Indulgence (225 page)

I quickly ascended the wooden stairs built into the earth.
The staircase turned into a dirt path that I somehow climbed without much
difficulty and without winding myself. The path led to a tall wall of
conglomerate rock carved by glaciers millions of years earlier. The whole
wooded park was full of rock ledges and outcroppings of the same stone, hence
the park’s name. I paused and pushed my hot body against the cool, moist wall.
It was a welcome relief against my searing flesh. I listened but couldn’t hear
anyone behind me. Maybe Vincent didn’t see me turn off the road. Or maybe he
was waiting for me in the parking lot.

I kept climbing up the path which eventually turned into
smooth stone surrounded by crevices cut deep into the earth and rock formations
protruding toward the sky. I effortlessly leapt over a wide crevice, walked a
few feet and found a clearing in the trees. The moon shone brightly above, not
quite full. The sky was dark with scattered rain clouds looming low. Stars
dotted the clear patches of sky.

I sat down and let my mind wander. I couldn’t understand why
Vincent would make such a statement, why he would claim to be a vampire and
tell me I was one too. He had to be nuts. That was the only explanation. Then
again, over the past few days, he had been trying to point out similarities
between the two of us. Was it just coincidence that we were both cold during
the day and boiling hot at night? He was much colder and hotter than me though,
so what did that mean? Surely it was a coincidence how pale we both were. We
lived in Ohio after all, not the sunniest of locations. And considering the
weather this summer, it was near impossible for anyone to catch any sun. There
were also the strange sleeping habits, but we weren’t the only two in this
world with insomnia. And why would he do this to me now, so soon after my
accident? My life was starting to feel normal again and I was falling back into
my life and my memory was returning. Why would he want to disrupt that with
such an offhanded story?

My mind drifted, and drifted, and drifted until I thought of
nothing at all. I lay on the cool stone, hands behind my head and lost track of
time as I stared at the craters in the moon.

“Allison,” I heard Vincent whisper from the dark. My body
stiffened. Maybe if I didn’t move or say anything, he would go away.

Moments passed, and then I heard, “I can see you.”

I tried looking around without moving my head. Maybe he
would think I was asleep.

“I know you are awake.”

“Lucky guess since I don’t sleep much these days,” I
responded sarcastically.

Vincent emerged, his blue silvery eyes beacons against the
darkness. His eyes reminded me of fire flies that fill the air of summer
nights.

“Allison, let me explain please. Let me tell you your
story.”

“My story?” I sat up. “You talk as if you have known me my
whole life.”

“I have,” he replied. “And I knew your mother Mary, her
mother Camille, your great grandfather Peter, his mother Eleanor, her father
Cyrus…”

“Great, so you did a little digging on my family history.
What’s your point?” I snapped.

“I know them because my brothers and sister have watched
them, and the rest of your lineage for…well, let’s just say a very long time.”
His voice was calm and smooth, his eyes steady.

“I have had enough of your bull!” I shouted and stood up.
“What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you. But you do need me. Do you
want to know what your dream means or how it ends?” Vincent’s eyes glowed as he
slowly approached me. He appeared quite confident and the cockiness rubbed me
the wrong way.

“Oh, yes, please clue me in on what my dreams are trying to
tell me,” I sarcastically responded, flailing an arm in the air.

“Allison, please sit down and I’ll tell you the rest of the
story.”

Though it was dark outside, I could see all of Vincent’s
features in perfect clarity. His high cheekbones were illuminated by the
moonlight; his clear blue eyes glowed like gemstones, the glints of gold slowly
dancing in circles around his pupils and his lips rosy red against the pale
canvas of his skin. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t resist him right
now.

Vincent held my arms as I slowly descended to the ground.
“You feel quite feverish,” he whispered as he knelt next to me. “Are you
feeling well?”

“I’m fine,” I muttered. “Tell me what you think you know
about my dreams.”

“What do you recall from your dreams,” Vincent asked.

“You tell me; apparently you already know what I dream
about.”

“True.” He paused. “Then tell me what you know about
vampires.”

I huffed. “Well, let’s see, Vincent. Vampires are mythical
creatures that don’t exist in reality,” I said, staring straight into his eyes.
“They prey on humans to sustain themselves and don’t like garlic, holy water,
stakes through the heart, sunlight or holy ground. Did I miss anything?”

Vincent chuckled, a low growl billowing in his chest. “I see
you’ve watched one too many vampire movies; your facts are all wrong.”

“Yeah, well enlighten me, please,” I responded flatly.

“Let’s try this. What do you know about how the vampire came
to be; how the first vampire was created?” Vincent asked as he looked sternly
into my eyes. He was serious.

I mockingly placed my index finger on my chin and looked up
in the air. “Hmm, let me see…I got nothing. Apparently Hollywood hasn’t covered
that topic.”

“Hmm,” Vincent hummed as he looked my face over with
amusement. He was so beautiful in the pale moonlight. “I’ll just start at the
beginning. Do you know where you are in your dream?”

“No.”

“Any idea?” His face hovered close to mine and a rush of
desire ran over me, but I restrained myself. I couldn’t figure out what it was
that drew me to him. I had to turn my head and look away from his captivating
eyes. “The perfect garden, filled with every type of vegetation possible. Every
animal exists there in peace.” He whispered the words close to my neck, sending
a chill over my otherwise blazing hot skin. Vincent studied my face, looking
for a sign that I had some inkling that I knew what he was talking about.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” I whispered, “but can you
please get to the point?” I stated with slight irritation hoping he would back
away. It didn’t work.

“Ever hear of the Garden of Eden?” He was still searching my
face, still breathing on my neck.

I turned to face him. “Of course I have. Twelve years of
Catholic school will teach you a thing or two about the Bible,” I snipped. “Are
you trying to tell me that I’m dreaming about the Garden of Eden? The place
doesn’t exist.” I scooted away, attempting to put some distance between us.

“Actually, it did. But the Bible doesn’t tell you that; it
allows you to believe it is a contrived place, created to illustrate the point
of man’s original sin. There are other things that have been left out of the
Bible as well.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Well, since your education versed you so well on the book
of Genesis,” Vincent smirked and moved closer, “I’ll just give you some of the
highlights. You know the story of Adam and Eve and how they ate fruit from the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which the Lord forbade them from doing,
right?”

“Yes, of course. The Lord came down and kicked Adam and Eve
out of the garden.”

“That’s right,” Vincent said. “When doing that, the Lord
also damned the serpent that had tempted Eve. Do you recall what that damnation
entailed?”

I strained my mind, but the details weren’t there. “No, I
don’t remember that much.”

“So much for that pricey Catholic education.” He was
obviously amused. This was fun for him. “The Lord damned the serpent to a
miserable life on earth and placed a permanent rift between it and man so that
the serpent could never use its persuasion over mankind again.”

“Yeah, that sounds familiar,” I said, still trying to recall
my days of Bible study.

“Adam and Eve forfeited eternal life, for themselves and all
of mankind, and were forced to toil in the field for survival. In this new
home
,”
he dwelled on the word, “they had two sons.”

“Yeah, yeah – Cain and Abel.”

“And do you know their story?” Vincent asked, raising an
eyebrow, clearly pleased I recalled their names.

“Cain was jealous of the success Abel was enjoying in his
labors and the praise he received from the Lord and Cain killed Abel. But this
is all written in the Bible.”

“You are right on both points. But the story omitted from
the Bible is what Cain did next,” Vincent snarled close to my ear.

My curiosity peaked. I shifted my body to face Vincent.

“Cain was so wrought with guilt over killing his brother
that he didn’t know what to do. He asked the Lord and his family for
forgiveness, and it was granted, but he couldn’t forgive himself. He did not
know how to live with himself for what he had done and yet he didn’t have the
courage to end his own life. He could not inflict that additional grief upon
his mother, father and wife. So Cain decided to leave, to wander, to try to
clear his mind. He wasn’t sure where he was going or what he was looking for,
he just needed some time away.

“Cain wandered until he came upon a garden…you know the one.
He had never seen this place before, but he felt drawn to it. He entered the
tropical paradise and felt peace; he felt at
home
, like he belonged
there. Do you ever have that feeling when you dream of this place?”

I absentmindedly nodded my head. I longed to dream of this
garden because of the sense of calm and tranquility it bestowed upon me, for
the sense of contentment I felt after exploring this paradise.

“I thought so. Cain spent time just wandering through the
garden, smelling the flowers, listening to the birds, watching the animals,
until he was drawn forward by…”

“The sound of water,” I murmured.

“Yes. The sound of the water drew Cain forward until he
reached a clearing. You know what he saw then, don’t you?”

It was apparent Vincent enjoyed telling this story. Or maybe
he was enjoying the attention I was now giving him. Either way, the thrill
seemed to illuminate his eyes even more.

“Yes, the crazy, misplaced lights glittering from the other
side of the garden!” I leaned in.

“Mmm hmm,” Vincent replied in an encouraging hum. “Then
what?”

“The stranger, I mean Cain, made his way to the tree with
the sparkling fruit.”

“Yes, but Cain did not realize it was the tree that his
parents had eaten from and which had caused them, and all of mankind, to be
banished from that garden for all of eternity and denied any chance at eternal
life.”

“Oh, no,” I exclaimed. I didn’t realize Vincent’s hand was
on my shoulder as my dream flashed through my head, clear as day. I saw Cain
and the serpent speaking at the tree and I instantly knew what happened as I
could now hear the entire conversation, unlike my muted dream. “He was tempted
by the serpent, just like his mother!”

“Yes, only this time there were more devastating
consequences. After biting the apple, Cain fell to the ground as poison flowed
through his veins. The serpent slithered to his side and whispered in his ear
that he could save Cain, but only if Cain promised to carry out his work on
earth. If he did not agree, Cain would die.”

I leaned in closer, as if that would speed the story.

“Cain, fearing death, agreed without knowing all of the
details of the contract he was about to sign in his blood. The serpent struck
Cain in the neck, the venom permanently changing him, bestowing upon him the
eternal life his parents threw away. Only this wasn’t the eternal life that the
Lord had promised Adam and Eve. This was a damned existence on earth. Sure the
serpent and his new disciple could not exercise their persuasion over mankind
like the snake had with Adam and Eve…the Lord had prevented that. But that
didn’t stop the serpent from inflicting pain on mankind, stealing its souls and
committing them to eternal damnation.”

Vincent paused for effect. I was enamored by the story and
the smooth voice that told it. It was quite an interesting tale and if true,
clearly apparent why it wasn’t included in the Bible. Such truths, if known to
man, would inflict vast fear. But then it hit me - this could be just a tall
tale. Vincent could be feeding me a line, a piece of fiction conjured up in his
mind. But I couldn’t imagine why he would do that. I also couldn’t imagine what
his point was with all of this.

“Well that’s a great story,” I said, “but what does any of
this have to do with me? You said earlier that this was, and I quote, my
story.” I made air quotes with my fingers for added effect.

“I will get to that; I wanted to give you some time to
absorb that piece of history.”

I snorted. History, huh? Vincent continued.

“Cain didn’t know what he had signed up for at first. He was
in so much pain from the poison in his system that he didn’t realize the
serpent had bitten his neck. Cain lay on the ground for several hours, maybe
even days, first turning icy cold,” Vincent paused on those words, “then
turning fiery hot.” He paused again. “When he woke, he felt parched and set out
in the garden towards the river to drink the sweet liquid. On his way to the
river, a pack of gazelles crossed his path. A sensation rushed over Cain like
nothing he ever felt before. It stirred in his stomach like a fireball and
spread its way over his entire body. He had no control over his next actions as
he broke into a sprint, running as fast as the wind, springing on the slowest
creature in the pack. He sunk his teeth into the animal’s throat and devoured
its blood.”

I gasped. Vincent was quite the storyteller, his face
animated as he spoke of Cain’s urge and how he attacked his prey. He was now on
his feet, throwing his arms in the air for added drama.