Author Note: This story is circa 2005
Once upon a time, there were three vampires. These three vampires lived together in a small but stately winter lodge resort in the middle of a European winter getaway resort area. It so happened that the two eldest of these vampires had found themselves to be companionable to one another and thusly they lived together, and it was their decision wholly when their childe was created (though technically he was created by Father and not Mother).
It came to pass that one morning Mother had risen earlier than Father and Childe, and had decided to prepare breakfast. Upon awaking, Father and Childe found chalices of blood waiting for them, and though this a very nice thing for Mother to have done. Unfortunately, for whatever reason the blood was at fairly a boiling point. So rather than bother with it just now, they decided to leave it until a little later, while they all went out and did something nice for Mother, since she had thought to do something nice for them.
It happened to pass that sometime after they had gone, a young impetuous youth (a scrap of a girl, really) thought it would be absolutely divine to sneak into the house. Mayhap she could obtain some food, or steal a few things to sell. She climbed in through a window that had been left open and tumbled into the kitchen.
On the table lay some grand old chalices that looked lie they would fetch a good price. She went over to them but found them to be full of wine. She thought to herself –why not? And picked up the chalice at the head of the table, and took a sip, immediately dropping it after doing so. How rank! Who could stand wine at such a warm temperature? she moved on to the next chalice, and shuddered after taking a sip, and set the glass back down, sloshing some across the table. Cold wine seemed yet more bitter. Perhaps it was too fresh…..(she was not exactly the brightest individual in the world).
Despite her previous bad experiences she decided to try the third chalice – and found it perfectly intoxicating, and drank all of it up. Afterward she stretched, feeling so wonderfully full and sleepy. She never knew just wine could do that. She didn’t expect them home anytime soon, and so she decided to find a place she could rest. Searching the house, she found bedrooms.
The first bedroom was decorated very darkly and cast many shadows even with lights on. She moved over to the large Victorian-style four post canopy bed. The frame was wrought iron, twisted into innumerable kinks and shaps that, had she looked closer, might have seemed quite gruesome. the posts of the bed were hung with a very heavy black velvet, and the bed was covered with black bedclothes.
She shrugged, and laid down, immediately getting back up. This bed was far too hard! More like a box than anything! And she stomped out of the room, snapping off the light as she did so. Had she looked under the draped covers, she would have known that it was a box – made out of an extremely hardwood, and purposefully made to be uncomfortable.
She moved on to the next room. This room was decorated in muted colors and pastels and was bright and well decorated. Portraits hung on the walls at tasteful intervals, and there were a couple of statues and busts here and there – all arranged artfully and tastefully.
A large sleigh bed occupied the center of the room, crafted of polished mahogany. It was made up of exquisite but comfortable bedding, and she delighted in this fact, and made a running leap onto the bed. But there was a problem…she sunk into it. It was entirely too soft! She could never get comfortable like this! She crawled her way out of the bed and snapped the light off as she left it.
By now she was so tired, she didn’t care what the last bedroom was like. She blinked a little at the decor, however. It was very morbid…more like an undertaker’s parlor. In fact, there wasn’t even a bed! There was just a coffin. A long box of polished and lacquered black. It was propped open, and the lining was a deep red. She shuddered a little, but she was just too tired not to try it. So she climbed into the box, and very soon she fell asleep.
She had been asleep only a very short time when the resident vampires came home. Their first stop was the dining area of the kitchen where they had left their chalices, and upon entering, they immediately noticed something was wrong. Father bent down and picked up the spilled chalice and scowled.
“Someone has been trespassing.”
Mother fretted.
“That was an Oriental silk tablecloth!!”
Their Childe just grinned.
“Little does someone know that they’re ghouled!”
Father just looked at his son and smirked. Oh, the family manipulation was beginning to show.
“I wonder if someone so callous as to utterly destroy something so beautiful is still here?” Mother said. They decided to investigate the house over – bedrooms were the last to be checked over.
“Someone has disturbed my belongings” Father said, his eyes smoldering. This really quite upset him.
“Callous inconsiderate oaf!” Mother yelled at seeing the state of her room. Really, she was seething.
They filtered into the final bedroom, that of their son. Nothing seemed to be amiss…..not to Mother and Father at least. Childe walked into the room, frowning and lifted up the lid to his coffin and grinned. The young girl awoke from the light intruding into the darkness she had fallen asleep into.
“Hey, Lunch!” he cried.
There was a baring of fangs.
A hiss.
A scream.
**gurgle**