A BALM FOR THE SENSES

The door to the medium sized chamber opened and Doctor Franklin rolled in, followed by two sturdy orderlies. He stopped just short of the sobbing immortal and said - Come, my boy. We will get her back. I promise you that we will......The orderlies kneeled down to help Jonathon get up, but he roughly shook them off......He cried - I don't want to go with you. I want to stay here. Leave me alone.......They tried again, yet had to stop, for the vampire could hurt them. Not that he wanted to. Not that he planned to. It's just that he can't controll his own strength. So Doctor Franklin called for some blankets and prepared to spend the night locked in the room with a heartsick life-eater and his 'dead' family. The orderlies draped the warm covers over Jonathon. They lifted the wily, old scientist up out of his chariot and placed him down on a large, comfy chair carried in for that purpose. Then they tucked him in too. He had a catheter bag strapped to his thigh so he would not need to go  pee during the night. The orderlies left. The door was closed and the vampire and the three hundred and four year old human were sealed in till morning. But that term had no meaning here, in this subterranean space. To the mole folk (who survived their night with the cops and were now safely returned to their much missed surroundings) it would have been Nirvana. All was silent, save for the weak, small drone of the ventilator. All was dark, save for the minute illumination eminating from some tiny, security bulbs.  Jonathon remained where he was. He started  to intone the prayer for the peaceful repose of the soul. He said - Yit-ga-dahl, ve-yit-ka-dash...Shemay-Rabah....( Magnified and Sanctified be the name of The Lord...) and he continued till he was through......Doctor Franklin said - Amen.....All was quiet for a heartbeat or two, till the doctor continued..... I know that prayer well, my boy- he said. I used to sing it at Mikveh Israel. You remember that prayer house, don't you?.......Jonathon sniffed and nodded......The old man went on - I prayed everywhere, with the Anglicans, with the Methodists, and with the Jews. There weren't too many Catholics in my time (he laughed) or what's supposed to have been my time. But I prayed later with them as well. And lately, I've even answered the call at a mosque or two. And you know what?.........Jonathon sobbed - What?......I believe it all. And I believe the Buddists. And I believe the Hindus. And I believe the B'hai's. And who else do you want to ad to that list? What difference does it make? You know what old,Rabbi De Solis taught. The righteous of all groups shall share in The World To Come. And you can't tell me that a spiritual creature such as youself, doesn't believe that. We'll bring her back. We'll bring them back. - whispered the doctor........He looked down at the eightteen year old body encasing the thousand year old soul. The 'boy' drifted off to sleep. And the Doctor whispered - And if we can't bring them back...we'll pray for them...Thus they spent the night....But unbeknownst to them, Sarah heard it all...........