A Vampire's Tale

[Romie The Vampire]

A Vampire's Tale

Chapter One! The year is 1534. I’m living in La Carolina, my birth town. I am an only child, my mother couldn’t give my father more children after I was delivered into the world. My life is rather quiet for a ten-year-old. I help my mother with the house works and my father is a carpenter, a good one too. I lived happily until today, when a black cloud was suddenly created over my shoulders. But before I can tell you about this dreadful cloud, I should tell you more about myself. My name is Carolina Linares. I was named Carolina because I was born in La Carolina. My parents say that though that I am very mischievous, I am a good worker and I help my mother a lot. She is very proud of me. She says I’m her “Rosa Azul”, her blue rose. Blue is her favorite color, and the rose is her favorite flower, so I think it’s a nice way to say that she loves me, that I’m the apple of her eye. Everything was going well until today. I sat in the kitchen in front of my parents. They said they have something important to tell me, and by the look on their faces, I didn’t thought it was going to be something good. I waited quietly while they were looking at each other with fear in their eyes. “What is it?” I asked, I couldn’t wait anymore. My father took a deep breath “Carolina, what we have to tell you is… difficult, and we hope you could understand.”. “We thought you have the right to know the truth.” Said my mother. This was getting quite frightening. “What is it?” I asked “What truth are you talking about?”. My mother looked quietly at me “You are adopted, we adopted you.” She said. Adopted?! How could it be? “No way…” I said, not believing what my ears have just heard “I can’t be adopted, no!”. “I am sorry child,” said my father “but this is the truth.”. “Who are my parents?” I asked “Why have they given me away?”. “Your parents were Jews, they were arrested and couldn’t keep you, so they gave you to us. We were their friends.”. “A… a Jew?” I mumbled “I’m a Jew?”. “Yes you are, though we have raised you as a Christian.”. “You lied to me!” I yelled “You called me daughter! You said you were my parents!”. “Nina mia,” my mother whispered “Siempre seras mi Rosa Azul.”. (Child of mine, You will always be my blue rose). “No I won’t!” I shouted “I never were!”. I left them sitting near the kitchen table, running to my room. A Jew, an adopted child… what else could go wrong? I never liked Jews, I always told mean jokes about them, and now I discover that I am one! So ironic… But if Jews my parents were, then a Jew I am! I can learn about their ways… my people’s ways. I want to be what I was at birth. Arrested… why were they arrested? Where are they now? I want to meet them, I want to live with them. I don’t want to live in a lie! I hate them! those two who said I’m their daughter. They lied to me, they tricked me. Now I don’t know who I am, what ways my people have. I grew up in a lie, a vicious lie. No, I can’t remain quiet, I have to tell them what I think of them. I went back to the kitchen where the two I once called parents were still sitting. “I hate you.” I said quietly “You kept me away from my real parents. Where are they? Why didn’t you return me to them?”. “They are dead.” Said my mother… my ex-mother. “Dead?” I whispered “They can’t be…”. “I am sorry child, but they are dead. That is why we kept you here.”. “Dead? Why? How?”. “They were murdered in prison.”. I couldn’t bare it any more, too many new truths. Adopted, Jewish and now an orphan. I was mistaken, there were things which could still go wrong indeed… La Carolina, 1544 I giggled, following Diego quietly. “Hush,” he whispered “hush my love. We don’t want your parents to wake up now, do we?”. I smiled at him, shutting my mouth. Oh, I love him so much, so much… He became Jewish for me, so we could get married one day. No one knows that he’s a Jew now, that I’M a Jew. I told him I’m Jewish because I trust him, and thought we can not be together if we don’t know everything about each other. Every once in a while, he would come to my house, and we would go together, without my adopting parents to know, to our secret hiding place. In there, we would love each other. I know it is not correct or acceptable, but I just love him, he’s the most important

 

[Romie The Vampire]

המשך

thing in my life, and nobody knows about what we’re doing, of course, so why not? Nor his parents, nor my adopting ones, know that we are already more then compromised, that we love each other in the most intimate, forbidden way. Diego took my hand in his. We have arrived. It was a little cabin, abandoned in the wilderness outside town. We found it one day, strolling around, doing nothing. Diego looked at me, his eyes shining. “I don’t want to go inside love,” he said “it’s too hot today.”. “But…” I mumbled “You want to… outside?”. “It’s late and dark,” said Diego “and nobody comes here anyway, not in these hours, everybody’s fast asleep.”. “Are you sure?”. He smiled “Don’t you trust me?”. I smiled as well and hugged him. He started kissing me passionately. We sank to the ground, pulling each other’s clothes off. We were making love, when I saw a shadow pass behind my lovers’ back. I shivered with fear. “What is wrong love?” asked Diego. “Someone is here.” I whispered “I saw a man’s shadow behind you.”. “You probably hallucinated love.” Said Diego “Do not worry.”. I tried to say something, but he kissed my lips, so I couldn’t speak. I saw the shadow again. Suddenly it jumped on me and clanged to my throat with its mouth. I couldn’t see its face. Diego shoved him away from me, and he disappeared. “I told you someone’s here!” I cried, terrified. He hugged me, comforting “I am sorry love,” he said “I should have believed you.”. I started crying and he hugged me “Hush, hush now love.” he whispered into my ear “Do you want to go home?”. “Yes.” I said “I am sorry, but I am just too terrified”. “That’s okay love.”. We got dressed and walked back to my house quietly. He kissed me quickly when we arrived “Sleep well love.” he whispered “Sweet dreams.”. I shook his hand and he turned away, heading for his house. I opened the door quietly and walked to my room. I was relaxed only when my room’s door was closed behind me. I went to the mirror and looked at my throat, pushing my long dark hair aside. I put my hand on my lips quietly, shocked. On my throat, where the mysterious shadow caught me, were two little holes, wounds. “What was that thing?” I whispered to myself “This monster?”. Chapter two! I was washing the dishes, quiet. I kept my hair down on my shoulders, so it will hide the little wounds on my neck. My adopting parents will ask too many questions, If they will see those wounds, questions I could not answer. They were sitting near the kitchen’s table, talking. I listened to their conversation, trying to distract myself from thinking on what happened the other night. “Aunt Blanca invited us to dinner and to meet her new sun-in-law.” said my adopting father. “When?” asked my adopting mother. “Two days from now.”. “She invited just the two of us?”. “Yes.”. I was glad I wasn’t invited, I hated aunt Blanca. She always criticized me and laughed at me. I don't know why. I preferred to be left alone in the house, free to do as I pleased, rather then to go visit her. I will ask Diego to keep me company. We could really enjoy being totally alone in the house. I smiled mischievously to myself. I finished washing the dishes and went to sit near the table as well. “I heard what you said.” I told them “Could I ask Diego to stay here with me? I don’t like being all alone in the house.”. “Carolina!” called my adopting mother “It’s not appropriate for you to stay all alone with a man who is not your husband! Even if he is to be your husband!”. “But I don’t want to stay alone!” I whined “Nothing will happen!”. “No!” she shouted “What would people think?”. “Oh please!” I pleaded “I don’t want to stay alone.”. “I am sorry, but Diego can’t come.” Said my adopting father “Ask one of the girls to come and stay with you.”. “I don’t want any of the girls, I want Diego!”. “No and that’s finale!” he shouted angrily at me, as he banged his fist against the table. I left the table and went to my room, shutting the door violently behind me. “No matter,” I thought to myself “I’ll ask Diego to come anyway, and he’ll just leave before they’ll come back.”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

עוד המשך

Two days later “Goodbye Carolina,” said my adopting father. “Goodbye.” I said. He tried to kiss me on my forehead, but I wouldn’t let him, I wouldn’t let any of them touch me since I discovered the truth. He looked sadly at me and started walking away with my adopting mother. I closed the door behind them, waited for a couple of seconds, and then ran to my room. I opened the window, and in came Diego. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked “What if they’ll surprise us and come earlier then you think?”. I smiled at him “Don’t you trust me?” I asked. He smiled as well “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I’m careful. We’ll be in a lot of trouble if your parents will come back and find me here.”. “They always stay at aunt Blanca’s for ages!” I said “They talk a lot.”. He smiled and we sat on my bed. He hugged me “When we’ll get married, I won’t need to sneak into your house- or run away with you into the wilderness outside of the town- to be with you.” He said. I kissed his forehead “When will we get married already?” I asked. But he didn’t answer, he just kissed my lips and dragged me down, to the white sheets of my bed. “CAROLINA!”. I sat quickly in my bed, awkward. “What have you done!?” cried my adopting mother “We told you not to bring Diego when we are not here!”. Diego sat in the bed next to me. Both of us were bare-naked. “You sinner!” shouted my adopting father, who just entered my room, hearing my adopting mother’s shouts “You disgraced us!”. “I came to check on you, and what do I find?! You sleeping with a man!” yelled my adopting mother “Oh sin! Such a sin!”. “Please-“ I tried to talk, but they won’t let me. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” my adopting father screamed at Diego. “I am not leaving Carolina alone with you two!” shouted Diego “I won’t let you hurt her!”. “GET OUT!” screamed my adopting father again “You vagabond! You thief! You sinner! Look what you made my daughter do! You stole her purity! She could never get married! You disgraced her! You disgraced us!”. He picked Diego’s clothes and threw them at his face. Diego put on his pants quickly “I am not leaving!” he yelled. “Oh yes you are!” yelled my adopting father. He caught Diego’s arm and dragged him away. Diego tried to resist, but my adopting father was much stronger than he was. “CAROLINA!” he yelled, being dragged away. I heard the door being shut down, and my adopting father came back. “How dare you treat Diego like that!” I yelled at him. “Hold your tongue, whore!” he yelled and slapped me “Who else disgraced your name? Who else slept in your bed?!”. “No one!”. “Damn you woman! Tell me!”. “NO ONE!”. He slapped me again “TELL ME!”. “No one.” I cried. “You are possessed! No woman who is sane would behave like that! The devil has a hold on your soul!”. “No devil has a hold on my soul!” I cried. “When did you sell your soul to the devil woman?! Tell me!”. I wept “I sold no soul to no devil.”. “You are insane! I will send you to the church, maybe there your soul will be redeemed!”. “No!” I screamed “You can’t send me to a church! I am Jewish! You can’t send me to a church! You can’t!”. “Oh yes I can!” he shouted “and yes I will!”. “No!” I cried “No! No! Please don’t!”. He left the room, my adopting mother following him. They closed the door behind them, and I heard it being locked. I laid on my bed and cried. Chapter Three! I was locked in a room. I screamed like crazy and hit the door with my fists “Let me out!” I screamed “Let me out!”. “She is truly possessed.” I heard one of the monks that dragged me to the room say. I screamed and cried “Please!” I yelled “Please let me out! I don’t belong here!”. “Yes, brother Suarez.” Said another monk “We must leave her alone now, less the devil takes hold on our souls as well.”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

ועוד פעם...

I heard them walk away. I banged at the door as hard as I could. “NO! Don’t leave me here! Let me out, let me out!”. But they did not come back. I continued banging on the door until I was too tired. I let myself fall slowly on the cold floor. I cried quietly. Why do I deserve this? Why does loving my future husband is such a sin? What happened to him? My dear beloved Diego. I banged on the door once more and started to cry hysterically. I don’t know how much time I cried, I just know it seemed like forever. The monks came back. They opened the door, but would not let me go outside. They just left a bowl with some soup on the table and left, locking the door again. I cried and screamed and begged them to come back and set me free, but no one came. I looked around the room. It was a small room, and there were only a table, a chair and a bed inside it, and only one small window. The sight of the bed drove me mad, it made me remember Diego and all that happened. I ran to it and ripped the white sheets apart, screaming like a lunatic. Then I took the bowl with the soup and threw it on the door. It broke into tiny little pieces. I banged my hands on the walls, screaming and shouting, until they started to bleed. Then I laid on the floor and wept. I didn’t mind the broken pieces of the bowl were on the floor, cutting my skin in million places. I cried and cried and pleaded to be set free, though no one was near my door to hear me. The moon looked at me from the window, like he’s laughing at me and teasing me with the fact that he is free and I am not. I was surprised to discover it is already night. Tears dropped from my eyes and I started to cry again, silently and weakly. Suddenly, I heard the door open. I was sure it was a monk who came to give me some food again, so I didn’t bother myself to get up, and just continued laying on the floor, crying. The door closed and somebody kneeled near me. I was surprised. Who is this? Why did he stay in the room? I looked up. It seemed like another monk. His head was covered with the hood of his cape, so I couldn’t see his face. He backed away from me, shocked by the sight of my face. I didn’t understand why, for I was known to be quite beautiful. I had a dark black hair and deep blue eyes, my face was said to be as delicate as a flower, my skin soft and silky, and my body to be quite feminine. Maybe that’s why he backed off like that. Monks must live a life of celibacy, forbidden to look upon women. “What do you want from me?” I mumbled with grief. He stroke my hair gently “Poor child.” He whispered. I backed off “Don’t touch me!” I whispered. He looked at all the broken pieces of the bowl and at my injuries. “Look what you have done to yourself.” He said in a sincere, merciful voice. “Why should you care?” I said bitterly. “Don’t you treat me like that, I am here to help you.”. “Like the other monks did?”. “I’m not one of the other monks.”. “How can I trust you if you don’t even show your face?”. “You don’t want to see my face,” he whispered “trust me.”. “What I don’t want is your supposed help.”. He sat before me quietly for a couple of seconds, and then he lifted his hand and lowered the hood slowly. I gasped with surprise. He was beautiful! Such deep green eyes, such well curved lips, such soft looking reddish hair, falling gently on his strong looking and well built shoulders. But what amazed me the most was how white his skin was. So white it was, so pale, but it only made him more beautiful. “Now would you trust me?” he asked sadly. I gazed at him “Why do you wish to help me?” I asked. “I help all of those that need help.” He answered. “You don’t even know me.”. “I will, in time.” He said “Now tell me, what happened to you?”. I told him about Diego and about my parents, the adopting ones and the real ones. He listened quietly. He nodded his head when I was over “Poor child.” He said “Don’t worry, I will help you.”. “You would make them set me free?!” I asked with excitement. “No, I can’t do that,” he said “But I can make things easier for you. Don’t worry child, you are under my protection now.”. He got up from the floor and got out of the room. I started to fear I would be left alone again, but he came back soon. He brought some new clean sheets with him, some water, a rag and another bowl with soup. He put the bowl on the table with the water and towel, and went to the bed, organizing the sheets. After he finished, he picked me up from the floor, so easily I was astound, as if I weight nothing, and seated me on the bed. He dipped the rag in the water and started to clean my wounds tenderly and carefully. “You shouldn’t do such things...” he murmured “injure yourself like that...”. I sat quietly, letting him take care of my wounds. He got to a wound on the back of my neck, and then his eyes were fixed on the two little puncture wounds on my neck. The wounds that were made by the monster which attacked me the other night. He swallowed hard and continued washing my wounds, ignoring the two wounds he just stared at. After he finished, he left the rag on the table and took the bowl. “Drink.” He ordered.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

ופעם נוספת...

I took the bowl from his hands and did as he said. The soup wasn’t very good, but I was quite hungry, so I didn’t mind. He sat near the table and looked at me as I drank. “How did you get those wounds?” he asked. “I told you that I threw the bowl on the door, you can see the broken pieces on the floor.” I answered. “Don’t make a fool out of yourself,” he said with indignation “you know perfectly well what I mean.”. He was right, I did know he meant those two bizarre wounds on my neck, the older wounds. I took a deep breath and told him about the night I was attacked by the monster. He hide his face in his hands when I was done, disgraced from some reason I didn’t know. “What’s wrong?” I asked “You don’t believe me?”. “Oh I do,” he said “I do believe you.”. “Then why are you behaving like that?”. “It’s nothing...” he mumbled “nothing of importance.”. It didn’t sound like he was telling me the whole truth, but I decided to let it go. He got up from the chair and looked at me. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow night. Please do behave yourself and be calm and gentle, it is only for your own sake.” He said. “Why only at night?” I asked, but he didn’t answer, he just left the room and locked the door behind him. Something was wrong about him. I had weird feelings about him, like he was no mare mortal, like he was something else, unnatural. But although he was strange and mysterious, I liked him. I really did. Chapter Four! It was night again. I sat quietly on the bed, waiting for the mysterious monk to come. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind, I didn’t even ask him for his name! I was excited that I was to see him again. He thrilled me, his good looks, his mystery. Why will he come only at night? Why did he look so disgraced after I told him about the monster that attacked me? He made me wonder and forget about Diego for a little while. Only for a little while. I started thinking of my love again, missing him, wanting to see him, to hear what happened to him. I was worried. His father was known as a great hater of Jews, what will happen if he’ll find out that his future daughter-in-law is one, and that his son became one because of her? I was worried he would hurt Diego, very worried. My thoughts were distracted, as the door opened and the monk came in. He looked at me and lowered the hood of his cape. I smiled at him, thrilled and relaxed to see his face again. “How are you?” he asked “You behaved well today?”. “Yes, I thought that if I will, the monks may set me free sooner.” I answered. “Good.” He said, pleased. “You haven’t told me your name.”. He smiled “True! I forgot!”. I smiled as well. “My name is Leon Le’Douvayen.” He said, gesturing with his hand and bowing modestly. It made me laugh. He smiled. “And I am Carolina Linares.” I said “You are French?”. “Yes I am.”. “Than what are you doing here, in Spain? In this little church in the middle of nowhere?”. His face was suddenly filled with grief. “I’m sorry!” I hurried to say “Did I made you sad?”. He smiled sadly “No, no child. It is not your fault.”. “Why are you calling me child? You don’t look much older then me.”. He smiled again and let out a little laugh “Looks can be deceiving.”. “But…” I mumbled “How old are you? You look twenty years old or more.”. “As I said, looks can be deceiving.”. “How old are you?”. “Old enough child, old enough.”. I was curious. How can a man look like a twenty years old and be older? He truly filled me with wonderment. “You amaze me...” I whispered. He smiled at me with amusement “Really?” he said “I wonder why.”. “You truly make me wonder, you are so very mysterious.”. “Mysterious? In what way?”. “Your age that you won’t tell me, Your pure white skin... you are preternatural, that’s what I think.”. He was no longer amused, he looked warned, alerted. “Did I say something wrong?”. He mumbled something to himself. “What?” I asked, not hearing what he said. He got up on his feet “I must leave you now, but I will be back.”. “Tomorrow night?”. “No, I will be back today.”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

זה הולך לקחת הרבה...

I smiled and he left the room, leaving me to wonder. What did I do wrong? I just said what I thought. I hoped I didn’t hurt him with my words, that he wouldn’t leave me to pass this by myself. I was filled with fear. I sat on the bed, hugging myself, tears dropping from my eyes. I was so scared I would be left alone again, left alone to die in this damned room. I became absolutely terrified. This is how he found me when he came back, lying on the bed, crying hysterically. He rushed to me and kneeled by the bed. He stroked my hair “What’s wrong child?” he asked, truly concerned. I hugged him with relief, surprising him “I thought you won’t come back.” I cried “I thought I’d be left alone in here to die!”. He stroke my hair again “Oh child no. I won’t leave you alone. I can’t. I owe it to you.”. “You owe it to me?”. He didn’t answer, he just said “I was hungry, I just went to eat.”. I raised my face and looked at his. My eyes opened wide with wonderment. His face was flushing with life, not so pale anymore. “How did you do that?” I whispered “You truly are preternatural!”. He sighed “Why do you keep on saying this?”. “Because that is what I think.”. He backed away from me. “Tell me the truth,” I said “who are you? What are you?”. “You are more clever than I thought...” he mumbled. “Than I was right! You are preternatural!”. He lowered his head “I am...” he whispered. “What are you?” I asked with excitement “An angel?”. He laughed bitterly “I am definitely not an angel.” He said. “Then what are you?”. “I can only tell you that I am a night creature, and no more.”. “A night creature?”. “I can’t tell you more than that. You better not tempt me, because I could hurt you in the end.”. He got up and left the room, leaving me to wonder about what he said. Chapter Five! The days passed by. I was still locked in the room. The only people I saw were the monk who came to give me my food, and Leon, who came to visit every night. He was the only one that kept me company. I had nothing to do during the day. After a while I began sleeping during the day, and waking up in the night, when Leon would visit me. I missed Diego very much, since I couldn’t see him or receive messages from him or about him. I wondered what happened to him, how is he going on without me. I was almost going crazy, because I was not allowed to leave the room. I missed the sun, the wind, the fresh air! Leon was still a mystery to me, and no matter what I did or how much I pleaded, he won’t tell me what he is, why is he here. Finally, I gave up and left the subject, which made him more relaxed and calm. I started asking him to do something so I could leave the room. I knew I couldn’t leave the church, I just wanted to leave the room. He promised to try. A couple of days later, a monk woke me up in the afternoon. “You are lucky.” He said “You have the help of brother Le’Douvayen, who is as a saint for us.”. “A saint?” I mumbled. “Yes, he is a great and remarkable brother. He won’t eat all day and stay in his room to pray, and will come out only at night to help the poor and miserable and eat a little, so he could keep up his good work.”. I was shocked, but said nothing. “You are allowed to leave this room, but you will help with the chores of the brothers.”. “Chores?”. “Cleaning our holy church, cooking, and you will have to be present at all prayers, for you need to redeem your soul. You will be an aid to brother Le’Douvayen as well.”. “What aid are you talking about?”. I dared not to say I don’t want to be present in those prayers, for I am Jewish. I could stand it. I would just be there, I won’t listen or pray myself. “He was not happy with it, but you will go out at night with brother Le’Douvayen and will help him in his blessed work.”. I smiled, now I could see what Leon is doing outside! He would never agree to tell me that, but now he would have no choice! “I am to go with brother Le’Douvayen every night?” I asked. “No,” said the monk “only three days a week.”. I nodded my head “I would be honored to do all those things.” I said, though it was not sincere, yet the monk looked content. I didn’t thought cleaning the church and cooking for the monks is an honor. “When am I to start?”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

לא יותר קל מהקובץ? ...

“Today, right now. You are to go and cook the brothers’ meal now.” Said the monk with importance in his voice, as if it was the most important thing in the world. I nodded my head. The monk handed a hooded dress, which was made from a gray cheap material. “You are to wear this dress, and never lower your hood in the presence of a brother.” said the monk and left the room so I could get dressed. I rolled my eyes up, thinking how stupid this monk is, so ignorant he seems to be. I wore the dress and got out of the room, filled with joy. The monk waited outside to show me the way to the kitchen. I looked around as we walked in the halls. The church was dirtier than what I remembered from entering it so many days ago. I am going to work a lot on cleaning it. Depressing thought indeed. Finally, we arrived to the kitchen. It was a tiny room, dirty, with one table, oven, wooden closets and many cooking pots hanged on the wall. It also had a door that leaded outside, to a yard with a well, where you can get some water if you needed it. The monk left and I started searching the closets. After a while I decided what I am going to cook and started working. It distracted me from my sad thoughts about Diego for a while, a little while. I wanted to know what happened to him after that night so much. I was definitely worried about him. It was not like him to don’t even try to contact me. Did his father hurt him in some way? Is he well? I made myself stop thinking those things, since it did me no good. A couple of monks came just as I finished. They took the pots with my cooking and ordered me to go back to my room. I obeyed silently, not wanting to get myself in troubles and be locked in the room again. I wondered what would happen when I’ll go with Leon at night. It made me excited, not only because I could see what he is doing, but also because I could go out to the fresh air. Oh, so happy it made me. I found my way to my room quickly and went to sleep, for I was accustomed to sleep during the day. But I couldn’t sleep for a long time. A monk came and told me I am to start cleaning. I sighed silently and followed the monk. He led me to a room filled with shelves and books. “You are to clean this room today.” He said and handed me a brush and a rag. I started cleaning and he left the room. “They made me their slave...” I said bitterly to myself “How convenient…”. There was dust every where. Those monks probably haven’t cleaned the place in centuries. They probably thought it would be a good idea to use me so I would do it and they wouldn’t have to bother themselves. Those bitter thoughts, and many others, filled my head while I was cleaning. It was night already, and I was still cleaning. A noise made me stop working. I turned around to see what made the noise. Leon was standing at the door, looking at me and smiling. “Easy for you to smile,” I said bitterly “I’m the one that have to clean all this, not you...”. He laughed with amusement and I continued working. “Very funny...” I mumbled “Very funny, Saint Le’Douvayen.”. Chapter Six! I entered my room, filled with disappointment. He just helped the poor at nights! He did nothing out of order! At least not when I came with him. It’s been the twentieth night I came with him, and nothing! I was very disappointed. He entered the room after me. “You know I’ll figure it out in the end.” I said to him. He smiled “Yes, I’m sure you will.” He said in a cynical voice. It really made me angry. He laughed with amusement “Go to sleep little girl,” he said, walking out of the room “go to sleep.”. I stopped myself from shouting frustratingly. I almost fell asleep, listening to the monks’ quiet chant. Their voices made me sleepy, and I had troubles keeping my eyes open. My hood was lowered and my face was covered by it. People who sat in the hall couldn’t see my face, even if they sat next to me. I think it scared people though, for I was sitting alone on the bench, and all the other people were seated in other benches. It didn’t bother me though. It was like that since I started joining the prayers. I was focusing on keeping my eyes open, when someone sat next to me. I was surprised, but said nothing. “Carolina...” the man whispered. I was shocked. I knew this voice! It was he! My Diego! “Are you surprised to see me?” he asked. “How did you know it was me?” I whispered. “I can recognize this body anywhere.”. It was so hard not to cry with joy. “Diego!” I whispered “Love! What are you doing here?”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

yet again..

“My father sent me to pray, so my soul will be redeemed. He thinks that if I would hear the Christian prayers again I would leave Judaism.”. “Would you?”. “Of course not.”. “Oh Diego, I missed you so much! What happened to you in those days since I last saw you?”. “My father tried to bring me back to Christianity. I don’t know how he found out that I am Jewish, but he did. He tried to make me leave Judaism, but he could not. He says this is the last chance he gives me.”. “Last chance?” I asked with fear “What is he planning to do to you?”. “I don’t know, but it couldn’t be too bad, can it?”. “Diego, I don’t want you to suffer because of me. Maybe you should leave Judaism.”. “No!” he whispered “I would never do that!”. “Love, I don’t know what I’ll do if something will happen to you in my fault. Please, don't risk yourself! You are more important to me than religion.". “I am sorry love, but I will not go back.”. I started saying something, when suddenly another man joined our bench. “Who is it you are talking with so much, son?” said the man, and I recognized his voice as my lover’s father’s voice. I was filled with fear, as he looked under the hood before I could turn my face away. “YOU!” he whispered. He looked at his son “That’s it. That was the last straw.”. He took Diego’s hand in his and dragged him out of the hall. “Goodbye love.” Whispered Diego, while being dragged away. I stopped myself from running after them, but it was quite hard. Fear filled my heart, what is going to happen to my dear? I was sitting in my room, quiet. I waited for Leon. He said he’d find out what happened to Diego for me. I was nervous and had a bad feeling about the news I am going to receive. I almost went out of my mind, lacking patience, when Leon finally entered the room. He looked at me quietly. “Well?” I asked with tense in my voice “What have you found out? Tell me.”. Leon kneeled before me and took my hand. “Leon, what is it? You worry me.”. He lowered his head. “Leon! What happened to Diego?! TELL ME!”. He remained silence, making me mad. “Tell me! I can’t stand this silence! What happened to Diego? What happened to my love?”. He looked at me and mumbled something. “What did you say? I heard nothing.”. “He’s dead.”. I shock my head “Dead?” I whispered. “His father told everybody, with phony grief in his voice, that his son Diego has committed suicide after hearing you- his love, as was known to everybody- have died. Of course, it’s not true. He murdered him because he would not leave Judaism.”. I was going mad. The words ‘Diego’ and ‘dead’ kept ringing in my head. I tried to cry, but I couldn’t. I became mad. I started screaming and tearing the sheets on my bed apart, and banging my body at the walls. “Stop it Carolina!” shouted Leon, but I would not hear him “Stop it!”. I screamed and I cried and I banged myself at the walls over and over again. What hope is left? What do I have left now, without Diego? What reason do I have to live? Leon caught me in his arms and made me stay still. “I know that it hurts you,” he said “but you must go on.”. But I just wouldn’t listen. I continued screaming and crying, and it didn’t matter to me that he was holding me in his arms. I pulled the hairs on my head, going mad, losing my senses. “STOP IT!” he yelled at me and slapped me. I stopped, shocked. He hugged me. “Carolina, I know it’s hard, but think of it. Do you think Diego would have wanted you to lose your senses like that? To lose all hope and stop living?” he said. I knew he had a point, but I was too maddened with sorrow, sadness and mourning that I just didn’t care. I was empty. I was gloom. I was nothing. What point is there in life, if all there is for me is suffering? “Carolina, please understand.” bagged Leon. But I just couldn’t. “Leave me.” I whispered. He looked at me. “Leave me please,” I whispered again “I need to be alone.”. “Alright, but don’t let yourself sink in grief, did you hear? You know that’s not what Diego would have wanted.” He said, and left the room. But that’s exactly what I did, sank into grief. Diego’s last words echoed in my mind, “Goodbye love”. It was like he knew. Like he knew he would never

 

[Romie The Vampire]

ואני עוד רק בחלק הראשון עדיין..

see me again, though I knew he didn’t. But it still seemed like it, and I was the one to blame for his death. Chapter seven! I was like a zombie. Nothing mattered to me. I worked almost all day, and didn’t sleep at night, only when I’d fell asleep from tiredness. But even then, I slept for only three hours or less. Leon was worried about me. He tried to make me go back to normal, but all attempts were in vain. He could scream at me, and I just wouldn’t hear. He could slap me and I just wouldn’t feel. He could beg me and I just wouldn’t care. I was numb. I was the numbest person you have ever seen. I was indifferent to all that surrounded me. I barely ate anything, only when Leon would make me. It almost made him crazy. He knew that sooner or later my body couldn’t stand all this pressure. And of course, he was right. One night, while Leon and I were sitting in my room, I started to cough. At start, he didn’t even notice it, but as I just continued to cough like crazy and wouldn’t stop, he threw a suspicious, worried look at me. “Are you feeling well?” he asked with a sense of fear in his voice. “Of course.” I mumbled, but that was a lie. I coughed and coughed like crazy, and my stomach was killing me with pain. My head was aching and the room spin around me. It was the third time I had this kind of attack, but I didn’t tell Leon about it. I smiled at him, trying to make him think I’m okay, but he was no fool. I started walking towards him, zig-zaging. He caught me in his arms before I fell to the floor. “Carolina, what happens to you?” he asked, frightened. I smiled at him dreamily. He took me to bed and laid me down. He looked terrified and helpless. I smiled again, my eyes beginning to close. “Carolina, stay awake!” he called. “Oh Leon, I’m going to die now. I know it, I can feel it. Oh, it is so strange…” I said, almost calm. He ran to the door and I heard him say to a monk “Call a doctor, quick!”. “What doctor?” the monk asked “There’s no doctor in here.”. “Then travel to a neighbor town and get a doctor there!”. “What do you need a doctor for?”. “The girl is dying!”. “She is a sinner, she is possessed by the devil, she is not worth it.”. “WHAT?!” screamed Leon “call a doctor NOW!”. “NO!” yelled the monk in return “None of us is allowed to leave the church.”. “What?! Of course we do!”. “No, we don’t.”. “Call a doctor you fool!”. “I will call no doctor, and my brothers won’t do it as well.”. I heard a great noise of someone being hit, and Leon came back and closed the door. “You know Leon,” I whispered weakly “I wanted to die. I wanted to leave this cruel world and go to my Diego, but now, I’m too afraid to do it. I don’t want to die!”. “You will not die!” cried Leon. “I want to live, but now I can’t, there’s nothing to give me power to fight for my life.” I whispered and looked at him “Why, Leon, you are crying… no, you are bleeding! What happened to you?”. “You can’t die!” he cried. “But…” I mumbled, confused “why?”. “Can’t you see?!” he called “Can’t you see it?! I love you! I need you!”. “You love me?” I mumbled. “Yes!” he cried “You must live! You must live, for me! If not for anyone, if for anything, do it for me! Fight death for me! I beg you!”. “Oh Leon...” I whispered “I would do it for you, but it’s just too late. I won’t deny it, and you can’t deny it either.”. “NO! I won’t let you die! Listen good, I can save you, I can make you live forever! I can make you like me, if you’d only want it!”. “I don’t even know what you are...”. “Than I will tell you.”. “You will tell me?” I asked with wonderment. “Yes.” He said and took a deep breath “I am what they call a vampire, a drinker of the blood.”. My eyes widened with wonderment and surprise “You are?”. “Yes,” he said “and I’m eternal. Do you accept becoming like me? Living with me forever? Awaking only when it’s night? Becoming invulnerable? Feast on human blood?”. “Is it the only way for me to live?”. “I’m afraid so. Are you willing to do that for your life?”. I thought about it for a couple of seconds and coughed again weakly. “What is your decision?” he asked, tense. “I choose you,” I whispered “I choose living with you for all eternity, I choose being a vampire, I choose immortal life.”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

פיהוווווווק

He clanged to my throat immediately. I felt my blood being sucked out of my veins. My heart started to beat more and more slowly. I let out a little sigh. “I am going to die…” I thought “This must be the end.”. He finished drinking and got away from me. That’s it, the end. I know it’s the end, but I know heaven is not where I’m going now. I’m going to hell, because I’m the one who killed Diego. Leon slashed his wrist and handed it over to me rapidly. As the blood dripped on my lips, I caught his wrist weakly with my hands and started drinking from him. I drank and drank as he shrieked with pain. Life flow through me, I began to live again. Live? Can I call it like that? He pulled off his wrist from my mouth, falling on the floor. It was so amazing. So many colors, so much light. Suddenly I felt pain. “What is happening to me?” I cried. “Your human flesh is dying.” He said. “WHAT?!” I almost screamed “But you said I’d live!”. “And you will.”. “But I’m dying!”. “Only your body love, only your body.”. Love… how wonderful it sounds coming from his lips. How come I didn’t notice before how dear he was to me? “Only your body love...” he whispered again. Chapter Eight! “But what about your things?” I asked “What about your life here, as a monk?”. Leon laughed bitterly “I am a monk, I have nothing but the robs on my body. And I don’t know which life you are talking about, for I don’t call living here, amongst those hypocrites, a life. Why do you want to stay here? Is there something for you here I don’t know about?” He asked. “I have nothing in this town any more, and you know it perfectly well. It’s just that I don’t know where would we go, where would we live, we don’t have money. We have nothing!”. “What do we need money for?”. “To live! We have to buy food, a place to live, don’t we?”. He laughed “To buy food? We are vampires, you can’t buy the kind of food we need. You don’t need to buy it.”. I sighed “Where would we go?” I asked silently “I don’t want to stay in Spain, too many bad memories. Should we go to France?”. He nodded his head “No, not to France.” He murmured. “Why?”. “Because I don’t want to, I have bad memories of my own.”. I looked deeply into his eyes “You never told me about your past. You never told me why did you came to live in Spain.”. “I will tell you someday,” he said with pain in his voice “Now is not the time for sad stories. We have other things to worry about right now.”. “So where would we go?” I asked. He thought for a moment and then said “We would go to England.”. “England...” I mumbled. “Yes, England. It could be nice living on an island, near the sea, don’t you think?”. “But… where would we place our coffins? Where would we sleep?”. “Hmm… We could find a little house, I will get a job, and we would rent it.”. “What job can you find? You are not awake at day!”. “Carolina, don’t make it so hard. Do you have another solution for our situation? Do you want to stay here?”. “No, I told you I want to leave Spain.”. “Than stop finding excuses.”. “I am just being realistic…” I murmured. He laughed “You’ll have enough time to be realistic when we’re at England.”. I smiled at him “What would you tell the monks?”. “Nothing.”. My smile became wider and I held his hand. He smiled at me and we left the church. Our coffins were already outside. “How would we travel with those?” I asked. He smiled at me and winked. On board a ship. I was sitting near the stern of the ship, looking at the black waves. I could not believe we actually made it, we actually passed all this way with our coffins, from my town and to the ship. I was thinking about the road that we’ve just passed, when a pair of hands was laid on my shoulders. I looked backwards into Leon’s eyes. I smiled at him. He smiled back and took a seat next to me. “Leon, could you tell me now?” I asked. “Tell you what?” he asked, gazing at the waves.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

סוף חלק ראשון

“About your past.”. He sighed “Do you really want to know?”. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t ask.”. He sighed again “I was born in Paris, five hundred years ago. I was poor and lived with my mother. My father died in an accident, and my mother was working hard to raise me. At the age of twenty-two, I was attacked in the street while I was on my way back home from work. It happened near my home, and my mother found me quickly afterwards, wounded badly. She took me into the house and to my room. I was about to die. At night, I made my mother go to sleep. She didn’t want to leave me, but I made her. My bed was near the window, and from it a vampire saw me. I heard him whisper ‘Oh, too beautiful to die…’. He entered the room through the window and whispered in my ear ‘I am going to give you a gift, for your look is far too beautiful to be wasted like that’. Then he did it, he made me a vampire. He didn’t ask me if I wanted it, he just did it. Then he left me. I didn’t understand what happened to me, but I healed immediately. My mother found me cooking breakfast for her at morning. We had no windows at our kitchen. It was totally dark, except for some candles. We were both happy and thanked God for my wondrous heal. I didn’t tell her about the vampire though, I thought it would make her worried. When I left the house to go for work, I met the sun. It burned me, and I screamed. My mother didn’t understand what was happening to me. She thought I am still not strong enough to go to work, and dragged me back to my bed. I was hungry, for I ate nothing with my mother. I cried with hunger, and my mother came to give me food before she will go to her own work. When she got close to me I pulled her to me and fed on her. I didn’t understand what I was doing, it came naturally. When I finally realized, she was dead. The poor woman who worked so hard to give her only son a decent life. It almost made me lose my mind. I was the one that killed her. After a couple of years, I had to leave France, because everything made me think of her. And so I became a monk, because I thought I didn’t deserve to live happily, I thought I had to contribute to society to try and cover my sin and my unholy existence. I didn’t ask for forgiveness, because I knew there was none, and could never be.”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

התחלת חלק שני

Chapter Nine! Years passed by, time lost its meaning. Leon found a job as a graveyard guard. He didn’t work hard, and didn’t earn a lot, but we didn’t need much. We were happy, though Diego’s shadow still fell on me. At the age of one hundred, all that mattered to me was to be happy, and make Leon happy. Life, or maybe death, was going on peacefully. The times had changed, but it affected neither Leon nor me. At the age of two hundred, wonders began to fill my mind. How come we never met other vampires? There had to be other vampires, I was sure of it. There was a vampire at La Carolina, the one who attacked me. Did Leon know him? What happened to him? But I asked Leon nothing, I didn’t want to bother him with these questions, didn’t want to disturb our happiness. I kept my mouth closed, trying to forget my questions, but at the end I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I managed to stop myself for quite a time though. I started to ask Leon questions only when I was three hundred years old. One night, after he came back from work, we went to hunt together. It was wonderful to see him in action. He was so graceful, so gentle with his victims. Well, after all, he was older than I was. After we were well fed, we sat together on a bench on an avenue, silent. “Leon.” I said. “What?” he asked. “How come we never met other vampires?”. He was silent. “I mean, there have to be others, right?”. He remained silent. “Did you know the other vampire from La Carolina?”. He raised an eyebrow “What other vampire?”. “The one that attacked me. Did you know him?”. He looked at me, horror stricken, and coughed. I opened my eyes widely, understanding. How come I didn’t see it before? It was so obvious! Leon was the one who attacked me! “Why have you never told me it was you?” I asked in an offended voice. He lowered his head. I raised from the bench and got away, angry, offended. It was the start of all our problems later. No matter how much Leon tried to explain, I just wouldn’t listen. I could understand why he attacked me, it was natural for him, and he didn’t know me then, but I could not forgive him for hiding it from me all that time. It offended me that he didn’t thought me capable enough to know this truth, like I was a little child. In fact, it didn’t bother me that much, I was just being stubborn. I blamed him for keeping the truth from me, and keeping me alone, for himself. I said that he kept me away from other vampires, so I wouldn’t have other sources of knowledge, and I would depend on him, like a puppet in his hands. We started to fight a lot, though we still loved each other. I closed my eyes, made him, and maybe even myself, think I don’t love him anymore. We hardly spoke to each other, and if we did, it was only to offend one another. I could see he was suffering, though he tried to hide and deny it, too proud to admit it. I probably was too proud myself. I decided to hurt him, to make him feel pain. Not physically, but mentally. I would make him jealous, so jealous it’ll drive him mad. That was what leaded me to him, to the human, to the mortal man. One night, at the year of 1835, I was strolling in the streets. I wasn’t careful that night. I guess that’s why he managed to find me, this man. “A lady like you shouldn’t stroll alone on the streets in those hours of the night.” said a man from behind me. I smiled to myself mischievously, not turning around, an easy catch. “Would you escort me to safety? I am so afraid, my friend disappeared and left me all alone.” I said, turning around to him. I almost opened my mouth widely, but stopped myself, when I saw his face. Why, he was so handsome, beautiful! His eyes were deep blue, his hair a golden fall which reached under his shoulders, his face delicate and yet strong looking, his body well built. He was taller then me, but not much taller. He was wearing very fine clothes, and I suddenly felt ashamed at my cheap, simple clothing. He smiled at me, amused. “A lady of your beauty? Left alone in the streets? Why, this is almost a sin.” He said. I smiled at him and he laughed. That is how I met Christian Lionheart, or Chris, the way he preferred to be called. We soon became lovers. He always thrilled me, loving and mischievous. He always made me laugh. He was a man of society, from a rich, wealthy family. I didn’t tell Leon about him, of course, but he knew. He understood, seeing all the fine clothes Chris bought for me, the expensive perfumes, the jewelry, the shoes, everything. It made him mad, just as I planned. He always looked sadly and jealously at me when I left our home to meet Chris, maddened at the idea he can’t touch me, and that someone else can. He always had a painful, lonely look on his face when he looked at me in those times. He questioned me about him, but I never answered. I always feel sorrow when I think on that time, I was so coldhearted with Leon, so stubborn. I am sorry for the pain I caused him, but I am not sorry for meeting Chris, I could never be.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

יהיה למישהו בכלל כוח לקרוא את כל זה

Chapter Ten! The year is 1836. I love Chris, and I love Leon, though I deny it. Chris’s existence is making Leon go mad, and Chris doesn’t know Leon even exists. I am sitting in my lover’s room. He is a bit quiet tonight. “Chris, love,” I whispered to him “what happened?”. He looked at me “Your skin amazes me. How pale and beautiful it is... Why, you are a divine sight indeed, angelic.” He said, smiling. “That is all?” I said, smiling myself. He laughed “You get worried quite fast!” he said “I am fine, nothing is wrong. How could something be wrong, if you’re with me?”, I smiled and he kissed my lips gently. “Such amazing lips…” he whispered. I laughed and kissed him. But our calmness didn’t last long. The large window broke as someone jumped inside. I got up quickly, as did Chris, enraged. I was filled with fear, it was Leon. “What do you think you are doing?” shouted Chris at Leon, but he didn’t even listen. He looked at me, so cold, so silent, and I swallowed hard. “How stupid I am,” he said in a quiet, deadly voice “I thought your lover was someone of our kind.”. I was shocked, how dared he mention our nature in a humans presence?! “Are you mad?” I whispered. “If I’m mad, it’s because you made me mad.” answered Leon with his deadly, alerting voice. “Do you know this man, Carolina?” asked Chris, surprised. “Hold your tongue, human!” yelled Leon suddenly. He started walking towards Chris, trying to reach him, but I stood between them, keeping Chris out of Leon’s reach. “Your quarrel is with me, leave him out of this.” I said. He laughed bitterly “Do you think you can stop me?” he called “I would have this human’s life. I will kill him! I will make him suffer like you made me suffer. Damn it, I can’t make myself hurt you! Though you deserve it, you traitorous snake!”. “Well, you’ll have to hurt me to get to him. Leave him, he has nothing to do with it!” I said. He laughed bitterly once more “You forgot me quite easily, didn’t you, Carolina?”. “Stop it Leon. Go away from here.”. “You managed to save your precious human toy tonight, but I will get him in the end. Mark my words, I will get him.”. He exposed his fangs threateningly at Chris and jumped out of the broken window. I turned around to face Chris. He looked shocked. “What was that?” he asked, smiling a little mischievously. I smiled, even now he can be so mischievous. “Well, I do want to understand all of this.” He said. I took a deep breath “I think I owe you an explanation.”. “Well, I would really like to know what he meant when he said ‘our kind’. And those fangs!”. I smiled “I hope you could still love me after you will hear this.”. He looked at me “Please tell me.”. “I am a vampire, as well as Leon.” I said. He looked thrilled “A vampire!” he called excitedly. I exposed my fangs, as did Leon before leaving the room. Chris looked even more thrilled, if that was possible. “Is it true all the things people say about your kind? The crucifix, garlic and all?” he asked. I laughed, amused “No. Besides, I am Jewish, why should crucifix bother me?”. “Do you sleep all day in coffins?”. “Sadly, that part is necessary.”. I thought he’d start jumping up and down any minute. He was truly excited. This was not the way I thought he’d react. “And do you live forever?”. I nodded my head. “How old are you?”. “I am 312 years old.”. “Can you make me a vampire as well?”. “NO!” I called “Definitely not! I won’t!”. “But why? You became one, so you probably don’t think it’s bad.”. “I was stupid, what’s good in eternity? We weren’t made to live until the end of time.”. “Humans weren’t made to live forever, vampires did.”. “No Chris.”. He sighed “And this Leon? Who is he? What’s your connection to him?”. “He’s the one who made me a vampire.”. “Oh, this is so interesting. You must tell me all about it.”. And I did. I told him everything.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

אוף.. לי לא היה כוח לקרוא את כל זה!

Chapter Eleven! The days after the meeting with Leon were filled with worries and fear. I feared Leon would attack Chris and kill him while I’m away. I didn’t leave Chris from the minute I awoke, to the moment I went to sleep. I couldn’t leave him, so he accompanied me when I went hunting. And besides, I thought that if he’ll see a vampire in action, he’ll give up his wish to become one himself. I was wrong. He was excited to see me kill. He wouldn’t stop looking at me until I finished drinking the victim’s lifeblood. This was a most nervous and stressed year for me. I managed to cope with the situation for a year, and then I became sloppy. I was tired. Chris urged me to take more time to myself. He said that Leon probably forgot his plan, and that there’s no need to worry. It was his time to be wrong. Of course, Leon never forgot his plan to kill Chris, not for a moment. It was a month since I stopped babysitting Chris, and I became relaxed. I began to believe Chris was right, and that Leon abandoned his plan. I woke up at night and went hunting. I took my time, thinking there’s nothing to hurry about. After I was well fed, I started walking towards Chris’s mansion. I entered through the window, the same window Leon broke, wanting to surprise my lover. But I was the one who got surprised, shocked, terrified. Chris was lying on the floor, and Leon was sitting on the bed near him. Looking at him. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” I screamed. Leon turned to look at me, slowly as possible “I drank his lifeblood.” He said in a terrifying, calm voice. “You killed him?” I whispered “YOU KILLED HIM?!”. He laughed bitterly “That would be too easy!” he called “I said he would suffer, didn’t I?”. “He is still alive?” I asked in a small, terrified voice. “Yes, but not for long.”. I rushed to Chris, kneeling beside him. Leon laughed bitterly, cruelly. “I said I will get to him, didn’t I?” he said “You better say your farewells, he’s going to parish at any moment.”. I cried tears of blood “Chris,” I whispered “can you hear me?”. Chris’s eyes opened slowly and he smiled weakly at me “Carolina…” he whispered powerlessly “I guess this is the end, ain’t it so?”. “No…” I cried “I don’t want to lose you too, I won’t stand it.”. “I am sorry… You black winged angel of mine…”. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” I screamed at Leon “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!”. He looked coldly at me, though he seemed to have problems keeping this look on his face. “You are what I thought you are at the night you attacked me, the night with Diego…” I whispered “You’re a monster.”. This seem to overwhelm him, it was too much. This he couldn’t take. “You didn’t do this to survive, because you had to, you made it out of cruelty! That’s what you are, a cruel monster!”. Leon started to weep uncontrollably, falling to the floor. “Carolina…” whispered Chris “Please… I don’t… want… to die… Make me… one of… your kind. Please…”. “But Chris-“ I started to say, but he stopped me. “Please Carolina… I haven’t got much time… Please… I want to… live with… you… until the end of… time…”. I nodded my head “Leon, do it.” I said “This is the only way I can forgive you.”. But Leon was too hysteric, he wasn’t capable of doing anything. He was weeping on the floor. I tried to calm him, but I couldn’t help him calm down. He was helpless. I had to do it myself. I took a deep breath and drained Chris to the point of death, and afterwards slashed my wrist with my fangs. Chris was half dead already, he was lying still on the floor, and I feared it was too late. I became hysteric. I held my wrist above him, so my blood dripped on his lips. He drank them weakly and after a couple of seconds he caught my wrist with his hands and clanged to it. He drank thirstily from me. No one drank my blood since Leon made me a vampire. I felt so much pain. I sighed and moaned until I could take it no more. I pulled my wrist away from Chris, crying. “Carolina,” mumbled Leon “this is not enough, he needs more.”. “But I can’t take it anymore!” I cried. Leon looked at me quietly and drew nearer to Chris. I was afraid he’ll hurt him, but he slashed his wrist and handed it over to Chris. My lover caught it rapidly, and started drinking from it. Leon moaned in pain, but he didn’t back off. He left Chris only after a couple of minutes, weak and tired. He left the room, going out of the window. I didn’t try to stop him. I suddenly understood how wrong I was, how bad I treated him with no reason. What crime did he do to me? None. How cruel I was to him, I was so sorry. But I thought it was not the time to correct all I’ve done. It was time to take care of Chris. Chris, the new vampire. My fledgling, Leon’s fledgling. Our fledgling. It was an amazing thought. Our fledgling, my maker’s fledgling and my own. It is amazing how things happen.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

כריס חמוד..

Chapter Eleven! The days after the meeting with Leon were filled with worries and fear. I feared Leon would attack Chris and kill him while I’m away. I didn’t leave Chris from the minute I awoke, to the moment I went to sleep. I couldn’t leave him, so he accompanied me when I went hunting. And besides, I thought that if he’ll see a vampire in action, he’ll give up his wish to become one himself. I was wrong. He was excited to see me kill. He wouldn’t stop looking at me until I finished drinking the victim’s lifeblood. This was a most nervous and stressed year for me. I managed to cope with the situation for a year, and then I became sloppy. I was tired. Chris urged me to take more time to myself. He said that Leon probably forgot his plan, and that there’s no need to worry. It was his time to be wrong. Of course, Leon never forgot his plan to kill Chris, not for a moment. It was a month since I stopped babysitting Chris, and I became relaxed. I began to believe Chris was right, and that Leon abandoned his plan. I woke up at night and went hunting. I took my time, thinking there’s nothing to hurry about. After I was well fed, I started walking towards Chris’s mansion. I entered through the window, the same window Leon broke, wanting to surprise my lover. But I was the one who got surprised, shocked, terrified. Chris was lying on the floor, and Leon was sitting on the bed near him. Looking at him. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” I screamed. Leon turned to look at me, slowly as possible “I drank his lifeblood.” He said in a terrifying, calm voice. “You killed him?” I whispered “YOU KILLED HIM?!”. He laughed bitterly “That would be too easy!” he called “I said he would suffer, didn’t I?”. “He is still alive?” I asked in a small, terrified voice. “Yes, but not for long.”. I rushed to Chris, kneeling beside him. Leon laughed bitterly, cruelly. “I said I will get to him, didn’t I?” he said “You better say your farewells, he’s going to parish at any moment.”. I cried tears of blood “Chris,” I whispered “can you hear me?”. Chris’s eyes opened slowly and he smiled weakly at me “Carolina…” he whispered powerlessly “I guess this is the end, ain’t it so?”. “No…” I cried “I don’t want to lose you too, I won’t stand it.”. “I am sorry… You black winged angel of mine…”. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” I screamed at Leon “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!”. He looked coldly at me, though he seemed to have problems keeping this look on his face. “You are what I thought you are at the night you attacked me, the night with Diego…” I whispered “You’re a monster.”. This seem to overwhelm him, it was too much. This he couldn’t take. “You didn’t do this to survive, because you had to, you made it out of cruelty! That’s what you are, a cruel monster!”. Leon started to weep uncontrollably, falling to the floor. “Carolina…” whispered Chris “Please… I don’t… want… to die… Make me… one of… your kind. Please…”. “But Chris-“ I started to say, but he stopped me. “Please Carolina… I haven’t got much time… Please… I want to… live with… you… until the end of… time…”. I nodded my head “Leon, do it.” I said “This is the only way I can forgive you.”. But Leon was too hysteric, he wasn’t capable of doing anything. He was weeping on the floor. I tried to calm him, but I couldn’t help him calm down. He was helpless. I had to do it myself. I took a deep breath and drained Chris to the point of death, and afterwards slashed my wrist with my fangs. Chris was half dead already, he was lying still on the floor, and I feared it was too late. I became hysteric. I held my wrist above him, so my blood dripped on his lips. He drank them weakly and after a couple of seconds he caught my wrist with his hands and clanged to it. He drank thirstily from me. No one drank my blood since Leon made me a vampire. I felt so much pain. I sighed and moaned until I could take it no more. I pulled my wrist away from Chris, crying. “Carolina,” mumbled Leon “this is not enough, he needs more.”. “But I can’t take it anymore!” I cried. Leon looked at me quietly and drew nearer to Chris. I was afraid he’ll hurt him, but he slashed his wrist and handed it over to Chris. My lover caught it rapidly, and started drinking from it. Leon moaned in pain, but he didn’t back off. He left Chris only after a couple of minutes, weak and tired. He left the room, going out of the window. I didn’t try to stop him. I suddenly understood how wrong I was, how bad I treated him with no reason. What crime did he do to me? None. How cruel I was to him, I was so sorry. But I thought it was not the time to correct all I’ve done. It was time to take care of Chris. Chris, the new vampire. My fledgling, Leon’s fledgling. Our fledgling. It was an amazing thought. Our fledgling, my maker’s fledgling and my own. It is amazing how things happen.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

מי שהצליח להחזיק מעמד עד עכשיו..

Chapter Twelve! I was walking with Chris in the streets. I was hungry again, weak after Chris drank my blood. We walked silently until I saw a young woman standing alone. There was no doubt what her profession was. I formed a plan in my mind quickly. “Stay here…” I whispered to Chris. He obeyed, and I approached the woman. “Hello there.” I said. “What do you want?” asked the woman, no patience in her voice. “You see that man over there?” I asked and pointed at Chris. The woman turned her head and her eyes opened wide. “Nice looking boy…” she whispered. Chris looked at us curiously, wanting to know what am I doing. “My friend is a little sad tonight, his wife died.” I lied. I looked to the side, as if I was checking that no one was near us, and then I got closer to the woman. “I poisoned her,” I whispered “why should she get him and not I?”. The woman laughed and I winked at her. “What do you want me to do?” she asked. “Well, you can… cheer him up a little.” I said, smiling mischievously. “You won’t poison me later?”. She smiled ironically. “Why, of course not! You see, I would have done it myself, but I want to make him think I’m a respected lady.” I said, raising my head arrogantly. The woman laughed “Of course you do.” She said. “Well, will you do it? I will pay you generously.”. “Of course. I will enjoy it.”. She looked greedily at Chris. “Well, good luck.”. She nodded her head and left me, walking towards Chris. I watched as she started talking with him. Take her, I said in my mind. Chris looked into my eyes. Take her, I formed the words silently with my lips. His eyes shined, and he started kissing her. She started laughing as he reached her throat. I saw his fangs for an instant and he started drinking from her. He drank and drank, and she moaned. He drank too much. “Stop it!” I called, and he left her. She fell to the floor, dead. “You are not to drink from them when they’re dead. You’ll die too if you’ll do so.”. He nodded his head, writing my words in his memory. We hunted together until we were both satisfied, and then we went to my and Leon’s house. We were both silent, anxious. I had no idea how Leon would react. And I was quite nervous. When we finally arrived Chris looked at the little house. “You live here?” He asked. “Yes.” I answered. He nodded his head “So we better get in, shouldn’t we?”. I nodded my head and opened the door. I entered, Chris following me. The house was quiet, Leon wasn’t seen anywhere. “Leon?” I called, and then, I felt it. I felt his presence. “Isn’t he here?” asked Chris, but I signed him to be quiet, so he closed his mouth. I walked quietly towards the direction I thought he was at. He was in our bedroom. He was standing near the window, looking outside, weeping quietly. Seeing him like that made me feel so bad about myself. How could I do such things to him? He was the one who helped me, and I treated him like that. I was filled with regret. I was sure he knew we were there, but it seemed he didn’t care, for he didn’t look at us, he was just weeping quietly to himself. “Leon…” I whispered. “What do you want from me?” he asked “You came to muck at my pain, you came to pester me, didn’t you?”. Tears dropped from my eyes and I ran to him. I hugged him, weeping “Oh Leon, could you ever forgive me?”. He was shocked, but he hugged me as well and laughed a little laugh. “And I thought you knew me…” he mumbled “I can’t be angry at you, I can’t be unforgiving with you, I can’t hurt you.”. “I’m sorry for doing all those things to you. Now I realize how wrong I was.”. He hugged me tight “You don’t know how happy your words make me, my little angel, my child.”. He looked at Chris “Why did you bring him?” he asked. “Leon, please, can’t you get along with him? I love you, but I love him as well. He’s one of us now.”. He growled “For you…” he whispered “Only for you…”. “Well, I’m not excited to be with you either.” Said Chris, annoyed “I’m here for Carolina.”. They looked at each other, their eyes full of hatred. “We haven’t got a coffin for him.” Said Leon.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

אני מעריצה אותו/ה

“He will sleep in one of our coffins tonight.” I answered. “I’m sleeping with you, Carolina.” said Chris. “Oh no, I do not agree.” Said Leon “Carolina would sleep with me, in my coffin. You can stay in her coffin if you want.”. They started to fight, until I managed to calm them down. “Stop it.” I said, annoyed. “Let Carolina decide.” Said Chris. “Yes, you decide Carolina.” Said Leon. I thought for a couple of minutes, and then I smiled viciously. “I will sleep in my coffin.” I said, and Chris yelled with victory. “Chris will sleep in Leon’s coffin.” I continued. It was Leon’s turn to shout with joy, Chris sulking. But I wasn’t finished. “And Leon will sleep in his coffin, with Chris.”. “WHAT?!” called both of them. I looked outside, it was time to sleep. “Since you two are so worried by the thought I’ll sleep with the other, I’ll be sleeping alone in my coffin. Enjoy your sleep.” I said, and opened my coffin. “Carolina, no- wait- hey!” they tried to stop me, but I closed the coffin. I heard them fight for a while, but it was dawning, so they stopped quickly, and I heard them getting into Leon’s coffin, murmuring to themselves. “Aren’t we a happy little family.” I said to myself and laughed. Chapter Thirteen! Leon and Chris couldn’t stand being together in the same room, but they would not leave me alone with the other, so they didn’t walk away if I was around. The situation was quite unnerving for me, for I loved them both. I loved Leon, my sentimental loving maker, and I loved Chris, the mischievous passionate lover. They were like water and fire, Leon silent and romantic, Chris passionate and naughty. Leon brought me a rose, Chris kissed me. Leon would whisper romantic words in my ear, and Chris would take me to dance. We stayed in England for another year, and then we went to a trip around the world. We wanted to find other vampires. We were curios to see how other vampires live, to find friends of our kind, ones who could understand us, endure eternity with us. Chris was quite rich and wealthy, and he did what Leon would not dare to do, what I didn’t do out of respect for Leon. He took his victims’ money. “They’re dead, what do they need it for?” he used to say. We had enough money to travel safely and comfortably. We traveled to Russia, Greece, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Holland, and, to my joy, to the Holy Land. I was so excited to walk in Jerusalem, travel in the land of my people. I did not believe in god anymore, but I felt close to them, the Jews. I felt one of them. It was the year 1842, and my lovers started to get along. But we found no vampires there. “They wouldn’t reveal themselves to us.” I said to Leon and Chris. “That’s probably the reason.” Said Leon. But we continued traveling, looking for them, hoping some would accept revealing themselves. In 1847, I thought about Diego, after a long time of pushing him out of my mind. I didn’t want to think of him, because it hurt me, but I could not deny it anymore. One of the reasons I started fighting with Leon was to hurt myself. I still felt guilty for Diego’s death. I haven’t forgot him, couldn’t. I still blamed myself for his death, and my happiness with Leon and Chris made me feel even guiltier. I confessed to them about my feelings, and they tried to convince me I’m not the one to blame for Diego’s death. But no matter what they said, I still felt guilty. We traveled to Germany. It was the year 1849, and I was depressed. Every thought about Diego hurt me. But then happened a thing I did not expect, a thing that drew my thoughts away from Diego for a while. We found a vampire in Germany. Another vampire! We found him in Stuttgart, hunting. He was short and a bit fat. His hair was black, dirty and disorganized. His clothes were even dirtier than his hair, and were torn in several places. The moment I saw him I knew something was wrong with him. When he first noticed us, he ran to us, yelling and shouting. He frightened me, and I backed away. Chris and Leon stood in front of me, ready to defend me at any cause. But he did not attack us. “Run!” he screamed “Run for your lives!”. “What?” mumbled Leon “Why? What happened?”. “He’s coming!” shouted the vampire “He’s coming and he’s going to kill us all!”. He ran away, passing us. We started running after him, scared. Who is this powerful being he’s speaking of? He must posses powers of truly magnificence if he can kill us all. After a couple of minutes the vampire stopped behind a wall. We stopped running as well. “Who is the one you’re escaping from, friend?” asked Leon. “It’s him!” whispered the vampire “The devil! The devil! Satan himself is chasing me!”. This vampire went totally out of his mind, I was almost sure of it. “What is your name?” I asked.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

מתקרבים לסוף..

“Rudolf,” said the vampire, bowing “Rudolf… forgot my last name. Rudolf, great lady.”. “You are running from Satan himself you say?”. “Yes, yes!” Answered Rudolf, jumping up and down. “And how does he look?” I asked “Tell us so we can run when we see him.”. “Oh, he’s terrible!” said Rudolf, quivering “He’s waist high, and he has a green hair. He wears a purple, long cape. His eyes are deep blue. He wears pointy shoes with bells on them, red in color. And the most terrible thing about him…”. He looked around, quivering again “The most terrible thing about him is that he throws all those white fluffy bunnies at you! It’s terrifying!”. That’s it, that’s a sure thing. This vampire’s a lunatic. Completely mad. Satan throwing bunnies… ridiculous. But he was fascinating. We stayed in Stuttgart, studying him. He was quite crazy. Used to chew pieces of iron for a weird reason I never understood. He said they’re making him strong so he can fight Satan. He also used to decorate his coffin with colors of green, purple, pink and red. He said that if Satan would try to kill him when he’s asleep, he’ll see all those colors and he’ll think he accidentally came back to his own lair, and this is his own coffin he’s looking at. But what worried me the most about him, was his habit to jump from buildings. He said he could fly. He could not. Leon and me could sour into the sky, Chris wasn’t strong enough to do it yet, but Rudolf could not. We stopped him from crushing onto the floor more than once. We succeeded in discovering his story. He was turned into a vampire by a female vampire. She thought it’d be funny. He said she used to tell him that ‘he’s so crazy it’ll be interesting to see him as a vampire’. He lived with her for forty years, and then she disappeared. He said he found a lot of ashes in her coffin one day, and the coffin itself was black. It made him sad, because he liked her. I don’t know why he liked her, but he did. He claimed Satan is chasing him ever since. He was totally crazy, but I still liked him. He admired me, said I remind him of his old lady. We stayed with him for four years. In the year of 1853, we came back to our home after hunting. Rudolf didn’t come with us. We found his coffin black, like he was burnt. I opened it quickly, but all that was in it were ashes. Rudolf burnt himself. It made me sad. I liked him, although he was crazy. We took the ashes and threw them, letting them fly with the wind and spread everywhere. This was the end of Rudolf the vampire, may he rest in peace. Chapter fourteen! I walked into the room we rented at a little hotel. It was the year 1855, two years after we lost Rudolf. I was back from hunting, full and calm. Chris and Leon were sitting in the room, talking. I stopped walking, shocked. Chris and Leon, talking? That’s not like them at all. They didn’t hate one another any more, but they talked only if they had to. They were still cold with each other. They would talk only if I was a part of the conversation, talking with them both. They never talked when I was not present. “What’s happening here?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” asked Leon. “You’re talking.” I answered “you never talk. You don’t like each other.”. “Well…” mumbled Chris “We’re talking now.”. I laughed “You like each other!” I called. They seemed uncomfortable. “No, we don’t.” said Chris. “Definitely not.” Said Leon. “Oh, stop it.” I said “You got used to hate one another, and you’re not willing to change it. You’re afraid you’ll lose something if you’ll stop, and I don’t understand what.”. “Well…” mumbled Chris “What kind of a man can accept and like another man in our situation? I mean, we both love you, and you love us. How can a man like the man that loves the woman he loves?”. Leon nodded his head “Yes, he has a point there. Besides, you’ll probably think we don’t love you enough, that you’re not important enough for us, because it’s like we’re willing to share you.”. I looked at them “That’s the most stupid thing I have heard in my entire life!”. They looked shocked. “First of all, you’re not men, you’re vampires, and second, I’ll be offended if you won’t like each other. I mean, if you won’t accept what I chose. I’ll think I’m not important to you enough, if you will not stop fighting for me. That’s what will offend me.”. They seemed confused. “You mean, it won’t bother you if we’ll be friends?” asked Leon, confused. “Not at all! In fact, it’ll make me happy!”. “Oh, and we were afraid that you’ll find out we like each other!” Called Chris “I mean, Leon is a nice vampire!”.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

מומלץ לקרוא בהוסף תגובה, חחח

I started to laugh. I hugged them both. It was what you might call a group hug. Very exciting, emotional. It made me very happy. My two lovers are finally getting along. It is hard to live with two vampires that don’t like each other. Who can fight for all eternity? I always feared that one-day they couldn’t stand the situation and make me choose between them. I could never do that. It will hurt me a lot to brake apart my relationship with either one of them, in fact, I could not stand it. It made me calm, the fact that they like each other now, that they get along. So, life is going on. We were still traveling. I didn’t thought there’s a chance we’ll find vampires in Europe, Asia or Africa. If they wanted to show themselves, they would have done it by now. I thought we should travel to America. I’ve been thinking about it for quite a time now, and I planed to propose it to Chris and Leon. They probably didn’t thought we could find other vampires in here anymore. “Maybe we should try at America?” I asked one day. Leon looked at me “America?” he asked. “Well, we would have found them by now, if they wanted to be found, don’t you think?”. He thought about it for a couple of minutes “You might have a point there…” he mumbled “What do you think, Chris?”. He thought about it as well “Let’s go to America.” He said, his eyes shining. So that’s what we did. We took a ship to America and started traveling there. It took us quite a time to arrive there. We fed ourselves on ship rats, quite disgusting. I was very happy to finish this trip. Leon and Chris seemed to be happy about it as well. “No more rats for me!” said Chris when we left the ship “Not for all eternity if I could prevent it.”. We traveled through the entire continent, searching for other vampires. We were at Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Canada and, of course, in the U.S.A. I was very dejected in those years. No vampires, no peace. Diego hunted my thoughts, I had no relaxed moments. It was the year 1867, and I started to lose hopes. I began to think that we wouldn’t find vampires anywhere. It was quite a depressing thought, for we were traveling for almost thirty years now. What chance is there? I didn’t thought there was one. At the year of 1869, we decided to settle down in the U.S.A, to put an end to our traveling. None of us wanted to make another trip by ship, so we decided to stay put. We bought a house in New York, were the three of us could live. Those were some happy years. We were rich and happy. Every night we would go hunting together, enjoying each other’s company. But our happiness lasted only for four years. At the year of 1873, my lovers had a little surprise for me. I went to hunt alone that night. I stalked a man until he was totally alone and then jumped on him. He tried to resist, but all his efforts were in vain. I let him fall on the floor after I was done. I left him there and went to find another victim. After I was well fed, I went back to our home. Chris and Leon were waiting for me. They looked at me seriously when I entered, too seriously. “What’s wrong?” I asked suspiciously. “Carolina, we can’t stand this situation any more.” Said Leon. “You have to choose one of us.” Said Chris. I was shocked. NO! Not that! Chapter Fifteen! My world collapsed upon me. Choosing between Chris and Leon? I could never do that! I love them both! I need them both. Why this sudden change of hearts? They seemed to get along with the situation. It made me lose my mind. I couldn’t take this pressure, I had enough problems with Diego. Is bad luck chasing me? Why did it have to happen, precisely when everything was going so well! I stopped going hunting, too depressed, and I became weaker and weaker with time. Leon and Chris were worried and tried to convince me to go and hunt, but I just couldn’t. I only laid in my coffin or on the sofa in the living room and thought about how unfortunate I am. That’s all I did, felt sorry for myself. My situation got worse every day. It continued for at least a month, until Leon and Chris came to me. I was lying on the sofa, probably looking like a used mop. “Carolina, we decided something.” Said Leon. “Yes, so you better know about it.” Said Chris. “What?” I said bitterly “you decided to leave me both?”. “Listen before you talk.” Said Leon. “We decided to keep the situation the way it is.” Said Chris. “Yes, we thought about it and came to the conclusion we like things the way they are.”. I wanted to cry with joy, but there was no blood in me to create tears. I hugged them, so happy I thought I’d explode. “Oh, this is the happiest day of my life.” I whispered “Why did you want me to choose at the first place?”. They looked at each other.

 

[Romie The Vampire]

סוף סוף!!

“Well…” mumbled Chris, embarrassed. “You fooled me once,” said Leon, lowering his head “So we did this to see if you really love both of us.”. “Are you angry?”. I laughed “I’m too happy to be angry.” I said “Silly little vampires…”. The year- 1874. I’ve finally come to a conclusion. I couldn’t have done anything to prevent Diego’s death. He chose this way. He chose to fight, not to surrender. He wanted a future for the two of us, he wanted us to live the way we wanted to. He didn’t want to crumble beneath his father’s will. I tried to stop him, but he didn’t want to, so I am not the one to be blamed. I’m sure that from the place he is now, he looks at me and is content by the fact I’m happy. Diego was that kind of a person. My happiness was his. Diego, I hope I didn’t fail you. I hope you are happy with the angels now, because you are an angel, and always were. Thank you Diego, for your love. I wrote this for Diego. I felt I should tell my story to the world, that I should tell Diego’s story, so it may never repeat. People should not die for religion, for their believes. For Diego, may he rest in peace. Epilogue! She got out of the building, feeling satisfied. She did it, she wrote her story. The others waited for her. “You did it?” asked the redheaded vampire. “Yes Leon.” answered she “I finished telling my story. It’ll be found tomorrow morning.”. “You are satisfied? Did it help you?” asked the blonde one. “Yes.” she answered “A terrible weight has been lifted from my heart.”. The vampires hugged her, comforting. “Well love, shall we go hunting?” asked the blond, his eyes shining. She smiled mischievously “Of course. Let’s go.”. They smiled at each other and left the building behind them, going to face the night, to do what they must. To be vampires.