Part Two - Three Years Later
A small blond-haired child plays vigorously on deep green grass growing abundantly in his backyard. As he smashes small figurines together, their arms, heads, and legs fly away in opposite directions. The setting sun's last flickering pink beams duck beneath the dark blue of night as they glance once more upon the six-year old boy dresses in a gray tee-shirt and khaki shorts before settling to bed for the night. A small sliver of a moon peaks out as a street light gleams to life in the coming darkness.
"Lucas, honey, come inside. It's getting dark," a warm woman's voice comes from a nearby farmhouse lying on the outskirts of town.
"Jus a minute," he lifts his head to call back revealing two, pinprick bumps on his neck, barely hearing what she had said. More figures crash into each other sending their extremities and limbs flying. A soft, pale-footed step catches the boy's attention. With a gasp, he turns quickly around momentarily forgetting his toys. "Oh, hello again," he says, familiar to his visitor. The silent, bare feet step lightly on the smooth grass.
"Are you ready my dear?" she asks, her burning red eyes looking into his.
"Yes," he says, picking up his disfigured toys and walking towards her. He loops the bottom of his tee-shirt up to hold his toys like a pouch so he may have one hand free. "Where are we going mommy?" His childish, shrill voice asks with glee as he adds a skip into his happy step.
"Do you remember what I've taught you about what you must do to become like me and daddy?" she replies using extra emotion required of these younger beings.
"Yes," he responds again inserting his free hand into hers while still maintaining his toys.
"Well, tomorrow night, you need to do just that, but for tonight, you are going to come home with daddy and me."
"But what about my other mommy and daddy?" he asks a quiver in his voice.
"You don't have another mom or dad. We are your parents now," she says articulately but without being harsh. "Here, take off your shirt." Lucas does as he is told obediently, placing the toys in his shirt. Jessabelle ties his shirt securely around the toys. "Now imagine yourself being a bat," she says as a group lands, picks up the packaged toys and flies off in direction of the castle.
"Ok," Lucas says closing his eyes tightly. A pair of wings flap from his sides and he can no longer see Jessabelle but a round, black bat hovers where she once stood. She bids him to follow her and he does. So close in fact does he follow that he bumps into her back feet continuously. As the castle comes into view, small squeaks emit from the smaller bat's throat, his radar catching sight of the castle. An excited, young child claps his hands and skips towards the castle as he transforms back. A man with intensified red eyes steps out from the shadows with open arms welcoming his guest.
"Hello my son," he speaks deeply with a father's prideful grin. "Welcome home."
"Oh, gee! This is great!" the boy exclaims. Lucas walks into the castle and is escorted to his bedroom, down the hall from the library. He has a small, single bed with dark red sheets and a stone floor covered partially by a knitted rug. His toys lay in the middle of the bed still wrapped in his tee-shirt.
"Goodnight sweet heart," Jessabelle says kissing him on the forehead.
"Tomorrow night, I get to be just like daddy!" the boy pounces on his bed, rapidly unwrapping his toys.
The two adults close the bedroom door and silently slink off to their own quarters.
