The Vampire Detective

Eileen Devereaux

Wonderful Paris would always be her home, the city of her birth. She spoke french even before she knew what English was and when she moved to England for academia she felt alone, lost in the city perhaps. The rain was always pouring. And most times it would seem like there was no end to it.

Although Eileen complained about the rain she loved it more than most. She always thought maybe when it rained others would be as lonely as her.

She missed the French, she missed the air in Paris and the smell of baguettes.

She was very excited about her acceptance into Oxford. she wanted friends and she wanted to experience the British lifestyle and now after two months, she wasn't so excited anymore.

She was alone and slightly depressed.

The classes were dreary, although she was academically competent.

not even her fondness for anatomy could cheer her up.

At 2'oclock shortly after Anatomy lecture, she ran into two odd fellows at the hall.

One of them proceeded to confront her, and she wasn't quite used to strangers stopping her.

"Excusez-moi Mademoiselle, I can't help but notice.

Your hair's multi-coloured I believe that's a certain mutation called Heterochromia.

It's fascinating, I'm fascinated by you.

Your appearance and your eyes are wonderful up close. forgive my bluntness."

Eileen felt nervous from the complement of this particular stranger it made her anxiety a lot heavier.

"I don't think we've been introduced, my name is Cecil Melbourne and over there is my friend, colleague and roommate Arthur" he pointed at a tall young man with unkempt hair he was trying his best awkwardly to avoid looking at her eyes.

Eileen was in no mood to converse so she decided to act ignorant by replying in French to give them the impression that she did not understand a word of English.

"Pardonais-moi, Je ne pas parle anglaise," she replied hurriedly

" Au contraire, my friend believes you do, in fact, before I came to you he told me you would try to avoid us by speaking French. don't ask how he knew it's a whole other thing.

And oui, je parle le francaise de maniére assez compétente. (I speak French quite competently)

"We didn't mean to be intrusive we just wanted to invite you to a party, well not a party it's more like ehm.. a little gathering for exchanging ideas, I believe it's what you French call a salon.

If you ever decide to come it's the old house by the lake on Melbourne AVE, if you don't know it just ask anyone there'll point you in the right direction.

seven-thirty don't be late.

Eileen was curious about the gathering and she thought it might be good for her to meet a few people, it couldn't hurt

so she decided to give it a shot.

she got dressed and left for the party, without hopes or any agenda.

By 8:45 she found her way to the Melbourne resident.

The house was a three-story mansion big enough for two families

at the door was a man who ushered her in.

He was nice seemed like he was the house butler, he took her to Cecil who was looking particularly handsome.

He told her to make herself at home and if possible help herself to one the numerous wine, anything that soots her taste.

at the corner of the living room, she found Arthur.

"This is a very big house, you're Arthur right, from earlier" The young man nodded in response "you don't talk that much do you"

"Talk more, talk less is there an importance to any conversation expects the truth.

We all lie but some of us are cursed to observe the truth." He said smoking his pipe calmly "But you're different. You're alone, and yet you deny yourself the company of others why is that?."

Eileen said nothing she felt awkward for lying to them earlier

"Ah, more silence. Where are my manners, would you like a smoke?.

again Eileen did not respond. She never thought about smoking before. Her father thought the idea ungentlemanly.

"I think my obtrusive banter may be a symptom of intoxication.

If you don't mind my asking miss, what's your story?

You don't look so happy."

"Do you really want to hear about my boring stories?"

"Please! bore away, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Okay," she said, setting herself down beside Arthur

"Well I'm from Paris, and my family is as dysfunctional as any.

Dad wants me to be well educated, a physician, one he can brag about to his friends and acquaintances, he gets that way sometimes.

Mothers want me to marry a nobleman and give her as many grandchildren as possible, she said it's the duty of a woman is to her husband and all that bullocks.

"How utilitarian" Arthur replied "but what does the delectable miss Devereaux truly want"

"What I want is what everyone truly wants.

"To forge their path. I don't need the weight of the world on my shoulders"

"But it is the weight that makes us humans, to bother about these petty things" Arthur replied

"How philosophical Arthur. So what about you? what weight do you bear?"

"What is there to say, Dear old daddy ran away leaving me alone with mother when I was ten.

When I was fourteen I got shipped off to a boarding school, got into fights like a maniac, met Cecil, got bullied. blackmailed my teachers you know boy stuff.

Now, mom barely sees me I think I remind her too much of the one who abandoned her.

In a nutshell that's me."

"Well it's really nice to meet you, Arthur," Eileen said smiling

"It was nice meeting you too miss Devereaux"

"there's more to you than meets the eye"

"if you let people in I'm sure you will be surprised to know that there are more than just bag of bones"

"I'm sure there's more to you too than you let people see"

There was an interlude of silence until Arthur interjected

"Do you want to join in on the salon I think they're debating the Iliad."

"No, I think I'm okay, I quite like your company"

"Are you sure? cause no one has ever said that before, except maybe Cecil, and I still think he's bonkers"

"what do they usually say?"

" 'Burger off', 'piss off, and 'no I don't want to hear about why Napoleon was efficient' "

"Well I think you're at least fairly interesting," Eileen said

Another brief interlude of silence followed as Eileen scanned the living room where Cecil and the group discussed passionately,

it was almost like they were in Elysium, the boys and the girls talking cheerfully about matters that dated a thousand years before them. the party was of youthful revelry, a Dionysian bacchanal.

a celebration of the intellect

And Cecil especially was found of classicism he felt life should be mangled with knowledge, not just a prospect for a career but as an edifice for the soul.

And for the first time in two months, she knew she could feel a little at ease with London, as she listened to Cecil from the distance talk about Lao-tzu philosophy of the Toa and the simplicity that comes with the unassertive nature of living harmoniously with the environment he quoted "Violence should be the last resort but not the least"

you must at least remember the words of Vardhamana the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, to which they all echoed "kill not, cause no pain. Nonviolence is the greatest religion"

"They seem like wonderful people, I envy how free they all are. In all my life I've never seen fellowship this beautifully"

"it's all about opening ourselves up to the people who mirror our soul, friends can become brothers," Arthur said warmly to her,

"Come with me, you must see the lake. it's quite wonderful at this hour, it's one of the fine qualities of the Melbourne house, alonz-y."

They would become lovers with blurred beauty and everything

Outside by the lake, everything around them was broken into shadows

Falling through the rift of the endless night.

The moon settled on the Lake sizzling with stars while the waves blew whispering into the darkness.

She could almost imagine Aeolius singing sweet and softly through the clouds

His Wind echoing with silent melancholy

broken foliage burning with sadness and settling on the waters

And dew melting into tears.

it was a night she could not forget and while she watched in wonder s, Arthur gaded through the lake skipping stones.