadows, they watched and waited while the crowd met the ship and in a group took the pirate toward the city courthouse where he would be housed in a cell to await legal process. Excited and alert, smaller groups remained on the dock gossiping about how the pirate was captured and finally how the ship fared on its quest for whale oil. Workers were removing oil from the ship to be stored until morning when business could be conducted. Amy and Ruthie returned home in a wide arc to avoid the city center where the hotels were welcoming the ship's crew and hearing the story of the pirate's capture.

  Arriving home as usual by the rear entrance, the girls moved cautiously around to the front of the house to get a glimpse of the courthouse where the pirate was secured until morning when he would be officially charged. The house front sat diagonally across from the front of the courthouse giving the girls a full view of the building. There were small groups of men on the sidewalk talking excitedly about the new prisoner and his identity but Amy and Ruthie weren't close enough to hear what was being said. The men soon began going their separate ways and the girls retreated to their lair.

  As they prepared for their daylight sleep and readied their coffins Ruthie remarked, "I can hardly wait until tomorrow to meet a real pirate."

  "He would make a good meal," Amy smiled showing her fangs.

  "You cannot feed off him, Amy," Ruthie became alarmed at Amy's threat.

  "I was simply trying to be humorous, Ruthie," Amy became serious again, "of course we can't feed off the pirate. That would be as dangerous as feeding off the mayor."

  "Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that," Ruthie breathed a sigh of relief, "sometimes you feed off whoever happens to pass by you, like that man by the train tracks tonight."

  "After all these months of my waiting for your permission to feed on a particular victim, do you think I would really be so rash as to attack a pirate who is locked in a cell and leave him to be found bloodless and dead?"

  "No, I guess not," Ruthie answered, "but sometimes when you're hungry you don't think about the consequences, you just feed."

  "I solemnly promise not to feed on the loathsome pirate," Amy loosened her hair and straightened her nightgown, "do you feel better now?"

  "Yes," Ruthie opened her coffin lid and climbed in, "I do."

  Amy climbed into her own coffin and said, "You know, Ruthie, with all the excitement over the pirate, I haven't had a chance to talk to you about the dockworker you collided with tonight."

  Ruthie smiled up at the cobwebs hanging from the rafters, "He was a very handsome man, but I was so scared bumping into him like that. I thought I was more careful about staying hidden."

  "Yes, it's a good thing he wasn't someone who could recognize one of us." Amy remarked solemnly, " But no harm was done after all," then she added, "He said you were the finest lady he's ever met."

  "You heard that?" Ruthie hadn't realized Amy had heard the conversation.

  "I was close by."

  "He's going out to sea in a week," Ruthie went on, "that's all I know about him."

  "Do you want to see him again?" Amy asked.

  "That would be nice," Ruthie was smiling toward the cobwebs again, "he's the only man who has ever called me a lady."

  "Since he'll only be here a week you shouldn't waste any time," Amy stated matter-of-factly, "After we visit the pirate we will visit your dockworker."

  "If you insist," Ruthie smiled as they lowered their coffin lids well before the first light of day.