Characters (c) Cosgrove Hall Story, Benedikt, Meinhard, Ermintrude, Friedhelm, John Seward III (aka Johnny) (c) to me, Steffie

Enjoy

Mein Kind part 1

Welcome, dear viewers, to another dark night of Translyvania. Where every night the werewolves howl to the moon and vampires come out to play.

Meanwhile, deep within Castle Duckula

"Why doesn't that Doctor Von Goosewing have any heirs?" the vulture wondered out loud to himself as he paged through his spell book as he looked for a spell that should answer his question. This question had bugged him ever since he heard that the current doctor is the last of the Von Goosewings.

It's not that he actually cares for the doctor that he's worried that the old gander didn't have any sons; what worried him the most would be what would happen if he passed away. At least the Van Goslings and Von Goosewings destroyed vampires because it's their duty and they are noble people. Plus, Igor actually understood how they work.

But, what if vampire hunters would start hunting his master because they were promised riches beyond their wildest imaginations if they destroyed his master? That type of attitude disgusts Igor. His masters are not animals to be hunted as if it's open season.

"Ah ha! I've finally found the spell that would allow me to found out why Dr. Von Goosewing doesn't have any sons." Igor smirked. As the vulture chanted, dark purple lights swirled around him like miniature planets. After a few minutes, Igor found himself inside a bar. Around him were many species of geese enjoying their drinks and companionship. No one had noticed the vulture that came from nowhere.

'So, the spell made me invisible as well? That's a relief.' Igor smiled to himself. "Congratulation, Von Goosewing!" a heavily accented German voice honked. The butler whipped his head around the moment he heard the name. There behind him was a table that was occupied by five vampire hunters, judging by the vampire-hunting equipment that lay against their chairs. But, which one is the doctor?

"Danke, Benedikt!" a handsome gander smiled as he blushed. He looked to be in his early forties. Igor's eyes widened when he realized the young gander wore the same outfit Sibelius Smogg's butler wore. But, he didn't wear a pince-nez at all. So, this is Dr. Von Goosewing?

"It's about time, Erich. I vos gettink vorried about you und Ermintrude having nein kinders." A gander smirked behind his beer. The outfit he wore reminded Igor of what noblemen wore from the early 1800's. The gander's platinum-blonde curly hair was waist-lengthed as well.
"Friedhelm, ssh!" the oldest-looking gander scolded the blonde. The old man wore a simple brown outfit that reminded Igor of the rags peasants wore.
"It iz okay, Meinhard." Goosewing smiled.
"Vell, I am very surprised Ermie finally laid an egg three months ago already. You zwei do not vont kinders I heff thought." the youngest-looking gander replied. He wore grey robes and thick-rimmed glasses. His fringe feathers were unkempt as well.
"Vell, ve didn't vont any at first, Heinrich, but vhe zhen decided maybe ein kind von't be bad." Goosewing shrugged.

Everyone stopped with what they were doing when the inn's door suddenly swung open. The fowls stared at the newcomer. It was a young gander that leaned against the door with difficulty. His blue business suit was a bit dirty and torn in some places. His black shoes were muddy and looked quite worn. His top hat looked as if a werewolf had eaten it and spat it out. Needless to say, the gander himself looked quite badly beaten up. "Johnny?" Dr. Von Goosewing whispered in a worried tone as he got up to his and approached the gander.
"Professor? Iz zat you?" the gander gasped as he lost his balance. Goosewing caught the gander just in time. The other vampire hunters rushed up to the duo.

"Quick, vhe must take him to ze dokter!" Goosewing stated as Friedhelm lifted the gander up with no effort. The vampire hunters rushed to the doctor, worry filled their being.

Igor suddenly felt the spell transport him into the clinic. The injured Johnny lay in the bed while Dr. Von Goosewing and the other vampire hunters sat around his bed. They watched nervously as the wounded gander muttered in pain.
"It vos horrible!" Johnny gasped in pain.
"Johnny, vot happened to you?" Dr. Von Goosewing asked, worried about his student. "Horrible it vos! Never thought I'd make it"
"For ze lieb of all zings holy, vot happened?!" Meinhard demanded. He was about to shake the fowl by the shoulders, but Friedhelm grabbed him by the wrists and gestured it wouldn't be a wise decision for him to do so.
"Powerful wampires I heff ever seen! Nein of mein wampire equipment hurt them they could." Johnny gasped in pain.
"Vot, not even holy voter, stakes und der crosspiece?" Meinhard's hard expression turned to that of worry. He turned around to face his comrades. They too looked just as worried as him. Vampire that can't get killed by traditional vampire equipment? Igor smiled evilly as he became quite intrigued. "Nein. Ze dark kult zat heff created ze wampires make sure zhey khant get hurt by ze traditional wampire equipment"
"Mein Gott!" Dr. Von Goosewing gasped.

"Zat iz not ze vorst of dit!" Johnny screamed in frustration. The vampire hunters jumped in fright at the reaction. Igor's evil grin became wider as he imagined what the horrible news would be.
"Johnny, calm down you must." Dr. Von Goosewing cooed.
"How calm khan I be vhen der wampires are on ze way here"
"Vot"
"Ja, on the way here zhey are!"

As if on cue, mighty roars were heard from outside the village. "Wampires!!" the vampire hunters heard the villagers scream. They grabbed hold of their vampire equipment. Along with his traditional weapons, Dr. Von Goosewing grabbed hold of one of his latest inventions: his trademark musket that fired stakes. Heinrich grabbed hold of his spellbook and tucked it under his arm.
"Even if vhe khant stop zhem, try vhe must!" Dr. Von Goosewing stated with determination.

The vampire hunters ran out of the clinic and into the streets. They felt their blood run cold the moment they saw the vampires. There were ten dozen of the twenty-foot vampires. Each of them looked like they were crossed between werewolves, demons and the traditional vampire ducks. Some transformed into bats, some into wolves while others simply stayed in their true forms as they hunted the villagers.

"Stay away you must!" Meinhard shouted as he fired several silver bullets at various vampires. They all strike their targets, but nothing happened. The vampires actually looked as the elderly gander as if he had a few screws loose! Friedhelm tried to attack by using his fists instead, but was swatted away like a pesky fly. Benedikt threw holy water over the vampires, but the liquid rolled off their body instead of killing them.
"It iz nein gud!" Heinrich sobbed after he found out his spells didn't work at all on the vampires. The vampire hunters were horrified as they realized they couldn't help the villagers at all.

Dr. Von Goosewing felt his entire body shake as tears threatened to leak out of his eyes.
"Nein, not give up I shall!" the gander gritted his teeth as he used his musket to fire at several vampires. To everyone's surprise, the vampires were turned to dust!
"Zat iz it! Der wampires are protected against magic, but not against technology! Saved vhe are!"

The vampire hunters and villagers cheered as Dr. Von Goosewing destroyed the vampires one by one. The hunters even gave the gander their stakes whenever it seemed he would run out. After what seemed like hours, there was only one vampire left.
"Get him, Erich! Get zhat swinehund!" Meinhard cheered as Goosewing aimed for the last super-vampire. The vampire opened its mouth to speak in a deep grumbling voice.

"Do not think this is the end, vampire hunter! We shall hunt you down and any of your children and their descendants till the end of time! Why, you dare ask? Your children might inherit your vampire-hunting skills, and we must not have that"
Suddenly, the vampire and the ashes of its destroyed comrades transformed into red fumes.
"Uh oh, not look good it does." Heinrich whispered as the red fumes spread throughout the village. The flowers wilted the moment the red fumes flew passed them.
"Everyone, don't breathe the fumes in!" Goosewing shouted as he covered his beak with a hankerchief the moment he noticed the flowers.

But, it was too late. The sick and frail villagers were already killed the moment they accidentally inhaled the fumes. The healthier villagers and the other vampire hunters were in severe pain as the red fumes infected them with a mysterious disease. They eventually died when the pain was too much for them to bear.

Igor felt himself being transported into the bedroom of a smart cottage. He watched as Dr. Von Goosewing sobbed uncontrollably as he hugged the motionless body of his once-beautiful wife close to his chest. She was one of the villagers that died the moment they inhaled the toxic fumes in. The toxic fumes also affected her appearance. It made her once beautiful snow-white plumage a dull brown, her golden curls were now a dull yellow and thinned out. Her usually plump body was now just skin and bone.

"Oh Ermintrude, mein liebling!", Goosewing sobbed as he stroked his fingers against the cold cheekbones of his late wife, "So sorry I am. I heff failed you, zhe willagers und mein fellow wampire hunters. Now you are all nein more. Now it's only me und our kind"
Dr. Von Goosewing sobbed loudly while he took the blankets off the bed and cradled the egg in his arms. Taking one last look at his wife, he hugged the egg closer to his body as he allowed the tears to roll freely down his cheeks.

Igor was taken aback when he realized he almost felt remorse. No, that can't be. He always enjoyed it when people suffer. So, what made it so different this time?
"Ugh, that's it! I must transform the young master into a true vampire very soon. His good nature is starting to influence me."

"Peep! Peep! Peep!" a high-pitched voice filled the air. Dr. Von Goosewing whipped his head around in fright. His eyes widened in fright when he felt the egg wiggle as large cracks started to appear. Goosewing laid the egg onto the bed.
"Unk?" Dr. Von Goosewing answered the gosling's call in a soft, nasal-like honk.
"Peep! Peep! Peep!!" the high-pitched voice became frantic as the gosling struggled to get out of its prison. "Unk! Unk! Unk!" Dr. Von Goosewing answered. As if its father's honks gave it enough strength, the gosling's tiny beak suddenly bust through the shell. The gosling gave one might shove and it finally destroyed the egg.

"Peep! Peep! Peep!" the gosling called for its parents. "Unk!" Dr. Von Goosewing replied as he cradled the gosling close to his arms, nuzzling the hatchling with his beak. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks.
"Peep!" the gosling squeaked as it smiled at its father. The doctor noticed the gosling had the same colour eyes as him; and its down were a golden yellow. It also had the same golden yellow tuffs of hair of its mother.

"Now, vot to call you..." Goosewing pondered out loud as he stroked his chin. "Oh, mein daughter you are!", Goosewing smiled sheepishly the moment he noticed the hatchling's his daughter,"Vell, I shall call you...Giovanna! Zhat iz zhe name your Mutti vonted you to be called, ja!" Goosewing sighed sadly as he turned his head to face his late wife.

"So, Dr. Von Goosewing has a daughter instead?!" Igor gasped in surprise. So, that's why the spell showed him the gander's past? Before he could ponder more, he felt the ground shake.
"What in Hades' name is going on?" Igor shouted out loud as he felt himself transported back to the present. After the ground stopped shaking, the butler decided to look for the source of the shaking.

After a few minutes, he found his master and Nanny standing in the main hall. The mallard wore blue swimming trunks, black shades and had a surfboard under one arm. Nanny wore a pink frilly bathing costume with matching swimming cap.
"There you are, Igor! We were looking for you! Come, and put your swimming trunks on!" Duckula ordered. "What for, M'Lord"
"Wait, don't you remember what I told you this morning?" Duckula frowned as he lowered his shades. Igor then remembered why he disappeared into the deepest parts of the castle: to hide away.

"Would the M'Lord mind if he refreshes my memory?" Igor droned, hoping this was all a horrible nightmare.
"Igor, I transported the castle to Miami so that we can have a vacation. That's where everyone's going nowadays for their vacation."

As the tourists shudder in fear as they heard horrific deep screams echo from Castle Duckula, I fear I must bid you farewell, for now...

To be continued...