Aida’s Story
I’ve come from a long line of successful men and women. From musician to astronaut to master chef to…well, whatever you could call rummaging around in dirt and trash all day.
Sure, my ancestors probably hated the fact that I didn’t go to college, or go back to Sulani (where my ancestors hail from), or take over the “family business”, as my mob boss dad called it. No, I purposely moved from the city into a small plot of land specifically to create. Building furniture, nurturing plants, making candles, the list goes on. I even have bees and beetles to take care of.
The old family friend, Miranda, came over all the time to help me with all the paperwork that comes with freelancing. I always thought she looked the same, ever since I was young. A head full of silvery hair, tanned skin ever so touched by wrinkles, and sparkling blue eyes that twinkled when she laughed.
She never really aged. After I became my own person, away from all of the drama of the city and the lackeys that followed me around at my father’s orders, she told me something that rocked me to my core.
“You’re a vampire?” I couldn’t believe it. I knew that vampires existed; supernatural occurrences happened all the time all over the world. But I never thought that I’d be so close to someone who lived in that life. I had so many questions, and she gladly answered all of them.
“Aida,” she said one night after a couple of drinks. “I’ve never had a child of my own. You are the closest thing I have to a daughter.” She reached for my hand, her eyes full of hope as she asked, “Would you be willing to be my daughter in blood?”
I didn’t know what she meant, but I agreed. She then turned me into a vampire.
It wasn’t easy, but Miranda truly took me under her wing and taught me everything I needed to know. Asking for permission to drink from others was kind, but going to the Blood Bank in Forgotten Hollow was better if you didn’t want attention. Staying out of the sun was the worst part, after the first hunger, of course. I missed gardening in the sunlight.
When I met my husband, I thought we’d be together forever. I wanted him to join me and become a vampire, but he refused. I was secretly thankful…his blood was sublime. He was older, but I figured we had time. Somehow, I became pregnant with his child. During this miracle time, he died. Suddenly, without warning. I pleaded and pleaded to the God of Death to give him back just for a little while, just long enough to meet his daughter.
The God of Death obliged. That’s how I knew I was more than just the hippie daughter of a mob boss, turned to darkness by the old family friend.
Tommy lived long enough to hold our baby in his arms, to kiss and bring her close to his heart. “Dani,” he whispered as he nuzzled her close. “Name her Dani.” He died again that night. I didn’t dare press my luck with the God of Death again. After all, I had cheated him twice. My immortality came with a cost, and I didn’t want to see what was worse than needing the blood of others to survive.
Over time, Dani became a beautiful young girl who climbed trees and picked flowers for me during the day, while I stayed inside and missed the kiss of the sun. The vampirism had not followed down the Walsh bloodline, so she could easily bask in the sun’s rays all day. I was grateful for that.
She laid new flowers by her father’s grave every evening before coming back inside for the night. “I tell him about my day,” she said when I asked her why she did it.
Tommy’s grave was within walking distance from our house. I could see the graveyard from the bedroom window, and sometimes I’d look out as the sun rose. I don’t know why…maybe to see him again? Ghosts existed, but I never saw him. Maybe his peace had come after Dani was born, so he didn’t stay tied to the mortal realm? The thought made me feel better, but I still longed to see him again.
One night, I walked down to the graveyard, my footsteps slow and steady. I had to see if he would come. “He might,” Miranda had said over midnight tea the night before. “Ghosts are strange. If Dani really has been talking to him, he might be out in the graveyard waiting for you.”
Sure enough, as I approached the gravestone, a green figure appeared. Tommy’s smiling face was waiting there, his ghostly arms outstretched. “I can’t…you’re a ghost,” I said, tears in my eyes. “I won’t be able to touch you, Tommy.”
“You’re a vampire, right?” His Southern drawl was like the sweetest song. “We’ve both been touched by death. Some more than others,” he added, smiling wider. I let out a pained laugh. “Try and touch me, Aida.”
I could feel him wrap his arms around me as I fell into him, his cold body sending shivers down my spine. I cried. I could feel him!
That night, I prayed to the God of Death to appear before us. He popped into existence next to us and heard my wish. “I wish to tie his spirit to mine, and bring him back home to his daughter.”
The God of Death looked at his notepad, turning pages until finally he found the name he was looking for. “Aida Walsh? Technically I own both of your spirits. You’re a vampire, remember?”
“Yes, but — “
“I can tie it to your daughter,” he said, bored as he shifted his gaze to Tommy. “Is that okay? She’s got a spirit. When she dies, you die, so just keep her alive and she’ll be okay.”
“No vampirism?” Tommy asked. I knew the answer.
“Nope.” The God of Death held out a slip of paper. “Sign this if you’re willing to tie your spirit to your kid.”
I looked at Tommy, and he looked at me. “We should really ask her.”
“You think?” Tommy said, squinting at the paper. “She comes by every night, you know. She tells me about her day.” I nodded, a feeling of comfort washing over me. I knew she wasn’t lying about coming, but I hadn’t known if Tommy could hear her. Tommy continued to speak. “I think she’d be okay if I signed this now.”
“How do you know?”
“She asks me to come home with her every night. Obviously, I can’t.”
“But if you sign this…”
“‘He can, he can’, we get it, can you guys hurry up?” The God of Death was impatient.
Without another word, Tommy signed the paper. The God of Death disappeared and we went home to Dani. Only time will tell if anything will come of this…as long as we keep her alive, right?
Hello everyone! Today was the day of my best friend’s funeral, so I have been working on this for the past couple of days leading up to today. Something that’s brought me comfort this whole week has been The Sims. As you may or may not know, I’m trying to get to 10 generations of Sim and I am currently on my 9th gen! So, since I’m getting to the end of my longtime goal, I’m letting the story get a little crazy.
I figure writing about Aida Walsh, the 8th Walsh in the Walsh Bloodline, would be good warm-up practice for writing my novel this week. It’s also been a nice distraction to try to figure out how to put all of this strange gameplay into a short story format! Pretty much all of this is what happened this past week in the game, save for a few embellishments.
If you liked what I wrote, thank you! Consider dropping me a little tip on ko-fi if you’re feeling generous. All of the tips I get on there go straight to my self-publishing fund! Follow me on Twitter for blog updates and memes as well.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you all here next week!
