A Vampyre's Daughter by Jeff Schanz

Author:Jeff Schanz [Schanz, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

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Over thirty years ago, I don’t recall precisely how long, a man and his son capsized near our island. It had been a bad storm and they got caught in it. The father drowned, but the son washed ashore alive. My father righted the boat and dragged it into the cave where you’ve been living. We brought the boy to the house and I cared for him until he recovered.

I don’t remember how he found out, but something happened that alerted the boy to our affliction. He was only around nine or ten, I am not the best judge of human years, and he was not strong enough to venture out on the sea by himself, but he ran from us and did it anyway.

I assume he went back to the cave and looked at the boat. As you’ve seen, the mast was gone and the engine no longer functioned. The boy recovered some kind of raft that was hidden in the boat and took it out onto the ocean. He paddled east towards land, the closest of which as you know is many miles away. He was more likely to capsize and drown, or even die from hunger and thirst, than find a shore anywhere. But he was panicking and wouldn’t hear us.

I was told that he got lucky and ran into a fishing boat. He was returned to the mainland dehydrated and malnourished, but he survived. Father and I worried that he may tell someone about us. As far as we know, he did not. Perhaps no one would believe him.

We heard nothing about him until he unexpectedly returned about twenty years later. He operated a sport-fishing charter and he passed near the island once in a while.

He told us that he was sorry for misunderstanding us and wanted to thank us for saving his life. Many years prior, when he got back to the mainland, his mother was distraught and decided to leave the area and live in Arizona. Somewhere where there was no water, she had told him. However, when he became an adult, he moved back to Los Angeles with his wife and started his charter business. He had been bothered by what had happened and decided he would make up for what he considered his debt to us. We held no debt. As with you, we only wished to help him. But he thought otherwise. He will occasionally come to our island and deliver things that we request. I give him a list of things I need, and he has been excellent about getting them. I trade him some practical items like handmade wool sweaters and other things, but mostly I pay him from Father's money. Perhaps you didn't know, but Father was a wealthy man. What remains of his fortune is still enough for us to live on for several lifetimes, and I use it sparingly. My equipment is unfortunately expensive.

The man is a friend. A friend more from guilt than his preference, but I appreciate him.

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