This chapter is by no means important. It was meant to be important, but now it got too long generally and in the end it's only the prelude to the important chapter, which would be the next one… I hope… ^^

So I won't blame you if you just skip this one… Though I kind of enjoy writing such meaningless parts. Especially since I'm not good at writing long stories that have a plot. ^^

I wished my English would be better… T_T

Chapter III : The day before

By Kia

The sky was clear, the air mild. Moonlight printed the whole world in silver. The stars smiled gently down from heaven and Analie smiled back as she carefully climbed across the roof of her house and sat down on her favourite spot.

"Hi, Papa!", she said to the stars. The stars didn't answer.

Unimpressed, the girl continued.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you for so long, but I was sooo busy with helping mama and the others on the fields. We found potatoes this year that were this big!" She stretched her arms as wide as possible, hoping that he would get the message. "But I was thinking of you a lot. With you, we could have done this so much faster!"

Analie looked up to the shining stars and tried to remember the face of the man she had seen for the last time when she was three years old. When he hadn't returned that day the whole village went searching for him, but they still needed two days to find his corpse, utterly drained of blood. He was now buried in the small graveyard outside the village, under a tree.

Analie had needed weeks and months to finally understand that he wasn't going to come home, and then she had started talking to him at night. Somehow, like this she felt that he was still with them, even after all this time. "Even though she couldn't remember his face anymore…

"I shall say 'Hi' from Razi to you.", she continued. "And from Mama too, I'm sure, though I haven't asked her. She doesn't like talking about you, you know." Noticing that her words could be easily misunderstood the girl shook her head quickly. "But, I'm sure that is only because she thinks about you so much.. She still misses you a lot. You miss us too, don't you?"

Silence. Analie's heart sank a bit. "I wished you could tell me."

A sad smile was shown on her face and soon after replaced by a happy one.

"I'm eight years old now, did you know that? Since yesterday. Razi's eleven. And mean! Do you know how I found this wonderful place here?" Her hand the dry wood of the roof she was sitting on. " I always saw Razi climbing around on the roofs though Mama doesn't like it. But he would never ever tell me how to get up here. Said it was too dangerous for a little girl and such!" She pouted. "So I went and found out all by myself! Ain't I smart?" She smiled at the stars broadly. "And tomorrow the whole village will have a big festival, to celebrate the good harvest this year. That means we won't have any work to do during the day. And I can stay up aaaalll night!" Carefully she got to her feet again. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow night, I promise!", she said with one last glance at the stars, and climbed back to her window to return to her bed before anyone noticed her absence.

***

Just downstairs and five hours later Meriah roamed through the kitchen, washing the tomatoes, cutting the carrots and wondering what the hell her son had tome to her kitchen knife before she decided that she probably didn't want to know.

Luckily the harvest had been good this year, unlike the one five years ago, when it was too dry and everything had died, so the vegetables and the grain were quite cheap now. Only the meat was still expensive because most of it had to be exported from other villages, but they didn't need much, so that wasn't a problem at all.

Not that could have afforded much. Meriah always helped out in the larger shop down the street and during the harvest she worked on the fields like everyone else, but all in all she hardly earned enough to lead a more r less decent life with her children.

In fact, she thought as she watched her son come down the stairs, Raziel could need a new shirt sooner or later.

"Good morning, dear!" she said and turned her attention back to the carrots before the knife she was using decided that copping fingers was nice too. "Did you sleep well?"

"More or less.", Raziel answered. He picked p an apple from the basket on the table, decided to call it breakfast and eat it.

"Is your sister up already?"

"Don't think so. I tried to wake her up but she wasn't too enthusiastic about moving."

Well, that wasn't exactly a surprise. Analie had never been a morning person. Pretty much like her mother, but Meriah herself had learned to handle it after… it became necessary.

"Maybe she just didn't get enough sleep last night…" Raziel added with a grin but apparently didn't feel the need to explain his words.

"Well, since there's no school today I'll let her sleep in a little. And you…" Meriah handed her son an empty can and a few coins. "…go to Tar's place and buy some milk. I used everything for Analie's birthday cake yesterday."

Raziel rolled his eyes. "That's what you get for standing up in time!", he grumbled before he put on his shoes.

His mother watched him through the window as he left. He really needed a new shirt one of these days. And a new haircut, but that was something he really hated. It was nearly impossible to make him cut his hair that by this time almost fell to his shoulders.

It was the colour of his hair, and nothing else. All the years that passed  the young woman had hoped that at least one of her children would turn out to look like their deceased father. But despite having Grum's black hair and his dark eyes Raziel's face resembled more her own. And he was too skinny and too small, even for his age, whereas his father had been tall and strong. Analie, on the other hand, looked more and more like her grandmother each day. If her hair continued to lighten up like that she'd soon be as fair as Meriah's mother had been. So at least her daughter resembled a person she had loves once, and lost. Sometimes it made the woman  feel that like this, at least one of her loves ones lived on in their descendants.

Meriah sighed sadly over this thoughts and continued to cut her vegetables.

***

In all its history the village of Aukrug never had more than two-hundred inhabitants. It was getting even less now, because most of the young people left to the bigger cities. Aukrug was too small, too far off, and it was hard to find work here, especially if one wasn't a fan of grain and potatoes.

So for the lack of children the school Analie and Raziel visited wasn't exactly a school but a table, with six or seven kids sitting around it and an old man trying to tech them general things he thought they had to know.

Raziel had his own opinion concerning these general things but after some bad experiences with their 'teachers' temper he had learned to keep them to himself – most of the time.

The other kids were all fourteen and above and would leave school soon and after than probably the village, leaving only him and his sister for they were the youngest. And after that Analie would soon be all alone there, if old geezer Hane didn't decide even sooner that only two 'hopeless cases' wouldn't be worth his time. Then they would stay stupid forever. Oh, what a pity!

Still the small size of their village made Raziel wonder. Because if it was so small, how could every way be so long? When he was little he had learned very soon that no matter where in Aukrug he was, his house was always at the other end of it. Even, it seemed, when he was at their neighbours place.

And the can for the milk wasn't exactly unheavy as well. Well, actually it was, but it wouldn't be, once the milk was in it.

The only place to get milk here was tar's bar – at the other end of the village. Tar, the owner, had come here from another village nearby that went by the name of Kropp after he got married for the second time. Kropp had about twice as much inhabitants as Aukrug and most of them were cows. So one day Tar had taken his personal army of cows and his old family and moved to his new wife's hometown. Those animals always seemed a bid displaced here, especially since there was hardly any grass to eat for them but somehow everyone got used to them. Even when their fence was broken again and they took a short walk around the corner in search for any tasty flowers or vegetables in the gardens - not that there would have been much. They never even got close to Raziel's house anyway. Probably thought it was too far away…

***

Of course the bar was almost empty at this time of the day. Tar himself was sitting on a table, quietly talking to Kurin, an old friend of Raziel's father. The sight made him remember his sisters nightly talks to him and he sighed sadly as he entered the room.

Words of conversation reached Raziel's ear and caught his attention. Apparently neither of the two men had yet taken notice of his presence and so he stayed silent and hoped they wouldn't look in his direction for they had adopted the bad habit of changing the topic once he came in sight.

***

"Arn said he saw it himself when he was there."

"The blue thing?" Tar smirked. Arn said a lot on a long day.

"Yepp, complete with wings and all.", Kurin replied.

"Well, then Arn can be happy – unlike me – that be made it back alive and safe, huh?" Tar didn't even try to hide his sarcasm and Kurin who knew of the barman's dislike of his friend only chuckled. Then Tar fell silent because he had looked up and seen Grum's boy beside the door.

"Hey, Raziel!", he called. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just came in.", the boy answered and came over to the table. Kurin got up.

"Well, I have to leave, anyway.", he explained. "Raz, how's your mother doing?"

Raziel shrugged. "She's okay."

"That's good to know. Say 'Hi' to her from me, would you?"

Tar let out an unheard sigh as he watched Kurin more or less flee from the bar. Though he never said so and though it was utterly stupid he was sure the Kurin somehow felt responsible for the death of Meriah's husband, as silly as that would be.

"What were you talking about?", Raziel asked once Kurin was gone.

Tar gave him a look.

"You've been listening again, huh?" He shook his head. "Just about some strange creature eating people in Uschtenheim."

"Uschtenheim?" Raziel frowned, thinking. "Where's that?"

"In the eastern mountains", Tar replied and added: "Too far away to be any concern of ours. What can I do for you?"

Raziel's face showed all too clearly what he thought of this sudden change of topic but instead of complaining he simply placed his large can on the table.

"Milk", he said.

***

"How's school doing?" Tar asked once he returned with the milk. Raziel smirked.

"It didn't burn down, sadly.", he replied, making Tar laugh softly.

"Your sister just turned eight yesterday, didn't she?" Raziel nodded. "You know, I thought this village would finally get some new kids last year, when my oldest daughter got pregnant, but…"

"…But like every pregnant woman she moved away." Raziel completed the sentence. "It seems my parents really were the only ones that actually came here when they got a family."

Tar sighed. "Things were different then."

But Raziel knew that himself so Tar decided to avoid talking about it. For many years the only reason that made some people move to such small, distend villages was the notable lack of vampires here. And that reason became worthless once the first man had become a victim of those some years ago, even though they never saw another vampire even close to this place after that.

"The bigger towns are just more attractive to the young people, I guess.", Tar finally said.

Raziel nodded. "Then Analie will stay the youngest here forever." He handed the elderly man the money. "Unless she leaves as well, that is."

"Or she waits until your children are born.", Tar teased.

Raziel grimaced. "Never!" he said matter-of-factly. The barman only grinned.

Change of topic:

"Will you come to the festival tonight?"

"Who wouldn't?" Tar answered. "After all, good old Meggie had to die for it. My wife will make her a very tasty meal, don't you think?"

He grinned even more when he saw Raziel narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Meggie's one of your cows, right?"

"Of course, what did you think?"

"Just wanted to make sure…"

***

Meriah looked up from the book she was reading when her son re-entered the house.

"What took you so long?" she wanted to know.

"The way!", Raziel snorted. His mother sighed and his sister finally came down the stairs.

"I met Kurin, by the way." Raziel added when he handed his mother the can. "Shall say 'hi'."

"Oh." Meriah fell silent for a second. "well, thank you. How's he doing?"

"Just fine.", Raziel replied. "Tar's fine too, only poor Meggie isn't feeling so well, being dead and all." He grinned. "Tar slaughtered her yesterday, you know, so we can eat her tonight."

"Iie!", Analie said disgusted. "I don't want to eat Meggie! Who's Meggie, anyway?"

Raziel gave her a sweet smile. "Who knows? His older sister, perhaps?" Analie screamed again and covered her ears.

"Raziel!", Meriah scolded. "Stop teasing your sister!"

"Pff…" Raziel shrugged again and took another apple from the basket. "You're no fun, mom. Besides…", he added once he saw his sister had taker her hands off her ears. "I bet she'll taste just wonderful!"

Analie squeaked and looked around for anything she could throw at her brother. Raziel only laughed and ran out of the house, his sister after him – without putting on her shoes, of course.

Meriah sighed again and smiled softly to herself, thinking about how much she loved her children and wondering what she would ever do without them.

-tbc-

July 30, 2003

I know, nothing interesting happened here, it wasn't planned like this anyway. The next part will be better, I hope… T_T

By the way, Aukrug and Kropp are real existent villages and their not even close to each other! ^^ Kropp is some kind of insider joke. A friend and I were there once, searching the house of Mirri's friend who had invited us. (We never found it.) And the whole village is full of metal-cows! They are standing everywhere and them make absolutely no sense! It's like a nightmare, aaaah! Can. Get. It . out. Of. My. Head! Cows everywhere! ^^