Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

Author’s Note: This chapter takes a dark turn, and is not recommended family friendly reading. Be aware – and enjoy!

I walked up to Vlad’s door with a sense of foreboding in my heart and a chill running down my spine. Somehow, I knew this was a bad idea… but I digress. First I should explain.

My day had started out pretty normally. Taking care of my bees and the garden was a daily chore that I have quickly come to love doing.

Then, I have breakfast and spend some time painting. I’m getting pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement. The gallery says my paintings sell like hotcakes, and to keep them coming.. but there’s only so much time in a day.

Today, however, thoughts of doom were interrupting my idyllic retreat. That old vampire was still waiting for me to come meet him at his house. I wasn’t sure of his intentions, but the friend he sent to threaten me definitely had me worried. I wondered if I should meet him before anything else could happen. I couldn’t figure out another way to keep myself and my family-to-be safe other than to confront the him and ask him to leave me and mine alone from now on. We were practically neighbors and I certainly didn’t plan on making friends, but perhaps listening to whatever he had to say about my family’s history would satisfy whatever he wanted, and we could learn to co-exist in peace.

So here I was, terrified. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in, my son. The door is open.”

With a gulp, I drew myself up to my full height and turned the handle of the massive door.

At once, pipe organ music completely assailed my senses, and I tried not to blink in consternation. I don’t know what I had expected, but this nearly pristine Victorian Mansion had definitely not been on the list. Surreptitiously, I looked around for cobwebs, but didn’t see any.

Suddenly, the music stopped and the old vampire began laughing, almost as if he could read my mind. Wait a minute… could vampires read minds?? Damnit, I should have read more in those books from the library.

“Welcome to my home, Dusan.” He said, rising from the pipe organ and holding out his weathered hand to me in greeting, “whether you feel it or not – you are truly welcome here, although I understand your reluctance. I have so few human acquaintances, these days – sometimes I forget how to treat them. But please – be my guest. Have a seat.” He motioned to a nearby love seat that was – of course – right next to a skull on display. Fabulous.

We both sat down, me almost as far away as I could get from him, and again – he smiled at me as if he knew.

“I suppose you wish to know about your family?” He asked.

“Actually – I want you to have your friends stop stalking me at night and threatening me. I came here to live on my mother’s beloved homeland, and, god willing – raise a family here. I know the history and I certainly don’t need lecturing from you.” I was mostly bluffing, and I dearly hoped he didn’t know it.

He chuckled slightly, and raised an aquiline eyebrow before he began speaking again, “Dear child – had you truly known your history, you would not have come back. Your family had made itself unwelcome here, but we vampires had no part to play in the final accident. We even tried to step in during the tragedy to help rescue, but our services were denied. Your lovely mother was the only survivor – and the house was gone. There was nothing left for the child here, so she left to find a new life. For our part, we were very moved by her loss – even a vampire understands family – and we certainly also understand loss. Since then, the grudge held against your family has been erased and you are as welcome here as you would be anywhere.”

I looked away, mulling over his words. Was he hinting that I wasn’t welcome anywhere? I shook my head slightly, trying to get rid of that idea. “It was arson, the police said. If my family weren’t wanted here, how am I supposed to know that it wasn’t you and yours that began it to get rid of us?”

”Because, childe, that’s not how we operate.” He had moved closer so that he was sitting right next to me, and I found myself compelled to watch his eyes. In fact… I couldn’t look away. What was happening here??

Things started fading around me, until I could see nothing but Vlad.

Then my vision went completely black.

I remember nothing else until I woke up in a box. A dark softly-lined box. And it smelled like old mothballs. Wrinkling my nose, I tried opening and closing my eyes several times, but to no avail. I had no idea whether I was just in the dark or whether I was utterly blind. In a panick, I pushed at the fabric lined wood above me, and, much to my surprise, it swung open easily.

Not in any mind to stay where I was, I quickly got out of the box – only to turn around and see that it was a cobweb-covered coffin. What the hell!?

Shivers of fear ran down my spine, and I would have completely bolted had I not been nearly struck down by a pain in my midsection.

I cursed in both of the languages I knew, and tried to gather my thoughts through the pain. The only thing I could settle on was that I needed to get out of here – quickly and without being seen. After a glance around this … dungeon – for I could see nothing else to call it – I quickly found the stairs leading up.

I tried to be as stealthy as possible, but with the pain I was in – I really don’t know if I had managed any stealth at all.

Somehow, however, my luck held and I finally reached the front door, unnoticed.

Once through it as quietly as possible, I broke into a painful, shambling run. All I wanted was to get home.

Finally, I got back to my little campsite, nearly exhausted. I sat down on my cooler to catch my breath. Or – at least, try to.

Thinking that perhaps my stomach pain was due to hunger – that was what it felt like, after all – I pulled out some breakfast and started eating. Within the first bite I knew something was wrong. The milk for my cereal must have gone bad – because this was awful. Looked like I was going to head into town soon for new supplies… but perhaps I’d just take a nap first. The sun seemed especially bright today, after all, and I could always go later, right?

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

I was determined to put a possible meeting with the old vampire out of my head for the time being, and I spent the morning keeping myself busy. I most definitely had more cheerful things to think on, and they quickly pushed aside the foreboding. By early afternoon, I had painted a masterpiece, taken care of my garden, and had breakfast. I packed up the painting and took a quick shower – partially because it was mostly cold, and partially because I had places to be.

More specifically – I was meeting Mariko at the city shops to look for a ring for Alex. This was not something I wanted to do on my own… and a trusted friend like Mariko seemed like perfect company for the outing.

I arrived before Mariko, and – wouldn’t it figure – right in the middle of a summer cloudburst. Dodging more lightning strikes than I cared to see, I hurried into the store and began looking around.

I was still looking around when Mariko arrived, and I was just as confused by the selection as I had been when I arrived. Everything was sparkly and pretty – and one pretty much looked the same as the other. How was I ever going to decide?!

“Dušan, are you SURE you want to do this? You practically just met the girl. You hardly know what she’s like, even.” said Mariko, and clearly she was not happy with me. Apparently talking theoretically about Alex being the one and actually getting the ring were two very different things.

“Of course I am!” I assured her, and continued gushing about Alex’s good looks, amazing kisses, and our easy conversations.

Mariko didn’t look convinced, but she seemed to resign herself to the fact that I wasn’t about to change my mind. We turned back to the ring display, and I pointed out a tiny sparkly ring that appeared to be in my budget.

“Um, Dušan – that’s not going to work.” Mariko quickly pointed out some that she was sure were more appropriate, and I cringed at the prices. Mariko again expressed her doubts about the match, but I cut her off and waved one of the sales-girls over.

A good chunk of my meager fortune later, I was still trying to convince Mariko that what I was doing was the right thing.

“Thanks for your help, Mari.” I told her, “I truly couldn’t have done this without you. I promise, I’m not rushing into something that will be bad for me. I know this is the person I’m meant to be with! It may be fast, but it’s a sure thing. Now I just have to convince Alex!”

Mariko didn’t reply, but she gave me a huge hug and we both thanked the sales-girl for her help. I headed home, again dodging the lightning, with a huge smile on my face. Everything was falling into place. If only my dear mother could see me now. I’m sure she’d adore Alex.

On the way home, I called Alex and set up a date for that weekend – and then the hard part began. Waiting. I painted, and gardened – although most of the time was spent at the easel. I had to recoup the price of the ring, after all – but I wasn’t going to begrudge Alex the expense. She was certainly worth it.

Friday arrived, and I nervously waited out front of the Von Haunt Chalet – the most romantic place I could think of when I was planning this whole thing out. By the time Alex arrived, I was a sweaty wreck. Or at least I felt like one. I wiped my hands off on my jeans and greeted Alex by kissing her hands, which seemed to immediately charm her. Breathlessly, she started in about how she was sorry she was late – work had kept her overtime.

I interrupted her, assuring her it was more than fine, and took her hand, pulling her towards the front doors. I showed her around the Chalet, then we wandered out back to the beautiful gardens. The whole time, she kept up a running conversation about her work and the celebrities that had stopped in earlier today – and the massive tips she had gotten from them. I swear, I was so nervous I barely heard a word she said. By one of the fountains, I pulled her close for an embrace, which succeeded perfectly in what I wanted – it shut her up.

“Alex, love, you know how much you mean to me, right? I swear, I can’t imagine life without you.”

“Of course, Dušan!” Alex gushed.

Before she could say more, I handed her a rose, then took a deep breath. I started to say more, but my tongue seemed stuck to the roof of my mouth. Embarrassed, I tried to hide my nervousness with another kiss. I don’t know whether it worked or not, but it helped calm my nerves some – and I quickly took the rush of adrenaline and dropped to one knee.

“I know I haven’t known you long, Alex, but you’re everything to me.”

I fumbled the ring out of my pocket, almost catching it on the small tear in my suit, and held it out to her. “Will you marry me?”

“Oh, Dušan! Look at that RING!” Her eyes lit up as she grabbed it out of my hand. “Yes!”

… And before I knew it, she had leapt into my arms. I only just managed to catch her in time, and I set her back down carefully. We celebrated with a kiss and a sunset stroll around the rest of the gardens before she excused herself because she had to work early.

When I arrived home, the first thing I did was phone Mariko with the news. She congratulated me, but somehow sounded sad. After our earlier conversation, I didn’t want to press for why, so I quickly made the excuse that I needed to let other people know, and said goodbye.

After Mariko’s lukewarm response, I elected to just text Sonia with the news, and I got an elated reply, which made me feel instantly better.

I ate my dinner of some cold granola and yogurt, with my head still in the clouds. I couldn’t believe I had come so far so fast in the last few weeks. I was on my way to becoming an accomplished artist, and now I had a fiance… and two amazing friends. What more could I ask for?

… Other than, perhaps.. a roof over my head?

(A/N: Welcome to Simnano, story two for me. I hope you like this story so far, it only gets better. Next post for this story will be July 5th! This is by far my favorite story-driven challenge I have going now, and the amount of inspiration I’ve gotten for it lately shows. There was no way I could have waited until August to post these chapters!)

Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

I was in such a good mood when I woke up on the planned “date day”, that even the moody clouds above couldn’t dampen my spirits. I completed my chores at home as quickly as possible, gathered up my paintings from yesterday to drop off at the gallery, and hurried into Windenburg.

The paintings, luckily, sold handsomely, and they gushed over my improvement. I appreciated the compliments.. but I had places to be, so I excused myself as soon as I could politely do so.

Once again, I picked up Alex at the cafe … and no matter how she pleaded, I wouldn’t let her know where we were going. “It’s a surprise!” I insisted – several times – before she finally gave up. I made her cover her eyes when we got to the bowling alley until we got inside…. because there’s no hiding the sounds of a busy bowling alley!

Her face broke into a grin, and she mentioned she hadn’t been bowling since she was a child. I assured her that I wasn’t very good, either… so we were in good company. We rented a lane, and set about having a good time.

Alex was right, though. – She WAS terrible at bowling. But it was funny to both of us, so it didn’t exactly ruin the evening. We giggled over her last gutter ball, Cheered when she actually hit pins, and generally had a great time.

I made a surprise strike near the end of the game, so I pulled out the win… but before that, it had by no means been assured. All in all, it was a great evening.

We sat around and talked for a while after the game, and I made sure to set up yet another date for her next day off of work. She seemed as excited as I was about our next meeting, and we sealed the evening with a torrid kiss.

I spent the next day painting, gardening, and fishing, catching up on the things I should have done the days before. It was turning out to be a fabulous day.

After finishing another painting, I headed down to the pond to catch something nice for dinner. Amazingly, I caught two, and figured I could have fish in the morning, too. But it seems that was not to be.

As I stepped into my camp, I was surprised by my friend Mariko who had decided to try her own hand at painting while waiting for me to come back from wherever I was. I was overjoyed to have company, and wondered at the coincidence of the two fish I’d caught.

We chatted while I cleaned the fish (and amazingly, she didn’t even seem squeamish about it!), and then we chatted some more. We talked about her job at the library, we talked about my paintings, we even talked a little about the changes that had happened to the town since my family left it, even though very little of it had been good.

I even went so far as to confess my feelings for the lovely Alex, and Mariko seems to be 100% in support. I sheepishly told her that I had been thinking about ring shopping, and she encouraged me, and even offered to come along for moral support.

By this time, however, both of our tummies were growling, so we set about making fish for dinner.

As it happens, though, Mariko isn’t very good at setting fires… unless it’s setting herself on fire.

Luckily, she was alright beyond some small burns that I carefully put some ointment on…. and I proceeded to take over fire duties for the night.

The fish was fabulous, crisp on the outside, flaky on the inside, and we both devoured our shares quickly.

Since it was a special night, I broke out some marshmallows… and we made S’Mores for dessert. She gave me a big hug on the way out the door… and we agreed to meet the day before Alex and I’s next date – to go pick out rings. Maybe it was a bit too soon, but I knew how I felt… and I hoped Alex did, too.

After Mariko left, I was cleaning up the campfire when one of the locals stopped by. It clearly was NOT to be a friendly visit, however, and she left me with a cryptic warning about leaving the old Vampire in the mansion, Vladislaus Straud, waiting.

As the sun rose on another day…. after my sleepless night as I watched the old mansion’s lights flickering on and off all night…. I shivered, dreading the confrontation that sounded like it was going to have to happen to get the old man and his.. friends? .. to leave me alone. I liked my life, I liked my home, and I wasn’t giving up either because of some night loving freaks. Still… I couldn’t help but wish I had real walls to keep me safe. And, with any luck, keep my beloved Alex safe, too. Thinking of her put a smile back on my face – at least for a moment. I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on her for too long, however, I had money to make if I was going to be able to care for her, too… and a house to save up for.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Alex and I met at the cafe with a kiss and an embrace. After a few minutes of coaxing, I managed to talk her into going out to the local Italian restaurant for a nice dinner. She knew I was still a “struggling artist” and didn’t want me to spend my money on her, but, eventually, I convinced her it wasn’t going to break my bank account.

We walked hand in hand along the quay, and I told her about how well my paintings had been selling lately, while she chatted about a possible promotion she might be getting at work. Before I knew it, we had arrived, and I quickly requested a table.

At the restaurant, she confidently ordered for both of us, and I approved of her choice. It had certainly been a while since I’d had pasta (since most of my meals came from the pond or my cooler), and I stifled a smile. It would do me no good to tell her about my living situation… at least, not yet. I was trying to impress her, not drive her away!

We flirted lightly while waiting for the food. I blew her a kiss, and she seemed delighted by the gesture. I noticed that the restaurant was filling up quickly, and was glad we had been seated outside in a semi-private corner.

By the time the waitress brought the food, we barely took the time to say thank-you, because we were so engrossed in our conversation. It seemed we had a lot in common, and she was easy to talk to. Easy on the eyes, too, if I could say so without sounding horrible cheesey.

The pasta was delicious, and the date a huge success. We both went home with a smile, and I made sure I tipped well on our way out the door. At the last minute, I remembered to secure another date with her for the weekend, and I told her we could do something fun, but I left out the details. I had a couple ideas, but I didn’t want to give them away just yet.

Early the next morning, I awoke to a huge Summer thunderstorm. Lightning struck, and I felt electrified. Terrified, I ran to Sonia’s house for shelter, because I doubted my tent would suffice.

I was thoroughly soaked, and more than a little bit dazed by the time I got to Sonia’s, and I thanked my lucky stars (it seemed I might have a few of those, after all!) that she was home. She hurried me inside and got me a towel to dry off with.

Through the hours while the storm raged, we chatted happily. I learned why she had cat furniture all over her home – and no cat. Her last cat had passed away several months before I arrived in Forgotten Hollow, and she hadn’t had the heart to get a new one. I could understand the need for a grieving period, even though I’d never really had a pet. We talked about my paintings, and the success I was finding selling them at the Gallery.

By the time the storm started calming down, I was starving, and she was kind enough to feed me. It wasn’t much – just a sandwich – but I was immensely appreciative. It seemed Sonia had done so much for me lately. She had been very instrumental in bringing back my will to live and soldier on.. and I wondered how I could thank her properly.

All the next night, and into the morning, I pondered this. It wasn’t an easy question to answer, that’s for sure.

I took care of my garden, and my bees, and still I thought. By afternoon, the sun had finally made another appearance, and I’d had an idea.

I searched on my phone, and finally found the number for the local pet adoption center. After a long conversation with the man who answered the phone, I finally settled on a little beige kitten named Prissy, and I arranged for her to be brought over to my .. erm.. home.

I cautiously approached the kitten, and was delighted to find it to be wonderfully friendly, if a little too talkative for my tastes. The adoption agent was more than skeptical about my ability to care for the tiny kitten, but I assured him that the cat was not for me, it was for a cat-crazy friend. The agent mumbled about it being “highly unusual” to be giving a kitten to one person just to have it go to someone else, but eventually, I convinced him this cat would definitely be getting her forever home, and he seemed eager to be leaving the area. I wondered why, but he seemed more than a little apprehensive, and kept looking worriedly over his shoulders.

By the time the adoption fees finally changed hands, it was nearly evening, and I regretted my choice to wear my suit coat that day, because it had gotten quite warm in the sun. I gathered up the tiny meowing kitten, and hurried over to Sonia’s for the second day in a row.

The light that came into her eyes when she saw little Prissy made all the trouble getting the cat worth it. I thought I even saw a little tear in the corner of her eye, but I wasn’t about to call her out on it.

She gave me a big hug when she found out I had gotten the cat for her, despite the fact that she protested that she really hadn’t done all that much for me. I completely disagreed, of course. We watched the kitten exploring her new home for a while, and I helped set up the food and water bowls that had been sitting in her cupboards for months.

By the time I left for the night, little Prissy had clearly taken Sonia’s home as hers, and she watched me go from her perch on the top of Sonia’s porch stairs. I gave her one final scratch behind the ears, and even whistled a little on the way home.

The next morning, bills arrived in the mail, and I wondered how the heck they had already gotten so high, when all I really used was a little bit of water for showering. I cursed that Landgraab fellow under my breath, sure he’d had something to do with getting the property taxes mixed in with the rest of the bills so soon. I made out the checks to the necessary parties, and sent them off, thankful I had already saved a bit of a nest egg from selling my paintings.

Then, I hurried to my easel to get some more painting done. I needed to recoup the money I had just spent, after all… and with as inspired and happy as I felt, I had plenty to paint about. Life was going great. I couldn’t ask for more. Except, maybe, for a house. But that would come. I still hadn’t had the guts to apply for the permits and stuff.. and I would have to start thinking about a design for it. Eventually. For now, my mind was focused on my paintings.. and on planning the upcoming second date with Alex. I couldn’t have anything go wrong now, not when everything was starting to look so bright!

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

After another cold breakfast on my cooler, I sat down to really start reading my book on vampires. It was an interesting, but also creepy, read. Finally, I hit a point where my skin was just crawling all over, and I needed to take a break. Plus, my easel was calling to me.

So, I pulled out some canvas and paint and started by painting the cruel beauty from around my land. It turned out far better than my earlier works. I could see that practice was definitely paying off.

I moved that painting to let it dry, got another canvas ready, then decided I ought to spend some time with my garden, too. Always something to do around here. While I was knee-deep in plants, my phone rang. It was Sonia, and she offered to take me into Windenburg on her way there to do some errands.

Thinking about Alex, I quickly agreed, and Sonia headed into town. After a stop off at the gallery to sell my newest work – for a tidy sum, no less – Sonia and I decided to visit the cafe. I, of course, had ulterior motives, and was pleased to see Alex was already working. I introduced her to Sonia, and whipped out a daisy I had brought to try to charm Alex.

Charm her, it did.. but she couldn’t get off work for the evening, so we made plans for the next weekend. With a light heart, I ordered some coffee and pastries, and sat down to a nice meal with Sonia. Sonia slyly commented that Alex seemed like such a nice girl, and seemed to watch her with almost a motherly look in her eyes.

Feeling better than I had in ages, I decided to stick around town after Sonia went home – and check out Windenburg nightlife. It turned out there was quite a party happening at some ruins on the outskirts of town, and I decided to join in on the dancing.

The music was pounding in my head, and seemed to echo my heart… until I noticed that unnerving old Vampire (for, now, I was sure that’s what he was…) who knew my family was also there. Quickly, I tried to busy myself with my phone in the hopes that either he wouldn’t notice me, or he would think I was too busy to talk.

Neither approach worked, and before I knew it, he had cornered me, insisting that we talk. He needed to tell me more of my history, it seemed, and he invited me to his Forgotten Hollow mansion for an after-party coffee.

Initially, I agreed, and we both made our ways home. But after seeing the state of his mansion – and the age of it, I really started to worry for my safety. Before he could answer the door, I hurriedly left and returned to my homestead, thoroughly creeped out.

There was a Romance festival back in the city the next night, and Sonia and I made a day trip of it. She said she had always sworn by the soothsayers there, and something in my head wanted me to ask them about Alex. Unfortunately, the sage had dire news. He gave me some cryptic information, making it sound like I should avoid Alex, but I think I was too hooked to heed his words.

The weekend brought with it rain, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me – and I brought some canvasses to keep me busy while I waited for Alex to get off of work for our date.

Once she was off work, we got some coffee and sat at the tables of her cafe, flirting shyly with each other. She seemed receptive to my pick up lines, and I decided now was the time to make my move.

I declared my feelings for her with the gift of a headily perfumed rose, and I couldn’t hold back a grin when she accepted it. She was busy smelling the rose, however, and didn’t see the expression on my face.

Seemingly charmed by me, she agreed to a walk on the quay in the darkness, and we left the cafe hand in hand.

The time and the conversation flew by and quickly all blurred together. I was enchanted by her dark eyes and coy looks, and she was seemingly as interested in me as I was in her.

By the time we made it back to her cafe, I felt the night couldn’t be going any better, and I steeled myself up for the ultimate risk.

One mostly chaste, but somehow still steamy kiss later.. and Alex had agreed to be my girlfriend.

I commemorated the night with a cheesy picture.. but I was so in love, I couldn’t help it.

The next day, I couldn’t think of anything to paint other than flirty paintings of Alex.. so that’s what I painted. All day. We had agreed to meet again in a couple days, and I simply couldn’t wait to see her again. I was leery to show her exactly where and how I was living, though, so we had settled on meeting at the cafe in Windenburg again.

Time wasn’t going to pass by fast enough, I was sure… But, inexorably, time always does. Soon it was the day of my next date with Alex, and I quickly cleaned myself up and made ready to go.

Bonus: Outtakes….

Really, Vlad.. now is when you decide to start snapping pictures??

… I don’t think that face is going to get you the girl, there, Dusan.

Strangerville sims… are strange. I had to work all my photos in the cafe around this kook.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Back to Chapter 1 | On to Chapter 3

Morning dawned gloomy, like it always does here. I started off my day with some yogurt and gardening, then headed down to catch some fish for lunch and dinner.

It was a peaceful fishing trip, and I caught the fish I needed fairly quickly, and headed back home, thinking of the paintings I might paint next. I was deep in my own thoughts when I was brought up short by a blonde man in a button down shirt and dress pants. He looked out of place out here in the wild, as it were, and I thought to say something about it, but he interrupted me.

Turns out his name is Geoffrey Landgraab.. and although the name sounded familiar, it took him jogging my memory by reminding me that it was his company I’d bought my mother’s ancestral lands back from. He was, apparently, concerned that someone appeared to be “squatting” on the land, and complained about the unsightly tent. I quickly told him it was me that was living there, and that I would begin building a home as soon as I worked up the money. He looked dubious about my prospects, seeing as I was in ripped jeans and was probably covered in dirt from my fishing trip, but I assured him the easel set up on the property was being put to good use. I heard him mutter something about “no-good artists” as he stalked away from the conversation, but I was fairly sure there wasn’t anything he could do. The land deal was final.. and it was mine to do what I wanted with. My “unsightly” tent was here to stay…. at least until I could afford to build.

I started off home again, hoping I wouldn’t see that unpleasant man again.. and was never so glad to see my little homestead undisturbed as I was just then. For a moment there, I had worried he might have done something to it while I was gone.

I spent the rest of the day – after a nice lunch of stick-fried fish – painting, and had made a tidy sum by the end of the day .. although I tried not to count chickens before hatching as I packed things up for the mail man tomorrow. Or whatever that saying is. Chuckling to myself, I checked on my garden again, then sat down to cook my fish for dinner.

I had hardly begun cooking when some sparks jumped out of the fire pit and lit the grass on fire. Luckily, I didn’t have any chairs or anything near the fire to burn, but it still singed a good portion of the grass, and left me worried for the safety of my tent. After a moment of panic, I was happy to realize that the wind was going the other way.. and without a fire extinguisher, I was left waiting for the fire to go out. It did… but by that time, the fish was inedible, and I was left with some cold granola from my cooler. Not the best way to spend an evening.

Apparently, my fire attracted attention, though, and Nobuya Sasaki reappeared, with his eyes glowing more than they had last time. He appeared more interested in me than the fire, however, and I felt increasingly uncomfortable around him. Finally, I managed to end the conversation and get him to leave… and I uneasily retired for the night.

By the morning, I was convinced there was something with these strange people with the glowy eyes, and I made my way to the Windenburg Library to do some research.

The librarian’s name was Mariko Watanabe. And she immediately pointed me towards the computer to look up information on Vampires. Which explained their obsession with watching my neck. I wondered for a short while about meeting two people named Mariko in as many weeks, but I soon forgot the coincidence and buried myself in my research.

Several hours later… I had come to two conclusions. Vampires existed.. and my town was full of them. I was going to have to be more careful.

Curiously, I asked Mariko whether she knew anything about Forgotten Hollow and it’s Vampires.. and that conversation turned into a discussion on the rich local history of both towns. Before I knew it, Mariko and I were fast friends, and, to celebrate our new friendship, I invited her out for a coffee at the cafe. I even had enough money saved by now that I didn’t feel bad about spending some of it on a friend.

We talked and talked, about everything we could think of.. and it was really nice to find someone who I got along with so well. She was a Bookworm, Neat, and an Art Lover, so a good portion of the conversation was about my budding art career.

While we were talking, however, I couldn’t help but notice that Alex had arrived for her evening shift. I watched her surreptitiously while talking with Mariko, hoping my new friend wouldn’t notice my distraction, but I’m afraid she did.

I had just about made up my mind to go and talk to Alex some more, but just then a local Celebrity walked in with the paparazzi in tow, and Alex was suddenly caught up in a rush of orders and chaos. It gave me an excuse to continue my conversation with Mariko, but certainly didn’t offer me any openings to remind Alex that I existed.

Once the celebrity left, I used the excuse of needing more coffee and approached Alex. Mariko followed close behind, though, and I once again missed my chance.

By this time, we had been at the cafe long enough to start attracting attention. Not the Vampire kind of attention, luckily, but the looks didn’t seem to be friendly. Finally, tired of being stared at, I concluded my evening with Mariko and left to do some shopping on my way back out of town. I bought myself a book on Vampires, all the things I needed to start keeping my own bees, and a desperately needed re-stock on my art supplies.

It was late by the time I got home, and I just had time to set up my new Bee Box before the light failed and I had dinner and retired for the night.

Back to Chapter 1 | On to Chapter 3

Prologue < | > Chapter Two

I woke up bright and early the next morning, and peeked out of my tent. I had a little bowl of cereal sitting on my cooler, and watched the world wake up around me. The gloom of the area was growing on me. I loved the mist wafting through the trees. There were a few people milling around the “town square” I could see from my front yard, but I wasn’t feeling particularly sociable this morning. My mind was full of doubts and worries, but I knew I had no choice but to push on now. There was no going back to where I’d come from. I was doing this for Mother.

So.. I shoved those misgivings aside, stood up, and grabbed my old fishing pole and tackle box, and followed the faint path towards where I could hear the sounds of water. Perhaps I could catch something and have something better than cereal for lunch. Then I could feel like I’d at least accomplished something today.

I hadn’t been fishing since I was a boy, and I wasn’t sure the skill would come back to me. It felt like I was starting completely over. Maybe, though, in a way, I was. This place was haunting in it’s beauty.. and the hours I spent trying to not get tangled in my line while still trying to cast gave me a lot of time to think.

I was still at a complete loss as to what I could do to make money, but I knew I would need to come up with an idea soon. My very limited amount of funds wasn’t going to feed me forever.. and what would I do when the weather really started acting up? A tent isn’t anyone’s idea of a safe and secure home if a bit thunderstorms roll in.

My fishing “skill” leaves a lot to be desired, it turns out. I was getting really good at catching weeds. Oh, and a couple of small minnows and goldfish. Why were there goldfish in a pond? .. Who knows. I certainly don’t.

It may have taken all day, but I managed to catch a couple good size Walleye, and find a nice long green stick to fry them on. Fried fish tasted wonderful, though, and my new campfire was completely worth it. Of course, it also meant I had less money… but when needs must…

While cooking, I noticed someone hanging around the edges of my property, seeming to just be watching me.. so after eating my fish, I decided I ought to go say hello. They were probably just curious who had bought the land in their little town.

I noticed some peculiar things about her right away. Why wear sunglasses at night? She also seemed to have a habit of staring at my neck, which made me feel rather awkward. Did I have something there? Dirt from fishing, perhaps?

I tried not to notice, and eventually, I found out her name was Roxanne Church. She was a Vegetarian and Clumsy – so maybe she was embarrassed about a black eye and needed the shades. I supposed I shouldn’t judge her, and she eagerly looked at a picture I had of my mother, but she swore she didn’t remember her. Maybe she just wasn’t old enough. We said good bye for the night, and I headed back to my tent, still feeling a little weirded out by her, but determined to push it out of my mind and get some good sleep.

Breakfast consisted of more cereal, and a rather grumpy me. I hadn’t slept well, and dreams of people with strange glowy eyes kept plaguing me. I wondered if it had anything to do with the woman I’d met and her strange sunglasses.. but then I reminded myself that I’d never even SEEN her eyes, so how could it be about her?

After my dismal breakfast, I decided to do some more exploring in the area around town. This time, I found some wild, harvest-able plants, and took advantage of them. The garlic would be a nice addition to my fish… although I couldn’t fathom what the other plants were.

There was a weird purple tree with purple fruit that seemed to glow. And some venus-fly-trap-like plants… *shrug* maybe I could grow them and sell the produce? So, I picked what seemed to be ripe and headed back to my camp, again having wasted most of the day between gathering plants and some more time fishing.

On the way home, I was stopped by an old man with – get this – strangely glowing eyes. Was this becoming a trend?

He introduced himself as Vladislaus Straud and he seemed very much a Loner. He said something about having known my family, and how it was “good to have us back in town”.. but I felt thoroughly creeped out by him, and excused myself as quickly as possible. I practically ran home, hoping he wouldn’t follow. I didn’t think I wanted to get to know him better, even if he did say he knew some of my family history. There was just something about him that didn’t sit right with me.

Before I could even get home, someone else stopped me. Again with strange eyes. I tried to hide my growing panic as I made small talk and introduced myself, but for some reason, I thought he could tell.

His name was Nobuya Sasaki, and he lived in the area. He mentioned remembering the fire that sent my mother away after her family perished, but I didn’t press for details. So, I gestured to my fishing creel, and said I needed to make my dinner before it got any later… and excused myself from yet another awkward conversation.

The fish was wonderful. Again. Granted, it was also the only decent sized one I’d caught today, but it filled my belly nicely. Sighing.. I used a nearby bush again, wishing for any sort of plumbing. Especially a shower. After two days of wandering the countryside, even I could smell myself.

But that was definitely not to be… and I remembered my plants.. so before bed, I planted the seeds from the fruit, the garlic bulbs, and the seeds from the weird plant trap things. A little bit of water, and they looked cozy in their new home. Perhaps they would even grow.

Morning dawned bright and early. And it was snowing. Wishing I had warmer clothes, I hurried through some yogurt for breakfast, and went to check on my plants.

Amazingly, most of them had sprouted overnight.

So.. I watered them.. and then plopped on my cooler to think some more. I really needed a shower. I remembered the little town I’d passed right before getting to Forgotten Hollow, and I was pretty sure I could navigate back there. Perhaps meeting people there would go over better, and I could find a place to wash up.. and finally feel human again.

My mind made up, I made the journey back to what I found out was Windenburg. I found a gym, and plunked down some of the rest of my cash for a membership so at the very least I could use their facilities for a shower. I’m telling you, a shower has never felt better.. and I swore to myself I wasn’t going to let myself go that long between them again!

There were plenty of people around, so, once I was clean, I made some rounds, introducing myself.

Mariko Yoshida was gorgeous, but clearly not interested in me. I’m not sure, but with her dislike of Flirting, and penchant for stealing things (not that I had anything to steal!), perhaps maybe she wasn’t interested in anyone. I moved on.

After a while, I found myself in a park-like area, with easels set up at random places.. obviously put there for public use. I needed a rest, anyway, so I sat on a bench close by, and contemplated them. I used to be good at art in school… or, at least, my teacher had seemed impressed, but painting for money had never occurred to me. It was certainly on my mind now, though, and with the scant money I had left, I stopped in at a local art supply store that happened to still be open, and purchased some paints, brushes, and canvasses. I also made a point of asking if there was someplace that would buy original artwork in the area, and the clerk excitedly pointed out that the gallery next door was always looking for new talent. She mentioned that they were closed now, but that they’d be there in the morning if I wanted to check with them in person.

So.. with big ideas, I headed back to the public easels.. picking one right by the water. I can’t say my first attempt was great… but neither was the second or the third. I thought I could see improvement, though.. and perhaps someone would be interested in the crude paintings. Meanwhile, I was exhausted. I found a nearby bench, stashed my stuff under a bush nearby, and settled in for a long, hard, cold, nap.

Morning came, like it always does.. and before getting up the guts to go show my paintings at the gallery, I ducked into a local cafe for some real breakfast. I was immediately struck by the beauty behind the counter, and, in one of the moments she wasn’t too busy dishing out breakfast pastries and coffee, I introduced myself.

Her name is Alex Moyer. She’s a Glutton, Lazy, and Materialistic – but I didn’t think I could hold any of that against her. I stayed in the cafe long enough to catch her on a couple breaks, and we quickly were becoming friends. She encouraged me to go out on a limb and try to sell my paintings, but she had to work, so she couldn’t go with me, which was too bad… because I was terribly nervous about it.

Upon entering the gallery, I was almost immediately “pounced on” by one of the sales representatives, and once she found out why I was there, she hurried me into the back to take a closer look at my work. She muttered to herself for a while, then excused herself to get a colleague.. but eventually we settled on a modest price. I had actually just made money. Not much, mind you, but some. My spirits were higher than they’d been in months. I returned to the art supply store, bought some more canvasses, and checked on the price of a cheap easel I could take back to my homestead. No way could I afford it yet, but maybe with a few more paintings…

While I was dreaming big, I also checked the prices on a camp shower at another local store.. and I finally told myself I wasn’t leaving town without both items. So.. there was nothing left to do.. but find another bench.. and get some rest for a marathon of painting.

The next day was bright and clear, a perfect day for painting.. and I set to work.

One after another, I painted until my hands hurt. And then, I painted some more. Mid day I visited that cafe again, but Alex wasn’t working, so I didn’t stay long after my croissant and coffee.

The gallery was pleased with what I’d done, and bought all of today’s pieces without any hesitation. Counting up my funds, I still didn’t have enough.. so I resigned myself to another cold night on the bench.

Between a breakfast from a food stall, and more time painting, I was more than ready for a break when Alex unexpectedly called and invited me to the local city’s Spice festival.

It was a lovely drive there, and both of us had a blast wandering through the food stalls and Farmer’s faire of veggies and fruit. We splurged on some ethnic food, and laughed at each other when neither of us were very good wielding chopsticks. All in all, it was a wonderful day. I didn’t attempt to flirt or anything.. not yet. I wanted to take things slow, and get to know each other a bit better first – but we were sure hitting it off well.

After another day in Windenburg, painting my heart out, I managed to buy an easel and that camp shower. I also negotiated a way I could send my paintings to the gallery through the mail and they would mail back my checks. Finally. I had a way to make money. It was going to be slow going at first, but it was a way.

My next few days consisted of painting, fishing, and more painting. I ignored the people with the strange eyes, and tried very hard to mind my own business. One day, on the way home from fishing, it started pouring, and I was forced to knock on my next door neighbor’s front door to get out of the storm for a few. To my surprise, she was an older lady who gave me no creepy vibes at all. Her house was full of cat furniture, but I hadn’t seen any cats… and we ended up talking for hours. She remembered my mother, and turned out to be a great listener.

Her name is Sonia Broster and I can just tell she’s good at heart. I ended up pouring out my whole tale to her, and she nodded and listened intently. By the time the rain passed, we were fast friends, and it turned out I had an open invitation at her house if I ever needed to get out of another storm.

On Monday, my first check.. and my first bills.. both arrived. I was able to square everything away, though, and “bank” a tidy sum, too. Painting was really starting to pay off. Literally. And for that matter, my garden wasn’t doing too bad, either. I planted some of the produce I’d gotten at the spice festival to expand the garden, and stood back to survey my handiwork. I was making a home here. Mom would be so proud.. I hoped. Things seemed to be looking up for a change… and that night, I went to bed with hopes higher than usual.

Mom had always said hard work and determination paid off.. and I was finally starting to understand, or at least, I thought so. I drifted off to sleep with pleasant dreams of my childhood overlaid with images of a murky, but positive future ahead of me.

Prologue < | > Chapter Two

“I know, I know, the last thing I need is a new challenge. But this one I want to write a story about. I’m really bad at it, but I want to give it a try anyway, because I found this challenge and it really sparked my imagination for a change.” …That’s all I wrote about this challenge before I was drawn right into playing it, and apparently I never got back to finishing an appropriate introduction. So here we go:

This, at its heart, is a dark story about a man who has lost everything more than once, and is trying to find his way in the world through all the hardships. But, then, what Vampire story isn’t dark, right? I will say there may be triggers in this story, so read at your own risk. I do try to note which chapters have them, though.

Welcome/Links/Game Info | On to Chapter 1

The sky here is dark, and brooding, just like me. I am Dušan Bratan, and my name means “Soul Brother” in Slavic. The trees whisper in the wind, belying the stillness I feel all around me. As I stand here and study the landscape, I reminisce about how I got here. It hasn’t been painless, and it wasn’t an easy decision. All my life, my mother, Miluša, was my guide. My rudder. I never felt lost with her around. I don’t remember my father, so she was all I had. It was just the two of us, against the world – partners in crime, I guess you could say. I told her everything, and I always felt like she listened. Then, shortly before I came of age, she passed away very suddenly. I felt lost, bereft, empty. I finished my high school days in a perpetual fog, my safe little life cut short. I turned away from what friends I had, and trudged day by day through the rest of school, confused and afraid of what might be to come.

Finally, at the last minute, something occurred to me. I remembered the stories my mother had always told me as a child. Stories about where she came from, her family and the idyllic life she’d had growing up. Until the fire. Even though I felt my life had been destroyed, she had been through worse. Her family, her home, her everything had been lost in one fell swoop and she had been uprooted, brought here away from all that she knew. If she had made it.. than so could I. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to get her – and my – heritage back.

With a little research, I was able to find the town she had come from. Forgotten Hollow, it was called. The land she had grown up on was still there. Still vacant. …. And for sale.

So I sold everything she had left me, and carefully counted out the funds required to purchase it. I was left with next to nothing, but it was enough to buy a tent and a cooler that I stocked with food for a couple weeks. It took two days of travel to get here, and it gave me a lot of time to think. To plan. To dream of the mansion I would build, the woman I would marry, and love for the rest of my life. I imagined the daughter I would pass it all down to, the family I would have, the way I would tell them all about the amazing woman my mother had been.

Then I looked around again. Really looked. I had nothing. No mansion, just a tent and a cooler. A few hundred dollars to my name, and no way to make more money. All the hope I had been feeling left my body in a rush. I felt like crying… standing here without even a chair to sit on, utterly alone. Even the trees stood together, mocking me in my solitude. I stood there for a long time, tears welling in my eyes. I had nothing left. I plopped down on my cooler and cursed at myself in frustration.

Unbidden, a picture of my mother came to mind. I couldn’t give up now. When you hit rock bottom, I guess there’s no where to go but up. It’s in my blood to be here on this land, and I certainly don’t have much, but that will change. Mother survived, and so will I. I have faith. I am not sure what I’ll do to make money, but I will figure it out. First things first. I decide to explore the countryside around me, see what I can find to sell. Maybe an idea will come to me.

Welcome/Links/Game Info | On to Chapter 1