I walked with Ness in the garden deep in thought. From revisiting my past, I felt a solemn mood overcome me, as if the darkness of my human life was starting to reappear. I had forgotten my past for so long. Ignored the painful memories that made my solitude so painful. It's only now I realised how much I desired a loving family. Just seeing Ness grow and having the others in my life gave me a real reason for existing. Like Edward, I remember feeling plagued with self hatred which started even before I died.
Nessie was having fun twirling under a tree that was shedding blossom. The pink blossoms falling on her clothes and into her auburn hair made such a beautiful sight. Sadly, my smile faded as quickly as it came as I began to be engulfed with the next dark memory. She look over at me giggling and her smile dropped instantly. She rushed quickly to my side and took her hand in mine with a concerned look on her face. I sighed and recalled the conversation.
"No, I won't do this father!"
"Yes you will, you insolent boy! There are dark creatures that lurk in those sewers and we must lure them out of there and out of our city!"
"Father, they are just sick and needy and I will not humiliate them anymore than they already are! Aren't their lives difficult enough?" I glared at him. I'd never felt so angry at him knowing how self righteous and delusional he was being.
"They are dark creatures of the night! They are dangerous and feast unnaturally on the innocent! Their bloodlust will destroy this city!" he spat like a deranged madman.
"You talk nonsense! They're just less civilised than we are because they are forced to live in darkness because of their poverty. You wouldn't accept them at church because of who they are! And you know that no one would go against the advice of a priest so they more than likely feel they have to hide!" I felt a standoff happening between us in the study room.
"I am not interested in who you think they are! We have a duty to protect our parish and our city! We must carry on with this crusade to rid our city of this abomination and you will stand with me Carlisle!" I turned my back to him and rolled my eyes. I was sick of his hypocrisy when night after night, year after year i had to listen to his immoral relations with several widowed women. He soon interrupted my train of thought by asking me a question that shocked and triggered me.
"What would your mother say to you defying me like this?" I winced at the thought of her. Then that pain turned to anger, but quickly dissipated into defeat when he put his hand on my shoulder and tried to appeal to me through logic but also emotional manipulation. "Son, you are my heir and my family. You know how strongly I feel about this. You are my second in the Parish and you know the people need you. You must stand with me and stand for the people who rely on us to guide them to the eternal light!" I was defeated. He knew my compassion was my weakness. As much as my mother admired it, my father took advantage of it and saw it as a weakness like my mother always said he would. I said nothing but nodded my head in submission.
The next night, we rallied the men in the parish to assist us with our crusade. We sharpened our pitchforks and fired up our torches. Father was convinced we'd vanquish them with fire. I was still convinced however that he was getting carried away with fairy stories and superstitious nonsense. I crossed myself before we left the church and headed to the sewers. The stench was pungent and the sewers were dark, wet and cold. Rats screeched and scurried as we illuminated them with our torches. Whatever lurked here made it known they didn't want us here. As I came to an intersection, I noticed something the others ahead of me had not. A light in the left tunnel. I stopped curiously and after a few moments realised I was entirely alone as the others had made their way down the right tunnel. I listened and heard a shuffling noise ahead. I creeped forward quietly and noticed something as I made my way to the room that was at the end of the tunnel.
A man was hudded in the corner of the room. A fire was burning in the centre of the room but he strangely kept away from it. He seemed to know I was there before he looked at me. He was dirty and dishevelled, his hair was grimy and black and it covered the left hand side of his face. I couldn't be certain but it was his right eye that disturbed me as the left one was covered by hair. It could have been the trick of the light from the fire but I swore his eye was red. I gasped.