by Ford, S. M.
After everyone left the family meeting that night, Mom and Dad asked me to sit with them on the stairs above the living room. I had a deja vue moment. The last time they had wanted to talk about something and we sat on these stairs to do it, I had learned for the first time about Mom being a vampire. Funny, that wasn’t even one year ago, and while it still seemed so new it also felt like I had known forever. I dropped down next to Mom on the steps and looked up, not knowing what to expect. I glanced over at Dad, who was pretending to examine his shoelaces. Great. Something bad was coming, for sure. Mom smiled oddly. Her lips were smiling but here eyes looked sad. “Calli, honey, your Dad and I just wanted to remind you of something... If Adventus is a success, your year of home schooling will technically be over. I mean, there’d be no reason to continue your schooling here, if the curse is broken! If all goes well ... we'll be back in Berkeley by Halloween! I’ll have a cleaning crew go through the house ... since it’s been boarded up for almost a year I am sure it will need it...” Mom continued to drone on about house cleaning and spiders and who knows what. I had stopped listening. Going back to Berkeley? Were they nuts?! My parents were definitely crazy. How could they expect me to leave the family that I had grown to love? Yes, I said it. I love my family, every crazy last one of them. Especially Rosi. What would we do without each other?! Mom was talking now about reenrolling me in school, but I interrupted. “Look Mom and Dad. No disrespect, but come ON! You rip me away from Berkeley and Donna and EVERYTHING. Then we come here. And not only do I find out you’re a VAMPIRE, but I meet a whole TOWN that is related to me. AND, if THAT wasn’t too much, I also have to figure out the meaning of a 250 year old curse! COME ON!” Mom and Dad looked confused. Dad rubbed his chin. “So, Muffin, do I understand this correctly? You WANT to stay in Freedom now?!” I was ready to explode. Maybe it was the stress of the day’s events. Maybe it was just because my parents were incredibly dense. “Yes, I want to stay! This is so unfair! How can you hide my entire family from me, then let me get to know them, and then just rip me away?!” The doorbell rang, and Mom looked relieved to have a reason to walk away from the conversation. It was pretty late in the evening. I couldn’t imagine who would be at the door at this hour. When Mom opened the heavy wooden door, Greg and Uncle Steve were standing on the front porch. Mom waved them inside. “Steve! Greg! What brings you back over? Did you forget something?!” Greg leaned forward and peered inside. “Hey Aunt Ellie. I just wanted to let Calli know I’d be gone for a few days, but that I’ll for sure be back before Adventus.” Uncle Steve smiled that big, wide grin of his. “Yep. We’re heading into the Valley of Silicon for a few days.” Mom said “Well, that’s great you two. Have a wonderful time!” Before I could even stand and walk to the door, they turned and were gone. I shot Dad a pleading look as I ran up the stairs to my room. “C’mon Dad... Talk to her... How can we just go back to Berkeley like this never happened?! Please.”
The days literally flew past. The morning of October 26 dawned to gray skies. I climbed out of bed and sat by the big wall of windows. The skies were cloudy and dark, and fog swirled through the valley below. Perfect weather for such an ominous day, I thought. A knock at the bedroom door roused me from my reverie. “Come in!” Rosi slipped into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. “Hey Rosi. Well cuz, todays the day. Tonight at midnight...” Rosi sat next to me and stared out at the gloomy weather. “I know Cal. I couldn’t sleep last night at all. I hope we’re doing the right thing.” It occurred to me then that I hadn’t seen Greg since he and Uncle Steve left on October 12. They must be back by now! “Rosi, is Greg ‘n’ your Dad back yet? They have to be here tonight!” Rosi frowned. “Nope. Still not here. I’ve been texting Greg every day, but all he keeps saying is that they will be back soon. Great time for a little Dad ‘n’ son vaca, right?” I patted Rosi’s knee. “Don’t stress on it, Cuz. We’ve got enough to worry about today. Let’s grab some coffee and then go over the plan again. We can’t miss a single detail.”
By dinner time, we had been over our plan so many times that it was burned into our brains. Rosi headed home for dinner, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Donna’s parents had let her take the next day off from school, so she could drive down tonight. She’d told them Rosi and I were getting an award and she couldn’t miss it. Now, I heard her car pulling into the gravel driveway and went outside to meet her. “Donna! I’m so glad you’re here girl!” Donna hopped out of the little coupe. “I didn’t really know what to wear... I mean, I’ve never attended a curse-breaking before! Is this okay?!” She spun in a circle. Combat boots, high waisted leggings and a teeny crop top and a hip length military-style green jacket . “Umm, ya you look great. But, I hadn’t even thought about what to wear yet! Now I’m gonna stress over THAT too! Thanks, friend.” Donna laughed and grabbed my arm. “Onmygawd Cal. Let’s dig through your closet RIGHT NOW! Are you kidding me?! Your outfit is SO important! This is one of those monumentous life moments that people have! Somebody might be taking pictures! You’ve gotta look DOPE! That way, when future generations look through the family album they’ll be like ‘That’s Callidora the Curse-Breaker! She was a hottie!’ Let’s get to it, girl!”
Several hours and many wardrobe changes later, we sat exhausted on the edge of my bed. Mounds of clothes were strewn about the floor, and a mountain of shoes lay nearby. Eventually, we’d decided to continue Donna’s fashion trend. Combat boots, high waisted skinny jeans, a mini crop top and my camo jacket were laid across the chair, like they were just waiting until the time came to go into battle.
At 10:45 we went downstairs. Mom and Dad were pacing nervously around the living room. “Hey Mom ... hey Dad... You guys look like tigers in a cage.” I smiled and hugged them both tightly. “Well, we’re off. You guys heading to the beach soon?” Dad hugged me hard; when he let go there were tears in his eyes. “Yup, Muffin. We’re on our way in just a few minutes.” Donna and I headed out the door and hopped into her car. As we drove up the road towards Rosi’s house, I noticed the sky. A strong wind had kicked up and the clouds were clearing. The black night sky was peppered with points of starlight. The clouds parted, and an enormous burnt orange moon shone down upon us. So this was the Blood Moon! Funny, but there had been a Blood Moon this time of year, every year. I had never really noticed it before. Life was definitely NEVER ever gonna be the same as it had been before moving to Freedom. Moments later, when we reached Rosi’s house, she was already waiting outside. We drove in silence towards the family tree. The clouds had cleared and the huge moon illuminated the family tree as though it was daylight. We parked, and took our tools out of the backseat. Chisel, hammer, gauze, tape, and the jug we had bought at the hardware store. “Rosi, you hold the jug to catch the blood sap. Donna, as soon as we have enough sap you wrap the gauze around the tree and we’ll help you tape it up. Ready? I’m just gonna give the tree a tap...” I placed the chisel right up against the bark of the tree. With the other hand I raised the hammer. Before I could even strike the hammer to the chisel, a red dot appeared on the bark. As we watched in amazement, several more dots of blood appeared. The dots connected and became a trickle. “What the... It’s bleeding! How’s that possible?!” Rosi jumped to place the jug under the stream of blood flowing from the tree. “I dunno! It’s like it knows what we’re doing!” Donna just stared in disbelief, her mouth agape. As soon as Rosi had placed the jug near the tree to catch the blood sap, the flow immediately increased from a trickle to a steady stream. The jug filled up rapidly. As soon as Rosi pulled the jug away, the flow began to subside. Donna quickly wrapped the gauze bandage around the tree’s trunk and we secured it with tape. I shook my head. “If THAT was any sign of the night we’re about to have, I really have no idea what to expect at the beach!” Silent again, we piled into the car and headed for Seacliff Beach. Fifteen minutes later we were parking along the narrow road that led to the sand. We reached the crest of the first sand dune, and gasped. The scene that lay before us was unimaginable. In
the darkness, the ocean looked like a vast expanse of blackness. The Blood Moon was high in the sky now, and it’s light silvered the wave tips as they crashed onto the shore. Just off the coast, a dark shadow loomed. Many years before, a cement ship called ‘The Palo Alto’ had been placed offshore within swimmers’ reach. It was a favorite place for adventurous sunbathers to bask during the summer. Now it looked ominous, like a the ghost of some shipwreck past. The narrow beach was cast in an orange hue. Gathered on the strip of sand, underneath the towering sandstone cliffs, were at least one hundred people. My people. The entire family had apparently come to Seacliff to witness the breaking of the curse at seven minutes past midnight. I gulped hard to keep myself from crying. No time to be weak now. Now was the time to be strong, for my family. Our normally boisterous family members stood silent as we approached. A dark figure stepped out of the crowd and walked toward us. Great Sophia. The lump started to form in my throat again. I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, squared my shoulders and raised my chin high. Grampa Ambrogino had served in the military for many years, and one of the things he had taught me as a little child resounded in my brain now. His words rang in my head ... when things get really tough, take a deep breath, square your shoulders, raise your chin high, set your jaw and face adversity head on, without wavering. Cry about it later, but not when you’re in the thick of things he had always said with a hearty laugh. At this moment, I was more grateful for Gramps’ advice than I had ever thought I would be. Great Sophia approached us in silence. She walked directly up to Donna. “I understand, young lady, that I am indebted to you as well. I have been informed that you have lent a hand and a mind to my girls Ambrosia and Callidora in their quest to free our family. You have my gratitude and my word. I am not long for this world, should Adventus be effective. However, you are an honorary member of this family, and as such, will be welcomed as family to any and all events which the remaining family hold. Should you ever find yourself in need, seek out the family; you will be welcomed. Many thanks to you, my dear.” Donna’s alabaster cheeks turned crimson. She stammered “Well, th th thank you Great Sophia. I’m honored, really. And ... you're welcome.” She reached up to hug Great Sophia, but the matriarch turned away suddenly and faced Rosi and me. Donna raised her eyebrows, shook her head and shrugged, smiling. “I forgot, my bad, no hugs...” she muttered under her breath. Great Sophia stood squarely in front of Rosi and me. “The time now is 3 minutes past midnight. I am ready. Let us begin.” Donna stepped back into the crowd of the family, watching intently. Here we go, I thought to myself. Rosi unrolled the scroll upon which we had copied the entire curse. At the time, we had thought it would be more dramatic if we unrolled a scroll for Adventus but now I realized we didn’t need any additional drama. The air was already electric with it. Great Sophia’s back was to the ocean. Rosi and I stood in front of her. I cleared my throat. “Um, Great Sophia, with all due respect... The curse states ‘Blood Moon thine witness, modesty thy foe!’ We believe that this means you and us, all of us, have to be naked for this to work.” Great Sophia raised her eyebrows. “Was this not something you felt compelled to share with me prior to this night?” I lowered my head, then I remembered Gramps’ words and raised my chin. “No, I’m sorry. We, Rosi and I, thought it best not to share our interpretation of the words of the curse. We ... were afraid you would disagree with us.” Great Sophia started to speak. She looked quite irritated. Then she began to unbutton her blouse. Rosi and I peeled off our combat boots, jeans, and tops. (Without knowing, Rosi had worn exactly the same thing as Donna and me!) We stood, strip stark naked on the beach. The only thing I was wearing was Great Sophia’s necklace and my hoop earrings. Yet the only thing I could think of was how great Great Sophia looked naked. I mean, jeez, she was like 250 years old and her abs made me feel like a dough boy! Great Sophia cleared her throat. “Ahem. You are staring, Callidora. You think I look stunning, correct? Remember this, after I am gone. DAILY workouts Monday through Friday, then eat whatever you like and do whatever you like at end of week. Your body will love you for it. Now, carry on, it is quite chilly.” Rosi held the scroll, and I began to read the words of the curse.
Thy chose to taste what was not yours
In the gods’ names I brand thee a whore.
The winds began to blow harder now, clearing the sky even more. I continued.
For all eternity thee and thine shall pay.
Thee crept in darkness
There thee must remain
Never again to know light of day.
The waves crashed hard on the shore behind Great Sophia. She stood, naked and unmoving, eyes fixed on me.
From the sun’s sweet kiss
Thee will writhe in pain.
Never shall thee covet my jewels again.
The mere touch of silver
Will burn thine skin
Till tis as black as thine heart within.
The wind began to howl, glancing off of the sheer sandstone cliffs behind Rosi and me. I felt it whip past us as it made it’s way back out to sea.
The life force will become the thing thy crave
In search of it will be spent all thine days.
Frozen in time thine countenance shall be pent
From the very day thy first share thine bed.
The previously clearing sky suddenly filled with clouds again. They swirled and twisted, as though they were alive.
If all the days a virgin thee be
Passover from this curse thee shall see,
Thence thy wretched bloodline will wither and die.
Choose thine action, seal thine own fate,
Remain chaste and cheat me or
Be’est carnal and sate me.
Never shall this curse be undone
Save for the insight of a younger one.
In thine fifteenth year thee stole from me
In the fifteenth year only shall thee be set free.
Blood Moon, thine witness
Modesty thy foe!
Something from all
Nothing from none
Habeus corpus
Let the blood freshly run!
A churning, gurgling sound erupted from the waters behind Great Sophia. She did not move, but stood stock still. My eyes moved towards the ocean, and I saw the waves beginning to rise in a growing crescendo.
Live twice this moment
Of your messy disgrace.
Harlot, thee wrought this
So proffer thine face.
Tis thine one chance at salvation,
Tis thine one saving grace.
In perigee thee and thine take rest
Lo, ‘tis apogee thee & thine shall detest!
Till then, till then!
I spoke the final words of the curse. Rosi held the jug containing the blood sap from the family tree. We each filled our mouths with the thick, sticky stuff, forcing ourselves not to gag. Rosi and I looked quickly at each other. Great Sophia closed her eyes, as though she knew what was to come. In unison, Rosi and I spat the blood into Great Sophia’s face. Her eyes flew open, startled. The blood dripped down her eyelashes and ran in rivulets down her majestic cheekbones. It followed the curve of her breasts, hugged her tiny waist, ran out and around her voluptuous hips, and ended in a puddle around her dainty feet. Still, she remained still, and spoke not a word. Thunder cracked, and lightning illuminated the beach fully. The winds died instantly and the air suddenly became completely still. The ocean boiled and teemed. Suddenly, the waves climbed higher in a swirling frenzy. From the waves rose the figure of a person. A woman. Long, streaming hair coiled wildly about her wraithlike body. The tattered dress she wore clung wetly to her gaunt frame. She stepped from the sea and approached. Great Sophia must have seen the looks on both Rosi’s and my face. She turned, and gasped. “No! No! It cannot be! You wretch! Why? Why have you returned?!” The woman continued her slow, metered approach. Great Sophia never took her eyes from the figure, but whispered to us. “I do not understand this. It is B
elladonna, the cursed witch! She is long dead! What have you done?!” Rosi dropped the scroll and stood staring, unable to move. I held my breath. What HAD we done?! Belladonna approached us three. Her skin was ragged and yellowed, and what teeth she had were rotted and pointed in all directions. Her odor preceded her. She smelled of pestilence, mold, and filth. Her vile stench, along with the taste of blood sap in my mouth, made me retch. I doubled over and vomited in the soft sand. When I stood upright again, Belladonna had reached us. Great Sophia seemed to be without words. Belladonna smiled, an empty, putrid smile. From her gaping mouth came the scent of decay, filling the air around us. She reached a long, bony finger towards Great Sophia, stopping just before she touched Sophia’s face. “Aye, still pretty as when last me met, harlot. Centuries have passed, many lives have come and moved on...” She surveyed the crowd behind us with her deflated and hollow eyes. “Aye, and me sees that your little family has grown ... multiplied near much as rabbits? Appears to be nearly a hundred-fold now, eh?” Great Sophia finally found her voice. “Belladonna, you wretched wench. From what filthy place have you dragged yourself and for what purpose? Our dealings are done. You have no place here in this time.” Belladonna turned away from the family and fixed her repulsive gaze on Rosi and me. “Ahhh, me sees you have at long last spawned offspring able to understand my curse... A task well accomplished.” She bowed her frail body in a mock curtsy. Rosi looked ready to cry, standing frozen and speechless. Belladonna continued her rant. “Sophia, beautiful, desirable, sensuous Sophia... Tis time you pay penance for what you have wrought... Aye, tis time you shall understand, harlot. When I cast my curse upon you and yours, twas but a deceit. Aye, tis true, you and yours have led lives as vampires, cursed from the first breath drawn after leaving the womb. But here, take note... I have waited with patience for this day. I have hoped and wished and cast, asking not for your family to perish but for your family to flourish. See, tis what makes this day all the sweeter. When these offspring of yours completed this ritual this night, they have not broken my curse but summoned me back from the netherworld. Harlot, your curse cannot be broken! But I have waited patiently for the day that one of your children would be just intelligent enough to summon me. I cast and asked the powers to allow me to wait ... to wait until your family had groooowwwn. Aye, ye see, here I am to kill them all and you, harlot, will see me do it. Twouldn’tve been terrbily satisfying had there been only one or two of your pathetic offspring. But now, now look! A hundred-fold you have multiplied. This shall be sweet and tasty... You shall watch them die, and then you shall join them, by my own hand.” Great Sophia raised her arm to strike Belladonna, ready to unleash the power of a fully vitalized vampiress upon her. With blinding quickness, Belladonna grabbed Sophia’s neck and lifted her off the sand. Sophia’s arm’s flailed helplessly, her legs kicking convulsively. A roar echoed from the sandstone walls behind us. The entire family had Shown, and was charging towards Belladonna. With a wave of her free hand and the utterance of some arcane words, she knocked them all to the ground. I had been still, standing frozen with fear. This was my moment, and I had to seize it. While she focused on the family, I focused on her. I leapt upon Belladonna’s back and grabbed her face, twisting with all my vitalized strength. I meant to snap her head off, but she dropped Great Sophia and turned her attention to me instead. Great Sophia lay on the sand, gasping for air. In an instant I felt Belladonna’s bony fingers close around my throat, squeezing my esophagus tighter and tighter. Almost in slow motion, my vision fuzzy from lack of oxygen, I watched the necklace Great Sophia had given me fall to the sand, chain broken in the attack. As I began to lose consciousness, I heard Rosi. Her voice cut through the fog in my head. “Put her down, b*tch! That’s my cousin!” Suddenly, I felt the force of Rosi’s body hitting the witch. Belladonna lost her footing, dropping me. As I fell I saw Belladonna’s foot crush Great Sophia’s locket. It lay shattered in the pool of blood we had spat upon Great Sophia. I wanted to scream “NOOOO!” but my voice failed me. Belladonna regained her footing and reached for Rosi. A piercing white light exploded from the shattered locket. Standing between Rosi and Belladonna was suddenly, inexplicably, a tall dark haired man. He swept the broken locket up from the sand and in one swift motion wrapped it around Belladonna’s neck, holding it taught until her faded eyes finally rolled back into her bony skull. She fell to the ground, dead. The man turned towards Sophia and tenderly held his hand out to her. “My darling. Come...come to me. I have waited an eternity for you and I shan’t wait another moment.” Great Sophia stared up, her eyes unbelieving. When she spoke her voice was a low, husky whisper. “Amedeo? I... Is it really you? How is this possible? What cruel trickery is this?” Tears filled her eyes and ran down her face, mixing with the drying blood that still clung there. Amedeo removed his long gray jacket and gently wrapped Great Sophia in it’s warmth, covering her nakedness. “Pia, it is true. I know not how, and I know not why, but I am here with you now and shall never leave your side again.” Great Sophia inhaled sharply and her eyes flew open wide. “It is you ... no one, before or since, has ever called me Pia. Oh! Amedeo, my Amedeo... I thought I would never see you again until I left this earth. But ... she kept me from you. That was the worst of punishments she could have ever chosen... You are the only man I have ever loved, none before and none since.” He pulled her to her feet and she melted into his embrace. Rosi and I stood, naked and shivering in the cold, swirling fog. I felt strong, warm arms reach for me and then I was wrapped in someone’s jacket. The family, now recovered from Belladonna’s spell, had flooded in around us. In the frenzied aftermath of the attack, our family came together and encircled Rosi and me. Loving hands reached out to us from all directions, and cheers began to ring out on the otherwise deserted beach, echoing off of the great sandstone cliffs and filling the night air.
