[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

night.
 Father Leopold. Theroen s voice held a smile as well.  No, I don t believe we
reached that point in the story. Father Leopold is almost personally responsible for my
vampirism. I say almost because modern science and psychology have helped me to
understand that his actions were probably not entirely under his control.
Two looked at Theroen, head tilted, saying nothing. Melissa sat down on the curb
under a streetlight, leaned back on her arms, stretched.
 We have time, Theroen, she said.
 Are you that anxious to hear it again, Melissa? I recall -- only a few years ago --
you shouting something along the lines of  forget that dead pope at me.
 That s only because you were in one of your theological phases, with all the
questioning about God and all that crap. I was tired of it. Melissa s teeth gleamed, her
smile having returned from its earlier departure.
 Ah. Yes. God and all that crap. Exactly what I was obsessed with at the time
Abraham brought me into darkness.
 He talks like some Goth poet wannabe. Have you heard him talk about sex?
Melissa s tone was conspiratorial, but Two knew Theroen had heard it, despite appearing
not to notice. She covered a smile with her hand.
 Father Leopold had one outstanding flaw which put him somewhat at odds with
the church, though he had gone to great pains to make sure the church was unaware of it.
I would likely have been his undoing, if not for my encounter with Abraham. Father
Leopold, it turns out, was very fond of young men with a fervent belief in God.
 Oh, no... Two was smiling, shaking her head.
 It took five years. I was under his tutelage for that long, from the age of eighteen
to twenty-three. I can honestly say I never knew, and never saw it coming. We were
closing up the cathedral for the night. It was dark. Empty and warm. I have the suspicion
that Leopold may also have been availing himself of some drink that night. Theroen
paused, rolled his eyes.  I assure you, there are few things more surprising in life than an
unexpected kiss from a middle-aged priest. One of those things, though, would be the feel
of his hand pressing against your groin.
Melissa exploded into laughter. Theroen coughed, seemed to be holding back
laughter of his own. He shook his head. Two grinned, nodded.  I imagine that s the
case.
 The vampires I know are sexual creatures, barring Abraham, and they don t
necessarily adhere to traditional sexual values. Theroen glanced at Melissa, who waved
at him, still giggling.  This has... opened my eyes significantly. I would not be bothered
at all, at this stage of my life, though I can t claim to have any particular attraction to men
of any age. But then? I was horrified. Here was the man who had taken me under his
wing, taught me many things about the good book, solidified in me my belief that I
wanted to be ordained and helped me see it through...
 And there he was trying to cop a feel in the middle of a fucking church! Melissa
rolled backwards in the grass, clutching her knees to her chest, laughter renewed.  It s
not that I care, I just... I can picture Theroen s face. Oh my god, I m going to die.
 I was actually so startled that, in my confusion, I asked him if he was hurt. As
absurd as it was, my brain had decided that he was perhaps having a stroke or heart
attack, and had simply fallen against me.
Melissa howled laughter at the moon.  Stop it, Theroen! My stomach hurts!
Her laughter was contagious, and Two found herself joining, although she did not
find the scene that Theroen described to be nearly as amusing as Melissa. Funny, sure,
but perhaps the age she had lived in had inured her to these things. She had at first
expected Theroen s story to involve religious boys much younger than he had been.
Finally, Melissa s laughter died down. She lay on the grass, looking up at the
night sky, gasping for air and breaking into giggles here and there.
 May I continue? There was a half-smile on Theroen s lips.
 Yes, please. Two looked back to him.
 I m sorry, Two. Really. I just... I mean, it s Theroen. Anyone else, it wouldn t be
that funny. You know?
Two smiled. Nodded. She knew.
 When I was finally able to accept what had happened --- and no one had moved,
mind you. We both seemed frozen after I had stepped away -- I shouted something about
God s wrath and stormed from the church. I could hear Father Leopold stammering,
shuffling behind me, calling me back, but it was far too late for that. I was in the London
streets, the night was still early, and I let the crowd swallow me.
 I walked for some time without really thinking of anything other than the
punishments God would surely hurl down upon Leopold. Plague, a rain of fire and
brimstone... something must occur. And yet, the longer I walked, the more I came to
realize that this, of course, could not have been some spontaneous conversion on
Leopold s part. He must have been fighting his urges for quite some time before at last
giving in, and for all I knew, I was not the first he had approached.
 How was it possible? How could God permit it? How could He let this man,
filled with such impurity, become not only His servant, but the head of a large cathedral.
It was impossible. Yet it had happened.
Theroen was looking at the moon again. He smiled.
 Eventually my wandering led me to a graveyard. Chance? Fate? I don t know. I
could not remember the path I had taken to get there, but it mattered little. I sat with my
head bowed on a stone bench for some time, until finally I implored God to deliver me
from this confusion, and light my path before me.
 God did not answer, but from the darkness beyond the graves a voice whispered
to me. Abraham s voice.
Two shuddered. Her brief meeting with Abraham was still crystal-clear in her
mind. She wondered if it would ever fade.
 Unlikely, Theroen said.  He has that affect on people. I remember this first
meeting with him like it was yesterday.
 You remember everything like it was yesterday, and stop reading her mind.
That s not fair. Melissa was sitting up again, leaning her elbows against her knees, chin
resting on her palms, grinning at them.
 My apologies, Melissa.
 You re just a big showoff! You know Abraham has to be close to people to do it,
and you know I can t do it much at all.
Theroen shrugged.  It is a gift I am thankful for. I will be curious to see if I have
passed it on to Two.
 He got all the good genes, Melissa said.  I d be jealous, but I don t have to talk
to Abraham, so I figure it s a fair trade.
 What did Abraham say to you, Theroen? Two was filled with curiosity. She
could not imagine Theroen, or at least the young priest he had been, willingly accepting
the vampire life.
* * *
 If ever your God was listening, little sheep, he has long since gone deaf.
The voice was no more than a whisper, but it cut through Theroen like a white-hot
blade. He sat up, thoughts of Leopold s actions forgotten, hair on the back of his neck
standing on end, adrenaline surging through his veins. The depth of the voice, the malice
it contained, was unlike anything Theroen had heard before. He groped at the edge of the
bench instinctively, searching desperately for defense against this sudden assault on his
courage. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]