She nodded, “Yes, me and my sister. I’m Anne Dolce and we both grew up in this orphanage and when the owner passed away we took it on.” She looked at a small watch that was pinned to her blouse and said, “My sister should be here at any moment. She works at the coat factory so we can feed our children.” A scuffle behind him made Kal turn to see two thin boys and a girl looking in before they ran down the hallway giggling. They had their coats on.
“Tell me, do they wear their coats inside to ward off the cold?”
She slowly nodded and another sound behind him made her smile as she said, “Oh, Maryellen is home.”
Her sister removed her hat as she entered and Kal saw that they were twins.
“Maryellen, this is . . .? Oh, I never got your name, sir?”
“Kal, Kal Kurop.” He offered his hand and they all shook as he went on, “Please forgive me for barging in like this but I know of your plight and . . .”
Maryellen’s eyes started to fill as she asked, “You are not taking our children away from us, sir. I know my rights and even though the City of New York states that . . .”
“No,” said Kal softly, “I’m not here to take the children, I’m here to help you and them.”
Anne asked, “What? Why?”
“Because I have a soft spot for children.”
Maryellen sat on the edge of the desk, “Please excuse me for sitting as I am on my feet all day.”
“Look, all I want to do is put some money into the orphanage. I assume that you have a bank account?”
“Ha. Our bank account holds six dollars and that is because less than that and the bank closes the account.”
“Will you allow me to make a donation?”
“It would be extremely silly of us to turn you down, Mister . . .”
“Just Kal is fine and all I want to do is give you a bright future to help the children.”
Maryellen sighed, “Kal, if this is some sort of a prank, please leave us alone. I am weary and in need of something to eat . . .”
He placed the leather bag on the desk and took out a handful of hundred dollar bills and plopped them on the desk as both women just stared. “My goal is to see these children fed and clothed. Given toys and games that the other children have . . . in a word, allow them to be children.” He pushed the bag towards Anne and went on, “In the bag is one point five million dollars and if I were you I’d split it up into six batches and deposit them into six different banks. I would never let anyone know the amount you have and each bank will believe that they hold all your money.”
“Why?” asked Maryellen with tears in her eyes.
“I’m not sure myself,” said Kal, “but please do me a favor and start off by buying this building.” He turned towards the door and said, “Now, I must be off. Good luck, ladies.”
“Wait,” they both said at once. Maryellen finished the thought, “Will you be back?”
He shrugged his shoulders and said with a nod, “Yes! I do believe I will. I hope to see you both on February 11th as I have an appointment in town that day.”
Anne ran from behind the desk and threw her arms around him, “Oh, sir, forgive me for being so forward. It’s just that we now know that we shall be able to carry on.” Her sister joined her in the three-way embrace.
Kal went down the stairs and stood before opening the door to the street as he blew his nose. He joined Bill in the cab.
“All done?” Bill asked.
“Yes, all done.” He looked at Bill, “Thanks millions, Bill.”
“You mean, thanks one point five million.”
They laughed as the cab pulled away from the curb. “Kal, will you join me in having a steak and a few beers down at Paddy Diamonds?”
“You’re skipping the Astoria Hotel grand opening?”
“I bet the beer at Paddy Diamonds is better than some hotel beer any day.”
Two weeks later there was an advertisement in the Daily News newspaper that there would be a gathering of Bram Stoker and Dracula look-alikes along with the history of the book, Dracula, and a slideshow of the castles of Transylvania. It was to be held in the main room of the American Museum of Natural History. Now this should be a fun evening, Kal thought as he marked the date down.
On the night of the event, he paid the suggested ten-dollar admission and was given a glass of wine and a brochure of the exhibit. He walked around the darkened room and more than once was startled to see a man dressed up as the author, Bram Stoker and another as Dracula. He saw a short film they had put together on the movie, ‘Dracula.’ And there were plenty of cardboard cutouts of people being bit by a vampire or the famous author sitting in an easy chair writing his book. The lights went on and a man on stage said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight’s speaker is Bram Stoker and he will answer your questions.”
From the wings stepped a man dressed as the author but Bill noticed that he parted his hair on the wrong side and was taller than the original. He also spoke without the Irish Brogue that the real Stoker had.
Kal listened to a few questions and the silly answers and turned to leave. As he stepped around one of the cardboard cutouts he saw a man watching the charade from behind another cutout. Kal was stunned, as the man was a double of the original. Kal was going to tell the man that he looked like the real Stoker but thought the man would just question him as to how he knew and stepped away. Suddenly the man was gone, just as the real Stoker had done in the forest the last time he saw him.
Brrrr, he thought as he headed towards the exit.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the man was standing in front of him. He not only grabbed Kal by his lapel, but easily pulled him out of the room and into the wings where there was a single light bulb straining to illuminate the dark area.
He put his face to Kals and said with a hissing whisper, “You, you are one too?”
To a shocked Kal seeing him meant only one thing and he asked, “You too?”
Stoker nodded, “Yes. When did you . . . ?”
Kal finished his sentence. “Travel in time? Maybe a month ago. Why didn’t Bill tell me that you also went back?”
Stoker shook his head, “What do you mean? I ask you: are you one like me?”
A befuddled Kal said, “You mean: am I a time traveler like you? Yes. When did Bill send you back?”
Now the frustrated Stoker asked, “Bill? Bill who? I ask again, do you admit to being a vampire?”
Kal felt a chill run down his spine, “Vampire? No, I’m not a vampire.”
Stoker shook his head as he hissed, “What game do you play? Are you not Kal Kurop and did you not go to Count Sergi Custance castle over one hundred years ago?”
“Yes and I saw you there too!”
“That is what I thought, but I never knew that you were one of us. You covered it well.”
Kal shook his head. “Bram, are you saying that you are a time traveler too?”
Stoker let go of Kal’s lapel and with open hands said, “It is true that because I live forever you might say that I travel in time.”
“You live forever?” said Kal with a chill as he suddenly realized that it was Bram Stoker that was the vampire . . . not the count!
Bram nodded, “Yes, I live forever.”
Kal suddenly felt he needed to be in the light. “There is a coffee shop around the corner. Join me in a cup?”
The vampire grinned, showing sharp teeth. “You wish to be in a place where I won’t attack you? However did I attack you at the castle?”
“No,” admitted Kal nervously.
Bram continued, “Although, at times, the need to feed became so great that I had to leave the castle and hunt.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Lead me there.”
After a two-block walk they took a booth at the end of a line of booths in a coffee shop, ordered two coffees and Kal said, “How do I know if you are the real Bram Stoker?”
“You were given a large ring from the count.”
Kal nodded. “Right. Almost nobody knew of that. I must admi
t that you are him. But I have to know, why were you at the castle?”
“A few reasons. First I was not there to search for the treasure, in fact, I was there to protect the treasure. Allow me to explain.” He intertwined his long pale fingers and leaned closer across the table, “In 1701, I was a manservant for Count Sergi Custance, master of Castle Sergi Custance. After his wife and children were asleep he would sit in front of his fireplace and contemplate how best to keep his family and castle safe from those who would invade his country every chance they got. He knew that there were rumors of his great wealth; rumors that told of treasure in his castle’s lowest confines, and he knew that they were spread far and wide and attracted others who would gladly invade just for the treasure.
Many evenings he sipped wine and asked me what the latest rumors were. After awhile I found myself sitting in the dark room with him as we both tried different plans on each other. They always ended with the treasure being removed and hidden and the count sailing abroad with his family. His theory was: if the castle were stripped of its fineries and left open, after awhile, people would ignore it and the treasure.
As we refined this plan I had a chance meeting with an old vampire as I was bringing in wood one evening and that was when I died.”
“You died?” asked Kal with a start.
Bram grinned, “Died or was born. What difference? In a sense, I was born to never die. That was when I found out that even though I was a vampire and needed to feed, my love and loyalty for the count and his family overrode all temptations of feeding on them. Noticing that I was not available during times of a bright sunlit day, he asked me why.” Bram shook his head as he remembered his times with the Count and his family. “I told him of my becoming a vampire and instead of being repulsed, he told me that it would never come between us. He understood my nocturnal trips and we both agreed that they kept the villagers away from the castle.
“Rumors of war intensified and we sat late one night and made the plans. We would hide the treasure and he would leave for America with his family and I would stay in the castle for as long as I wanted. I could use whatever I needed from the treasure and send him whatever he needed whenever he needed it.”
“So, the story of those soldiers getting killed near the castle was true?”
“Yes. There was a slight earthquake and a few coins made their way to the surface. I had to stop them from finding the treasure and, as I was in need of feeding, the timing was perfect.”
“Not for them,” said Kal.
“No, but they were the invaders and I had made a promise to the count to protect the treasure.”
Kal leaned closer to the vampire, “But what about, Seleb Vastener? Didn’t he know where the treasure was buried?”
Bram shook his head slowly, “Poor Seleb. First of all his last name was Kinner, not Vastner and he wasn’t even related to the count. I found him one rainy night sitting near the castle. He was soaked, hungry and babbling. He thought that he was home after searching for years for the castle. I found out later that he had escaped from an institution. But, he became a friend and soon settled into the castle. He came to believe that it was he who ran the castle and I was just a guest. He also thought that he was a vampire and really did have a meeting of the minds with the wolves that lived in the area.” Bram stopped for a moment as he remembered his friend.
“It was a pity and I didn’t have the heart to chase him off. Plus, he did help me keep the treasure hunters away with stories of vampires roaming the countryside at night.” He looked up at Kal and said softly, “He lived to see his eighty-first birthday. There were times that I thought of making him a vampire but wondered if perhaps I would be creating a mad man with a true thirst for blood. I’m glad that I never followed that train of thought.”
“So you wrote Dracula?”
“Yes. It struck me: if I wrote a book on vampires the world would think that they are not real, rather, just a boogeyman for the superstitious villagers to make their children go to sleep.”
Kal shook his head, “So the count or rather Seleb wasn’t a vampire climbing the walls during the night?”
“No, that was me. I ran behind the count and his wolves to protect him from any villagers stupid enough to try to kill him.”
“And he never knew?”
Stoker shrugged his shoulders, “I’m not sure what he knew. All I know is, with my help, he got his wish and became the Count of Castle Sergi Custance and as the benevolent count, he allowed me to stay there with him.”
“What happened to the count after he went to America?”
“I don’t know. After World War One, the requests for money stopped coming. I’ve often wondered if I should have traveled to the address he gave me, but it was hard to leave my country. I thought that the family had all died off and as I was content to stay in the castle where I had no wants, I simply checked the steamers that came in for mail.” He looked at Kal with a cocked eyebrow and asked, “My friend, what would you have done with the treasure?”
“Me? Nothing. A direct descendant of the count wanted it to help out the hospitals of the third world.”
“A noble cause indeed. And you say they are a direct descendant of the counts?”
“That’s what I was told.”
Bram scratched his beard, “This is the first I heard of any descendants.”
Kal stumbled on his words as he asked, “And, well, do you, I mean, when do you, like, when do you get hungry?”
“Stoker gave the first smile that Kal remembered as he answered, “When do I drink blood you ask? Ha! My friend, we all must adapt to the changing times, me, as well. I have a few confidants that I pay well. They work in blood banks. After all who wants the Police Department of New York City looking for them?”
“Does anyone else know?”
“No. One does not survive by telling all of their secrets.” He leaned close across the table and asked; “Now that I’ve told you about myself, tell me, how often do you travel in time?”
“Only twice. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”
“It is my friend. But believe me I have no need nor want to travel in time. Despite writing Dracula to throw people off my trail, I have been chased for hundreds of years. No, it is here that I have found peace and quiet. It was just tonight’s show that brought me out.”
Kal smiled, “I’m glad that you did, my friend. Truly glad.”
“As am I. Perhaps we can have a coffee every so often?”
“That would be great.”
Stoker put his hand in his pocket and put an object in Kal’s hand. He opened his hand to see a gold coin in it. “Part of the treasure, I imagine?”
“Yes. And I brought enough along to pay thousands of clerks who work in blood banks.” He looked at Kal looking at the coin and asked, “My friend, if you show me proof of this person’s lineage, I’ll gladly tell him where it is.”
Kal raised his mug of coffee and said, “Here’s to the friendship of a great author.”
Stoker raised his and added, “An old friendship, my friend.”
They touched mugs.
DATELINE: FEBRUARY 26, 2070, PLACE: TIME WATCHERS GROUP, NEW YORK CITY
The five members of the Time Watching Group sat around the conference table. There was a gold coin in front of each of them. Joseph Sergi pushed back his hair from in front of his face and said, “Hi gang, let me give you the ending to a long story. Bill Scott’s group of the 1800 Club found the treasure that was hidden for hundreds of years. It is being appraised by a gemologist and will be distributed to a group of third-world hospitals thanks to the ladies and gentlemen of this group as well as the members of the 1800 Club.”
The group applauded to Joseph’s make-believe bow.
Chapter 2
The Italian Decision
DATELINE: JANUARY 3, 2070 PLACE: TIME WATCHERS CONFERENCE ROOM, NEW YORK CITY
The room was dark except for the glow of an open laptop sitting on the conference room table. Because h
e was dressed in black, the glow from the laptop gave the illusion that John Hyder’s face was floating above the table. He liked working in the dark when it was his turn to check out the holograms, brought back from various times in the past, because he felt he could see the holograms better. He finished checking two-dozen of them and dropped a new one into the hologram player then rested his elbows on the table as it took shape.
A military band played as a group of soldiers marched along a wide street past a large building with people tossing confetti from its open windows. John checked the bottom right hand corner of the hologram to find the location and date. It showed: The Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, Italy, December 20, 1918. He thought, as he adjusted the brightness, Yep! That’s the palace that housed thirty popes, four kings and the Italian presidents. He watched as the color bearers dipped their flags as they passed in front of a saluting figure on the grand balcony above the entranceway. The hologram followed the marchers and suddenly John saw that a part of the building was blackened as though it had been on fire. Wonder when this happened, he thought. The palace was the sixth largest palace in the world and now he saw that some of the roof had caved in and there was evidence of a fire as well as, what looked like, a bomb crater in the street.
“Uh, oh!” he said to himself, “I don’t remember the palace ever being bombed. Better check this out.” Now he looked at the marching soldiers and realized that the color guard carried not one, but three flags. He put the computer’s cursor over each flag and immediately a small block of copy appeared: Italian Flag, German Flag, and Austria-Hungary Flag.
Whoa! He thought, Something is wrong here: The Italians were on the Allies side in World War One and yet here they are marching along with the Germans, and the Austrian/Hungary troops: their enemies.
He got up, put the lights on and opened the door, which alerted the young man sitting outside of it.
“Ted,” John asked, “would you be so kind as to alert the rest of the Time Watchers Group and have them join me?”
Book X Page 10
