REFLECTION OF A VAMPIRE

by Remedios Dorio                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

ROSALIE worked as a steward of the city where she lived, the city of Rotterdam. Their group of twenty people was a project of the city and composed of different descents. They were named ‘City Stewards of Rotterdam’. They were defined as the walking information. Walking thru the streets of the city and helped people found their way or helped tourists, if they ask about events in the city and to guide what is worth seeing or to do.

The City Stewards, before they go to streets walking in two, take their time in drinking coffee while others tea in the canteen with a limit of five minutes after their briefings was just done.

Rosalie was partnered on that day with Isabel. Rosalie came from the Philippines and Isabel from Peru, South America.

The route assigned for Rosalie and Isabel that day was in the vicinity where there’s a Paranormal Fair. 

While walking thru the Fair, Rosalie noticed a tent about Aura, for an amount of seven euro, you will know what your Aura is.

“Do you believe in Aura?” Rosalie asked Isabel.

“What is Aura?” Isabel asked Rosalie as she looked at the tent where a banner says, ‘know your aura’.

“Well, people say, that is the color of the energy that surrounds our body.” Rosalie explain to Isabel what Aura is. “It says here, if we pay seven euro, we will know the color of our Aura and they will explain the meaning.”

“If you like we could try.” Isabel became interested and said to Rosalie that they could try.

“Yes, for a long time I want to know what my aura is but don’t know how, and now it’s my chance.” Rosalie said to Isabel.  Enthusiast, they both entered into the tent.

Two people were inside the tent, a man and a woman. There’s a camera and while Rosalie was sitting waiting for her turn, as it was Isabel first whose Aura will be read. Rosalie observed as a photo was taken of Isabel. The camera is a polaroid. The photo that come out from the camera was given to the woman that sits by the table with two vacant chairs across her. The woman called Isabel to sit by the table in front of her.

While Isabel was sitting by the table across the woman, the man makes a photo of Rosalie and the photo was also given to the woman. Rosalie was invited by the woman to sit near Isabel.

The photo of Isabel was the first one analyzed by the woman. Both Isabel and Rosalie saw that the color yellow surrounded Isabel in her photo.

“The color of your Aura is yellow!” the woman said to Isabel. “Do you know what it means?”

Isabel shook her head. “No, I do not know.”

“Well, it says that you are a happy, cheerful person, people like you to be around with. You have confident and is full of energy.” the woman said to Isabel. Isabel as to confirm that what the woman said about her is true just nodded.

“You are social and most of the time people could not handle your bright personality that they would not take you seriously.” And the woman said many things more about the Aura of Isabel, until she warned her to be aware of people, vampire people that will only drain her energy.

Then it was the turn of Rosalie’s Aura to be explained.

“You have nice and rare color of Aura. I seldom see this color of Aura.” And the woman let see Rosalie her photo. “You see, the color of pink that surrounds you.”

Indeed, in the photo, the color of pink surrounded the picture of Rosalie.

“You are gentle, pleasant, sensitive, intuitive and creative. People felt comfortable with you and you are full of feminine energy.” and the woman continued explaining more about Rosalie’s Aura.

Rosalie and Isabel when they came out the tent realized that one’s Aura tells about characters of a person, their traits.

“I only could not understand why that woman warned me about vampire people?” Isabel said to Rosalie.

“She meant not literally vampire. What she meant you must be aware of vampire people that will only suck your energy.” Rosalie relied to Isabel.

“That is what she said, but what does she really meant, I don’t know!” Isabel said.

“Don’t tell me that you really think vampire as it is. Vampire that sucked blood from your neck? Rosalie made a joke to Isabel.

“You never know.” Isabel answered. “Vampire people that suck your energy. Vampire suck blood. Blood is energy!”

“You believe in vampires? It’s only a fiction story, it is not true. A folklore!” Rosalie said.

“If it is not true, why that woman warned me about vampire people? I think vampire people really exists.” Isabel indirectly was admitting to herself that she believed in vampires.

“Okay, if you believe, then believe it. Me? I do not know. I do not believe in vampires.” Rosalie said, then she looked at the other tent with banners that say, KNOW YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL. “Look, I like to know who my guardian angel is.”

“It will cost us money again.” Isabel said and looked at what Rosalie was pointing.

“So what? We do not always have Fair in Rotterdam about Paranormal things. If you believe in vampires, I am sure you believe also in angels.” Rosalie tried to convinced Isabel and make a joke to her. “If that woman warned you against vampire people, I am sure you will be interested to know who your guardian angel is so that you know too who you will call in case.”

“Okay, we go inside that tent.” Isabel agreed and they walked to the tent that advertised about guardian angel.

When they entered the tent, there’s no client. Sitting inside was only a middle-aged woman in front of a small table. Rosalie and Isabel saw pencils and drawing papers.

“Welcome, how can I help?” the woman welcomed them when she saw them entering the tent.

“We want to know who our guardian angel is.” Rosalie answered the woman.

“Okay, you are in the right place.  Who will be the first to know who her guardian angel is?” the woman asked.

“Me!” Rosalie answered. She and Isabel had already agreed that Rosalie must be the first to have the reading.

“Alright, you may sit by the table in front of me and your friend could sit near you if she wants.”

The woman said that if Isabel wanted to sit to listen or witness the reading for Rosalie there’s a vacant seat near Rosalie.

“Yes, I want to listen!” Isabel then sat near Rosalie.

“Before I begin with the session, please no talking to each other.” The woman told them, and then she said to Rosalie to look her straight in the eyes. “Look me straight in the eyes. I want to see your soul inside.”

Rosalie for a while doubted. She thought maybe the woman will hypnotize her but then, she did it, she looked at the woman straight in the eyes, they looked at each other for a quite of time until the woman talked.

“I am honored to sit in front of you, My Majesty!” the woman was talking to Rosalie. Rosalie was confused. She could not follow the woman or understand why the woman addresses her as ‘My Majesty’. Rosalie looked at the woman askingly.

“As I looked at through your eyes, I saw your past life far away.” The woman said to Rosalie that she saw her past life.

“My past life?” Rosalie asked the woman while her thought was, how could the woman see her past life by just looking through her eyes?

“Yes, do you want to know who or what are you in your past life?” the woman asked Rosalie.

“Yes, please tell me.” Rosalie answered as she was curious who she was in her past life.

“You were a princess and later became a queen!” the woman told Rosalie that in her past life, she was a princess that later became a queen.

Rosalie, when the woman said that she was a princess and queen in her far past life, began to be interested and so Isabel too that was just listening. Rosalie thought true or not she wanted to hear what more the woman had to tell.

“Wow, that was interesting.” Rosalie said as she was delighted to know that she was a woman of power in her previous life.

“It is interesting indeed.” The woman agreed. “When you are a queen, you are love by your people.”

“Maybe because I am a good queen.” Rosalie said.

“Yes, you do many good things but…” and the woman suddenly stopped talking, and when she talked again her voice trembled. “Everything changes and it’s not good.”

“Why? What had change?” Rosalie was curious. She was first skeptical and really doesn’t believe what the woman was telling but even she, could not understand, why she wanted to hear more about the past life of her as what the woman told.

“Your younger sister Riza was in love with a Prince and disaster in the kingdom happened.” The woman continued her telling of Rosalie’s past life. Rosalie and Isabel could see horror in the face of the woman.

“What disaster are you talking about?” Rosalie asked.

“Young women, girls and boys in your kingdom, one by one disappeared!” the woman as she was in trance continue talking.

“Some of your people distrusted you for not resolving the problem and them not knowing what happened to their daughters, they revolted. They attacked the palace and you were dragged out and they killed you! My God!” in the woman’s voice one can hear she was very terrified.

“I am killed by my own people?” Rosalie was carried away from the story of the woman and she reacted as like she was the Queen that killed by the people. “How did they kill me?”

“I am sorry, I cannot tell you!” and the woman stood up. “Please, I am asking you to go away!”

“Go away?” Rosalie was surprised, she could not understand.

“Yes, please go out from my tent! I am begging you.” The woman was begging Rosalie to go out from her tent.

“I did not know yet who my guardian angel is, and how old am I when I die?” Rosalie said.

“Your guardian angel is your sister, her name is Riza. Princess Riza is your guardian angel. You died young, your age is thirty! Please go away!” the woman drove them away.

The two, Rosalie and Isabel were sent out the tent. There’s no reading on Isabel about who is her guardian angel and the woman did not accept the money that Rosalie will pay her. What the woman want was them to just went away.

“That woman was crazy!” Isabel said to Rosalie.

“I do not know.” Rosalie answered Isabel.

“You believe all what she said?” Isabel thought that Rosalie believed all what the woman were saying.

“It seems so real! Did you not feel her fear? See the horror in her face?” Rosalie said.

“I think she was a good actress.” Isabel said.

“Why she has to do it? She even did not take my pay to her. I really believe she saw my past life.” Rosalie was convinced that the woman was for real, that she was not a charlatan.

“If she really saw your past life, the only good part of it was that you are a Queen.” Isabel was trying to say that Rosalie’s past life if it was true had nothing good in it.

“But why she will not tell me how I die?” Rosalie asked.

“You do not have to know that! Maybe it was a horrible death.” Isabel answered Rosalie.

“Sure, it was because I saw the horror in her face.” Rosalie was really convinced that her death in her past life was horrible. Isabel laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because you really believe all what that woman was telling.” Isabel said laughing. Rosalie did not respond to what Isabel said. She realized that what the woman was telling could not be true. How could someone see one’s previous life in a clear detail. Impossible! But there’s a kind of feeling, a little voice inside her saying, she must believe all what the woman’s story about her past life.

“Paranormal Fair! It’s true indeed. The atmosphere was beyond normal. I was warned against vampire people, and you were a Queen! Wait when our colleagues would hear about these.”

The two City Stewards continued to roam the vicinity of the Paranormal Fair, once for a while they were stopped by some people asking how to ride the tram, where the Boat Restaurant was that offered unlimited foods for an amount. They take pause from their work for one hour when it’s time for lunch.

After lunch, Rosalie and Isabel come back to the place of their work, the vicinity of the Paranormal Fair. There’s a tent that attracted the attention of Rosalie and Isabel. The tent was selling memorabilia or curiosa that had something to do with paranormal. From small things as talisman to cards and books. Rosalie had her eyes on a mirror, it’s looked like an antique mirror.

“It’s a nice mirror. You want to buy it?” the woman asked Rosalie.

“It looks antique!” Rosalie said and asked the woman. “Is it antique?”

“I do not know. I think no.” the woman answered Rosalie.

“I like the mirror but it is difficult to carry. It is big!” Rosalie liked the mirror and she wanted to buy it.

“And we are still working!” Isabel commented.

“If you pay extra, it can be delivered to your address.” The woman suggested that if Rosalie would buy the mirror, it can be delivered to her address.

“Really? How much extra?” Rosalie asked the woman how much extra she have to pay if the mirror will be delivered on her address.

“The mirror is very cheap. It sells only five euro, if you make it double, we delivered it to your house, but not outside the city.” The woman said.

“Okay.” Rosalie took a pen and piece of paper in her working bag, write her address and telephone number and give it to the woman after she paid her the amount of ten euro. “It can be delivered in this address. That is my telephone number in case. But I am still working and will be home around six o’clock.”

“Six o’clock, the mirror will be delivered in your address.”

Roaming again, Isabel commented to Rosalie about the mirror she had just bought.

“That mirror was big and it looks antique!”

“That’s why I bought it. The size is one meter by two meter. I will place it in my bedroom.” Rosalie replied.

“Why did they sell it cheap? The frame is so beautiful, I think hard wood.”

“That’s why I cannot let it stand, besides, I really need a mirror in my bedroom.”

Rosalie was already home from her work and exactly 6 o’clock the mirror was delivered to her address.

“You can place it here inside my bedroom.” Rosalie told the two men carrying the mirror to put it in her bedroom. And the two men bring the mirror inside the bedroom of Rosalie.

“Where will you place this mirror? On the wall?” one of the men asked Rosalie.

“Yes.” Rosalie answered.

“If you tell us which wall you will place this mirror, we could do it for you.” said the other man.

“Really? But I have no materials.” Rosalie answered them.

“We have in the car.”

“Really, then I will be very thankful if it will be done for me. I think I cannot do it alone by myself.”

“You can do it with your husband?” one guy said.

“I am not married. I live here alone!” Rosalie told to the two men that she only lived alone in the house.

That night Rosalie went to bed satisfied. The mirror was place on the wall next to the small night table next her bed. For a while she stayed awake as she thought on what the woman told about her previous past life. She was a Queen, a royal blood. A nice thought. She, born in the Philippines, her family poor, a royal blood, a queen before? And Rosalie falls asleep refused to think the other not so good part of the story the woman in the Paranormal Fair told to her that day.

Twelve o’clock midnight. Rosalie was awakened and she know it was midnight as she heard the clock of the neighbor strook twelve times.

Normally she slept like a block, when she closed her eyes almost always at nine o’clock in the evening, she will be awake in the morning at six o’clock. She needed no alarm clock; her body has a rhythm and it did not disappoint her.

She went out the bed, go out her room and go to the water closet as she had a strong urge to pee.

When she comeback to sleep again, she felt so cold that she took an extra blanket and cover herself with it.

Rosalie had not quickly return to sleep as she wanted. Her thoughts were busy analyzing the story of the woman about her past life and this time her thoughts were on the horrible death that happened to the queen.

Then she heard something outside her bedroom, like someone is walking hence and fort. It’s the first time she felt uneasy about her house. She remembers one time when she gave a party that one friend of her, her name was Emily hurriedly leave and went home. Later she heard that Emily was in the toilet when she saw a big hand wanted to grab her. She was so afraid but do not want to disturb the party that she just asked her husband that they must go home.

There were also friends that asked her if she was not afraid to be alone in her house. They said that they saw some person that must not be there, in one word they meant ghosts. Rosalie by herself never experienced strange happening in her house, so she just answered the people that told her about the ghost that she had not noticed it, and if there’s indeed ghosts in her house, she’s not afraid and with a joke told them that the ghosts in her house were her bodyguards that protect her.

Tonight, this night was different. The house seemed was filled with eerie atmosphere and discomfort. Of the unexplained noise outside her bedroom, Rosalie have fear that she quickly got up her bed and locked her bedroom. She never had done it before, locking her bedroom but this time she thought she must.

Unnoticed Rosalie falls asleep and she doesn’t know what time. Six o’clock in the morning she woke up according to her bio-rhythm.

Rosalie prepared to go to her work. She first drink tea, take a shower, had her breakfast and after she dressed herself, she looked at the mirror she had just bought yesterday. She saw herself look haggard but she thought it was just because she had not slept well that night.

“Okay, you may look haggard but you have to go to your work, Rosalie.” Rosalie talked to herself and she bowed to pick up her handbag when she suddenly stopped and looked again in the mirror. She saw something strange in the mirror but she was not so sure. When she’s talking to herself in the mirror, she saw her reflection smiling when she herself was not.

For a quite of time, she just stood in front of the mirror motionless and have a kind of penetrating looked to the reflection of herself, but she noticed nothing; but why when she talked to herself about although she looked haggard, she must go to work, she saw her reflection in the mirror smiling when she herself was not? Strange she thought, but maybe it was just her imagination.

to be continued