Vampire (Challenges & Contests)

Uninvited, Unpopular and Unwanted

The ice flowers start to crawl up the windows as the night moves on and I can do nothing but sit in this room and watch them. Time became just a hollow word to me lately as I find myself looking into nothing and questioning the meaning of the eternity ahead of me all too often.

Every year when the temperatures drop I feel the same emptiness that swallows my entire being. I have lived long enough to taste life to its fullest, but yet again I can finally understand what my creator told me so many decades ago. Just before he left me and his words became my reality. 

You can be in a bright ballroom full of people chatting with each other and dancing to the music and still feel alone.

I did not understand back then but labeled him as a frustrated grandfather in the body of a young man. Now I do understand. Nobody can be alone for the rest of the time. In his opinion, I am just as cold as the window glass but even this cold surface is accompanied by the night frost. 

I am alone.

Tomorrow's ball will be the time to go on a different kind of hunt. My goal is clear - I need a companion. If it's not for eternity, I at least should try to get someone who lifts my spirits over this winter. Someone to warm my heart in a way I have not experienced it for so long that I cannot even remember how it must feel. 

Resting for the day and waiting for the next night to come I can feel the excitement building up within me. I dare to dream about various scenarios of how to approach a stranger that turns out to be the perfect match. Someone that can be with me just as the ice flowers are with the window glass. Someone who I can talk to about my worries, my deepest and darkest desires or just about the bad weather. Someone who will enjoy my piano play or even join me in any way. That would be perfect.

A companion.

Dressed in my finest suit I stand in front of the mansion of an acquaintance I would never call a friend. She is used to arranging the best and foremost biggest parties around Hallow's Eve, therefore, I am sure she will not even notice that I showed up uninvited.

The gates are wide open, inviting the masses that started to come in a while ago and filled the main hall with chatter and laughter. I just missed the speech from the hostess as the music starts to play and the first few couples occupy the dance floor. This is a good night to start a new beginning.

There is hope.

The warmth is welcoming me as I fetch a heavy decorated glass that one of the maids is carrying around on a silver plate. I take a sip of the exquisite red liquid before starting to observe the room. Where to start though? 

It takes me a full hour to finally gather enough courage to walk over to one of the women that formed a little circle waiting for someone who would like to ask for a dance. 

"I apologize for interrupting your conversation." I take a gentle bow in front of the brunette lady my mind finally decided on. Her eyes are of a dark brown and her slender body is dressed in a midnight blue gown with golden ornaments attached around the high-necked collar. Even though her features are soft, her stare is not.

It seems to hold a certain intelligence like the one of a cat may have. I really appreciate women like that. "Milady, would you grant me the next dance?" I reach out my hand and the others take a look at me from top to bottom. 

I made sure that my beard is well-groomed and slicked back my blonde hair. She hesitates for a moment and I already brace myself for a rejection, but then she finally lets me take her to the dance floor. The slow waltz that plays gives us a good start to have a little conversation while we dance.

Quite frankly, I am not the best dancer and always have to concentrate hard to watch my steps and still keep the conversation up. She seems like a good catch as I get to know that she likes to play the violin and is into the same 'penny dreadful' stories I like to read. When I step on her toes for the first time she frowns a little but is generously forgiving.

The second time I misstepped our conversation also dies. As if something in this world is against me, the pace of the waltz fastens. I slightly start to panic. She is perfect for me. I need to win her for me.

"The decoration of the ceiling this year is extraordinary, isn't it?" I try to pick up our talk somewhere. Right at my last word, I stepped on the tip of her dress and slip. With a shriek on her end, we both stumble and fall to the floor. I manage to get a grip on some piece of cloth and only realize that I ripped her shoulder open as her flat hand comes flying to my cheek.

The music stops abruptly and I can feel my cheeks burn out of embarrassment as the lady gets up clumsily. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. 

It's a shame.

"Roland!" an all too familiar voice booms as all eyes are on the two of us. My eyes widen at the angry face of my creator. He puts his arms around the lady protectively, whispering a few words of comfort into her direction. "How dare you touch my fiancée?" 

I'm still lost. I was not aware he would be present. "How did you even get in here? I can't imagine my sister-in-law invited you," he says unforgivingly.

"Joseph..." My voice cracks as I can feel the sting to my heart at those angry eyes.

"You already caused enough troubles in my life," he states, "Guards!"

"No, wait," I try to get a word out and overcome my surprise, "I didn't mean to!"

"Who is he?" The lady I was dancing with asks in a hushed tone. "Someone that I used to know. I should never have turned him."

"He is the one who killed your other fosterling?" The woman asks for assurance and Joseph just nods before the guards arrive to howl me off the ground and execute his order to remove me from the mansion.

His first answer still resonates in my head as I realize he did not only leave me but abandoned me for eternity. I don't fight back as the four rough hands of the bouncers throw me out with such a force that I land with my hands on the gravel path.

There are still preying eyes on me as I get up and start to make my way back home without any further attempts to talk to anybody on the way. Halfway through the dark streets of London, I can feel the chill on my back from the cold wind howling.

As I pass by a big showcase window of a bakery the ice flowers at the corners catch my attention. Standing still I take a long look at the cakes and pastries inside, but only find half of my reflection in the middle. Maybe Joseph is right and I am cold as ice and nothing is able to grow attached to me.

It could end today.

Maybe the best for me would be to keep on standing here until the sun dawns. Letting the rays catch me and feel the heat one last time before I can disappear into nothing. A whimper drags me out of my dark thoughts. Curious what other creature is obviously also suffering right around the corner I can see a bundle of fur between some trash cans.

It unwinds when I come closer and some big black eyes look at me. The street dog doesn't bark or howl at my sight but keeps on whimpering and its tail between the hind legs.

"Hey, little fellow. Are you also unwanted in this world?" Of course, it does not answer but still looks at me sadly. The meager body betrays that it got beaten recently. I slowly reach out my hand in the direction of the crossbreed. It sniffs but does not intend to bite.

I crouch down and gently pick it up in my arms. "I guess, I'll call you Joseph," I smile at the new companion in my arms. This winter could be a little warmer than the last.

Who would have guessed?

~*~

Author's Note: 

Coven Contest November 2018 

#wintercold

Word Count: 1475