Flying isn't always fun

After a while even flying can fail to be fun. Flying in the rain or
in the snow is a miserable experience and, of course, I've never had a
chance to fly in the sun. One night I tried flying while it was foggy,
this was a BIG mistake. I was soon lost but not only was I lost I was
cold and hungry. I had to land as even my enhanced senses were of
limited use; the fog was like a blanket covering my head. I landed and
started to walk. I didn't know what direction I was going in. hoping to
find a signpost or something to help me I walked along the road but
stumbled over something in my path. Bending down I searched around and
found a body. The body was still alive but not conscious, it was either
a young child or a small adult. I leant closer, the fog was so dense
that I couldn't see my hands unless I moved them closer to my face,
then everything went black.

I woke up in a room that looked like a scene from a gothic horror
story. Dark wood panels on the wall were lit by a chandelier, which
threw shadows onto the walls allowing glimpses of the hunting trophies
that festooned the upper reaches of the walls. I was lying on a chaise
lounge and a young man was pressing a cold wet cloth to my forehead.
When he saw me wake he said,
" I have to apologise for my servant. He thought that you meant harm to
my niece who had fallen down in the road"
"So he hit me?"
"I'm afraid so, yes"
"How do you know that I didn't mean to do her any harm?"
"You, well you weren't going to were you?"
"No, I'd fallen over her and I was trying to see if she was alright. I
don't harm little girls."
I could smell his blood as it raced through his young body, I felt
hungrier than before but here wasn't the place.
"How are you feeling?" the young man asked
"I'm ok" which I was I heal really quickly.
"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"
Oh, don't tempt me so, to drink from that young and tender neck would
be bliss but all I could say was,
"No thank you. I really should go. I'm late."
"But it's the middle of the night, surely you can stay until the
day?"
"My husband will have his people out looking for me. I really must
go."
I knew that Barnabas wouldn't be looking for me because he was away in
warmer climes.
I got up and reluctantly the young man fetched my coat and gloves. He
opened the front door and I could see that the fog had thinned. Waiting
until I could no longer see the house I took to the air again. Flying
high and fast I found a field of cows and at least I could drink my
fill and then I went home, not giving the incident much thought.

It was two nights after the foggy one that I was out flying again when
I heard a noise. It was the young man crying. I landed near him and
walked towards him.
"What's wrong?"
He jumped and looked shifty or maybe guilty.
" I had to leave home."
"Why was that?"
"Because my grandfather was angry with me. For letting you go out into
the night alone."
"But I'm safe. There's no danger for me at night."
Which was true, my biggest danger was during the hours of sunlight,
very little that prowled the night could damage me seriously.
"He won't have me back. He's adamant that he will not let me
return."
"Shall I speak to him?"
"Would you? I'd be so grateful, if you need anything I can give then
it's yours."
Oh, silly boy, you don't know what you are saying. I could quite easily
have taken that which he wouldn't want to give, but I didn't. We walked
to the big old house and he knocked on the door.
His grandfather opened the door and glowered at us. I explained what
had happened and asked him to forgive his grandson.
"Madam, I care not how much you insisted on returning to your husband.
I care only that the boy did not provide you with an escort. Good night
to you" And he slammed the door in our faces.
"I wonder why grandfather answered the door?" mused the young
man.
But I could hear that his grandfather was alone in the house. I could
also smell blood, cold blood. The stench of it was making me feel ill.
I hurried away from the house and the young man followed me.
" I don't know where I can go."
I thought about it. He couldn't come with me; as a mortal he
represented a constant danger to me. He was a trusting souls and I
thought that he would be horrified if he knew what I was. He belonged
back in that old monstrosity of a house.
"Wait here. I'll go back and talk to your grandfather alone, don't
worry he won't hurt me."
Leaving him there I hurried back to the house, trying my to breath too
deeply. I went around the back of the house and saw an open bedroom
window so I flew into the room.

A terrible scene presented itself to me eyes and senses. The young girl
I'd fallen over on the road was lying on the bed, or rather bits of her
were scattered on the bed, as if dogs had been fighting over a dead
lamb and had pulled it apart. Close by her bed was an old man. I
recognised his scent, I'd smelt it just before I was knocked
unconscious, so he was the servant.
I went further into the house and in the hallway between the bedrooms I
found the bodies of three dogs. These had all been shot but they had
the scent of the girl's blood on them. Quietly going down the stairs I
went to find the grandfather. Listening for his heart beating I traced
him to a large library. He was slumped in an armchair that was by a
dead fire. I flew over to him before he could bluster or say anything I
said,
"I've seen what has happened upstairs. Why do you persist on driving
the boy away?"
" I fear that it will drive him mad"
"Are you driven mad by it?"
"No, I'm full of grief"
" Then the boy is weak-minded?"
"No, he isn't weak-minded"
"Then tell him what has happened here and let him back. Where was he
when it happened?"
" He had gone to town to meet me. I'd been away. He told me about you
and I came back here to this. He stayed in town to see some friends. I
came back and found the dogs so I shot them. Then when he came home I
threw him out."
"Do you think he did it?"
"I'm sure that they were alive when he left. The blood was too new for
him to have done it. I'll never know what happened."
"Go and tell him what you know. I'll clear up things in here. If you
want to lose everyone then stay here,"
He rose from his chair and walked out of the house.

There are times when being a vampire comes in useful and this was one
of them. I picked up the dogs and buried them in a distant stretch of
the garden. I sewed all the pieces of the girl into a sheet shroud and
put the poor old man who seemed to have died from shock into a shroud,
then I dig graves for them in the family plot and places the bodies
into the graves. I left them uncovered and went back to the house still
moving as fast as a whirlwind, if not faster. I cleaned up as much
blood as I could and had time to slow down as I heard two pairs of
footsteps approach the house.

As the grief-stricken pair entered the house I told them about the
graves.
" I thought that you might like to hold some kind of ceremony and fill
in the graves yourselves. I must be going now."
The old man took my hand
"Thank you. It must have been difficult for you with all of the old
blood still there."
" What do you mean grandfather?" the young man exclaimed
"I believe that this lady is one of the ancients, what you would call a
vampire. That's the only way she could have done all that she's done
for us."
The young man leapt away from me horrified. His hand sought the cross
that he wore about his neck. I smile at him.
"I'm afraid that the cross would not protect you if I wanted to harm
you."
The old man took my hand again.
"Thank you, you have a refuge here if you ever need one. I will
guarantee it."
"Thank you, you're very kind, but I must fly."
I flew away leaving them open-mouthed; after all it's one thing to
think that some one's a vampire and quite a different thing to actually
see one in flight.

I told Barnabas about my adventure and he roared with laughter.
"Why didn't you just take the boy?"
"What? After my experience with John? I don't think so. I thought that
I'd made sure that he wanted to be a vampire but he hate me and tried
to kill me."
"You could just have had him for your dinner"
I hit Barnabas; much as I love him he can be insensitive at times. He
caught my arm before I could hit him again and he kissed me and I did
what I always did and always would do I kissed him and forgave him.