It wasn't morning yet. But I woke up at the crack of dawn. I got up from my bed and walked over to the window. Being ever so quiet as not to wake Hayley up. I rested my hands by the window sill. I could see the sun starting to peak over the hills and into the window. I was blocking the sunlight from shining on Hayley. But I don't think it mattered because she woke up there and then.
" Good morning Justin, you're up early " said Hayley rubbing the sleep out of her eyes
" Couldn't sleep anymore " I said
Hayley then got up and stretched herself and walked over to the window joining me.
" Are you thinking of what you wanted to me and the others " asked Hayley
I paused for a few moments.
" Yes I am " I said
" I can't wait for your news " said Hayley
I then walked away from the window and headed for the door.
" Where are you going Justin " asked Hayley
" I'm going down to the great hall, I don't know about you Hayley. But I'd rather get something to eat first before I tell you all what's on my mind "
She just nodded at that. I left her in the room and walked down to the great hall. I noticed the clergymen were clearing off the table and getting breakfast ready for all of us.
" Good morning " I said to the clergymen
They all exchanged a '' good morning '' to me.
I sat down on one of the chairs and pressed my hands to my head for a few minutes. One of the clergymen asked me if I'd like an orange juice. I said that would be great. A few minutes later the clergyman brought a glass of orange juice for me. Soon Hayley was down joining me sitting across the table from me. A few minutes later Meav and Mairead joined us. A few minutes the rest of us joined us at the table. We had a choice of pancakes, oatmeal, or bacon and eggs. There was also milk and orange juice as well. So all of us began eating breakfast. As we were halfway through our breakfast I spoke.
" I need to tell you all something once we finish eating " I said
" What is it Justin " asked Lisa
" I'll tell you after we eat '' I said
As we finished eating. I knew the time had arrived for me to tell them what was on my mind.
" Ok we're finished eating now Justin " said Meav
" What is it you need to tell us " said Orla
I called one of the clergymen over and asked if the Reverend could join us. The clergyman nodded and within a few minutes the Reverend came through the doors and took a seat. Now that I had my audience I was ready to speak.
" Ok, now that I have all of your attention. I'll get into what I wanted to talk to you about " I said
" Go ahead Justin " said Deidre
I took a few deep breaths and finally spoke.
" I believe that Count Dracula has returned from the dead " I said
The Reverend then spoke.
" How do you make claim of this " he asked
" I saw the moon last night, it was blood red " I said
" I see " said the Reverend rubbing his chin
" What does a blood red moon mean in these parts '' asked Mairead
The Reverend cleared his throat and then spoke.
" A blood red moon means a lot of things. Most of them bad. It means an evil force is at work. The crops failing and dying, decay and rot setting in " said the Reverend
" But I don't get it. You said that Dracula died. How could he come back " asked Lisa
" After Dracula died at the hands of Simon Belmont. Simon of course passed away. But one thing that's still around and alive are Dracula's army of undead warriors. Dracula is dead but they are still alive. There's a rumor going around that his army is trying to conquer the countryside. However they're still tied to Dracula. Now this a legend and I'm not sure if it's true or not. But in 5 mansions lie Dracula's severed body parts. They guard them with a passion as to not let anyone go near them. Part of the reason for the decay and rot in the countryside is the army and of course Dracula's evil and sometimes Dracula himself ". said the Reverend
The girls were all trying to process in their minds of what the Reverend just said.
" So Dracula could be alive " I said
" In a way yes. But he's not in a human form. As I've said in the legend. There are 5 mansions that hold his severed remains " said the Reverend
" Do you think that could his army could strike here " asked Chloe
" During the day here, everything here is peaceful. However at night is when his army comes through the town. At dawn they disappear and everything becomes peaceful again. I know you 8 are new here to the countryside, but I just thought I'd tell you '' said the Reverend
I then spoke.
" Reverend, where is the grave of Simon Belmont " I asked
" It's behind this church, in the courtyard, why do you ask " said the Reverend
" I just want to see it " I said
" Very well , you all can see it " said the Reverend
After we all got dressed the Reverend took us out to the courtyard. It was a very small courtyard with only 1 tombstone at far right. The Reverend dismissed us as he had other matters to attend to. So the ladies and I walked up to the grave of Simon Belmont. I walked up to the grave and knelt down.
" What importance is this grave to you Justin " asked Hayley
'' I just wanted to see if the info was correct " I said
I checked the grave and it was.
" Ok this is starting to get too weird for my tastes '' said Chloe
" What is weird " said a voice
" This whole thing " said Chloe
We looked around because they knew it wasn't my voice.
" Who on Earth was that " asked Orla
" It was me " said the voice
We looked around. And we noticed a shape forming into a man sitting on a bench in the courtyard. A ghost of a warrior, or more to the term vampire killer. The girls were stunned but not frightened. But I went in front of them.
" Are you Simon Belmont '' I asked
" I am " said Simon
" Simon, the 7 of them and myself woke up yesterday in Transylvania. What are we doing here?
Simon slightly adjusted himself sitting.
" I brought the 8 of you here " Simon said
After that response I could feel a lot of negativeness dwelling within the girls.
" Ok Simon, why are here in Transylvania in 1698 " asked Mairead
" The curse of Dracula still lingers on in Transylvania. If I were alive I would go off and fight Dracula's army and bring peace to Transylvania. But I'm dead " said Simon looking at himself
" Are you saying we have to go and vanquish Dracula " I said
" Yes that's the reason I brought you 8 here. You have the purest of hearts. And you all have kindness. But above all I want more than anything for the curse of Dracula to end. Once it ends I'll be able at last to go to Heaven. I miss Linda " Simon said
" Who's Linda " asked Lisa
" She's my wife, she's in Heaven waiting for me. But I'm stuck here as a wandering spirit in Transylvania " Simon said
" How about us going home " asked Hayley
" If you come through for me, I'll send you 8 home. But please help me '' said Simon
I hate to admit it. I don't know how in any way myself or the girls would go off and knock off Dracula. But I didn't like to see a spirit like Simon suffer. I then turned around and looked at the girls who looked sorry for Simon.
" What are we to do Simon " I asked
" You must see the Poltergeist King first. And then after that you all will begin your journey to rid this country of the curse of Dracula. But above that, send me to Heaven where I'll meet Linda again and be with her forever, and then send you 8 home " said Simon
The Reverend then walked out to see how we were doing.
" Hello everyone how are you " the Reverend asked
He noticed the ghost of Simon Belmont sitting on the bench.
" Hello old friend " said Simon
" Simon, Simon Belmont " said the Reverend trying to regain his composure
" Yes it's me, I just got done talking to these 8 about the journey that lies before them. I hope you will prepare them to leave and to let them see the Poltergeist King " said Simon
" Of course " said the Reverend
" My time runs short, I shall be watching you 8 " said Simon
And after those words he faded away.
" Did anybody believe what just happened " asked Deidre
" I think we all saw the spirit of Simon Belmont " said Meav
" Well now what " said Orla
" Well, I don't know about you all. But I'm sure you all want to go home and not be stuck in Transylvania any longer than we have to " I said
" What are you saying Justin " said Chloe
" I say, let's go on this journey. Let's get Dracula's severed remains. Reanimate him. Send him to kingdom come. Set Simon's soul free at least and so that he can reunite with his love Linda. But above all, let's do this to get out of here hopefully " I said
A moment passed.
" So are you all coming with me " I asked
The girls all looked at one another. And then finally back to me.
" Yeah Justin, let's go on this journey. If it can get us home that is " said Orla
I smiled at them.
" Good choice ladies. Let's go see the Poltergeist King " I said
So after talking to the Reverend. He pointed us in the right direction to a building. We walked across the town of Jova. We knocked on the door. It didn't look like anyone was home. Then all of a sudden the door slowly opened. We all walked in. We walked down an aisle and reached a curtain. Slowly the curtain parted ways and on a throne sat the Poltergeist King. He looked almost deep in slumber.
" Are you the Poltergeist King " I asked
He then stared at us and smiled.
" I am indeed " said the Poltergeist King
" We were sent here by the spirit of Simon Belmont '' said Hayley
" Is that so '' said the Poltergeist King
" Well, I can tell you one thing sir. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him " said Meav
The Poltergeist King brushed his hands off.
" I see. First off would the man come forwrad " said the Poltergeist King
I walked forward and stopped in front of the Poltergeist King. He got up from his throne and led me to a treasure chest. He opened it up and handed me an outfit that would belong to a vampire killer. He then proceeded to give me a morning star ( very long and strong whip ).
" May God Bless You for the journey you and those women will have to undertake on trying to bring peace to Transylvania. As well as trying to get home " said the Poltergeist King
" Very well then " I said
We then shook hands.
" You may take a seat '' the Poltergeist King said pointing to a chair
So I did. And the women were next.
" Would you 7 please come forward " said the Poltergeist King
So one by one the 7 of them did. He handed each of them a plain white cloak along with a staff to use. The Poltergeist King then spoke to the 7 of them.
" Heroines are rather rare and uncommon in these parts. So you 7 are really the first ones I've blessed " said the Poltergeist King
As the girls walked away from the Poltergeist King. They joined on both sides of me.
" Your journey will be long and treacherous. But I have faith in the 8 of you that you all will succeed " said the Poltergeist King
With those last words he raised his arms and suddenly a light appeared of him. The light then gently hovered over us.
" What's that thing '' said Lisa
" That's my blessing to you all '' said the Poltergeist King
It was then we could see the night coming.
" I've done everything I possibly can for the 8 of you. It's time for you to return to the church. Eat and rest for the time being. Tomorrow morning you will start your journey " said the Poltergeist King
So we walked back to the church. And as the night descended we could see ravens and bats fly across the nighttime sky. We arrived back in the church where the Reverend was waiting for us.
" Good evening, are you 8 well. I'm glad you all returned before the night really came " said the Reverend
" We begin our journey tomorrow " I said
" Is that true? Alright then "
It was then Lisa spoke.
" May we have a meal soon please " said Lisa
The Reverend smiled.
" The clergymen have already begun preparing your meal as we speak. You may take your belongings to your rooms. When you're finished with that you all may go to the Great Hall where your meal will await " said the Reverend
So we went back to our rooms and dumped our belongings in our room. We then headed down to the Great Hall and took our seat. We were served spaghetti with garlic bread on this night. Along with water and milk. We ate well of course. And of course the clergymen came out with a different dessert this time around. We were given apple, cherry, and strawberry pastries for dessert. Like the dinner earlier. The dessert was wonderful. After we finished eating I called the ladies together.
" We begin our journey tomorrow. I want to wish us well. A lot is riding on us " I said
I then placed my hand out.
" I've got your girl's backs. I hope you got mine " I said
One by the one they put their hands on top of mine.
" We have your back Justin " said Mairead
After that was done the clergymen came to the table holding knapsacks.
" It'll be a long journey for all of you. The least we could do is pack you some food and water '' said one of the clergymen
We each took a knapsack. In it was chicken, fruits, bread, and a container of water.
" We appreciate this wholeheartedly, thank you for your kindness " said Chloe
The clergymen were pleased with our comments.
" Please leave everything where it is. We'll take care of the dishes and glasses in the morning. We'll perhaps see you off as well as the Reverend " said one of the clergymen
" Thank you for your kindness. I'm sure taking in 8 complete strangers is a little weird. But thank you from the bottom of our hearts " said Orla
The clergymen bowed.
" You're most welcome '' said one of the clergymen
After that was done the Reverend came in and gave us a map.
" You never know when this may come in handy " said the Reverend
" Thank you Reverend, this will make our lives a lot more easier " said Deidre
So we unrolled the map and looked at it. On it were locations of numerous towns , woods, and marshes. But also the locations of the 5 mansions that housed Dracula's remains. The 5 mansions were Berkeley, Rover, Bodley, Laruba, and Brahm's. It was then decided I would hold on to the map. Since I pretty much felt like the leader of the group. So I accepted that role. With it getting late we returned to our rooms. Inside Hayley and I sat on our beds and talked for a few minutes.
" I'm sort of nervous about this journey. But I have you and others with me Justin '' said Hayley
I walked over and put my arm around here.
" I know we're all pretty nervous. But this is the only way we can go home. We can't let Simon down '' I said
Hayley then looked at me.
" I know '' she said
It was getting late.
" Try to get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow " I said
So I got up and went back to my bed. We laid down, threw the blankets over us. And just drifted off to sleep.