Monday, October 17, 2011

Flash Fiction Challenge: Five Words Plus One Vampire

Hey everybody.

So there's a blog I read, "terribleminds" and the author sometimes puts up writing challenges. For a small distraction from some schoolwork, I thought it would be fun to try it this time. The challenge is to write a flash-fiction piece using 3 of 5 randomly generated words, plus include a vampire in it in 1,000 words or so.

Here's the link to the challenge itself: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/10/14/flash-fiction-challenge-five-words-plus-one-vampire/

Sadly, I'm a bit too wordy. Not only did I go over the limit of 1,000 words . . . I did it twice. Actually, I almost did it three times, but I was able to finish with a final word-count of 2,952. Oops.

Oh well. At least I finally got to work on something new and since I rarely post actual work, here you go!

UPDATE (10-23-2011): Fixed some formatting to make it easier on the eyes.


Tax


“So what is it you do exactly?”


The pale man smiled, his thin features pulling his face into a grim rictus, exposing yellow teeth. “What do you mean?”
I glanced at my notes. “It says you’re the tax-man for the village?”


“That’s right. I was chosen by our lord.” His pale eyes look right through me. I dare not look uncomfortable or shiver when he watches. I have a reputation to uphold, after all.


I lean across the table and stare back into those pupils of his. “I find that hard to believe. Your lord is dead and his castle abandoned.” His terrible eyes dart away briefly. I know he’s up to something. I grin in triumph. “What game are you playing? Who are you giving the money to? Don’t say ‘your lord’ because he hasn't been sending it to the king!”


He wrinkles his brow in confusion. He smiles and leans back, letting out a breath of air as he shakes his head. This puzzled me as he seems . . . relieved? I frown at him.


The pale man chuckles, all nervousness gone. “Money? Is that what this is about? I don’t collect money for our lord, sir.” Reaching into a pocket, he pulls out a folded piece of paper and tosses it across the table onto my notes. “The man you want is dead, same as the previous lord.”


Slowly, I pick up the paper and unfold it as he continues to speak. There’s directions on it to another house. “He used to live there. Anything he had up to his death should still be in it. It’s boarded up, though. Nobody’s been inside since they found him.”


I’ve lost my edge to this simpleton. I should be more intimidating, but I find myself becoming curious. I decide to press him a little longer. “What do you mean ‘found him?’”


“Oh. It was dreadful. Him and the old lord would go hunting every now and then. One day, they didn’t return before nightfall. The next morning, we sent out a search party and found what was left of them. Wolves, probably. Throats torn out.” He smiled that hideous smile again. I couldn’t control myself and shivered. “Nasty scene. Had to build up the nerve to bring them back here and bury them.”


I fold the note and place it into my pocket. “So how are you the tax-man if you don’t collect anything?”


“Never said I don’t collect anything,” the pale man stood and walked over to the window. “There’s another hour until sunset. I need to go make the rounds. Why don’t you go get your money and meet me at the gate. I promised our new lord to take him any visitors.”


I scowled at the man. “What makes you think—”


“Don’t worry. He can explain everything better than I can. But he don’t open the gates until sunset and doesn't like visitors unannounced.” He opened the door and gestured for me to leave. “You come with me, though? He might not be too upset.”


I closed my small notebook and put it in the pocket of my jacket as I stood to leave. I walked out, stopping right in front of him. “I don’t care if he’s upset, but I need answers for the king. You tell them when you do your ‘rounds’ that their lord is unlawfully here, that a new tax-man will be coming soon, and that they will be charged back taxes.” I walked away without bothering to look him in his damned eyes.


***

I found an axe behind the late tax-man's house. The pale man’s claim that nobody touched the house seemed accurate. I needed to smash my way inside while villagers looked at me through windows and shook their heads. Peasants. It didn’t take long to find the chest with the royal seal. Inside, I found about half of the required amount, according to my calculations. The chest sat on a small hand-cart, so moving it proved simple enough. I locked it and carted it outside, the chest bouncing on the rough ground toward the small inn housing me.

The innkeeper shrugged when I asked to have it moved upstairs to my quarters while I enjoyed a brief supper of some kind of vegetable stew with a stale piece of bread. It tasted decent enough, for an inn. There are worse places to stay, but there are also better places, too. I’d planned on taking up residence in the lord’s castle, but discovered the gate closed, no way to open it from the outside. A guard, hearing my yells, responded to come back in the evening and to, if I remember correctly, shove off until then. The lack of a proper lord has them slouching off, no doubt. New guards might need to be brought in, I noted in my notebook.


***

Around sunset, I found the pale man waiting with a small wagon pulled by a horse just as miserable as he was. The wagon held nothing but a box that was closed tight and locked all around. He offered me a hand up, but I declined. The man looked ill, possibly flea-ridden. I’d scrub myself extra well when I returned home. I may burn my clothes.

The wagon bounced along the road to the castle, a loud clinking noise coming from the box. The man kept looking at me and smiling his ugly, rotten-mouthed grin at me from time to time, like I was part of some joke I didn’t get. I’ll make a note to have him executed later. “Aiding in treason,” sounded good enough for me. I smiled back at my own little joke.

I’ll admit surprise at the castle’s change after sunset. The place no longer looked abandoned. It was well lit, and the servants were more polite, though they were nervous. Maybe this lord, impostor he may be, could be useful. A guard carried the tax box with little effort, and the pale man bid me farewell. I heard him bark in laughter as he pulled away. I may find a way to have him executed in a more painful way.

I followed the guard, asking questions. Dumb or quiet, I couldn’t tell, as he refused to respond. Reluctantly, I walked alongside him, through well-decorated hallways, passing servants who dared not make eye contact with me. Good on them, I say. Respect where it’s due.

We entered a small room with a table and two chairs. A maid finished setting out a single glass of wine and some fresh cheese for one person.

“Our lord will meet with you shortly. He apologizes for your treatment earlier today at the gates and has assured me that the one responsible will be punished for the rudeness. Please enjoy these treats with his compliments.” The young girl then removed the padlocks from the box, placing them to the side. She turned to me and smiled faintly. “Please do not look in the box until our lord arrives.” She then bowed and left, closing the door.

The cheese tasted divine compared to the slop they served me earlier. I may inquire to have my things brought up here to one of the guest rooms. The wine was fair, but nothing like the royal court’s. I sat down and waited, adding to my notebook some suggestions.

An hour passes. I grow impatient, finding myself muttering expletives as I drain the wine. A servant arrives with a new bottle, assuring me that I would not wait much longer and left again. So I sit. I sit and wait and drink. And I grow curious. The box sits near me, full of some form of “tax” that the pale man collected. Yet, I am a gentleman of the courts and I will not peek. I shall not display rudeness to my host, though he has done little to show politeness to me. Does he not realize who I am? The nerve of him! Some impostor just takes control of a castle for himself without ever attempting to meet with the king? Probably some merchant, I’d bet. I’ll have his property seized and his family imprisoned. How dare he? This is MY castle! I was promised it by the kind when the old lord perished! I sat waiting, like an idiot, not knowing my castle was ready for me! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS CLAIMING WHAT WAS PROMISED?

The second bottle clattered over as I finished it off. Two bottles of wine? Child’s play for a lord. And I AM a lord. I needed more, but the servants did not come when summoned. I remembered the clinking glass from the box during the journey up here. I felt the slightest tinge of hypocrisy as I threw open the box, but I would recover. The lid clattered on the floor next to me as I gazed inside.

Bottles. Corked bottles filled the box, lined with hay to prevent breakage. I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I grabbed one. A clear bottle, full of a dark, red liquid. I held it the light but could not guess the contents. All of the bottles were full, too. Shrugging, I uncorked one and took a whiff. I gasped and bottle fell on the floor, not breaking. The contents spilled on the carpet, staining it red. Blood. They were full of blood? Why?

The door closed behind me and I turned. A tall, white man stood before me. Next to him stood the maid, her hand over her mouth in shock. I thought the man before was pale. This man looked dead. I tried to compose myself but he spoke first.

“Ah, you dropped it. I’ll be short tonight for paying the staff.”

My mind raced drunkenly. I hadn’t noticed before, but the maid seemed pale, too. And oddly hungry. The lord spoke again. “I know who you are. I’ve received letters for the old lord from you and your king. Here, have a seat and I’ll explain everything.”

He gestured to the maid who walked to me and led me back to my chair. Her hands were very pale, but soft. Very soft. As she let go of me, I felt disappointed that she was no longer touching me. I was drunk, though, and wine does have that affect on me. My own servants knew what I desired when I drank too deeply. Not all were willing, but they soon learned. When I got rid of this new lord, I’d take this maid first. I stared as she began to clean the stain on the floor.

“Now, where should I begin?”

I jumped. I did not notice the new lord sitting across from me. Blushing at being caught staring at his maid, I spoke. “I must apologize. In my frustration, I drank too much and my curiosity got the better of me.”


He laughed. What an impressive laugh, so full of life! I couldn’t help but smile at his mirth as he spoke. “Oh, it’s quite alright. I’ve not hosted visitors in ages, and I forgot my manners. Do not worry about spillage, Miranda has already taken care of it.”

I glanced down and saw her scrubbing the substance up with a handkerchief. She worked quickly, her eyes sparkling. Those pretty eyes . . . I glanced up at the lord again and smiled at him.

“I am sorry. I was just startled. I thought it was blood for some reason.”


He stopped smiling, his face going serious. “It was.”


I froze, my grin stupidly stuck on my face. “Pardon?”


The lord leaned back and templed his fingers. “That’s what I tax them. You see, the old lord drained the poor villagers dry. Metaphorically, of course.” He chuckled at his joke and continued. “They could not buy supplies easily when the merchants came through. He grew fat and lazy, while the tax-man skimmed off the top for both of them. I took care of that with a few of my pets.”


Before I could say anything more, I felt something touch my leg. I glanced down and saw Miranda touching my leg. I could see right down her—


“I’m sorry?” I said to the lord, trying to not be distracted by pretty girls. “You say you murdered him?”


The lord nodded. “I told the villagers to take the money for themselves, but they were worried. The tax-man was rather brutal, I learned, and they would be afraid to not pay the king, even long after his death. His passing was not a tragedy here. Myself? I don’t need much money to work the castle. The servants are paid in other ways.”

Miranda’s hand crept up my leg further, I tried to squirm away from it. “But this is my castle by right of the king!”

The lord shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s a problem. I already left my original home, a far more grand keep that you could only dream of. It turns out that if you treat your people poorly, they will finally become upset and do anything to get rid of you. I fled before things got too out of hand. This was the perfect place for me. New land, new people. I’m learning how to rule justly and make those around me happy, not vengeful. Happy villagers are more likely to protect a lord they love. So instead of money and terrorizing them, I require a small tax of blood every day. I even rotate it so nobody has to give consecutively. They seem alright with the idea so far, and I do my best to help them out when they need it.”


I had to grasp her hand to stop her from going further, though I wished for nothing else than her touch. Her fingers tightened on mine. So soft. “But why blood?”


“Oh, unfortunately old habits die hard. I have to have some servants, yet I require them to be more loyal than others. Sadly, the current servants needed to change so that I could trust them to not harm me while I slept. The guards are a bit different, too. I need people that can work in the daylight so I enlisted the help of a few fugitives I encountered on my journey here. They were having trouble adjusting to a disease that caused them to be hunted. So during the day, they guard me, and at night they get to roam around the land hunting to their heart’s desires.”


I felt hot breath on my hand as she kissed my fingers. I swallowed and tried to ignore it. “What are you talking about? Are you a lunatic?”


He snapped his fingers and the maid stood, her fingers slipping from mine. She bowed her head and stood next to my chair. I tried not to stare at her. She spoke, her voice more beautiful than I remembered earlier. “Yes, my lord?”


“Has everything I’ve spoken been true?”


She nodded. “Yes, my lord.”


He looked her up and down. “Miranda, I trust you the most. You came to me first, willingly. The old lord had abused you, correct?”


The maid averted her pretty eyes from him. I found myself staring up at them. “He did, my lord. I trust you more than ever.”


The lord gestured to me. “You know our guest’s problems. He was promised a castle by his king, and I seem to have stolen it from him. I do apologize, but I’m afraid I can’t leave yet.”


Miranda turned and stared at me, hungrily. I ached for her. She spoke again and I felt my heart beat at the sound of her voice. “He’s much too pretty to get rid of. I say we give him what he wants after you leave. He can have the castle,” she leaned in close to my face, “and everything that comes with it.”


The lord laughed and clapped his hands, snapping me out of my distractions. “Wonderful idea! Some company would be nice around here, though the villagers are going to be annoyed at raising taxes another bottle. I’ll come up with something to ease their minds, I expect. Speaking of.” He pointed at the empty bottle on the floor. “We’re going to be short tonight.”


Miranda wrapped her arms around me and everything became hazy. “We’ll just say that’s my bottle tonight. I’ll get paid a different way tonight, I expect.”


The lord chuckled as he rose to leave. “I suppose you will.” He winked at me as her hands moved down the front of my clothes. I could not fight back. I desired her more than I desired anything. The lord’s explanation was a fuzzy memory now. He spoke one last time. “I’ll leave you both to it. Think of it as a gift. For both of you.” With that, he winked and walked out, closing the door behind him with a chuckle.


Miranda kissed my ear and her arms tightened around me. Her hand touched my face. It was cold, I noticed, but did not care. It was as if her very touch was a drug. And I wanted more. I tried to reach for her, but she pushed my arms down and whispered “No, let me do all the work.”


I smiled and closed my eyes, the entire evening a hazy, drunk blur. I only wanted more of this maid.


“Maybe this lord isn’t so bad after all,” I said aloud as she sunk her fangs into my neck. The world went red and I barely remember why I was so angry at our lord in the first place.

4 comments:

  1. I like the story, and rather liked the new lord. I hope it all works out for the village.

    It's always challenging to write flash fiction to a word limit rather than a short story, but definitely a skill worth practicing. Good luck on your next attempt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Story!
    Your work is probably more suited to a novel.
    Well done.

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  3. Thanks for the comments, everyone!

    Jo: I think the village will be just fine. I could probably trim it up and hit the word limit, but I had just so much fun with this that I kept going.

    louisesor: This will probably make its way into a longer story someday. Then I can probably do away with the info-dump and stretch out the lord's explanation over a longer period of time instead of the five minutes of dialog he has.

    ReplyDelete