Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Dracula has a date to keep in the village! See what's happening in this week's chapter of Dracula. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
A
midnight breeze blew warm across the Carpathians, carrying the familiar scent
of Norway spruce and Scots pine to the lone figure making his solitary way down
the mountain toward the village below. Dracula loved the night above all other
times. He felt that darkness possessed a certain serenity not to be found
during the daylight hours. A peace of mind that was lacking beneath the sun’s fierce
rays. He drew strength from the night and preferred the solitude of his castle
to the cacophony of human life. Of course, his predilection for human blood demanded
that he exercise extreme caution in its acquisition, especially so close to
home. Unfortunately, at times of pecuniary necessity, a certain amount of
social interaction was required of him. But sometimes, as was the case tonight,
a clandestine rendezvous was simply a matter of pleasure.
He could
have had Avram drive him to Bistritz in a carriage… if he still possessed one,
which he currently did not. The previous carriage had been very ornate and
surprisingly comfortable, and Dracula had enjoyed driving it down the mountain
in the dead of night at breakneck speeds calculated to test the courage of any
passenger, had there been one, Avram clinging precariously to the driver’s box
beside him. But Avram had found it prudent to sell that vehicle along with most
of the magnificent stallions that had drawn it. He claimed the expenditure on
their upkeep was an unnecessary drain on their limited resources and they could
utilize other forms of transportation when they went abroad. The vampire couldn’t
argue with such logic, as he disliked concerning himself with such mundane matters.
Someday, Dracula swore, he would have another coach, the finest that money could
buy. But alas, when there is little money, one must… economize, as Avram
liked to remind him. Far too often, for his taste.
Apparently
Avram had read some such nonsense in a book he had recently acquired
(interesting how money was found for such a purchase). He tried to explain to
Dracula what the author—what was his name? Oh yes, Adam Smith—wrote concerning
the subject of economics. But Dracula found the entire matter to be very dull
and he didn’t bother to retain anything he was told. However, he did understand
the necessity to raise more money when existing funds grew low in order that he
be maintained in the lifestyle to which he would like to stay accustomed. After
all, he was going to live a long and richly wonderful life. No reason to live
it in poverty.
He left
the one horse that remained of the set he’d previously possessed for Aram’s
use. Being merely human, Avram didn’t possess the same abilities his master
did. Dracula had vampiric strength and speed and could travel quite easily from
the castle to the village. Not that he did so very often. Avram had convinced
him that dining on the villagers would, in the end, not be in either of their
best interests. Dracula reluctantly saw his point and agreed to hold himself in
check—providing that his very reliable factotum, i.e. Avram, saw to all his
culinary needs. Liquid, that is. While he could and did eat human food on
occasion, it did not provide him with what he required to survive. How Avram
acquired blood was up to him, and Dracula asked no questions.
But
Dracula also had other needs that blood would not suffice to meet. So sometimes
he found himself going to the village for a little bit of fun.
Bistritz
had originally been settled by Saxon immigrants, well before Dracula was born.
Through the years, many Germans made the village their home, as well as a
number of Romanians and Hungarians. At one time, there had been a good-sized
Jewish community, but that had been largely decimated through ignorance and
prejudice and mindless acts of violence. Many of those who were not killed were
either forcibly converted to the Orthodox Church or they chose to leave for
more hospitable environs. Unfortunately, Avram’s family had been among those
who did not survive the persecution. In these current times, however, anti-Semitism
had receded, which made it easier for Avram to conduct business in the village.
He got along well with most everyone he met. Dracula knew he spent some of his
evenings there, at times when they were not traveling abroad, and considered
these to be diplomatic excursions that would benefit them both. His own
expeditions into the village tended to be stealthier… and more seductive.
Dracula
was well aware that Doina was a married woman, and that her husband was the
rather well-muscled village blacksmith. But she was a pretty thing, and Dracula
enjoyed her… company. Unbeknownst to Avram, he also liked to sip her blood. Not
enough to harm her or turn her, for that would serve no useful purpose. But a
little drink after sex never hurt anyone. To keep her from remembering, and possibly
spreading the information to those who might not take it well, he clouded her
mind a little, just enough to forget the bloodletting while remembering what a
wonderful lover he truly was.
When
he’d first decided to bed her, the question of where they should do so was of
major concern. He firmly rejected her first suggestions, not willing to lower
himself to using the filthy earth for their assignations and unwilling to take
a room at the inn. The first was injurious to his delicate sensibilities, while
the latter ran the risk of their being seen by too many people, some of whom
might just inform Bogdan, her husband. Naturally, her home was similarly out of
bounds, although a tempting and cheaper solution. But then he had a truly
marvelous idea, one which was deliciously wicked and fun.
The
church.
to be continued
Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them!
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