Poem of the Day: History

Again this is a poem from back in 1992 or 1993.  Part of that 100 poem deal...

HISTORY

When Eve ate the Apple Adam fell,

when Cain killed Abel Cain went to hell.

When Christ on a cross hung and died,

Through Napoleon’Ss power, the children cried.

Romeo and Juliet and all of their true love,

 Noah after forty days and the snow white turtle dove.

Trough ages of dark they heard the cry,

by evil men of those who die.

A man came to power, 1933

 of a country in Europe called Germany,

of hatred and evil is all that he knew. 

Killed 6 million people most of them Jews.

A man named Sadam from a place called Iraq

of knowledge and power none did he lack,

but greed and money and the power too

 got to him and it grew and grew.

What makes a man believe he can win

a world a universe that can’t belong to him?

Vietnam and world wars one and two

 Korea and others it can’t be true!

A wall made of stone of men who have died

the tears of a widowed who died as she cried.

A little boy who goes off to play

 who leaves for war the very next day.

The hippies and wood stock and burning the flag.

  ‘Abortion Abortion!” it’s fine to brag.

it’s OK to kill if it’s justified

it isn’t a baby growing inside.

It’s all right to swear and to be a fraud,

 but the law says it’s forbidden to pray to God.

It’s all right to drink get high and fight,

 to dim the future in a child’s sight.

But being different, dreaming a dream.

 Doing some good, some joy you bring.

Another tragedy this world cant need,

if people will listen and people will heed.

If you think that this world is just and fine

 join the others and step in line.

The Romans fell and so shall we,

 another of histories Tragedies.

Immortal Part 17

Chapter Four (4)

            An unseen threat encompassed me. I ran but I couldn’t get away. It was everywhere. A thousand unsettling images assaulted me. A wide grinning mouth with no eyes, glowing red eyes with no faces, bloody body parts, heads on pikes, screaming. Somebody, somewhere was screaming a heart wrenching, piercing scream. And then I realized it was me.

            I opened my eyes to realize I was drenching with sweat. I was suffocating and I scratched wildly at the confining quarters I was trapped in. Then the lid opened and Tavian’s face was before me.

            “Chill,” Tavian said and he reached into the coffin and lifted me up and placed me gently on to my feet. He held me until he thought I was steady. “Are you okay?”

            “I don’t know,” I said honestly.

            “Well you did better than I thought you would.”

            “Thanks, I think.”

            “Yeah,” Tavian said awkwardly. “Whatever.”

            “Are your mom and Quintas still asleep?”

            “Heck no. They’ve been awake for ages. They’re getting us supplies. We’re supposed to stay here and wait.”

            “What kind of supplies?”

            “Weapons. Food for you… an idea of where to get food for us.”

            “You mean blood,” I said accusingly.

            “It wasn’t my choice,” Tavian exclaimed defensively, “I was born this way. And my mother didn’t choose it either. We can’t help what we are.”

            “So, what exactly does it mean to be half a vampire? How does that work?”

            “My mother wasn’t a vampire when I was conceived. My father… he was a vampire and he uh…” Tavian couldn’t seem to blush but he averted his eyes and he stared uncomfortably at the floor. “Forced her… you know? I wasn’t exactly wanted.”

            “Oh,” I mumbled sympathetically. “I see.”

            “Anyhow,” Tavian continued, “my mom said I was born with a full head of hair and a full set of teeth...”

            “You’re a Dhampir.” I said. “I read about them.”

            “Whatever you want to call it. At any rate… all it means is that I don’t really fit in either world. I’m about half as strong and half as fast as a normal vampire. I still have to eat a good amount of blood but I can tolerate some regular foods. Nothing with garlic or anything.”

            “So the garlic thing really works.”

            “It repels anybody with any sense of smell,” Tavian cried. “But yeah, I guess.”

            “Are you immortal?”

            “Yes.”

            “The sunlight thing?”

            “I’m okay in sunlight. Mom or Quintas wouldn’t be. It wouldn’t kill them. I mean they wouldn’t turn to dust or anything but it messes them up pretty good.”

            “So how did your mom get changed? I mean… how do you become a vampire?”

            “Like I said, my dad was a real upstanding fellow. He raped her and left her for dead. Which for most vampires is a normal deal, you know? That’s what they do. But something about my mom… I don’t know. So he changed her instead of letting her die. It’s a huge deal creating a new vampire and there’s more rules and laws about it then you might ever think. She was allowed to live… but they took care of him.”

            “Kind of like the Vultari in Twilight?”

            Tavian grunted, “Anyhow… my mom thinks they would have taken care of her too if they had known she was pregnant. I’m not allowed either. It complicates things too much. By the time they found out… Septimus and a couple of the other ancients had found out and they were intrigued and fought for us. They helped my mom have me and kind of took us under their wing, you know?”

            “So… if you’re immortal… how could you be a baby and…”

            “My mom says I’m still a growing boy. Septimus says that most of us half breeds… which there aren’t very many, grow to optimum age. About 25 or so and then we kind of level out. See, it sucks to be Septimus sometimes. He was changed when he was 17. He’s not even a legal adult… even though he’s like 4000 years old.”

            “Do you have supernatural abilities?” I asked curiously. I liked that he was answering my questions and since we were just waiting I didn’t see any harm in it.

            “You read too many stupid vampire books. I’m not Edward Cullin. I can’t read minds or tell the future or anything like that.”

            “What about your mom or Quintas? Maybe you can’t do any of that stuff because you’re a half vampire.”

            “Nope. They can’t do anything like that either. We’re fast and we’re strong but that’s about the extent of supernatural abilities. We don’t even turn in to bats or anything.”

            “Oh,” I said disappointedly.

            Tavian shrugged, “Sorry to disappoint you.”

            It wasn’t his fault really and I didn’t know why I was so bothered by the fact that he really couldn’t do anything but suck blood, but I was. I tried to dismiss it, “So what else?”

            “What do you mean what else?”

            “How old are you?”

            “I’m 18.”

            “And you’re mom?”

            “She’s technically 41. She was in college when that butt head took her. But really she’s only a couple months older than I am. For a vampire… life starts after you’re changed.”

            “Well how does that whole thing work? Not cursed one minute and then cursed and damned the next. It wasn’t even her fault! Or yours!” I cried angrily. The injustice of the whole situation was hitting me now.

            “I guess God will sort all that out.”

            “You believe in God?”

            “I try not to,” Tavian replied. “It’s kind of scary knowing that there’s no hope. It’s easier to believe that the whole idea of God and the Devil is made up by humans to help them decide right from wrong.

            But my mom believes and she’s always talking about it. She believes that if we do the best we can despite the obstacle we’ve been given that God will sort it out. She says that’s the true test. I think she kind of deludes herself.”

            It was kind of a dismal prospect and all of a sudden I was very angry. It didn’t seem right somehow. But I didn’t have much time to stew about it. Quintas and Zhivvah were suddenly back. They both looked a little rattled, which shocked me, and each of them had an armload of stuff.

            “We’ve been spotted,” Quintas said. “The protectors are always on the lookout for unusual activity. They’ll be there soon, to at least find out why we are here.” He dropped the various items he had gathered on the floor. Several leather bags, a couple of stick looking things that Tavian told me with exasperation were torches, and he reminded me that we were now in Spain in the year 1408. America hadn’t even been discovered yet. There was no electricity here. I picked up one of the torches and sighed. This whole thing was becoming very real.

            Quintas had also managed to find some weapons. He chose a cross bow with several arrows for himself, while he left a crude looking knife, a spear of sorts, and a couple of rusted poker looking things. They weren’t really swords, but when I picked one up I found it was pretty heavy and I could see that it might do some damage. Tavian picked up the knife and the spear. He tucked the knife into his pants pockets and leaned up against the spear as he examined the items that Zhivvah had gathered.

            Zhivvah really was a mother, I thought, as most of what she had retrieved were items for me. There was a crusty, somewhat moldy loaf of bread but Tavian once again reminded me that this was 1400 and that I shouldn’t expect Wonder bread quality bread. This was hand made from crude wheat and water mostly. It didn’t taste wonderful but I appreciated the thought. She also had some very moldy, green cheese. But I reminded myself that cheese was mostly mold anyhow and I could disregard the worst of the outside. I had to suppress a gag when I realized the whole thing was pretty green.

            She had also found me a blanket. It wasn’t soft like the cotton or fleece blankets I was accustomed to. It was hard and stiff and very furry. Tavian told me it was wool and that the hair was from the sheep. But again, it was very kind of Zhivvah to even think about that.

            “So what will we tell them?” Tavian asked. “Or are we just going to fight them?”

            “With her here?” Quintas scowled jutting his chin at me. “We’ll have no choice but to fight them. They’ll smell her from miles away. All we can do is hope we’re not too outnumbered and then we’ll have to move quickly.”

            “So Syd,” Tavian said turning to me now very quickly, “It’s true what they say about killing vampires. You have to strike them in the heart. Then you’ll have to decapitate them. We won’t have time to burn them… though that would be best. Go for the heart.”

            After that, everything happened so fast. I had barely the time to stash my bread and cheese in the leather bag I had thrown over my shoulder when suddenly seven strangers seemed to materialize before us. I heard them hiss something about “human” and then Tavian, Quintas and Zhivvah were attacking full force. It was a blur of activity and I couldn’t even process it all. I could hear grunting and screaming and yelling and I could hear an unpleasant squishing sound, and then cracking sounds.

Poem of the Day: Easter

Easter

 

A child born in a manger stall,

Born to rise and then to fall.

A silent time, a starry night,

A child born to teach the right.

In Nazareth the child grew,

Raised and taught as a loving Jew,

A child with wisdom, quiet and shy,

With love in his heart and a sparkling eye.

A gentle face and a loving hand,

Humble and pure not proud and grand.

A carpenter’s son, simple and plain,

felt more love, and endured more pain.

He healed the sick and the blind man saw,

Perfect faith without a flaw.

The lame man walked, the Leprous cried,

he healed their sores so they needn’t hide.

The dead man walked next to his side,

He was humble and modest showed little pride.

He taught the poor and loved the child

He was gentle and quiet, tender and mild.

He was crucified that we might live,

Born to die his life to give.

Three days in the tomb, he lay in death,

then he awoke with life’s sweet breath.

Resurrected he taught all men,

that they would rise and live again.

He’s watching us from heaven above,

He’ll always show his perfect love.

Immortal Part 16

            “You said they’re important!”

            “Ahhhh!” Quintas agreed, “That is the beautiful thing about humans. They are given the blessing of choice. Do you know how many ‘important’ men passed up on their callings because the path was too difficult? Another soul will always rise to fulfill a position if it is passed upon or cannot be completed by one. That is the other beautiful thing about humans. Not one is more important than another. What can be completed by one, can be completed by another. Of course… for beings that have such limited time, it is inconvenient to have to wait… perhaps hundreds of years for the replacement to come along. But what Dr. Payton and Emryl Pemstein are destined to do… if it isn’t completed by them will someday be completed by somebody else. But as I say it could be hundreds and hundreds of years from now. For us… who are immortal time is of little consequence. For you…” and here he reached out and gently grabbed my chin, raising my head and forcing me to look at him. I shivered. “I don’t want them to die,” I whimpered.

            “Then let us begin,” Quintas said simply.

            Seemingly beyond my will I found myself standing. He offered me his arm and I took it without hesitation, like I was under a spell. Zhivvah and Tavian led us through the kitchen again and down the stairs and to the basement.

            The hundreds and hundreds of jars of dirt all looked the same to me. I didn’t even see any labels but almost immediately Zhivvah was handing several jars to Tavian.

            “How can you tell it’s the right one?” I asked.

            “By the smell,” Zhivvah told me easily.

            I won’t lie, I was more than just a little bit nervous as the three of them led me into another area and there was yet another set of stairs. We descended them to a darker, mustier area and now I found myself in a setting more fit for vampires. The place was lit only by a couple of flickering candles hanging from the wall and in the middle of the room was a row of coffins.

            “Why so many?” I asked curiously.

            Surprisingly Quintas answered, “After talking to Septimus, I thought this might be a possibility so I dug up some old coffins.”

            “Dug them up?” I croaked. I knew Tavian was strong, and I supposed this was a trait for all vampires. So imagining Quintas digging up some graves and emptying the coffins of their former occupants and with a coffin on each shoulder running through the streets, to bring them here, wasn’t difficult. “Used?”

            “Hmmm…” Quintas said cocking his head, “Does that bother you?”

            “Well, yeah!”

            He laughed, “Well, my darling, it may be something you just have to get over.” With those words he swept me up into his arms. I squealed in surprise but before I had time to process the fact that I was in the arms of one of the most beautiful perfect men I had ever had the privilege to see, I was placed into one of the coffins. Tavian had lifted the lid for me and was grinning from ear to ear. It irked me that he was enjoying this so much.

            I knew that the coffin was used because the silken lining reeked. It was so foul and disgusting I nearly wretched and I covered my mouth and nose with my hand. It was also stained in spots and I forced myself not to wonder what it was stained with. But after telling myself NOT to focus on that… of course that’s all I could focus on and the image of decomposing bodies flashed across my mind and I gagged a little bit.

            “I don’t think I can do this.”

            “This is the least of the things you’re going to be doing,” Quintas told me with slight mocking in his voice.

            That didn’t offer comfort to my soul either and I glowered unhappily at him. “Now what?”

            Tavian, I guess decided he wanted the honors of throwing a bunch of dirt on me. He did it with such relish too. Most of it he dumped on my head while he stood their grinning at me like the Cheshire cat. I wanted to smack that smile right off his face.

            “Now,” Quintas instructed. “You need to ingest one or two drops of the Tloq. And remember,” he said as he placed the empty jar at my feet. “Guard that bottle with your life.”

            I carefully untwisted the lid from the jar of Tloq. I don’t know what ingredients made up the concoction that I was supposed to drink but it smelled even more disgusting than the coffin itself. I coughed for a few minutes before I carefully poured just a couple of drops of the green liquid into the lid. Quintas had said too much would kill me and I didn’t want to take that chance. It was barely a couple of drops and Quintas nodded his approval at me. I stuck out my tongue to lap out the tiny amount of Tloq in the lid. It tasted as putrid as it smelled and it took a great amount of effort to not throw it up.

            Zhivvah took the jar from me and screwed the lid back on so that during my fit I wouldn’t spill any of the precious liquid. She waited until I was through and then handed the jar back to me.

            “Now, my dear child, courage take as you go to sleep.” Zhivvah said gingerly and she kissed her fingers and touched my forehead tenderly.

            “Sweet dreams,” Tavian taunted.

                        “Tavian,” Zhivvah scolded.

                        I felt my eyes growing heavy, even though I had just slept.  “It’s going to be alright, right?” I whispered drowsily.

            “I have great confidence that it will,” Zhivvah assured.

            I felt my head being lowered and I was too tired to protest. Whatever that Tloq stuff was, it worked awfully fast. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I heard some creaking and then everything went black. I barely had the awareness to wonder if it was because I had fallen asleep or because the coffin lid had been closed on me.

Poem of the Day

This was written in 1992 or 1993.  Something I think of often is a better world.  An ideal world.  A world of peace and tranquility.  In my idealistic mind, especially back then... over 22 or 23 years ago... of course MY idea of what happiness is was how i thought EVERYBODY's idea of happiness is..  I hope over the years my mind has opened a bit but the imaginings below still wouldn't be a bad place.  

DREAM WORLD

A man walked up to me one day,

He asked me to listen to what he would say,

He told me of a magic world of things that I could see,

He told me of a magic world of things that I could be,

A place where ignorance isn’t allowed,

a place where people can’t be proud,

a place where children can be heard,

a place of nature the song of a bird.

A place where the sky is still bright blue,

A place to do as I wish to do,

A place where God is still number one,

Money and greed are almost none,

A place of love where even I,

can laugh out loud instead of cry,

But the man I was talking to upon that day,

Disappeared and the skies turned gray.

Immortal Part 15

            We have designated protectors whose duty it is to… uh detain those curious, intelligent humans that set out to expose the reality of our existence. It’s a full time job. And normally the perpetrator is detained and disposed of, story over.

            But with Payton and your friend Mr. Pemstein the protectors have not been able to harm them.”

            “They’re alive?” I cried hopefully.

            “That is the rumor,” Quintas confirmed.

            “How?”

            “Unfortunately I am not a protector so I don’t quite know. I just hear stories and whisperings. It is actually very embarrassing for the protectors and so they’ve kept the details of everything hush, hush. They don’t want to admit their failings but they cannot keep hidden that they have failed. Somehow, Payton and your friend are just fine.

            Keep in mind, however, that the protectors are not content and they are continually working on solutions to their little problem and how long they’ll remain safe is unclear.”

            “So how do we find them and save them?” I asked.

            “Ahhhh,” Quintas drawled. “That is the very thing the lovely Zhivvah and I have been discussing. Quite the conundrum, I must confess.”

            “Why? You said you had heard rumors of where they are. Let’s just go there and…”

            Zhivvah held up her hand as if to stop me, “There are many secrets and therein lies the problems we speak of. We’ve never attempted to share our secrets with a human before. Normally we either avoid humans…”

            “Or eat them,” Tavian interjected showing his very sharp, very white teeth.

            “Tavian,” Zhivvah warned.

            He didn’t look contrite, rather he grinned even wider at me and winked.

            “We’ve decided, however,” Quintas said, “That considering that we are talking about both Dr. Payton and Emryl Pemstein… we are willing to take the chance and share our secrets with a human in order to save them.”

            “Me?” I asked. “Me?”

            “You,” Zhivvah said proudly.

            “But there is great risk,” Quintas told me.

            “Yeah, yeah,” I said dismissively, “Vampires, werewolves, zombies… Got it.  Risk.”

            “More immediate risk,” Quintas stated. “I cannot emphasize to you enough.”

            “So let me ask you something,” I said taking a deep breath, “the way I see it… I take risk and save Emryl or I bury my head and let Emryl die. Right?”

            A wide smile spread across Quintas’ face and he nodded approvingly, “Then let’s get right to it. Never before in all of history have we shared our most treasured secret.”

            “Okay,” I said unsurely. “So why now?”

            “Because we are attempting to save Dr. Zachary Payton and your friend, Emryl Pemstein. You don’t understand how important they are, especially Mr. Pemstein.”

            Emryl? I thought to myself unsurely. Quintas had that right. I really didn’t understand why Emryl was so important. To me, he was just like an annoying brother. He was irritating.

            “Why are they so important?” I asked bluntly.

            “The same reason that you are,” Quintas answered easily but he didn’t expound. I felt my face grow hot and I wondered what he meant but I just gawked at him in surprise. He leaned forward then and stared me right in the eye. It was unnerving and finally I had to look away. I’ll admit, it was a bit creepy and I wondered if he was really debating whether I was worth all this effort or if it would be a more worthy endeavor to enjoy the tasty snack that would be me.

            “Zhivvah tells me that you’ve seen the dirt.”

            “All those bottles in the basement?” I asked. “I… I just figure since vampires have to sleep in the dirt of their homeland…”

                        “Yes. That is true. To rest, dirt from our homeland is a necessity. But there’s more to it than that. As you know vampires are immortal. We’ve been in existence since the war in heaven. Before the Earth was created. Do you understand?”

                        “Sure,” I said with a shrug. But truthfully, I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

                        “Dirt from prehistoric times… allows a vampire to exist in prehistoric times. Dirt from medieval times… allows a vampire to exist in medieval times. Dirt from a beach in Hawaii, allows a vampire to exist in Hawaii.”

            “Like time travel?” I asked unsurely.

            “No. Not like time travel. Being undead or… immortal if you prefer, gives us certain advantages. Many disadvantages,” Quintas admitted a little sadly, “but some advantages. When we sleep in the dirt of our homeland we are able to rest. And one of the realities of our condition is that we require much rest. When we sleep in the dirt of other than our homeland… that becomes our reality. Our existence.”

            “Okay,” I replied. The idea was kind of cool, I guess, but I didn’t understand what this revelation had to do with anything. How was this going to help me find and save Emryl?

            “It means,” Quintas continued, “That Dr. Payton and Sir Pemstein could be anywhere… at any time. It complicates our search quite a bit.”

            “Oh,” I muttered disappointedly as the meaning of his words hit me. Anywhere at anytime… it was daunting. It was impossible and I felt hopelessness overcome me.

            “But there is some good news here,” Quintas added, sensing my sudden despondency. “I’ve never considered that a mere human might be able to take the same journey as the vampire. I always just assumed it was one of the few perks of being a vampire. Being undead… being immortal. But the protectors have been using the magic with humans for centuries. If your friends could make and survive the journey than perhaps you can too. Septimus and I spent some time discussing the possibility and as you know… Septimus is very, very old.”

                        “4000,” I said glancing at Zhivvah.

            “4000,” Quintas repeated. “He has witnessed much in that time. He says, with the right preparations, a human might make the journey. But this is the part where there is risk.”

            “But you said they could be anywhere… at any time!” I cried desperately. “Where would we even begin and… this risk you keep talking about. Are you saying I might die?”

            “Yes,” Quintas answered simply. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a bottle. The bottle was clear but the liquid within it was a putrid green color. He held it out to me and slowly I accepted it.

            “What is this?”

            “Septimus called it Tloq. It will require you to be in a different consciousness. It’s not as if you can lay in some dirt, go to sleep and you’ll be able to do what we do. As a human you will need help. That, my dear girl,” Quintas said pointedly, “Is more valuable to you than a mountain of gold. Protect it with your very life. Septimus says it takes but a few drops. Too much, and it will kill you.”

            I swallowed very hard and clutched the bottle in my hand.

            “But where do we start? Anywhere… any time?”

            Quintas smiled again, “Septimus might have provided us some help there too. We know they were taken by the protectors and that normally humans that get to close to our secrets are merely disposed of. Since they haven’t been able to harm them they will need somewhere to keep them. Correct?”

            That made sense to me and I nodded my agreement.

            “They will seek somewhere that they consider safe and where they will feel like they’re in control. Septimus has informed me that the leader of the protectors is called Bartholomew. Bartholomew is an interesting if not predictable character. He originates in Spain about 800 years ago. They are naïve, superstitious people that are easily frightened. Septimus thinks he’ll go there. It’s his homeland and he knows how to manipulate and control the people and the environment. We’ll start there.

            Before we go there I must be clear. What happens to you while there… happens to you for reals. It isn’t a dream state. It isn’t just a different consciousness or something like that. It is your reality. And understand, Miss Gerken, that what you are going up against are supernatural creatures that would like nothing more than to suck your blood, eat your flesh, tear you limb from limb and steal your soul.”

            “Don’t sugar coat it for me or anything…” I mumbled unhappily.

            “I can be considered many, many monstrous things,” Quintas said, “But one thing I pride myself on always is my tendency to tell the truth. I feel it only fair to warn you what you’re up against.”

            “Are… are you going with me?” I asked cautiously.

            Quintas studied me again with his unsettling pale blue eyes. “Yes. I think so. And Tavian and Zhivvah have also committed themselves to assist you. But you need to understand this as well… this is your war. As important as your friends are… they are still mere humans. It is ultimately up to you.”

            Now I wanted to cry again. Did his eyes work? I was a little bit chubby and had never been in a fight in my entire life. I preferred to sing and dance. I wasn’t any kind of a warrior. In fact, now that I was thinking about it, I had never held a weapon stronger than a stick in my entire life. I had never even been to a shooting range or anything like that. My idea of exercise was getting up and walking to the kitchen for a snack during the commercials of my favorite television shows. If saving Emryl and this Dr. Payton guy really was left up to me, they didn’t have a chance. And I said so, the entire time on the verge of hysteria.

            To my surprise Quintas laughed. He stood up and approached me and kissed me gently on the top of my head. “You have more of a warrior’s heart than you know. It is your choice, little girl. We will help you save your friends. Or like you said, you can bury your head and let them die. It matters little to me.”

Poem of the day: Don't Give Up

DON’T GIVE UP

It’s hard to say good-bye and let go a song we’ve often heard,

A loved one dead, time gone by, a few comforting words,

All alone nowhere to go, there is no where to turn,

What do you do, Who do you see when inside it’s so cold it burns.

Don’t give up though I know it’s hard I know it’s tough to fight.

When Life’s gone bad, you’re in the dumps There isn’t any light.

But don’t give up and don’t give in the hurt won’t always bite.

Darkness surrounds you don’t fit in there’s nothing at all to see.

Can’t quite make it.  I’m really scared there’s nothing at all to be.

Lord have mercy, give me hope, Freedom to want to live.

Give me pride, someone to love, of all you have this gift to give.

Immortal Part 14

            “And this Quintas will know who has taken Emryl?”

            “I know WHO has taken him,” Zhivvah snarled angrily, “But where they have taken him and how to convince them to surrender him… that is where our difficulty lies.”

            “So I have to stay here by myself again?”

            “Oh, no, dear. Quintas is not Septimus. Only you will be able to convince Quintas to help us.”

            “Is Quintas a vampire? Like you guys?”

            “Quintas is a vampire,” Zhivvah confirmed. “But he is not like Septimus or like us. He is his own sort.”

            “Will he eat me?”

            “Perhaps,” Zhivvah said with a shrug, “it depends on his mood. Sometimes he can be more violent than even Septimus… but unlike Septimus, he can have moments of decency. It all depends.”

            My mouth must have literally dropped open at the idea that Zhivvah actually wanted me to meet this Quintas guy. There was no way I would do it and I couldn’t believe she would actually ask me to do it.

            “Don’t look so alarmed.”

            “Don’t look alarmed?” I screeched. “I just want to go home! I don’t belong in this world. You want me to meet some guy that is just as likely to kill me as he is to talk to me and you tell me not to be alarmed?”

            “You just need to plead your case, child, and we’ll go from there.”

            “And what if he decides to kill me after I plead my case?” I ranted.

            “Neither Tavian or I will let that happen. Come now, it will be alright.”

            “When?” I asked nervously. “Where is he?”

            “He’ll be coming to us. Septimus is intrigued and has promised to relay our dilemma and inform Quintas that we need his help.”

            “I thought Septimus wouldn’t help us at all.”

            “Septimus would not restrain himself in feeding on you, of that I am sure. And while the squabbles of human problems don’t interest him, he seems to have acquired a certain fondness regarding me. And Tavian, being one of only a few half vampires in the entire history of the universe, is also very interesting to him. He is sort of a rich, eccentric uncle of sorts.  He would do almost anything for Tavian. As long as he doesn’t have to smell you or see you… helping a human in her plight is viewed upon as indifference. To him it doesn’t matter one way or the other. He’s talking to Quintas for us. Not you.

            A million new questions came in to my mind but the questions I wanted to ask didn’t seem to matter. Like… how old of a vampire was Zhivvah? And if she was a vampire, did that mean Tavian’s father was human? How old was he and what did it mean to be just a half vampire? Did that mean he was only half cursed? But while I had those questions in the back of my mind all I could think about, was meeting Quintas.

            “How old is Quintas?”

            “He’s around 250 is all. But he’s very powerful or rather… influential. He commands respect even from some of the ancients, such as Septimus. If he doesn’t kill you, I’m sure you’ll like him very much.”

            I didn’t know if Zhivvah was trying to be funny or not. I was a bit taken aback and didn’t know how to respond. I would like Quintas a whole lot more if he didn’t kill me.

            “Have you eaten?” Zhivvah asked me.

            I shook my head, unable to speak. I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep. And I still wasn’t sure how long I had been in my little prison. I wasn’t starting to feel very tired but I had gone through a lot of emotions in the last little while and whether the exhaustion was mental or physical I wasn’t sure. Most likely a little of both.

            “You should eat and then if you can, get some rest. I too need some rest and then we’ll just have to wait for Quintas.”

            “Did Septimus know if Emryl was alright?” I squeaked.

            “Quintas will know more,” Zhivvah assured me. “Is there anything else you require before I leave you?”

            “How long have I been here?”

            “Only about six hours. Get some rest, dear.”

            “Are you going to lock me in here again?”

            “For your own safety,” Zhivvah said with an affirmative nod. “Eat and then rest,” she ordered once again and then she was gone.

            So even though I fought it and really didn’t want to, I made my way to the little kitchen and fixed myself a cheese sandwich, some tomato soup and an apple. After eating, I realized I was very tired and I stumbled wearily to the bed and collapsed on to it. I’d been fighting sleep and thought my mind would not allow for me to relax enough to fall asleep but I was surprised that as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was blessed with unconsciousness.

                                                            *          *          *          *          *

            “Syd,” a voice hissed. “Syd, wake up.”        

            “Emryl?” I asked sleepily. “Emryl?”

            “No, sleepyhead, it’s me, Tavian. Wake up. Quintas is here.”

            Everything came back to me with stinging reality and suddenly I was wide awake. Quintas was here. Quintas who may or may not just decide to kill me by sucking all of my blood. Quintas, who may be the only chance we had to help Emryl. A lot was resting on Quintas’ shoulders and how he would react to me. Bad enough, I thought dismally to myself, to be in the company of two vampires but to find myself in the presence of three of them was truly terrifying.

            “How do I look?” I asked running my fingers through my hair in the hope to straighten out some of the tangles that I knew were there.

            Tavian’s face distorted somewhat and I was afraid he was going to laugh at me again. He might have too, except he seemed to sense I was serious. “You look like a girl that just woke up.” He said instead. “Quintas isn’t going to care. He thinks all humans are wretched.” Then as an afterthought he added, “You look okay to me, Syd. Don’t worry about it.  Come on.”

            Okay? I thought. That wasn’t very reassuring but I didn’t have a change of clothes or any way in which I could freshen up so I ran my fingers through my hair one more time and then fearfully followed Tavian.

            I could hear laughing as we ascended the steps out of the basement and Tavian led me through the kitchen to the living room.  Zhivvah’s head was thrown back in laughter and the male voice that chortled happily next to her, was like music. He was a sculpture of perfection. Both Zhivvah and Tavian were dark headed, but Quintas had blond hair. It was of a rugged, casual cut. His face, I was sure, had been chiseled from a god. He had a sturdy, square chin, and unlike Tavian’s dark brown eyes and Zhivvah’s black, lightless eyes, Quintas had light blue eyes. They didn’t reflect light either, just like Zhavvah’s but they sparkled with something else.  He was dressed nicely but not extravagantly. A blue shirt, red tie and black slacks. He looked like a regular business guy. I would have never guessed he was a vampire. I had almost expected him to be dressed in 19^th century garb, complete with a long black cloak.

            He stood when I entered the room and I heard Zhivvah say, “This is the girl I’ve been telling you about. This is Sydney Gerken.”

            I was mesmerized by him. He was gorgeous and as he approached me I found I was actually weak in the knees.

            “Miss Gerken,” Quintas said smoothly. He took my hand in his and kissed it.

            “Hello,” I murmured shyly, trying not to shiver. Like Zhivvah, his skin was ice cold and I shot of ice seemed to shoot through me.

            “I’ve told Quintas all about our little situation,” Zhivvah informed me. I was grateful but a little confused. Zhivvah had told me that I was going to have to be the one to convince him.

            “Do you know where Emryl is?” I asked pulling my hand away from his. I made my way over to the Easy chair. Quintas waited until I had seated myself before he let himself settle once again next to Zhivvah.

            “I’ve heard rumors,” he admitted.

            “What kind of rumors”

            Quintas sat back and studied me for a few minutes, while I studied him back. I wondered what was going through his mind. The corners of his mouth twitched as if he was struggling not to smile. “Zhivvah tells me you’ve read Payton’s blog.”

            “What is he? Some kind of legend?”

            “To our people, he is,” Quintas said seriously. “Before your friend Emryl, Payton got closer to the truth than any other human before him.”

            “Did the same people who took Dr. Payton, take Emryl?”

            “Yes.” Quintas replied.

            “Did they kill him?”

            Quintas hem hawed for a second, staring at his icy fingers that he had clenched together. “That is the curious thing. Not as rarely as you might believe, humans get closer to the truth than our kind generally likes. It is dangerous you see. 

Poem of the day: Corruption

This was another Poem i wrote in 1992 or 1993.  Part of that bet that i couldn't write 100 Poems.  I've always liked this one, even though it is very short.  More of a thought than a real poem.

CORRUPTION

If corruption is with every breath,

Then do we grow with every death?

Immortal Part 13

Chapter Three (3)

            As far as prisons go I guess the room wasn’t too bad. The bed was comfortable and clean. The doors that I thought would only be closets, were actually doors to a little hallway. I wasn’t just trapped in a tiny cramped space. I had access to three other areas besides the little rooms.

            The first door on the left as I traveled down the little hallway was a bathroom. As far as bathrooms go it was actually very nice. It was elegantly decorated with hanging plants all over it. The wall paper was a creamy white with a maroon trim. There was a huge Jacuzzi bath that I fully intended on making use of a little bit later, and a separate shower. The toilet was hidden away from the rest of the bathroom in its own little alcove. I wished I had this bathroom at home.          

            Across the hallway from the bathroom was a little kitchen. I was surprised at how well stocked it was. I wasn’t going to starve unless Tavian and Zhivvah left me locked up here for several weeks.

            And finally, last but not least was a wreck-room of sorts. Bean bags scattered the floor but there were also a couple of couches and a couple of nice easy chairs. There was nothing electronic to be found anywhere. There wasn’t even a digital clock. There was an old grandfather clock that stood in the corner, tick tock, tick tocking away but that was the closest thing to technology I could find in this room. But best of all were the shelves built into the walls lined with books. Hundreds and hundreds of them. I would not get bored.

            Not that I thought I would get bored anyhow. I had tons and tons of questions and admittedly my imagination was going wild. I was being held prisoner by two vampires. Real vampires.  I struggled to remember everything I had heard and read about vampires. I’d spent quite some time earlier reading about vampires and going through Zachary Payton’s blog. But my mind was jumbled between history and stories.

            A few things were consistent no matter what country the legends originated. Vampires are living dead. Corpses that somehow have come back to life. They need human blood to rejuvenate themselves. That basis, regarding vampires, is the core belief. After that legends and myths deviate and vary. How to ward them off and kill them, varies.

            Braham Stoker’s Dracula changed the world’s view and gave us the sophisticated, charismatic characters of the modern vampire rather than the half rotted, bloated corpses that were once thought of as vampires. Stoker shaped several characteristics of the blood sucking monsters such as not being able to see their reflection, their affiliation to bats, having to sleep in dirt from the creature’s homeland, the sensuality, and of course the best way to dispose of vampires, that is beheading them and then burning them, although, those methods had been used in actual history for hundreds of years.

            Then changing the vampire’s again was the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Beautiful, sensitive, creatures with super natural abilities.  Sunlight didn’t kill them, they could see their reflections and they walked among human’s fitting in perfectly fine. They even had the ability to control their appetites. They didn’t sleep in coffins… in fact, they didn’t sleep at all.

            Zhivvah had said that they were somewhere in between these two extremes. They weren’t quite as evil and as beastly as count Dracula but they weren’t the Cullins either. Where the differences were, I wasn’t quite sure.

            I knew Tavian was fast. He was very, very fast and he was also very strong. I mean, he broke both of my doors and carried me for hours and hours without even getting tired. That seemed to fit with the ‘Cullin’s version of vampires. But did he have super natural powers? Like Edward Cullin could read minds and Allison Cullin could tell the future. Did either Tavian or Zhivvah have any special abilities?  So far, if they did, they had not manifested them to me in any way.

            I hadn’t actually seen coffins but the shelves lined with dirt indicated to me that they had to sleep in the dirt of their home land. That was more akin to the ‘Dracula’ version of vampires.  I hadn’t seen any mirrors but I hadn’t been looking either. And I spent quite a bit of time wondering if Tavian and his mother could turn in to bats or not.

            Another mystery that I let myself think upon for a long time was the sunlight issue. It was after dark that Tavian kidnapped me but my apartment had been well lit and he hadn’t recoiled at the artificial light. Their own house was also well lit. It wasn’t dark and dank as I imagined it would be considering it was inhabited by vampires. It was actually very bright and cozy, at least, my little prison area seemed to be quite comfortable.

            That’s how I passed the time at first. Trying to figure out what it meant to really be a vampire. But guessing wasn’t going to get me anywhere, I knew, and I quickly grew bored of that. Then I flipped through a couple of books but I wasn’t in the mood to read. I kept thinking about Emryl and what was happening to him. Was he really being tortured? What kind of ghoulish fiends had taken him?

            Really what I did during those dreadfully long, dull hours as I waited for Tavian and Zhivvah to come back from wherever they had gone, was pace, fret and worry. My imagination was in overdrive and I kept thinking about all kinds of things.

            It’s hard to say how long they were actually gone for. It might have only been an hour or two maybe as long as up to an entire day but not much longer than that. But however long it lasted for was the longest, most difficult wait of my entire life. So many variables and unknowns. I wasn’t sure if I was going to die or if Emryl was going to die or if both of us were. Maybe Tavian and his mother had lured me here with the intent of letting me wait here until I ran out of food and then I would be trapped here until I starved to death.

            I had nearly bitten off my fingernails to the point of bleeding when I heard a faint click and the door opened. I had been pacing for quite some time, wandering nervously from room to room, aimlessly wondering what was going on and of course, the scenarios that went through my mind were worst case. In my imagination no matter what happened things didn’t end well for me or for Emryl. And I didn’t yet fully trust Tavian or his mother. It would be awhile before that happened.

            I spun as soon as I heard the click and standing in the doorway was Zhivvah. Tavian wasn’t with her.

            “What did you find out?” I blurted. “Where’s Tavian?”

            “Don’t worry about Tavian. He needs some…rest.”

            “Rest? I thought vampires didn’t sleep.” I stated almost accusingly.

            “Another fallacy. We require even more rest than humans do. Being a vampire is not the glamorous, easy existence you may have been led to believe.  There are many downsides to the reality of vampirism.”

            “Oh,” I replied weakly, “So what did you find out?”

            “That Septimus is even grumpier than the last time I saw him. The arrogant, pompous…” Zhivvah growled. “But he claims he doesn’t have any idea who has taken your friend. He told us we need to seek out Quintas.”

Poem of the Day: Clouds

CLOUDS

There is so much in the clouds

it is the basis of imagination

Lying on the ground looking up at the clouds

a whole different world is there

waiting for someone to see it.

There is so much in the clouds

there are animals and insects

Spaceships and shapes

anything you want is there.

anything you need is there.

Immortal Part 12

“Now is not the time,” Zhivvah told him under her breath.

            “Do you… suck blood?”

            “Unfortunately, that is one of the accurate aspects of our condition. But I assure you, no harm will come to you.”

            “Human blood?” I pressed.

            “You don’t need to worry about that. We have more pressing matters. If you want to save your friend we have much to do.”
            “You said you know where he is,” I said perking up.
            “I said I might have an idea,” Zhivvah corrected, “but again, there’s much to do. It will not be an easy journey, you understand this?”
            I swallowed hard. This morning Emryl had been awfully frightened. He was terrified of something. After reading the blog and after some of the things Emryl himself had told me I knew that what I was facing was all kinds of horrible monsters. I mean, okay, I’ve got to be honest here, I still didn’t believe it. Tavian and Zhivvah had just confessed to me that they were vampires. And as I sat in the chair staring at the two of them, I still had a hard time really believing that they were creatures that drank human blood and during the day slept in coffins. I understood that they believed it and that Zhivvah was asking me if I understood it but really, I had no idea. It was easy for me nod and say, “Sure, I understand.” But even as I said it I wondered.
            And if I had known at that moment what I would encounter I would have shrieked in horror and ran back to the church that Emryl had taken us to earlier that morning and I would have embraced the priest and begged him for a blessing from God to protect me from the terrifying evils that I didn’t even know really existed.
            Zhivvah allowed me to finish my tea. They both watched me as I drank it so I guzzled it down a lot faster than the warmth of it really permitted.  I burned my tongue and throat a little bit but it was unnerving having the two of them sitting there staring at me.
            “So how do we prepare?” I asked offering Zhivvah the empty cup. She took it from me and with a jerk of her head she said, “Come with me.”
            I hesitated. After all, she was a vampire. Was she going to lead me to her lair and suck me dry? Her son had kidnapped me no matter how noble his intentions, which I still wasn’t sure about. They could both be totally deluded. Of course, they would tell me they wouldn’t hurt me… right before they bit me to satisfy their morbid appetites.
            Zhivvah must have sensed it because she approached me again and reached out to take my hand. I was prepared this time for the chill of her skin, but the coldness still sent a shock up my spine.
            “I promise you, miss Gerken neither me or my son will hurt you. We only want to help you. Come.”
            Slowly I complied with her wishes and followed her. The kitchen was very neat and very white. It was a lot cleaner than my kitchen was and considering that they supposedly consumed nothing but blood, it was equipped with all of the best appliances. A shiny steel refrigerator and matching oven, a fancy toaster, coffee maker, can opener, microwave, blender and even a dishwasher. It all looked expensive, top of the line. I wondered why they bothered to have it at all. But I didn’t have time to dwell on that. Zhivvah opened a side door that I assumed led to the basement. We descended a long staircase and I was right, we ended up in a dark and dank basement. The whole place smelled strongly of earth. The walls were lined with shelves. Huge shelves and on each shelf were hundreds and hundreds of bottles filled with what looked like dirt.
            “Dirt?” I asked curiously.
            Tavian raised his eyebrow excitedly, “Dirt,” he confirmed.
            “Is it all from like Transylvania?” I asked. In Braham Stokers Dracula, one of the signs of a vampire was they have to sleep in a coffin containing dirt from their homeland. But that was a story, right?
            “No.”
            “What’s it for then?”
            “Well, I could tell you,” Tavian drawled easily, “but then I would have to kill you.”
            Zhivvah sent him a very dirty look, “Tavian.”
            “I’m just kidding!” he exclaimed, “You know that, right, Syd?”
            I frowned at him. I was still more than just a little nervous and wasn’t quite ready to joke about the situation yet.
            Tavian sighed grumpily and grabbed one of the jars, “Fine, I’m sorry.”
            “So how is dirt going to help us find Emryl?”
            “It is one of our greatest secrets,” Zhivvah whispered taking the jar of dirt from Tavian. She caressed the top affectionately and then studied me for a moment with her black, lightless eyes, “We will explain this later as well.” She placed the jar back on the shelf and then she went to the far end of the room and opened a door I hadn’t even noticed before.
            I glanced unsurely at Tavian but he simply walked pass me and joined his mother in whatever laid in the next room. I wondered if the room was the place where they kept their coffins and I wondered what they were going to do to me. But they hadn’t hurt me so far so I followed cautiously.
            The room was an actual little room. A bed that was neatly made sat in the corner. Next to it was a little night table with a little white lamp. On the wall opposite the bed was a beautiful mahogany dresser.
            “Does this look suitable for you?” Zhivvah asked.
            “What is this?” I asked beginning to back away.
            “Please don’t be alarmed. I need some advice. He is a very ancient vampire and while he is somewhat friendly to us… I’m afraid you will not be safe in his presence. You’ll be safe here.”
            “You’re leaving me here alone?” I cried, a panic taking over. My chest grew tight and I was starting to heave. It was getting difficult to breathe. I was embarrassed, but I felt like I was on the verge of tears again.
            “Just for a short while,” Zhivvah assured me kindly. “And I promise you that our domain is well protected. Nobody and nothing will be able to reach you here. I know you’ve been through a great ordeal but I’m asking you to trust us. I will be truthful. We will be locking the door. There’s food, a restroom and you will have access to some books.”
            “The internet and cable can be traced and tracked,” Tavian interjected. “We don’t have them. We lay pretty low.”
            “I’m scared,” I squeaked.
            “You should be,” Tavian said.
            I waited for Zhivvah to chastise him, to tell him that he shouldn’t say things like that, or I waited for him to laugh and once again tell me he was sorry for joking around with me, but something about his expression told me he was sincere. Zhivvah looked sympathetic and told me that it would be alright.
            “How long will you be gone?”
            “Hopefully not long.”
            “You both have to go?”
            “Yes,” Zhivvah said regretfully. “His name is Septimus and he is over 4000 years old. And like most old men, he has grown quite… cranky.”
            “Yeah, but unlike grumpy old human men that just grumble a lot and have the inability to really bite, Septimus was turned when he was 17. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s powerful and smart and if he gets mad he rips your head off, literally. We always go see him together. It’s safer.”
            “And you think he’ll be able to tell you where Emryl is and how to save him?” I stated.
            Zhivvah replied simply, “Yes, dear.”
            I stepped back into the room and planted myself stiffly on to the bed. I dreaded being here alone and the thought of being locked into the room was even worse but what could I do?  Tavian had proved he was a lot faster than me. If he wanted to, he could just throw me in here and walk away. I might as well stay on my own terms.  What was the point of fighting it?
            Zhivvah offered me one more comforting smile and then they both left. I heard the door click shut behind Tavian and that’s when I really started to cry.

Poem of the day.... Circles

Circles sym-

         bolize lots of things li

     ke Eternity and love and f-

   orever. Circles symbolize the

 fun of the three ringed circus. It

 symbolizes cycles of life. It sym-

  bolizes living and being and dyi

    ng. It goes forever. Nobody k-

     nows if it is ending or if it is

         beginning. That is the b-

           eauty and mystery of

  the circle.

Immortal Part 11

            And I felt the coldness of terror sweep over me. What she was telling me was that they would torture Emryl trying to take his soul. They wouldn’t kill him yet. It would be a slow painful demise.

            “Why didn’t you save him? If you’ve been watching him… Why didn’t you…”

            “Because I was totally out numbered. There were half a dozen of them and only one of me,” Tavian said regretfully. He had re-entered the room and was carrying a tray with a teapot and a single cup. He carefully poured the hot water into the cup and then offered me the steaming cup and a teabag. I normally didn’t drink tea but I really was frazzled and it was with shaking hands that I accepted the warm drink. I hoped it was true that tea was soothing.

            Just as I put the cup to my mouth I hesitated and glared coldly at Tavian with suspicion. There was only one cup, I thought, but there were three of us in the room.  Considering everything that had happened, being kidnapped and all and then having been told that my childhood friend had possibly been abducted by some kind of evil monster, to say I was in a trusting mood would be less than accurate.

            “Wait,” I said angrily lowering the drink, “why aren’t either of you drinking any tea?  What did you put in this? Are you trying to drug me?”

            Tavian grunted, “You’re obviously not as bright as your friend. You haven’t figured it out yet?”

            “Figured what out?” I asked skeptically.

            “Well, my dear,” Zhivvah said softly, “I promised to be truthful with you. I should let you know that Tavian and I are both vampires.”

            “Well, technically,” Tavian corrected, “I’m only half vampire. I’m a rarity you know. It doesn’t happen very often.”

            That was about my breaking point. I had cried a few tears, yes, but really considering everything, I had held it together pretty good. But this last confession was a bit too much for me. I emptied the scorching liquid in the cup by throwing it at Tavian’s face and I jumped up from the chair and bolted towards the door.

            But Tavian was already standing before me blocking my exit shaking his head morosely. Steaming water dripped from the ends of his hair and nose but he didn’t even have a red mark where the water he had poured for me should have burned him. He hissed, literally, at me. Like an annoyed cat would hiss and then for the first time I noticed his teeth. They were remarkably white but what scared me was how sharp they suddenly appeared to me. How did I miss that? His lips and his tongue seemed unusually red and he hissed again, “That was uncalled for.”

            “Don’t eat me!” I cried.”

            “Really?” and then he did the meanest thing, he started laughing at me. Not just a little chuckle but a great belly laugh. He was clutching his stomach laughing and he had to hold on to the side of the wall to keep himself from falling on to the floor. I didn’t know vampires could cry, but he was laughing so hard that tears were flowing from his eyes.

            Zhivvah didn’t think it was so funny and she nudged him roughly as she approached, “We won’t hurt you, my dear. Tavian,” she said sharply but he was no longer in control. He just shook his head and laughed again.

            I shuddered as she placed her arms around my shoulder and led me back towards the easy chair. I sat there with my head buried in my hands wishing I would wake up from this whole terrible ordeal, but nothing happened. I heard Zhivvah wisp away and then I heard her say Tavian’s name again. Their voices got quiet as they went in to another room, leaving me alone. I glanced at the door wondering if this was my chance for escape but by the time I pulled myself together enough to stand up, both of them were back. Tavian looked very contrite and he apologized for laughing at me and Zhivvah was holding another cup of something out to me.

            “What is it?” I whispered.

            “Just some more tea. Drink it, it will help.”

            This time I took the cup and immediately sipped at it, hoping that it really was drugged and that whatever poison might be in it would put me out of my misery. The warmth spread throughout me and I couldn’t deny it tasted pretty good and unfortunately I didn’t keel over. And just like Zhivvah had said, it did seem to help and I felt slightly better.

            “If you’re vampires,” I finally managed to say, “Why are you helping me?”

            Tavian growled, literally and I shrank into the easy chair, afraid he would attack me but a look from Zhivvah quieted him and it was she that answered, “We’re not all monsters, child.”

            “So… you… you’re like the Cullins… as opposed to Count Dracula.”

            “Oh please,” Tavian snarled.

            “Somewhere in between,” Zhivvah said with a smile.

            “I don’t understand,” I muttered wearily. “How is it possible?”

            “The answer to that is as various as the human quest to find the origin of human life. Was it a big bang? Was it God, or perhaps something else? Where do vampires come from? A thousand different legends and myths. Where did the first vampire come from?” Zhivvah shrugged. “The version I prefer of Human creation is the story of Adam. God formed him in His own image. They started out as perfect, innocent creatures. But Satan tempted and corrupted Eve and then Cain killed Abel. And now there are humans that strive to emulate Adam’s existence and grow closer to God and there are humans that verge closer to demons and prefer Satan’s methods.

            It is the same with vampires. I believe that vampires are derived from Satan’s minions. He created the first vampires to lure and tempt humans. They were originally evil. Monsters intended to murder and cause chaos. But like any being with intelligence, there are those of us that have diverged from the path that we were meant for.”

            “But Emryl said vampires don’t have souls. And on that blog the guy talked about the wars that are…” I reconsidered and then pointed accusingly at Zhivvah, “YOU talked about the wars that are being fought to get the human soul.”

            “Silly and pointless, like all wars,” Zhivvah said dismissively. “I told you. The soul is not something obtainable. It is in the choices that are made.”

            “But we’re still screwed,” Tavian muttered bitterly.