Chapter two: finding Frankenstein
Gabriel was silent for a long moment as the ghosts last words echoed through his mind. Slowly he began to understand that he could bring her back to life, that he could be with her, give her back what he had taken and so much more. If he could pull this off as Valerious the elder had said, he could take care of her and tell her exactly how he felt about her. But she had wanted to see her family so much that he didn't know if she truly wanted to be resurrected.
He had only been told that she 'understood' what she had to do but did she really want to do it? Would she be happy if he brought her back? He was almost torn in two by the decision. Would he be selfish, or selfless?
Slowly he seated himself on the bed next to Anna's dormant form. Tenderly stroking her hair away from her face before touching her cheek more gently than he though he could.
'Oh Anna, I don't know what to do.' He sighed heavily 'if I bring you back, will you hate me for my selfishness? If I don't will you hate me for not trying?'
'Hate is a strong word Mr Van Helsing'
Van Helsing closed his eyes and hung his head low, he wanted to hear her heavily accented voice again so badly that he was beginning to hear it in his head.
His hand, which had been resting on Anna's hand, suddenly turned ice cold and he snapped his eyes open to see what had caused the temperature change. He stared in disbelief at the transparent hand which rested on top of his. The hand was pale and elegant, obviously female. But the thing that had his eyes glued was a ring.
On the third finger of the hand was a delicate silver ring baring a crest, the family crest of the Valerious.
Swallowing hard, Van Helsing slowly glanced up and to his right and sure enough, standing right beside him was Anna's spirit.
He stared for a long moment, open mouthed. She looked so... alive, apart from the fact that he could see straight through her, but he didn't seem to notice it.
He took another big gulp and a deep breath before he tried to speak. Her name passed his lips as nothing more than a whisper as a single tear slid down his cheek silently.
She smiled he radiant smile then stepped back.
'You know what to do Gabriel' she continued to back away and slowly began to fade. Van Helsing jumped to his feet
'Wait,' his voice had returned 'I don't know at all, I know what I have been told but I don't know what you want me to do Anna. Tell me and I'll do it'
Anna smiled again and reached out to touch his cheek, the same ice cold bit at his flesh but he ignored it.
'Find Frankenstein'
Van Helsing smiled as he brought his hand up to hers as it rested on his face, he stared deep into her eyes until he found himself gazing at the wall, his hand resting on his own cheek, Anna had gone.
Van Helsing stood alone in the room but he spoke the words he had wanted to say to her, knowing that she would hear him.
'I'm sorry Anna; I didn't mean to hurt you'
Then as he turned to face her body lying on the bed, her voice whispered in his ear
'It was not you Van Helsing, it was the werewolf.'
'But I was the werewolf'
'No, the wolf is something else, not the person infected.'
'I still feel I need to apologise Anna, I need forgiveness.'
'You have it, without question'
---
The double doors burst open with a loud WHACK causing Carl to squeal like a small child and topple backwards off of his chair. Slowly he righted the small cap on his head and peered over the top of the table to see the cause of the noise. He released the breath he had been holding onto and stood up again.
'Van Helsing, must you always do that?'
Gabriel Van Helsing smirked 'as a matter of fact Carl, yes'
'Where is....erm....well,' Carl stuttered, not knowing if he should say her name.
'Anna?' Van Helsing asked.
'Yes, where is she?'
'I put her in her room; I was in there when I saw Valerious the elder.'
'What? you saw a ghost?'
'Two actually'
'TWO?'
'Yes, the elder...' he paused and smiled slightly 'and Anna'
'Oh my, what did they... erm...well'
Van Helsing sighed at Carls inability to say what he meant, and walked over to the table. He grabbed a chair and pulled it out before sitting on it.
'They said that we can bring life back to Anna's body, that she wasn't meant to die.'
'Erm...h...how?'
'Frankenstein.'
Carl just looked at him blankly as he returned himself to the chair he had just fallen from. Van Helsing rolled his eyes.
'The monster that Dracula was using to bring his children to life. We need to find him, get him to agree to participate in bringing her back and then we must go back to castle Dracula.
'How do we convince him?'
Carl was beginning to get excited by the plan
'We say please'
---
Van Helsing strode down towards the old ruined windmill where he and Anna had first discovered the creature.
Carl scurried along behind him, 'but, Van Helsing, how do we bring her back? The equipment was damaged when you fought Dracula'
'That's where you come in.'
'Me?' it was even more a squeak than a question.
'Yes, you like fixing things'
'I like inventing things!'
'Same thing.' Van Helsing turned around and placed his hand on Carls shoulder. 'If there is anyone who can fix that equipment, it's you Carl. I have faith in you'
'Oh, well in that case yes I suppose I could put it back together'
Van Helsing smiled and turned to continue the search for Frankenstein's creation.
---
'What are you doing here?'
The voice was a low rumble through the darkness.
'Frankenstein, we need to speak with you' Van Helsing stood calmly in the centre of the darkened cave, Carl hiding behind him, clutching to his cloak like a scared child.
'What do you want?'
'You remember your friend?...our friend; Princess Anna'
Slowly the creature moved into the light, his head hung low clutching his hands together.
'I remember,' he made eye contact with van Helsing 'she is the only person to ever say 'thank you' to me. Like I am not a monster.'
'You are not a monster my friend, believe me. I have seen many monsters; you are not one of them'
The creature smiled slightly, 'why did you come here?'
'We need your help' Carl piped up from behind van Helsing. 'When Anna was trying to give Van Helsing the antidote he was still in wolf form and he killed her' Carl blurted out on one breath without thinking first.
He saw van Helsing hang his head in shame; the creature went silent and placed his hand on Van Helsing's shoulder.
'You wish for me to go back with you don't you? To castle Dracula'
Van Helsing nodded. 'I have seen both Anna and Valerious the elder in my grief. The elder told me that Anna was not destined to die and that you can help us bring her back and fulfil her true destiny'
The creature nodded, 'I shall help you.'
Van Helsing met his gaze with wide eyes 'you will?'
'We are friends, and friends help each other. You were good to me when no one else was, all of you. You did not judge me like everyone else, so I shall help you.'
'Thank you,' Van Helsing whispered 'Thank you' placing his hand on the creature's shoulder he smiled, and Frankenstein smiled back.
'Right then, now that's all sorted, let's go' Carl said rubbing his hands together. I have a lot of work to be getting on with.
The creature and Van Helsing exchanged amused glances before following Carl out into the night.
Gabriel was silent for a long moment as the ghosts last words echoed through his mind. Slowly he began to understand that he could bring her back to life, that he could be with her, give her back what he had taken and so much more. If he could pull this off as Valerious the elder had said, he could take care of her and tell her exactly how he felt about her. But she had wanted to see her family so much that he didn't know if she truly wanted to be resurrected.
He had only been told that she 'understood' what she had to do but did she really want to do it? Would she be happy if he brought her back? He was almost torn in two by the decision. Would he be selfish, or selfless?
Slowly he seated himself on the bed next to Anna's dormant form. Tenderly stroking her hair away from her face before touching her cheek more gently than he though he could.
'Oh Anna, I don't know what to do.' He sighed heavily 'if I bring you back, will you hate me for my selfishness? If I don't will you hate me for not trying?'
'Hate is a strong word Mr Van Helsing'
Van Helsing closed his eyes and hung his head low, he wanted to hear her heavily accented voice again so badly that he was beginning to hear it in his head.
His hand, which had been resting on Anna's hand, suddenly turned ice cold and he snapped his eyes open to see what had caused the temperature change. He stared in disbelief at the transparent hand which rested on top of his. The hand was pale and elegant, obviously female. But the thing that had his eyes glued was a ring.
On the third finger of the hand was a delicate silver ring baring a crest, the family crest of the Valerious.
Swallowing hard, Van Helsing slowly glanced up and to his right and sure enough, standing right beside him was Anna's spirit.
He stared for a long moment, open mouthed. She looked so... alive, apart from the fact that he could see straight through her, but he didn't seem to notice it.
He took another big gulp and a deep breath before he tried to speak. Her name passed his lips as nothing more than a whisper as a single tear slid down his cheek silently.
She smiled he radiant smile then stepped back.
'You know what to do Gabriel' she continued to back away and slowly began to fade. Van Helsing jumped to his feet
'Wait,' his voice had returned 'I don't know at all, I know what I have been told but I don't know what you want me to do Anna. Tell me and I'll do it'
Anna smiled again and reached out to touch his cheek, the same ice cold bit at his flesh but he ignored it.
'Find Frankenstein'
Van Helsing smiled as he brought his hand up to hers as it rested on his face, he stared deep into her eyes until he found himself gazing at the wall, his hand resting on his own cheek, Anna had gone.
Van Helsing stood alone in the room but he spoke the words he had wanted to say to her, knowing that she would hear him.
'I'm sorry Anna; I didn't mean to hurt you'
Then as he turned to face her body lying on the bed, her voice whispered in his ear
'It was not you Van Helsing, it was the werewolf.'
'But I was the werewolf'
'No, the wolf is something else, not the person infected.'
'I still feel I need to apologise Anna, I need forgiveness.'
'You have it, without question'
---
The double doors burst open with a loud WHACK causing Carl to squeal like a small child and topple backwards off of his chair. Slowly he righted the small cap on his head and peered over the top of the table to see the cause of the noise. He released the breath he had been holding onto and stood up again.
'Van Helsing, must you always do that?'
Gabriel Van Helsing smirked 'as a matter of fact Carl, yes'
'Where is....erm....well,' Carl stuttered, not knowing if he should say her name.
'Anna?' Van Helsing asked.
'Yes, where is she?'
'I put her in her room; I was in there when I saw Valerious the elder.'
'What? you saw a ghost?'
'Two actually'
'TWO?'
'Yes, the elder...' he paused and smiled slightly 'and Anna'
'Oh my, what did they... erm...well'
Van Helsing sighed at Carls inability to say what he meant, and walked over to the table. He grabbed a chair and pulled it out before sitting on it.
'They said that we can bring life back to Anna's body, that she wasn't meant to die.'
'Erm...h...how?'
'Frankenstein.'
Carl just looked at him blankly as he returned himself to the chair he had just fallen from. Van Helsing rolled his eyes.
'The monster that Dracula was using to bring his children to life. We need to find him, get him to agree to participate in bringing her back and then we must go back to castle Dracula.
'How do we convince him?'
Carl was beginning to get excited by the plan
'We say please'
---
Van Helsing strode down towards the old ruined windmill where he and Anna had first discovered the creature.
Carl scurried along behind him, 'but, Van Helsing, how do we bring her back? The equipment was damaged when you fought Dracula'
'That's where you come in.'
'Me?' it was even more a squeak than a question.
'Yes, you like fixing things'
'I like inventing things!'
'Same thing.' Van Helsing turned around and placed his hand on Carls shoulder. 'If there is anyone who can fix that equipment, it's you Carl. I have faith in you'
'Oh, well in that case yes I suppose I could put it back together'
Van Helsing smiled and turned to continue the search for Frankenstein's creation.
---
'What are you doing here?'
The voice was a low rumble through the darkness.
'Frankenstein, we need to speak with you' Van Helsing stood calmly in the centre of the darkened cave, Carl hiding behind him, clutching to his cloak like a scared child.
'What do you want?'
'You remember your friend?...our friend; Princess Anna'
Slowly the creature moved into the light, his head hung low clutching his hands together.
'I remember,' he made eye contact with van Helsing 'she is the only person to ever say 'thank you' to me. Like I am not a monster.'
'You are not a monster my friend, believe me. I have seen many monsters; you are not one of them'
The creature smiled slightly, 'why did you come here?'
'We need your help' Carl piped up from behind van Helsing. 'When Anna was trying to give Van Helsing the antidote he was still in wolf form and he killed her' Carl blurted out on one breath without thinking first.
He saw van Helsing hang his head in shame; the creature went silent and placed his hand on Van Helsing's shoulder.
'You wish for me to go back with you don't you? To castle Dracula'
Van Helsing nodded. 'I have seen both Anna and Valerious the elder in my grief. The elder told me that Anna was not destined to die and that you can help us bring her back and fulfil her true destiny'
The creature nodded, 'I shall help you.'
Van Helsing met his gaze with wide eyes 'you will?'
'We are friends, and friends help each other. You were good to me when no one else was, all of you. You did not judge me like everyone else, so I shall help you.'
'Thank you,' Van Helsing whispered 'Thank you' placing his hand on the creature's shoulder he smiled, and Frankenstein smiled back.
'Right then, now that's all sorted, let's go' Carl said rubbing his hands together. I have a lot of work to be getting on with.
The creature and Van Helsing exchanged amused glances before following Carl out into the night.