Jack and the Vampire [BoyxBoy]

t h r e e

JACK AWOKE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. And the instant he opened his eyes, he thought he was still dreaming.

The plant had grown. Its stalk was taller than he believed was possible and it stretched higher than the clouds and more than three times as wide as the boy himself.

He raced out of his house at once, staring at the garlic stalk, completely mesmerised.

"Mother!" he yelled, waiting for her to come outside the house. The instant she left the house, she, too, froze and stared at the garlic plant.

"Oh my..." Her voice trailed off. "It's grown hundreds of metres overnight! It's like..."

"Magic," the boy finished.

The two shared a look. And at that moment, the brightness in his mother's eyes was enough to keep Jack going for years on end.

"The strange man was right," she whispered.

"But there ought to be something at the top, right?" he asked. His mother nodded slightly.

"It wouldn't be there for no reason," she agreed. "There would be a reason for it to grow that tall." For a while, they both continued to stare at the giant stalk in awe.

"I'm going to climb it," he announced.

"Wait, Jack-"

Jack ignored her. It was said that there was a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow... There was a chance - no matter how slight - that there could be answer to their poverty. The end of the stalk could be the end of the suffering for him and his mother.

"I'm taking my chances," he told her, as he started to climb up the stalk. "If there is something up there that can help; I am going to find it mother."

"You've had an admirable spirit from birth, Jack... But don't you know what else is above us?" Jack froze.

"Not the Vampire," he groaned.

"Do not misunderstand me," his mother smiled knowingly. "I will not stop you... It never worked for your father and I doubt it would work for you. But take this with you." She tossed the wooden stake at him and he caught it with ease. "I've soaked it with holy water and sprinkled it with garlic..."

"Thank you."

"Be safe, Jack."

WHEN JACK REACHED THE TOP, HE SAW A CASTLE. It took him too long to recognise what it was, as he had never seen one before; but only heard of it.

It was sturdily built with dark bricks and loomed over Jack. Standing before it, he had never felt smaller in his life.

Clenching his hands into fists, the blonde-haired boy walked forward, his old shoes crunching on the stone pathway and made his way towards the front door.

Despite how nefarious the castle looked, it was undoubtedly owned by someone wealthy. If he could reason with whoever it was, he may be able to lighten his mother's burden.

As he lifted his hand to knock on the door, it creaked open on its own, revealing complete darkness. Forcing back his feelings of fear and uncertainty, Jack stepped into the unknown castle and let the rest of the world fall away.

"I smell the blood of a man,
Shall he be alive; or in death...
I will drain his blood,
To his very last breath." 

Jack doubled back, as a voice boomed throughout the darkness, reciting the cruel verse. It was too dark for him to see whether or not someone standing there, but either way... The deep voice frightened the life out of him.

"W-who are you?" he managed to stutter.

"Well, considering that you are the one who is trespassing on my property, you're in no position to question." This time, the voice did not echo as much and Jack found himself relax slightly. "The question is, who are you?"

"I am Jack."

"Short for Jackson?" He didn't know what to say. No one had ever said such a thing to him before.

"How did you-" Jack began. "I mean... Did you know my name already?"

"I shall take that as a yes," the voice concluded. "Young Jackson, what exactly do you think you're doing in my castle?" The tone was low; dangerous.

"I don't know," he admitted. Jack had originally came to reason with the owner, but after finding out that he was a potential danger... Perhaps it was best to leave. "And I'm not sure where I am, actually." When he climbed the stalk he had been caught up with the moment and had failed to pay any attention to his whereabouts. He only knew that he was something... Above.

The voice began to roar with laughter.

And within a minute, the dim lights flickered on and the castle was filled with faint brightness. A shadowed figure slowly descended from the top of the stairs, still shaking with laughter.