Dahlia's Vampires

        Bones           

           The smell of lilac and orchids swept over me. But it wasn’t the floral scent of her hair, no, that had been gone for some time now. The bouquet atop the headstone was vibrant and fresh, even in the dimly lit night of the cemetery and mixed with the dew of unearthed soil.

            I dug deeper, using all of my immortal strength to reach the coffin. Six feet under in those days, to keep the disease and stench of the plague from filling the air. My dark trousers and white cotton shirt were now torn and filth covered from my frantic digging. I only had so much time before the sun rose. I swept a strand of blond hairs that fell onto my face, unaware of the dirt covered, wretched monster I must be. But no one was around, not at this hour, and the others had labeled me mad and left me to flounder in my suspected insanity.

            Two years had passed since I saw her face outside my mind. The angelic beauty, with crystal blue eyes and goddess gold tresses.  She was the picture of innocence at 17, and from the moment I saw her, I could never look away. And when I crept into her room that night, I had no need to entrance her, for my alabaster skin and fair brown eyes were mesmerizing enough.

            She made no sound as I approached her, each step to the rhythmic drum of her heart. And I wanted her. I wanted her whole. I wanted her blood, I wanted her body and I wanted her spirit. “Be with me forever.” I told her. And she smiled, even in the face of a night demon, she smiled.

            I ran my extended fingers through her precious golden hair, and let the bouquet swirl through the air until it was all around me. I cupped my hand on her warm cherub cheek, and with my thumb, felt the smooth texture of her skin. 

            She let me gently wrap my arms around her and lay her delicately on her back, as I mounted her to bite. She was to be mine. I would not only taste her sweet, deep blood, but give it back to her and make her my immortal bride. My immortal companion.

            When I prierced her flesh, she gasped, and I pulled at the pulsing life that now flowed into my mouth and over my tongue like a thick, delectable syrup. I could only see the heavenly light from her blood, and smell the fragrance of her hair, I was enthralled in her and my arms held her tight as I drank.

            When I pulled away it took several seconds before the light faded and I was able to see my princess, now limp on the bed. I lifted her up to see her eyes open in a distant stare and the swell of her bosom no longer rising. I waited for her to shift, but her arm hung over the side of the bed like a doll.

            I visited her grave site the next week, anguished at my greedy attempt to make her, instead taking her life, before I could give it back to her. The freshly dug mound sat as though she were about to break through it, but only lay still in my presence.  My silent suffering was soon interrupted when a soft voice broke through my thought.

            “William, William can you hear me.”

            I perked my ears as the childlike voice called to me.

            “William, I am here, I am your immortal princess, just as you desired.”

            I looked around the empty stillness of the cemetery, only to see no one within my site.

            “Is that you darling? How is it possible I can hear you, when you are buried beneath the earth?” I asked.

            “You wanted me forever, and I am yours, I will be with you now forever.”

            “Yes, but I did not want a spirit. I wanted you whole.” I said.

            “Your words hurt me love, you wanted me and now I am yours.”

            I waited for her ghost to appear, but the night was still. And I cursed whatever God exists, who would send a formless spirit to haunt me. I ran from the cemetery and hid from the day.

            The following evening I awoke not on my own accord, but to the echoing chant of my bodiless bride. “Wake up my love, the sun has set.”

            “Leave me now child, go to the heavens where you belong. I have no need for such a being.”

            “You said forever love, and forever is what you will get.”

            That was the first of every night since her presence haunted me. And even as I wandered the streets, she spoke to me and my ears alone, leaving any other in my company to retreat from my constant bickering with the air. When I hunted, she spoke to me, taking away any solace I would find in the blood of my prey. I could not search for another bride, because whenever I tried, her ranting became that of a banshee and I could no longer concentrate.

            Two years of this torment had passed, and no amount of pleading or prayer would send her away. And as I now dug in her grave, I wondered what I might find.

            When the sharp blade of my nail scrapped the surface of her coffin, I almost expected her to scream from within, but even as I punctured the lid with my clenched fist, her voice was mute. Only the crickets and night owls kept me company, as I searched for the source of her haunting spirit.

            Through the jagged whole in the lid, under the shadows lay a bare skull. The large black holes where her eyes once sat, peered up at me in an empty stare. The mocking toothy grin remained plastered on her face as I lifted the remaining edges out-of-the-way. Still, she did not speak.

            Covering her body of bones was a white lace dress, with satin ribbons on the collar and waste. I silently laughed at the irony of it. Here is what was to be my bride, dressed in a white lace gown, only she was bones instead of flesh. The sound of crackling filled the air as I gathered her in my arms. The voice that forever taunted me was quiet, and left me with a sense of peace I had not found in two years.

            My strides were long and steady as I made my way out of the cemetery. I cradle the dress and bones in my arms, mixed with the putrid smell of rotted flesh and flowers. I now had my bride with me, and her voice was silent. A small price to pay for my peace of mind. And I went to sleep for the day, with my bride of bones tucked close by my side.

THE END