Sundown (PG-13) Champagne Challenge 143

[cassysj]

Three little vignettes. Things don't really change much for the vampire but the world around him changes.


I do not own any recognizable characters no copyright infringement is intended.


1812


Faith had just finished washing the rest of Josef’s clothes. Mary and Anne were scrubbing the floors. The maids had been given severance yesterday and he said war was coming with the colonies. He would be leaving England next month and they were given the choice of moving to Ireland to care for old “Aunts” who fed him in the last war with the colonies or be arranged in marriage with some gentleman feeders. Faith wasn’t sure what she was going to pick, she never even met a male feeder before. She had a week to decide but for now she just couldn’t wait for sundown because the nights had become the best part of her days for the last five years.


Josef opened his eyes. The transition from death to consciousness always took a minute to adjust. It didn’t help that the house was filled with tension. He knew Mary would get married and Anne would not. She would take care of her "Aunt" Elsa until she passed but Faith…..he had no idea what she would choose and that worried him. Time to face the night.


1912

Millie and Elizabeth spent all day long getting ready.

“Can we wake him up?” Millie asked. “It’s almost time.

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, he needs his sleep. He has a big journey tomorrow.

“I wish we could go.” Millie pouted.

“So do I, but he couldn’t travel with both of us. We have to make tonight very special for him.”

Millie grinned. “Absolutely, we won’t see him for a month.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I know but the Titanic will get him back to us quickly.”

“Yeah, but right now an hour seems like forever, I can’t imagine a month without being bitten. Who is going to take care of him?

“He’s going to overfeed tonight and he’s taking two bottles with him. It’s only a week until he gets to New York.

Millie put on the new necklace he gave her. Elizabeth didn’t understand, she had a real family who only died a year ago. Millie was in the orphanage for years. She had no idea that a seamstress job would lead to a fantasy life of good food and pretty things. She loved taking care of him each night and she dreaded when she would have to work in the daytime.


Josef opened his eyes. The transition from death to consciousness always took a minute to adjust. The house was filled with sad and sulky freshies. Elizabeth understood that it was just a business trip but Millie felt abandoned. She always lost what was important to her. Lola had backed out of the trip today, maybe he would take Millie with him. Time to face the night.

2012.

Tangie was herding all the freshies.

“Ladies, Josef wants to sleep from sunup to sundown. We have to make sure nothing and no one disturbs him. He’s shutting off his phone so we’re doing the same. Each of us will spend an hour by his bedroom door to make sure the rest of the house isn’t too noisy and when all of us have a turn the rotation starts again

Summer said.. “Tangie he never sleeps past 11 not even on the weekends. Is something wrong?

“No. He says he needs a recharge day. He’s going to Tokyo tomorrow for that hostile takeover and he wants to be fresh. It’s our job to make sure that happens. I want everyone to come up with some games for tonight. He needs to be completely relaxed.

The girls started to make plans for tonight. Tangie wished he hadn’t picked June 21st for his “recharge” day. The last two years she’d become accustomed to vampire hours and rarely went to sleep before dawn. Nights were her days and in a lot of ways her life began when she met him. Nothing lasts forever, not even the longest day of the year. Eventually the moon would rise and so would her vampire.

Josef opened his eyes. The transition from death to consciousness always took a minute to adjust. The house was filled with excitement and scheming. Summer, Pamela and Natasha were giggling and relaxed. Delancy was tense as this was the first time he was going away since he made her exclusive and Tangie was very pleased with herself. She had grown so much, she was unrecognizable from the insecure unwanted freshie he met. He couldn’t wait to see what the girls had in store for him. Time to face the night.

[MickLifeCrisis]

This is fantastic, cassy! And very creative. I like how Josef gets a sense of "his house" before he actually gets up, so he knows what he's facing. Great job!

[Lucy]

the more things change.....the more they stay the same.

Constant Josef, he holds court as his world moves around him. Great answer to the challenge!

[jen]

Cassy

This is wonderful.

While each vignette holds a bit of uniqueness--different people, different events, different challenges--patterns repeat just as the some sentences.

"...there is nothing new under the sun..." and "...naught endures but mutability..."

I love the recurring theme of Josef caring for his freshies long past their usefulness to him in that role and the care he takes of those currently filling the role. They manage to reciprocate in kind. There are even hints of Josef being on the Titanic. Now that would be a story! (hint, hint).

Thank you!

Jenna

[allegrita]

I love this look at freshie life through the decades! I agree with MLC, it's wonderful how Josef wakes up and gathers a sense of what his freshies are feeling. His sensitivity to their feelings is very important to his own comfort; therefore, he takes stock upon awakening. And I do love the way he cares for the ones who are too old to feed him. Josef has a loyalty that really appeals to me. He cares for those who care for him.

How the heck did he survive the Titanic...?? Now I want a story about that.

[Marigold]

What a great response to the challenge! I really like how you've showed us three snapshots of Josef's life, each 100 years apart. Repeating the first two sentences of the last paragraph of each vignette was a nice touch.

I would love to know more about each of these freshies. Which path would Faith have chosen? Or would she have decided that neither of them was right for her...

And please, tell me that if Josef did take Millie with him on the Titanic, that she was lucky enough to be on one of the lifeboats. I would like to second Jenna's hint, hint -- this story needs to be told!

Thank you, Carol!

[cassysj]

MLC - I always thought Josef was very aware of his surroundings and his freshies are a big part of his surroundings.

Lucy - I love the image of Josef holding court.

Jen - I always felt Josef appreciated willing food. He didn't have to waste time to hunt and that made for a more comfortable life for himself. Back in the 1800's women had so few options that I do think he would have made arrangements for exclusives. To keep them in the house they would either have to be seen to the world as servants, sisters or cousins. In this case I made them relatives since he discharged the staff, he was getting ready for a quick getaway. If their contracts had ended naturally I suspect it would have been with a wedding or relocation as a widow or in some cases tending to old maid freshies at the end of their days.

Alle - I agree Josef keeping his finger on the pulse of his home makes his life more comfortable so it would be the first order of business. Josef strikes me as the type that deals with loyalty or betrayal the same way with quick action and determination. I have always seen Josef on the Titanic, I just don't have a good hand with period pieces but maybe some day.

Marigold - I'm not sure about Faith myself and the fact that Josef isn't sure is a little scary. At this point he has almost two centuries of vampire years under his belt and would be a pretty good judge of human nature. I'll have to see if Josef is willing to tell me about his trip on the Titanic.

It's funny I got this ad from The Grand Hotel just the other day. Something to think about

http://www.grandhotel.com/specials/pack ... nd#special

[allegrita]

Ohhhh, that sounds like a fantastic weekend!! But geez, it sure pays to be a couple, huh?

[cassysj]

Alle - I know as someone who travels single most of the time I often have to deal with double prices but this is really extreme

[francis]

I really like how nothing really changes and Josef always wakes up to sense what his freshies are up to.

[cassysj]

Shameless bump. I do love my freshies.

[allegrita]

I like the way you portrayed the passage of time and people, but showed that in many ways, things don't change that much for Josef. Night falls, Josef takes stock of the moods around him, and un-life goes on. I love the way he manages to live in the moment, while also taking a very long view.