All Things In Good Time

© Joan Ann Lansberry

Not Lost, But Found

He studied maps of the city, to learn where its library was. He walked there. When no one was looking, he could be fleet of feet, and travel eased some. The white walled library sat, closed doors still, and waited until morning. He'd hide in the shadows until they'd open, like he'd always done, every day of his life, before SOME library somewhere. Soon, the doors would open, and he'd rush to the waiting computers. Surprisingly, not so many people ever used them.

''I'm here,'' is all he said. And she responded, ''I'll be there,''

Gwen was drawn as if by a magnet. She could not resist. She knew so little about the lonely man. But she had a 'feeling'. ''Yes, that's awful vague. But I must know. I must.''

She'd know him at the agreed upon meeting place, by the paleness of his skin, he said. So vague, that. But she'd figure it out. The coffee shop had bright lights which shone out far through the dark night. She walked in breathlessly, nervously. At first, she didn't see anyone unusually pale. But then, a small man with longish, dark hair and dark eyes stood up, and smiled at her nervously. He WAS pale. She walked to him, with her heart in her throat. ''Hello!'' they each nervously whispered.

There was something about Michael that gave him the appearance of not having used his mouth much for speech. ''Not to worry, I've been shy myself,'' she smiled. ''Yes,'' he smiled. They sat down at a small table and faced each other. Michael found the lights a horrible distraction. He sipped his bottle of water, while she drank water too. She was nervous enough, and didn't want the caffeine. She looked into his dark eyes, which cautiously returned the gaze momentarily. That didn't tell her enough, so she grasped his hand. Cold, yes, it was cold. Not like ice cubes, but not warm, either. Still, she tried to grab what vibes she could from them. She said what words came to her mind. ''Many years of wandering. Many cities, old, then newer. What have you seen all your life? How can your mind hold that much?'' Michael returned the grip, this time with some strength, and she could feel his lonliness. Her heart was filled with wonder. What risks would inviting him into her life entail? But she looked into his dark gray eyes, and she couldn't resist trying.

He was telling her the loud lights were bothering him. Was there anywhere quieter? She suggested a nearby park, to which he agreed. The parks lights were less glaring, and he felt more comfortable. Gwen had a thought, ''Here, now, my life changes forever.'' Michael held her hand again, maybe, was it warmer? It didn't matter. She was on a journey of the heart, and she'd follow it to its conclusion. She gave into something rash and totally unwise. She kissed him. WHY had she done that? ''I'm lost, now . . ,'' she thought.

She heard him think-say, ''You're NOT lost, you're found.'' Michael then took her hand in his and pulled her towards him, and kissed her in return. His heart trembled. He could hear it loudly. But then he remembered humans did not have his sensitive hearing. He could hear Gwen's heart pounding, and he smiled. It had been so many years without tender loving fleshy contact with a human. He felt clumsy, not quite sure what to do next.

Fortunately, when he felt indecisive, Gwen came to her strengths. She was utterly fascinated with the little man. ''Oh, that would make him feel so bad, 'little man' . . .'' Michael's voice cut through her thoughts, ''In my day, I was not so short. I haven't shrunk, people seem to be growing taller these days.''

''You're still taller than me!'' Gwen reassured him. She turned to face him directly. The front seat of the car was just not right. The shifting mechanism posed an unhappy barrier. So they moved to the back seat of the car. She wanted to embrace him. They shifted positions so that Michael was stretched out face up on the bottom, and she kneeled over him, face to face. If they were tall people, this could not be so easily achieved.

Michael looked up at Gwen. He undid her pony tail, and her red hair fell down in his face. She had delicate freckles covering her delicate features. Her luminescent green eyes revealed a playful sparkle. She kissed him, and he responded with a hard kiss in return. He could lose control, he felt it. ''Lay down on top of me, squeeze that lonliness out of me,'' he begged.

''Don't worry, you won't crush me,'' She did so, and as she did, she remembered once again he was a bloodsucker. She'd seen hints of fang teeth as he talked. Of course, she was LOOKING for hints of fang teeth. He seemed to be a rather close lipped speaker by habit. Right now he didn't look so fearsome, though she sensed great strength in his limbs, a tensile, wiry strength. ''Yes, I'm fairly strong,'' he replied to her unspoken thought.

''Hold me,'' Gwen begged, and strong arms enfolded her, pulling her even tighter into him. She thought she'd pass out with excitement. Just then she felt Michael attach his lips to her neck. She felt the sting of her skin being pricked. ''Ow!'' she cried out. ''Lay down with a bloodsucker, and what else should I expect?'' she reprimanded herself. ''Ow! That's enough, Michael. That hurts!''

Unbeknownst to her, Michael had changed the focus of his mouth's action. A slender reed had protruded out of his tongue, and found its way to the punctured artery. He was adding a few drops of his own essence to its contents.

When he was done with the little deposit, he laughed, and reassured Gwen, ''Don't worry, for every drop I take out, I promise to replace it with a drop of my own!''

Arching her back up again, but still keeping her head close to his, she admonished him, ''But your blood is not like my blood!'' He laughed, and she could see his small fangs in full detail. ''Yes, I suspect you're right that it is LIVING blood because it contains 'microscopic beings'. I believe you're right that these beings do repair work on me. It makes much more sense than demonic possession, that's for sure.

That I don't feel 'inhabited' must be a process of their mind cloaking abilities. I am amused, thinking of what my father once said to my mother: 'Look at him, Martha! He does not age! He is fifty years old, and he does not age! SEVERAL demons reside in him!' I, however, prefer not to think of them as 'demons'.

I suppose these beings have augmented my vision and hearing, because all that they know of the outside world is through what I see and hear.''

Gwen relaxed her back, and laid back down on him. She was utterly fascinated with the magical creature with the magical blood. She sniffed him, but he didn't have any strong odor. She wondered why this was so. His flesh radiated no warmth. It absorbed her own warmth, at the places of close contact, however.

Meanwhile, while she was fascinated with him, he was fascinated with her, and his nostrils widened, taking her scents in. ''You have so many subtle fragrances. You smell so good, not like . . .'' He didn't want to finish that thought, ''not like those horrid beings which give me my sustainance.'' But he needn't have finished the thought, she knew what he'd withheld. She kissed his bloodsucking lips anyway. She loved the tingly way she felt inside, and she kissed those bloodsucking lips again.

''I shall lose control,'' Michael thought. ''I shall simply lose control,'' He must have 'thought' it louder than he'd meant to, for she said in response, ''Oh yes, lose control, I dare you!'' Michael needed no further encouragement, and began ravishing her with fierce kisses.

She did not resist. She let herself surrender to each one. She could not resist, she didn't know how. She didn't want to know how. She didn't want to resist those hungry, hungry kisses. She was dimly aware of the world falling away. Did it ever exist? More kissing, so much more kissing ensued. She returned greed for greed. The world was opening up before her, it had fallen away, and now it was opening. How could it do that? Each greedy kiss demanded more. She wanted to be led where he was taking her. Kiss by kiss, he led her. What was leading him? An ancient hunger, deeper than life, was leading him.

He'd been lonely so long. Over and over, he just kept kissing her sweet lips. That she returned greed for greed drew him on. How he wanted her. ''YES . . ,'' she said to his unspoken question. ''I want to see through your eyes, know what you know, be what you are, be where you are . . ,'' breathlessly, she whispered to him. ''You realize, once you say yes, you can never go back. The world will never be the same again. Are you sure you want that?''

''YES!'' she passionately exclaimed. ''Yes, I wish it, make me yours, do what you must, make it so . . ,''

''If you are very sure . . ,'' Michael revealed his teeth again, this time on purpose, and they gleamed white in the moonlight. Again it was affirmed, a few of them were rather long and pointed. Gwen just looked at them in wonder. She wasn't afraid, though. She kissed him, this time forcing his mouth open with her tongue, and feeling those teeth with her tongue. Yes, she could feel the longer ones. ''Okay, bite me!'' she laughed.

Michael laughed, as he gently at first did just that. ''Oooh, this is REAL,'' she thought, still in the shimmer of a dream. She didn't struggle against his demanding mouth. She let him take what he wanted. And he wanted. He wanted. She felt herself grow drowsy. ''Faint, I feel faint . . ,''

He caressed her as she faded away. She faded away so softly. And then she returned so softly, but with a burning, such a burning. She wanted what he was giving her. She craved it like a madwoman. She craved it, and then he said he had to rest!

''I will give you more after I rest some,'' he spoke into her mind. She looked up at the supernaturally bright moon. ''Why SO bright? What's happened to it?'' She could see every leaf of every tree in her view. Each leaf seemed to teem with vital life, she could see the life quivering in them. Michael, too, grew translucently beautiful, as he lay there sleeping. She loved him so. ''Oh, my beautiful glowing angel,'' she purred. She felt hungry, like an animal. ''Wake up and give me your magic, mmmm, give me, please give me  . . ,''

Eventually, he did rouse, and he began where he ended, at her beautiful neck. But first, he kissed her, and exclaimed, ''You're mine, now, beautiful one. Mine!'' And he stroked her, as his mouth again settled down firmly. She felt something of him grab fast and hold hard, while his essence flowed once more into her. ''More, yes, that's IT! MORE! You must give it to me!''

And he did. Some more rest and he gave her still more, each time grabbing fast inside her with his magic, until at last she felt satisfied. Though very weary, very weary, and she drifted off to sleep peacefully. She woke to Michael's breathy words in her ear, ''We must awake now. The sun is due to rise. You know about the sun, don't you?'' Gwen murmered, still sleep-drunk. Again, his whisper into her ear, ''You must rouse now. We can't be out much longer!''

''I want to sleep some more,'' He could see no blankets in the car. He doubted the cloak and blanket he had would be sufficient to cover both of them. ''Honey, I'm sorry. You must wake up now!'' he said with forceful urgency. ''All right!'' She felt so groggy. And she ached all over. It was a pleasant ache, but it was an ache, just the same, and it wanted sleep. ''You can sleep at home! Can you take me to your home?''

''Home? Home . . . OH! Livia! She must be worried SICK by now! Oh, my god, I've got to get us home!'' With that, they scrambled to the front seat, and she forced her eyes open and alert. The supernatural brightness continued. The sky was streaked with colors she'd never seen it possess before. She got them safely home, and they dashed into the house, where, indeed, a slender, auburn haired sleepless Livia awaited them.

Livia's eyes went to the short, pale stranger who'd entered with her. She looked at his large bundle. ''He means to stay awhile! What can this mean?'' she grew wide-eyed. Gwen gave her a hug and kiss. But something was not right. Something just was not right. She felt unsteady on her feet. She was dimly aware of being given a name for this stranger, ''Michael''. Gwen was telling her they needed to sleep. Livia numbly watched as they stumbled off to sleep, the man dragging his bundle behind him. What had happened? Why was she not part of it?

''We want you to be part of it, we do. Right now, we need to sleep, honey. Please, I'm so tired.'' Livia helplessly agreed. She needed to sleep, as well. But she doubted it would come.

Go to Chapter 11, Brave Spirit
return to Chapter Outline