The Blue Bird's Cry

Stories and Truths

I have never been involved on such intense preparation for a dinner party like this. We still have two days before the said event, but the way everyone is acting make it seem like it is only a few minutes away. Menu for that day is being prepared and the whole palace ground is being cleaned every day leaving everything spotless. I even became friends with the oldest gardener in the castle, a warm and friendly old man who likes to tell a lot of stories he had accumulated for years working in this place. 

“There was a time when the King got really mad and all of the plant burned and was turned into ashes in a blink of an eye” I was helping him watering the plants and removing weeds and dried leaves as he tells me stories. 

“Did he burn it himself? But why and how could he do that?” I was baffled and weirded out by the events he just told. “It’s not like he has some superpowers of some kind, does he?” 

“I see you have not yet unveiled the secrets of the royal family. Have you seen any of them yet?

How long have you been working here?” 

“Just a few weeks. I have seen them before, I even got the chance to talk to the prince. What about them, they all seemed fairly normal to me” I stopped on what I was doing and turned my attention to him as the thought of the secret being spilled intrigued me.

“They are not a like us. They are creatures that exists for a very, very long time and would continue to do so. They tried to be like one of us and hide themselves in the thick stoned wall of this castle  and although they mean no harm, it is in the human instinct to look at them like monsters even though we claim that a coexistent with them is totally fine with us.” his face was serious but wait does this mean the rumors about them are true? 

“There were rumors before…”

“It’s true.” He cut me off and answered as if he knows the rumor I was talking about, maybe he did know that is why he was able to answer me without hearing the whole sentence.

“They’re vampires? Aren’t they going to eat us?” fear has taken all over my body. 

“That is the thing they fear most, people instantly think they are monsters who feed on humans, but haven’t you seen the meals prepared for them? They have changed their diet to match our diet and although they can be like the ones you fear, they haven’t done that in a thousand year. After the only prince was born, they have avoided the human blood and they were successful in changing the food they eat since not a single person was harmed by them in all those years.” I sighed before responding but before I could even say a word, I heard the head butler call my name. 

“Excuse me Mr. I have to go” I ran towards the small back entrance and met up with the butler.

“It was nice talking to you again young Elizabeth” it was faint, and I don’t think I heard it right, I’m pretty sure I told him my name and Victoria is far from Elizabeth, but I do hope to see him again because I enjoyed his stories and I still don’t know his name which I just realized just now.

We walked the very long hallway I have never been to before. It was not as dark as the ones leading to the prince’s room, but it still gives me the creeps. I was walking behind the butler – apparently his name must not be known to anyone that is why I only call him sir – trying so hard to stay close to him as I can be because I am scared. We reached the end of the hallway and then he turned around and opened the door on the left side. 

“This is the place one of the guests would be staying; I need this cleaned by tomorrow and ready for the dinner due in two days. There isn’t much to clean but I need you to organize all the things inside and make it presentable, okay?”

“Yes sir.” He handed me the key and he walked away leaving me there with the key and a room to clean. I went inside and look around. The familiarity of this place is so strong that it feels like this is my home. I know what I am thinking is impossible but everything in this room speaks to me in a different level and just being here feels like a warm hug and a welcome home. After some time of looking around, I decided that I should get started to be able to clean this room. The butler was right, it doesn’t need that much cleaning, it seemed so well maintained even though no one uses this room that often. 

Everything was squeaky clean, and the bedsheet is laid flat with the pillows well arranged. I was admiring my work and notice that it has gone dark outside. I quickly gathered all the cleaning materials and prepared to head out. I screamed when I turned around and saw the prince standing on the doorway, I was shocked and scared because I was alone in this place. He stood there not saying a word and just stared at me.

“Good evening your highness. Is there anything I can do for you?” I slowly bowed down, one thing I always forget to do. I looked back up and saw him shake his head no and then walked away. I heard a footstep walking back to where I am and a few seconds later the prince appeared again. “Christian” he said, I was confused of what he meant by that and confusion must have made it way to reveal itself. “My name is Christian” he added then just like that he walked away again. I ran after him and peeked to the door and he was already far away.  I turned my attention back to the room and took one last look of the place before heading out, locking the doors behind me. I was lucky to come across the butler on my way to the kitchen and I was able to give him the key to the room and then proceeded on my way. 

            The morning before the big dinner everyone was preparing for, we were called to the main hall for an announcement. We stood there waiting for the king while the queen and the prince sat quietly on their thrones. Everyone is silent while waiting. What could this be about? He arrived a few moments after. 

“Today I would like to announce a few rules needed to be followed for this weekend. There will be a very special guest coming and I would like everyone to stay in your rooms except for the few chosen ones who will continue to serve for the said days. Those who are not chosen should keep themselves locked in their rooms, especially at night. We care for your safety and we will not want to take the risk that any of you could be harmed. An announcement will be made if it is safe for you to come outside so have all your things ready and foods will be brought to you so that you’ll have everything you’ll need.” He then whispered to his trusted butler perhaps it’s about what he just said. We were then dismissed. The whole day still went on like normal for others but for the five of us who were asked to server for that day, we went on a long briefing telling us what not to do and what to do. We were also told about the schedules we strictly need to follow. It was an uncanny announcement made by the king but if they are in fact vampires, then those guests could also be like them and it is possible that they are not used to humans being around them. 

Everyone was awake before the horizon even turned blue, running around fixing every bit of details and cleaning a bit more to make sure everything is spotless. The food items on the menu are checked and readied. The chefs would be around later in the evening, but it was part of the preparation to check it beforehand. Us, the ladies and gentlemen, who will be serving are also asked to change in the most pleasing piece of clothing that would make us presentable for the evening. Everyone was busy doing this and that, that no one seemed to notice that it was already past noon. Only a few hours left, and they are frantic, going back and checking even the tiniest details.

            The evening came and everyone was gone, locked themselves in to their rooms, the busy palace earlier turned in to a deserted place with only a few people to be seen. I was with the other servants lined up in front of the main entrance and waiting for the guests to arrive. There was a loud thunder sound, we didn’t anticipate the evening to be rainy, and soon enough the front gate fled open and revealed carriages pulled by running huge horses. I never seen horses this breed, they are huge, bigger than the ones I see every day. The carriages designed with gold and white stopped exactly at the entrance, and doors opened revealing a beautiful young lady about my age, she is beautiful and you can see no trace of hardships on her, they must be as wealthy as the royal family or maybe they are royals too, from far away. She got down and went inside immediately. An older woman and an older gentleman followed suit. They must be the whole family, it must be nice to be this rich, you don’t need to work or do anything around your home, and you don’t have to worry about aging so much at a very young age.