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... It was a nice day, as usual. I was tending our garden and listening to all the birds sing. I have always loved those little fellas. I had my trustworthy watering can in my left hand and was pouring sweet water on a tulip... a bunch of tulips, but that one was my personaly favourite. It was red, the other ones were yellow. Now, it is not like that I have ever had a problem with the colour yellow, I just simply prefer, without any further reason, the red one. It is almost like a rose, but roses have spikes and they are hard, tough. Tulips are gentle, so you also have to be gentle with them.
Then was when I heard my wife yelling again. Do not get me wrong - my wife, my life, but she could be such a rude one, especially towards smaller ones, beings of the Creator. She still despises them 'till this day. That time she was unhappy with one of our servants. I still do not know what that poor sould did to make my wife, my Trandafir so mad, but on that day I decided. It's not like that I have never thought about it before, oh, I did, many-many times, but something on that day told me to do it. So I put down my watering can and without saying a word to my family, I ran away. I mean, I was - and still - a grown man, I do not need to explain myself, but when remembering back, maybe, just maybe, if I would say goodbies to my son, maybe life would have treaded him better. But I was a fool, and I let my son believe that his father never loved him. It was never true.
The days went by on slowley, almost unmovingly. There was nothing happening. I had to fetch some animals to drink their blood and eat their raw meat, but that was all. I was pretty far away from our castle and I was thinking that I should go back, I was alone and a little bit afraid, even though I knew well that nothing could harm me. And then was it, when I found that little girl. In her stories people like to represent me as a vicious man, who preys on little children, but it is no true. Yes, I would have been a happy man, if I had a wife like Valentina, but she was part of a different world and much older than me - the looks can confuse some people till this day, but she was, I am one hundred percent sure. I know it is not a good thing to discuss a lady's age, but she would be okay with this, so I tell you, that she is more than 70 years older than me.
We had our little adventures for months, I am sure about the time we spent together, just the two of us. I tought her hunting, fishing, all the things I did with my own son. We were happy and fine like this, or so I thought. I noticed the stress and loneliness on her, but I did not know how to help with that.However as the days went by, people joined us, we were more than a group of two, we started to become a horde of survivers, runaways and fighters. She started to become more happy, but I became more and more alone. I was happy that she was starting to feel better, but I did not know her happiness meant my fall. Again, I started to think that I made the wrong decision, that I should go back to my blood, but something kept me with Valentina and her people.
After a while I started to notice a same face as mine. He was also sad, but happy at the same time, free. I learnt that his name was David, but everyone called him Dave for some reason, I never asked, never cared actually. If he was okay with his new nickname, there was no thing to ask about. He was built like a true soilder, like a warrior, however he kept saying that he was a carpenter. For months he did nothing with wood, but after some time, he showed us what he could do, and even if I never said it to him, I hope in this form it reaches him: he was amazing and breathtaking while doing hard work. He was full of beautiful, aesthetic muscles, neck to toe. Some even said he was the ideal man, which made me kind of insecure, because I have always had the body of a twig: tall and slim. My hat just made it worse, but I loved it.
You know most of the stories about how Valentina saw the whole adventure. I would not even call it an adventure, more like a pilgrimage, with an unknown destination, although knowing there will be something mighty at the end. And maybe there was. We made friends and new families, maybe even found love, but we never found a "thing" or a "place".
I admit, I was the one who separated the brother and the sister, still I know I did the right thing. You can call me a monster, even a devil, but you will not change my mind.
I am certain that the tales never told that what kind of relationship we really had with Dave. So in the beginings I kept myself far away from him, but something drove me to him and I tried to speak with him. It was hard, I admit, he was tough and full of spikes, but I wanted to make that rozetă mine. I never called him that, and there were never any sexual feelings in me towards a man, but this is my true feeling desribed. He was like this big, beautiful bouquet of roses, which worthed putting my hands into, because I knew there was something shiny at the bottom of the vase. Though it would have been a real shame if I would have poured the flowers and water out, just to see what was inside. I might be an animal on the outside, but I was a tulip on the inside. However that changed too.
I found it pretty funny when Dave found out about Valentina's gender, it was obvious to me, but it seems like not to him. After that I asked if he was kicking goals for more than one team, and he thought that I meant it as a rude bit, but maybe I was hoping that he says yes. Do not know why, but I wanted him to be queer, but I swear on my life, I am straight.
Or so I thought.
It was only one time though and we never talked about it again. Uhm, I needed blood, as fast as possible, because my species can faint and be knocked out for days if we do not drink some red animal juice. And Dave was there. We were still not in the best terms, but we were a part of the same family of Valentina, so we helped eachother if some of us had a problem, and mine was great. For a few minutes I did not suspect anything weird, to be honest I thought he needed help, due to he was acting strange and distant but opened at the same time. He led me into the woods when I started to get nervous, thought he would beat me up for stupid thing. Then he showed me his neck and said "I know you are hungry, take a sip, I'll go to healer afterwards. Take your time.". I was out of speach and breath. I was hungry, but I swore that I would never hurt anyone close to Valentina, and Dave was one of those people. I knew if I bite him, it will be hell, burning me and he up from the insides.
Just to make things clear, before I continue my story of sucking my 'friends' blood out, I have to tell you something. All Ervans were meant to be slaves, to serve humanity, until some of them decided to be the bad guys of history, so people would never talk to us - however this did not work. And therefore we were meant to be servants, we had a strange biological thing. If an Ervan meets their master, they get a fever and stay in bed for days. After that they will feel strong bonds towards the master, lets put it that way. Sometimes the slave becomes a kind of lover to the master. And this happened to me.
When I first met Dave I felt that way actually, and I learnt from my father and mother a long time ago how the Creator was angry at us for some reason, so they cursed us.
When I dug my teeth into his neck there was a weird tingling feeling in my lungs, and I felt him shiver under me. It was hot, like phisically hot. We were in the 2 month that time, so the Sun was warming everything and everyone. However when I finished sucking some blood out of Dave, he... pressed his lips to mine. My mouth and face was covered with some small dropes of blood, so he could taste himself on my lips. It was weird, me and my wife di this type of thing, but only when relatives were over and we had to play the role of the happy married couple. With Dave, we had no particular reason to taste one another. But I have to be honest, that afternoon was one of the bests in my entire life.
For a while when no one was there, me and Dave hugged a lot but still, never talked about it before out friends, not between us. We were happy not knowing what the other felt during these times. But then I got a letter, which was strange, I told no one where I would be or with who. When I read it I left the horde without any words, but I left my hat there, which meant my heart stay with them and one day they will see me again. I am sure that Valentina thought that the hat was meant for her as a platonic sign, because when we met again she was the one who gave it back. I mean, it would have been weird for Dave to take care of it, but I really meantit for him, as a 'love' letter.
For decades I only watched him from afar. He started a family and I was glad that he could move on. From my side it was harder. Margis, my wife was angry, for a good reason, I left her alone with our son, and everyone among the relatives started to speculate that I cheated on her with a hotter woman. Well, I would not say that. We only married for the sake of a child and that happened, we had not more businedd with eachother. Of course we did not think about the relatives who thought that what was between us, was real love. What fools.
When we met again, I mean me and Dave, he made it clear it would be the last time seeing him. I was sad, devastated! I knew what I had to do, so I gave him the Sabia Îndrăgostiților which he only meant to use on the right time. I gave him every detail, where and how, but I will not bore you with this. I said what I said, I wrote what I wrote. My son, Speranţă, I hope you will find this letter in good enough shape to read. I hope you will also find peace in your restless soul. Your father always loved you and I am leaving this behind just for you, you are the hope of humanity after all.
After writing this final page, Numara commited suicide in an old wooden cabin with a rusty sword, though it was broken, so it seemed like a knife at first. His family removed the sword, since it was a family heirloom.