Nectar Hills - Chapter 3

Our trip to see the doctor revealed that we are going to be parents. The doctor let it slip that we would be having a son. I don’t think I could be happier. I’m probably glowing more than El right now! I was so excited, in fact, that I had to call Val before leaving the doctor’s office.

El was even more alluring in her glowing state. Our passion had not been swayed by these developments; but rather heightened, I think.



The pregnancy didn’t slow El down mush – at first. I urged her to get out of the house and do things now, as we would not have much of an opportunity once the little package arrives on our door step.

“You’re horrible, referring to him as a ‘Little package,’” she frowned.

I apologized, and she immediately shoved a book at me. It was a book on pregnancy. “Umm,” I stammered, “just what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Read it, silly,” she coyly smiled. “It won’t hurt you to know what I am going through right now.”



As the days and weeks passed, El began to show more and more. She was so excited the first time she felt the baby kick, she begged me to feel her tummy.



It felt so wonderful, knowing there was a little life in there, I just had to say hello to the little guy.



El persuaded me to listen to her tummy to see if I could hear anything going on in there, like the baby was going to be playing Gnubb or something crazy like that.



Towards the end of the pregnancy, El was becoming less and less helpful around the house. She was sleeping more and more as the final days dwindled on. I’m not faulting her, mind you, but it sure added to the chores I had to do.

I would get up early and head out to the garden before the sun rose. The recent days have been so hot, that I rarely bothered to get dressed to tend the garden. We were at the end of a dead-end street, with no neighbors nearby, so I didn’t worry about anyone seeing me in drawers. Besides, it was dark most of the time I was out there anyway.



As the sun rose over the horizon to greet the day, its warming rays gently caressed my exposed skin. It is such a calming feeling, some days I dreaded leaving the garden. At least I don’t have to worry about sunburn.

As the garden grew, the weeds gained pace and were overtaking the crops. I tried my best to stay on top of the garden, but I knew as soon as the baby arrived, there would be less time for it.



I managed to keep my head above water on the pressing chores until that inevitable day arrived. I had just finished up in the garden, when El came waddling over.

“It’s time,” was all she said.

I was extremely calm given the circumstance. I had read the stories about the husbands, forgetting to grab the overnight bag, getting dressed, and even their wives. I pulled out my cell and called for a cab.



As we waited for the cab to arrive, I could slowly feel something churning away in my stomach. A sudden wave of nausea came over me. I couldn’t help but audibly gag as the wretched feeling rose from the pit of my stomach.

El seemed not to notice, most probably in a maternal place I was not allowed to enter or experience.



The cab finally arrived and we were on our way, after some creative maneuvering to get El into the back seat.

Not a word was spoken all the way to the hospital. I mentally ran over the check list of my presumed responsibilities. Everything happens so fast, the checklist becomes a fleeting fancy; something not thought about until it’s too late.



Again, more pushing, pulling, yanking and yelling to get El out of the cab at the hospital. No sooner was she free from vehicle, than she was headed to the door. I was left to tend to the cab driver; apologizing for the wet spot on the back seat. He assured me it was not a problem; that it happened often enough and his insurance would take care of the cleaning.

Having paid the fare, I race behind El into the building.



We were immediately taken to the maternity ward. El’s doctor had been paged on our way up to the floor and was on hand when we arrived at the desk. El had been offered a wheelchair for the trip upstairs, but the orderly immediately withdrew after seeing the sneer on El’s face. It was clear to everyone from that point on that WE were going to do this HER way.

The doctor, however, was not to be daunted. As much as she wanted “this thing” removed from inside her, the doctor reinforced that it was “not time yet.” I meekly sat by her side holding her hand, watching the ensuing struggle of minds at work; trickles of blood forming in the palm of my left hand as El absently dug her nails into my skin with each contraction.

After what seemed liked days, El was FINALLY taken into delivery and I was instructed where to stand to be most helpful in the process. I took up a position behind El’s head and braced her back with my arms, aiding her contractions by raising her shoulders from the pad.

The doctor announced the head was beginning to push through. Seconds later, we had a son; healthy and with ten fingers and toes; AND beautiful purple skin color. I’m sure I was beaming. I was motioned to the side of the room, where the nurse had me clean and wrap our little bundle. As I was proudly displaying him for El to see, the doctor instructed her to push one more time.

Oh, my Lord! Twins! El had a look of horror for a brief moment after the announcement. As soon as she saw the second one had her grey skin color, her expression changed to a wide grin.

Mother and babies were doing great, so we were able to take them home a few short hours later.





We got Dusty and Smoky home, but had only one crib. Since the doctor never mentioned twins we didn’t think we’d need more than that. We laid them both in the crib, and I scurried out to find another at this late hour. I was fortunate enough to find the consignment shop still open and they just happened to have a crib. What luck!

When I got home, El was fast asleep, and the boys were quietly cooing to each other in the crib. I got the other bed set up, placed linen and got the boys settled in their own confines. I had set up this room as a makeshift music studio after my parents sent us a keyboard as part of a belated wedding gift.

I showered and got ready for bed, then checked in on the boys. Since they were still awake, I sat down at the keyboard and began to play. They cooed a bit, and then were fast asleep.



I was getting a bit hungry, so I went to the fridge and grabbed a flame fruit. I used to eat it fresh from the garden growing up. I walked back in to peek in on the boys and, finding them fast asleep, I took the hint and went to bed myself.



Things went pretty smooth for the next few weeks. The boys were really good babies and didn’t need constant attention. I was still able to get to the garden and keep it under control; for the most part, anyway.

El and I haven’t had more than a few minutes of time together, and then not enough for anything intimate. When I would go to bed, she would either be taking care of the boys or been long asleep. All of our waking moments were spent taking care of the boys. We hadn’t many any friends; none that we would trust with our children yet. Val and Cin were busy with their own family and housing project.

We finally found some time for just us. We snuggled on the bed for a while, talking about all that we’ve been through up to now.



All of this petting stirred feelings inside and when I suggested intimate relations, I was rebuffed with a most vicious response; talk about your Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome.



I was not ready for such a reaction; I grabbed a blanket and pillow and retreated to the sofa. Call me what you will, but I have feelings, too. Simple rejection would have been sufficient; that assault was completely unwarranted.



Sometime later I was awakened by El. I jumped with a start, thinking something was the matter. She caressed my cheek and assured me nothing was wrong; she just wanted to apologize for her inconsiderate behavior earlier. I assured her I was just as much at fault. We went back to the bedroom together, although it was quite some time before we actually slept.



El had finally succumbed to the sandman. I was ready to give in myself when I heard one of the boys start crying.

I picked Dusty up, trying to determine his reason for crying. Was he hungry…dirty diaper…? Then the assault of the officious odor upon my nostrils struck. Phew! What the hell did Smoky do? How could someone so small do something so offensive?



Since he was still asleep, I took care of Dusty; feeding him and changing his diaper. I took a few minutes to snuggle and play with him before donning protective gear and attacking Smoky’s intruder.



I placed Dusty back in his crib and he was out quickly.

Time to tackle Smoky’s problem. Why couldn’t El have had this pleasure? Boy, for such a small load, he sure smelled. His diaper changed, I snuggled him for a while. These are my boys; my progeny. I couldn’t help but swell with pride.



I played with Smoky; rubbing his nose with mine; making him giggle and coo. I fed him and put him down and made my way back to bed.



I woke one morning a few weeks later to find El eating ice cream for breakfast. Oh, Lord, what could she be thinking?



I would periodically find my way to the junkyard to collect scrap to repair my Nectar making machine. Not having the properly machined parts, it kept breaking here and springing leaks there. I see less and less of Val as the weeks go on, so I have to take care of the machine myself. Granted, I haven’t had much time to spend on making nectar, but I would fire up the machine now and again.

On one such excursion to the junkyard, I found an old dishwasher that someone had discarded. It didn’t seem to be in too bad of shape, so I decided to take it home and fix it up. With kids, we would soon need one as they grow older. The junkyard owner was kind enough to let me use his truck to transport it home.



Well, I soon found out why the previous owners discarded it. It kept breaking, spilling forth dirty dish water all over the floor. More times than I can count, we’ve had to clean up a mess on the kitchen floor.



I was supposed to be inviting Val and Cin over for the boys’ birthday. I called as soon as I got the current disaster under control.



Their birthday arrived and Val and Cin arrived. They had brought Rum with them. El was anxious to get to the cake so we got things under way. She rushed to the cake with Dusty and wasted no time getting the candle extinguished. Val grabbed my bass and played a birthday fanfare for the boys.





Dusty has my purple hair and eyes, but his features are pure Dust!

El was asking about Cin’s whereabouts. I heard someone vomiting in the bathroom as I was on my way outside with Smoky. She rolled her eyes and Val just grinned and shrugged as we both turned to look at him.

I blew out the candles for Smoky. Hooray for toddlerhood! Hooray for who is yet to be seen.





Smoky has his mother’s skin tone and eye color and my hair color and features.

End chapter.

Branded, Chapter 5

“I must go now!”

“Wait! You can’t leave now. I have so many questions. You have shown me things; I want to know more; to see more,” I pleaded pathetically. I became nauseated hearing my own words. What has come over me; I sounded like a whining child. But I must admit I am quite intrigued by the events of this night. I must know more.

“I’m sorry; I must go. You can find what you seek in Sancta.”

“Sancta?”

“A city to the northwest. It is one of the oldest cities in the known world. Be wary; there are those that would see you perish there.”

He was Off before I could even open my mouth. As he fled, his thoughts entered my mind, “Go! He is there.” More cryptic nonsense?



Perhaps I should forget this night and go on as if it never happened; dismiss it as a dream. As much as I would want to, I feel driven to learn more about myself; who, or what I am.

I spent the next few days mulling over everything he had said; everything he had shown me; everything he had taught me. I can’t turn away now. I have to pursue this now.

After some time searching the web, I could find no reference to Sancta at all. I’m beginning to think I have been duped. I should have known better. Although there was some truth to what this man said and showed me, I realized that the life I had now was all I wanted. I’m living comfortable and I can remain here for a while longer, before having to move on. I have plenty of time to decide to look into this later.

I closed the browser window just as a chat box opened with instructions to book the flight at the enclosed link. Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked the link. It indeed was a booking for an airline ticket for tomorrow afternoon. The destination was Sancta. I click the buy button before I realized I was doing it. I waited for the purchasing information page to come up on my screen, but instead was greeted with a “Your purchase has been confirmed” message. There was a button to click to print the e-ticket; I turned on my printer and printed it. I shut down the computer and stared at the flight information for some time.



“Well, I guess I’m going on a trip,” I affirmed to myself, wondering why I could find no information on Sancta.

I guess I’m going to find out if it actually exists, or if I’m going nowhere. This is all so cloak and dagger; I couldn’t help but wonder what I was getting myself into; and conversely, why my father (if he truly is) was putting me through all of this.

Whatever the case, I’m going to see this through - for now.

I packed a small bag, not intending on staying long. I gave myself plenty of time so I would be sure to catch the flight. The woman behind the ticket counter gave me odd looks after checking my ticket, but said nothing and processed me through.

Several hours, and a flight change later, the plane began to descend into a veil of fog in search of the runway. I couldn’t see the pavement below; the pilot making a smooth landing. We deplaned down the steps onto the tarmac; I haven’t exited a plane in this manner in a very long time. I found my way to baggage claim and retrieved my sole piece of luggage; hailed a cab and asked to be taken to a nice hotel.

“I know just the place, mister,” the cabbie announced. He raced through the streets of the fog filled city. I was barely able to make out the buildings in the thick blanket when the cab pulled up in front of a hotel.

I stepped up to the front desk and the clerk handed me a key without either of us saying a word.

“Excuse me; I don’t have a reserva…” I began to protest, but was cut short by the quick reply of the desk clerk.

“Oh, but you do, Mr. Friedrich. We’ve been expecting you,” she concluded with a pert smile. “Gilbert,” she continued, speaking the name with a heavy accent, pronouncing it as zheel-bear, “will show you to your room.” She nodded to the bellboy just to the right of the counter.



Gilbert was young; I would guess in his early twenties. He had a glazed look in his eyes. He did not smile or speak all the way to my room. He seemed fixated on a single goal; zombie-like; nothing else mattered; never turning his head once.

Safely tucked away for the night, I recounted the events of the day. The looks of disgust from the airport staff when they became aware of my destination to the hotel clerk who had been expecting me. For some odd reason, I felt calm; serene. Sleep came easily.

I was awakened by a knock on the door. It was him; the man who had made me come to realize just who or what I was, although I was not ready to admit it to anyone, least of all myself.



“Good morning,” he began, “I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

“No, not at all,” I lied. I had been sleeping like a log.

“I am to deliver this message to you,” He said, handing me a sealed envelope. “I will take my leave.” And he was gone; as quickly as it took me to look up from the envelope.

I closed the door and laid the envelope on the table. I made a cup of coffee to help wake up before I read the note.




I opened the envelope to reveal a note written in old style handwriting on parchment. The note simply stated:



Why can’t these people be straight forward for once? I’ve come this far, I may as well keep going. Not having brought any formal attire with me, I will have to do some last-minute shopping. I showered and dressed, then had one more cup of coffee while I took in the view from the balcony.



I can’t believe this is the same city I enter in a blanket of fog just the day before. I can see for miles in any direction and only last night, I could barely see past the nose of the taxi.

Coffee gone, I ventured out to look for a tuxedo or other suitable attire for an opera house. As I entered the lobby, I saw Gilbert standing near the front desk, apparently waiting for the next guest needing an escort to their room. I walk over and asked him where I might find a shop to purchase formal attire. He told me the name and proceeded to use his arms for this direction and that.

I wandered through the streets, not completely sure of his directions, but found the establishment in question with little effort. I tried on a few outfits, choosing a modest tuxedo for the night. After a few measurements, the tailor assured me it would be delivered to the hotel with time to spare.

As I handed him my credit card, he waved his hand, saying “No, sir, it has already been taken care of.”

Arguing with the merchant would have proven pointless, so I bid him good day and left. With the better part of the day still ahead of me, I decided on a small tour of the city. My first stop was a local curiosity shop.



There were goods of all kinds displayed for sale here. I suppose there is someone out there for each item for sale here. You know what they say, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” There was an abundance of treasure here.

I hadn’t planned on buying anything; just biding my time. While perusing the shelves, I spied a beautiful young woman across the store. I lingered a little longer, moving slowly about the store, just to sneak peeks of her as she shopped. “Damn, I’m stalking her!” I thought to myself. I decided to quickly buy something and make my exit. I absently took a book from a bin and made my way to the register.



As I was making my purchase, the woman approached the far end of the counter. She shyly smiled as I looked in her direction. I quickly turned away in embarrassment and finalized my acquisition. I hastily made my way to the door, bumping into at least two displays on the way out.

Once outside, I took a moment to admire my new treasure. I purchased a book entitled, “Fishing for the Moon.” I chuckled to myself as I hurriedly placed it back in the bag and moved along the street. I took in a few more shops in my travels and found myself in front of the science museum at the docks.

I made a quick tour of the museum, finding some interesting displays. As I made my exit, I felt a chill run down my spine as if I were being watched.



I shrugged it off to being in an unfamiliar setting and began to admire the collection of fish in the pond outside. Wishing I had my rod and reel with me, I looked up and noticed the beautiful woman across the pond.



This has to be more than mere coincidence, I thought. I gathered my resolve and walked around the pound and introduced myself.

“Excuse me, Miss, weren’t you at the curiosity shop earlier?” regretting my forwardness.



“Yes, I was there earlier,” she tittered.

“I thought it was you. My name is…” I began.

“Jadon; yes, I know, and I am Natalia,” she finished.

I’m getting used to people making arrangements for me and paying for my purchases in my stead, but I am getting quite tired of them finishing my sentences. I quickly shrugged off my irritation and turned my attention to Natalia.

“So, Natalia, how do you know my name?”

“My brother, Rogan; his master was expecting you. That is all he has been talking about for the last two days.”

“Master? You make him sound like a pet.”

“Oh, no! You have it all wrong. It is a pleasure for my brother to serve him.”

“Do you serve this master, as well?” I inquired.

“Sadly, I am not worthy to serve him. I am human.”

“And your brother is not?”
“No, he is one of the Branded. My mother was taken by a vampire and gave birth to Rogan.”

“I would love to learn more, but I fear I must get back to my hotel; I have an appointment I must keep. May I meet with you later?”

“I understand. I would love to meet with you again. There is a lounge just down the street from your hotel. I can meet you there tomorrow.”

“That would be wonderful. Until tomorrow, then!” She gave me the name of the lounge and directions to get there.

I walked around the corner and spied the hotel off in the distance. I made my way back as quickly as possible. True to his word, the tux was waiting for me at the front desk.

I laid out the tux on the bed, and proceeded to shower and shave. I began to don the tuxedo and was amazed at how well it fit from the few brief moments I spent with the tailor. It was modified perfectly; neither too tight nor too loose. The gloves may be a bit too much, but the merchant suggested them. Who am I to disagree?



I again made my way to the lobby, where Gilbert was waiting to escort me to a waiting taxi. I was no sooner in the back seat when the driver pulled away at flank speed, as if there were a fire to get to. Arriving at the Opera House in what must be a record time, the driver was off as quickly as ever.

I climbed the steps to an old Gothic façade that overshadowed the reset of the neighboring architecture, although it was the shortest of them. I reached for the handle on the huge ornate door and it began to swing open on its own. I stepped through into a lobby done in entirely too much red with rich wood panels on the wall.

As I walked in further, I was surprised to see the man who visited me pass through the lobby. Natalia was not too far in his wake. I greeted her, expressing my curiosity at her presence.



Before she could speak, the man beckoned to her, “Come Natalia.”

“I’m sorry! I must not keep my brother waiting. You must not keep your appointment waiting, either.” she said as she turned to follow him.


End chapter

Nectar Hills - Chapter 2

At Val’s insistence, I tagged along with him when he went to meet Cin at the garden. Of course he was late. He had second thoughts at first, but that did not make us late. He had bought an engagement ring and planned to pop the question in the garden, and was freaking out because he thought he had forgotten to grab it on his way out. I pulled the ring box from my pocket and showed him that it was safe.

After hanging around in the bushes for what seemed like forever, he – they – finally proposed and I could be on my way. I made it to the front porch, and sat on the bench to take in the night air before going to bed. After a hard day of tending the garden working on the machines, exhaustion consumed me. I slumped to the bench and fell fast asleep.



The next thing I remember was a light tickle on my cheek, waking me from a deep slumber. It was El. She playfully teased me with her light touch until I sat up. I stretched and looked at my watch. I was only asleep for a few minutes. It seemed like hours. I was surprisingly refreshed.

She took my hand and led me into the house and straight to my bedroom. There was nothing shy about this woman; not now, anyway. We kissed and hugged, pieces of our clothing falling to the floor with each peck or grasp.



I lifted her petite frame onto the bed and passionately kissed her. Her lips were like a drug; intoxicating. The touch of her velvety smooth skin sent tingles through my body. I was acting on primal lust; driven. She did not resist, but rather enticed me to continue.



Passion taking over; driving us into a frenzied state; we became one. We lay together for a few short minutes before falling fast asleep in each other’s arms.



I woke a little while later and as I moved in the bed, she began to stir beside me. We were facing each other as her eyes fluttered open. She smiled; there was no regret in that smile; only satisfaction; happiness.

We rose and I took the moment to make my own proposal. It was met with an emphatic “Yes!” She jumped into my arms and kissed me again and again and again. Scurrying about the room like a rabbit evading a fox, she bounced into her clothes as she dressed and flew out of the room, “I have to tell Cin. I’m the happiest girl in the world!”

A short time later, Cin arranged a double ceremony for the four of us at the Planetarium. We exchanged oaths under the stars, opting for a private affair as none of really knew anyone in town yet. Val moved in with Cin, and El came to live with me.

The next morning, I found El sitting and staring off into the room.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.



“Oh, I’m just thinking of ways to make this room homier; less manly. It’s a bit rustic, don’t you think?”

“Well, it is at that; but remember, it was just me and Val! We had no need for frills and finery.”

“Would you mind terribly if I changed a few things?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look,” I laughed. “I see right through your coy expression. This is your home, too. You can do whatever you like to the house, so long as it doesn’t bankrupt us.”

“Really? You don’t mind?” She sounded relieved, although she knew all she had to do was to entice me to get her way. “I think I want to start here. I don’t really love these antique pieces, but I will work with them.”



And so it begins, I chuckled to myself. At least it gave her something to do while I was tending the garden or building the nectar making machine.

Val came by to help less and less, but we were able to complete the nectar making machine in a relatively short time. I had harvested some grapes from the garden a few days earlier and wanted to try out the machine right away.

I changed into a pair of shorts, placed some fruit in the tub, stepped in and began mashing the grapes with my bare feet. The juice began to ooze up between my toes. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. The more I mooshed the berries under my feet, the more it became juice, the pulp of the fruit falling to the bottom of the tub.




Without warning, I slipped on the skins of the fruit at the bottom and landed flat on my butt. I was alarmed, thinking I could have seriously hurt myself.



Berries, juice and pulp sprayed up into the air and all over my body. I was now wet and sticky; not wanting to continue.



I stuck it out, though. I slipped a few more times; more annoyed at myself for not paying attention to the slippery pulp at the bottom of the tub than the fall itself.





I will definitely have some bruises; mostly to my ego. I am thankful that I was alone and no one else was witness to my first attempt.

Once the berries were all mashed, I cleared the pulp at the bottom away from the pipes leading from the tub to the processor. I stepped from the tub, and feeling wet and sticky, shed my clothes. I moved over to the processor and attempted to get the machine started.



Once the nectar was under way, I wiped the excess liquid from my body with the wet clothes and got dressed before someone walked in on my in all my glory.


I carefully monitored the machine, unsure of how long the process would take; or whether it would even work at all.



I must say, I was very successful in making my first nectar without the aid of the modern machinery back home. Granted, it tasted like rain water that had been standing in the gutter for days, but it was mine.

My enthusiasm was on the rise while El’s was short-lived. She began feeling tired. I suggested she see a doctor and was met with an icy stare.

“I’m fine, I just need to rest a minute,” she reassured me.

I decided to surprise her with breakfast in the morning. This gesture turned into a ritual very quickly.



The days passed and she became more ill. She refused my suggestions to see a doctor at every turn.



She would attempt to help out around the house, but would leave things unfinished; waves of nausea consuming her. She had to force herself to eat.



I began doing most of the tasks about the house while still maintaining the garden. The nectar making would have to wait a while. There just wasn’t any time.







Her attempts to sit down to a meal were futile. She would no sooner take a few bites, than she would be racing for the bathroom.


This cannot go on any longer; even our intimate moments are interrupted.

I am taking her to a doctor.

End chapter.