by Steven Wolff
CHAPTER 10
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MOO?
“There's a village I think you will enjoy very much.” said Marcel.
“Why's that?”
“Because they are always celebrating something in the village of Tanagra! If someone sneezes or if someone trips and falls... Celebration! It’s almost like a carnival, 24 hours a day. Everyone is always happy and having fun! Circuses have nothing on this place.”
“I don't know if I can handle all that excitement and happiness.” Anica said sarcastically.
“Oh, you’ll like them. The Tanagrins are a happy bunch of people who love their beer and their food just as much as they like laughing. And trust me, they like to laugh!”
“Sound's interesting!” Anica says. “When are we leaving?”
“As soon as you’re ready. I'm ready to go when you are,” Marcel says.
“But before we leave this house, it’s important that you listen to what I’m about to tell you. While we’re traveling, you must stay within 10 feet of me at all times. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir!”
“There are things in this world that nightmares are made of, and trust me, you don’t want to find them out.”
“I’m not afraid of anything! Remember, I took care of myself when I was attacked.”
“Don’t get cocky, Anica, or you will get killed! Trust me; I've seen it more than I care to admit.” Marcel warns.
“When you say there are things made of nightmares, what do you mean?”
“There are things worse than Dark Fairies. Ever heard of a Terra monster?”
“No, what’s that?”
“Evil creatures made of dirt. They live in the ground and can be anywhere! They can reach out of the ground with arms made of dirt, grabbing hold of your leg and then dragging you down into the earth where you’ll suffocate and die! They are hard to kill because they are made of dirt or sand and you don’t know where they are coming from. Right before they attack you’ll hear a deep, low moaning followed by a little trembling of the ground. That means they are about to come out and strike! Make sure you're standing on concrete or rocks - they can't penetrate that.”
“Okay, now I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I will cast a protection spell that will be around us but it's only good as long as you’re within 10 feet of me. Go outside of that distance and all bets are off.”
“Understood.”
“Also, another important piece of advice. Pay attention to your surroundings and you’ll have clues that may save your life. For the Terra monsters, their low moaning is a dead give away. Sorry, no pun intended. Screaming Shadows will scream before they come out and pull you in.”
“Okay, now you're scaring me again.”
“Don't worry about the Screaming Shadows or Terra monsters; I haven't seen them in ages. I'm just using them as a reference.”
“I heard that term used before. What are Screaming Shadows?”
“I'll tell you later Anica.”
“Why won't anyone tell me?” She throws her arms up in a why fashion.
Marcel stops and thinks for a moment, looking around the living room for inspiration. Then he remembers, “Ever seen a Vampire Rat?”
“A Vampire Bat?”
“No, a Vampire RAT…”
“Can't say that I have. Sounds creepy though.”
“They are! They've got black fur with glowing blood red eyes and fangs.”
“Don't tell me, they Vant to suck my blood? Mah ha ha!” Anica joked, hiding her face behind her arm like Dracula.
“Anica, I'm not kidding. Just one bite and you lose control of your leg, causing you to fall to the ground, and trust me; you don't want to fall to the ground!”
“Why, what happens? Is he going to nibble me to death?” Anica jokes.
“If you fall to the ground, the whole family of them will come out and start feeding on your body while you’re still alive and helpless! Their little claws climbing all over you… I can only imagine that's a very painful way to die, being unable to move but feel every tiny bite as they pull and rip at your flesh. Nibbling on your ear, lips, eyes…”
“Okay, okay, I get the picture.” Anica cringes.
“Oh! And don’t get me started on the Vampire Bunnies! Sure they may look cute and fuzzy, but they are ferocious! That’s how they get their victims, by looking all adorable!”
Anica raises an eyebrow and wonders if Marcel has fallen off his rocker.
“Vampire bunnies… Right. Good to know, thanks.” she says sarcastically.
“And whatever you do, don’t try to tip over a Vampire Cow! Not a good idea!” Marcel mentions, waving his finger in the air.
“They don't take to kindly to folks that do that.”
“Wait… What?” Anica’s head perks up, not sure what she just heard.
“Did you say... Vampire Cow as in a MOO Cow? The kind that gives milk?”
“Yes, except that a Vampire cow gives Blood instead of milk.”
“Eeeeewww! That’s gross!” Anica declares in a disgusted tone. “I’ve never heard of a vampire cow before. What do they do? They don’t suck on peoples necks, do they?”
The thought sends shivers all over her body. A cow sucking on her throat, its cow whiskers tickling... She quivers for a minute trying to get that image out of her head.
“GAH!!!”
Marcel laughs at Anica, who looks like she is doing an awkward dance, flailing her arms in the air trying to get the image out of her head.
“Don’t be silly Anica. They usually don’t do anything but stand around, staring at each other. Vampire or not, cows are still dumb.”
“Then what good are they?”
“They helped Vampires survive when the human race almost went extinct.”
“When did the human race ever get close to extinction?”
“Ever heard of the Black Plague?”
“Yeah, vaguely, from my history class. I got a D in that course.”
“It was a lot worse than the history books recorded. Back then; there were no social networks outside of the local area. Any news usually came from within the village and even then you were lucky to get accurate data.”
“Wow. I can't imagine life without any social networks. That must of sucked.”
“The Black Death as it was called, was worldwide, killing millions of men, women and children. It is believed that fleas on rats that traveled by ship spread the plague but they didn't know this back then. Death was everywhere and humans were dropping like flies, their numbers dwindling. Vampires didn't have this problem because they're already dead but they did have a problem of supply and demand. They couldn't drink from diseased humans so they started to starve because healthy humans were hard to come by. Competition grew fierce amongst vampires over the healthy humans that were not yet infected. If the plague didn’t kill them, thousands of starving vampires did. Needless to say, humans were almost wiped out and vampires nearly starved to Eternal Death.
“Eternal Death?”
“That’s what they call the final death that comes to everyone eventually, even vampires. It’s when you truly die and don’t come back.”
“Wait a minute, aren't Vampires already dead?”
“Technically they are but they're also kinda alive. It's hard to explain but once you do something like stake them, they won't come back… That is what's called Eternal Death.”
“Got it. Thanks for clearing that up.”
“Back to what I was saying. With the Black Death killing off millions and nearly starving all the vampires, they had no choice but to feed on anything that moved. Cattle, birds, pets, rodents, people, If it was alive, it was food for starving vampires. This only fueled the problem because now humans ran out of things to eat as well, thus causing more starvation and death.”
“That’s crazy! So how did the vampire cow come about?”
“If I remember correctly, legend goes that a hungry transient vampire was down on his luck finding healthy
humans to drink because of the plague. He was starving and was very weak. Just by chance, he stumbled upon a farm with lots of farm animals left unattended. He went inside the farmhouse and found the owners dead. Frustrated and starving, the transient vampire decided to feed on the farm animals instead.
As he drank from one animal to the next, he noticed their blood tasted different so he tasted every animal on the farm no matter how big or small. After drinking to his hearts content, he was tired and in no condition to travel. The transient vampire decided to stay at the farm, since the owners were dead, and no one was likely going to disturb him.
The next night when he awoke, he found some of the animals he left alive had turned into vampires. Vampire Horses, Bunnies, Rats, Cows, Sheep, you name it. And they were still on the property! Having never seen animal vampires before, the transient vampire inspected all the animals and noticed with the vampire cows that the udders looked like they were so full that they’d explode.
He squeezed the teat of the utter and discovered a stream of blood came out instead of milk. He tasted the blood and found it very rich and nourishing, so he milked the vampire cows for all the blood they could produce. It wasn't long before his health had returned, better than before! He bottled the blood up and went into town, giving out free samples to other vampires so they would buy his bottled blood for a reasonable price. He quickly became a very wealthy vampire and bought the farmland he found as his own. His bottled blood helped thousands of vampires survive the Black Death. There's even a song tribute to him called 'Old MacDonald had a Farm'.”
“So what happened to Old MacDonald who became wealthy?”
“No one knows. One day he just disappeared. Some say he’s retired and living the good life traveling the world. Others said he bought a lot of cattle and went into the fast food franchise selling hamburgers under the same name. I’ve even heard others say he was killed by the Dreaded Pirate Black Sword, way out at sea.”
“Wait, wait, wait... You’ve got pirates too?”
“Airrah is a very big world, Anica. We have all kinds of things! Where do you think Hollywood gets most of its ideas?
“How would Hollywood know about this place?”
“Didn't Lonnie & R'dell tell you that a lot of people cross over to the Earth realm and back? Some of the most successful producers in Hollywood are from Airrah, but you'd never know because they are good at blending in.”
“Right. I keep forgetting that people can cross over into our world.”
“Just like you crossed over into this world.” Marcel points out.
“True.”
“Just remember, it’s not a very nice or safe place out here in Airrah, so always be careful and know what’s going on around you at all times! You don’t want to be caught off guard.”
“I’m a girl, being aware of our surroundings comes naturally to us.”
“Good, if that's true then you should be fine.”
“That I'm a girl? Of course it's true!”
“No I mean you being aware of what's going on around you at all times.”
“Oh… Yeah.” Anica says confidently.
“Except that there's a Vampire Rat that just ran by you.”
“Eeek!” Anica jumps on the chair, keeping her legs moving while trying to see it.
Marcel laughs hard over his joke. “Hahahahahaha”
“Not Funny!!!” Anica says, still looking around the floor just to be sure.
“You don’t have to worry about Vampire Rats or Bunnies here Anica. They’re mostly around a town called Shadow's Crossing, but for the record, there have been sightings here and there.”
“Lonnie mentioned something about Shadow's Crossing being very creepy and Goth-like.”
“It is. Did he mention it's a town of nothing but Vampires? Only those with a death wish dare approach the town.”
“Yes he did. Hey, I have a question.”
Anica asks in a serious, concerned tone.
“Yes Anica?”
“The Vampires in Shadow's Crossing... They don’t sparkle, do they?”
Marcel gives Anica a strange look.
“No Anica, Vampires don’t sparkle. Where did you get that silly idea?”
Anica is about to tell him but decides against it, not wanting to sound any more foolish. “Never mind.”
Marcel continues, “As I was saying, many brave fools who dared visit Shadow's Crossing, either on accident or on purpose, have not been seen or heard from again. Yet, there are some who intentionally seek out Vampires to do business with.”
“What? Seriously? Why would anyone want to do something so stupid?” Anica asked.
“Oh I agree, it is stupid... But for some, the payoff is sometimes worth the risk. Vampires learned to give humans a chance to state their business because they can be easily influenced by money or power. Because money is the root of all evil, it allows the one who controls it to feel superior over others. Vampires are very rich and use it control elections, people and trade. Take it away and they feel powerless and weak. It’s amazing how many people can be bought and sold for a price.”
“So you have corruption here, too?”
Marcel looks at Anica in amazement.
“So you are familiar with what I’m talking about then?” Marcel asks.
“Yes, I’m afraid I am. Back home, our government is so corrupt on so many levels it's not funny. It’s really obvious, but no one does anything about it. We have laws, but they don’t do us any good if our own government breaks them,” Anica stated.
“Rules and laws are the foundation of many civilizations and societies, even here in Airrah. Just because we’re not all humans doesn’t mean we don’t have corruption either. It seems to be a universal trait. However, for everything done, there are consequences for our actions and justice does prevail. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”
“You're saying Vampires have laws, too?”
“Yes, even Vampires have their own set of laws, which they are good at enforcing! One of those laws allows non-vampires temporary protection to approach any vampire without fear of being bitten until that person has made their offer or stated their case. They learned long ago that if they don’t kill every person that comes their way that they may benefit from that person’s services or ideas. This has benefited them greatly but if you didn't have a great idea, you're done for. Moving onto a different subject, does the name Isaac Newton ring a bell to you?”
“Wasn’t he the one with the apple that hit him on the head?”
“Kinda... He’s the one who said for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
“Yeah, I think I remember that quote.” Anica said.
“His rule applies to our world as well. For every Evil creature that exists, there is an equal and opposite Good creature. They are not always around at the same time, but trust me, everything evens itself out. Trust me, that's one of the incredible things about this realm… everything balances itself out in the end.”
“Kinda like a scale?”
“Right. Just remember that everything has a balance and order to thing. Everything is in its place in Airrah and if it's not, it will self correct, some way, some how. For everything you do, there is consequence. Good or bad, Big or small. You might not ever know it or see it right away but trust me; it will give or take to get back to neutral. It’s just the laws of the universe staying in check,” Marcel says, looking up at the sky.
“I’m telling you this not to scare you Anica, but for you to open your mind. Remember, some things exist whether you believe in them or not. So keep an open mind!”
“R'dell said that too!”
“Who do you think taught her?” Marcel winks and smiles.
“There you go again…” Anica smirks, “While we're on the subject, do Were-Wolves exist?”
“Ah yes, there are Were-Wolves, but they weren’t the first creatures with the Were name. There are Were-Dragons, Were-Cobras, Were-Bears, Were-Panthers, Were-Cats;
you name it... people who can change from a human-like form to any large or small creature.”
“Oh wow! Were-Dragons? Does that mean what I think it means?” Anica goes silent with amazement.
“Yes, there are people who change their bodies into Dragons. Some are winged, some aquatic, some a little bit of everything.”
Marcel stops and reflects on something. “Come to think of it, I once went to school with a guy who was a Were-Dragon... Everyone always wanted him on their red rover team. I could never figure out why for the longest time. Go Figure!” Marcel states, smiling.
“You said there are other things that nightmares are made of. What else is there?”
Marcel walks over and puts his hand on Anica's shoulder.
“It’s still too early for you to be worrying about all the evil things in this world. You should focus on all the good there is in the world too. Too much focus on the negativity is not healthy. I promise I will tell you more in time, but for now, we need to focus on making it into town before sundown.”
Marcel grabs his wide brimmed pointy hat, his long flowing cloak and his walking staff. He heads to the front door and opens it for Anica, glancing up and down at what Anica is wearing.
“Is that all you brought with you to wear?”
“Unfortunately yes. It’s a long story that I’ll tell you more of in the car.”
“Oh good! It’s a long walk... You can tell me along the way!”
“Wait, what? We’re gonna walk?” Anica asks, looking around for some kind of transportation.
“Don’t you have a magic carpet or can’t you wave your magical wand and make some kind of fancy car that will get us there? Or at least where are the horses?”
Marcel raises his brow at Anica.
“You’ve been watching way too much TV and movies young lady! We’re not in your world anymore, remember? Things are a lot different here.”
“Awwww Come On…Really?” She says, disappointed.
“I'm not in shape to walk for three days!”
“Think about it this way… in three days, you will be!”
Marcel says as gestures for Anica to walk in front of him out the door. Anica takes a deep breath, sighing, but suddenly notices her mental focus is sharper.
“This is amazing! Why do my lungs feel so good when I breathe?”
“Probably because in our world we have more oxygen than in yours. You’ll notice you can smell more things too. That’s the oxygen running your brain more efficiently.”
“COOL!” Anica exclaims, intentionally breathing deeply in and out as she walks into the front yard. Marcel knew that if he opened the door and exposed her to the fresh air outside that she would forget why she was protesting. To her delight, the clouds begin to part and the sun starts to peak through.
As she scans the landscape, there are all kinds of beautiful things she has never seen before. Some things look familiar to her while others are extraordinary in design and shape. Colors are very vivid and bright in ways never seen before by any human. There are birds and beautifully colored miniature dragons, flying from tree to tree, calling out to each other in little roars.
Anica has never heard such a sound! And they're dragons! Excited, she turns around and notices Marcel’s home from the outside. It’s a warm and cozy design that has lots of windows that allow in the sunlight in. Its frame is sturdy and made of aged redwood that looks professionally built but still earthy. All around the house are tall lush green trees that provide some shade during the day.
To the left of the house is a grassy hillside with a gentle waterfall that cuts across his front yard and flows down along the road. A little wooden bridge crosses over the flowing water from the front steps of his house to the front fence. On his porch is a rocking chair with a little reading table next to it, where Marcel sometimes spends the evenings reading his favorite book, or watching the sun go down while smoking his favorite pipe.
Marcel closes the door and walks out to the middle of the yard where Anica is taking in the sights. From really high in the sky she hears a distinctive roaring. She looks up and sees two bird-like creatures circling and diving around each other.
“Look at those birds high in the sky... Aren’t they beautiful?” Anica points up.
Marcel looks where she is pointing and squints.
“Ah, those aren't birds, they're full size dragons! See how they are spinning and diving together? They’re mating! They're about to join together, and when they do, they will enter a free fall in which if he doesn't impregnate her in time, they both will fall and hit the ground.”
“They're going to have sex in the air? Falling? Talk about pressure to perform! Sheesh” Anica watches as sure enough, their bodies become one and their wings wrap around each other like a capsule falling from the sky. They are spinning, end over end incredibly fast as she watches in awe.
“Oh my gosh… Pull out, pull out… PULL OUT! They’re not going to make it!”
*****
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Click Here To Get Part 2 of 4 – Anica Storm & The Wand of Time
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