Sunday, February 21, 2016

THE VAMPIRE, CONRAD, RETURNS FROM HIS PRISON... 2/21/16

Jonathon sat across from him, his leg vibrating with impatience. You know how it is when the knee bounces up and down a mile a minute? He looked at 'Papa.'.... Nothing. No reaction. No response. He nudged Annie. He said - You tell him.... So his juvenile, vampire, 'half sister' went over to whisper in her 'Papa's' ear. She asked him about Conrad. She asked when her own vampiric son might go free. And this had been going on for hours. Edith served chilled vodka and grappa, even a kind of salty bullion they liked. The big flat screen over the mantle was on. Sarah watched a paranormal show on the History Channel.... Were Merfolk Real?... or something like that.... If mortals only knew. Well, if more than a few mortals only knew.

Then the vampire, Jonathon, got up, kicked the cocktail table out of the way (Edith could get a replacement on Antiques Row in the morning), went over to the motionless, semi-entity, uber vampire, put his hands on his shoulders, glared into his eyes and said - Bring him back. It's enough. If you destroy him, if you destroy us all, you'll have no link to this era. You'll be a stationary, roiling, thunderstorm that thinks. Do you want that?... Then he gave Sarah a look.... She clicked off the TV. The suddenly quiet, dim, still room had an effect on the 'Papa' and he blinked.... But Jonathon didn't move. In a low determined voice he said - Bring him back.....

But nothing happened. The one they called 'Papa' just sat there. The refrigerator in the kitchen started to hum. Annie sighed. Edith read a magazine about the Kardashians. She drew mustaches and glasses on all the faces. That was a 'thing' with her. Sometimes she gave them butterfly wings too. Not just the Kardashians. She did it to everybody in all the magazines. Vladimir Putin looked like he escaped from a Gay Pride parade, with eyelashes and a beauty mark and all.

A few more heartbeats went by. Jonathon still leaned on the old one's shoulders, till a micro instant later, the ether filling the place shook with a piercing scream. Jonathon and Annie shot out of the room, across the entrance hall and up the stairs, all the way to Conrad's chamber on the third floor.

Annie ran in first. He was lying on his back, convulsing on the bed, eyes rolled back in his head. Jonathon grabbed a pillow and pressed it over his face. After a bit Conrad relaxed and sat up, sobbing uncontrollably. No one said a word, but Annie hugged him. Edith brought him some cold vodka. He slept. They sealed all the shutters and draperies so he could sleep through the night and the next day too, if he wanted too.

Jonathon went downstairs. He confronted 'Papa.' He said - What did you do to him? ... The old one looked up under well formed brows and said - I saved him.... and that was it.

No one said anything else.... Edith went back to defacing celebrities. Sarah clicked on the television, this time some house hunters thing on HGTV..... All they do is 'House Hunters' - she said... But she exhaled and watched anyway.

Jonathon retreated to his cozy, little library, where he lost himself in antique volumes. He'd heard about a new 'talking in tongues' case and wanted to ask Doctor Franklin all about it. Now that Conrad was back, he could.

And the night went on.....

But across the way, a certain nosy, updated 'yuppie' stopped peeking through the drapes, turned to her husband and said - That was a a scream. I know it. It was a scream..... Her husband, Lars said - So it was a scream. What business is that of yours?

Constance never listened to him. She went back to the drapes and peeked through again, but the townhouse across the street was closed up tight and quiet, though a rather gamin, elfin looking creature scampered across the roof.....

This time she remained silent and kept the news to herself.

But Archie saw. She was holding him and he saw it too. The little Yorkie knew. 'Lucid' canines understand everything with a focused clarity known only to certain humans.... Do people know about them?... No, they do not. No one does, not even other dogs...

Cats might sense something, but then again, they're cats.

Look, the world is filled with magic. Everything is everywhere.

What do YOU choose to believe?

<more next time>

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