{"id":369,"date":"2014-10-23T16:15:39","date_gmt":"2014-10-23T23:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=369"},"modified":"2014-10-23T16:22:10","modified_gmt":"2014-10-23T23:22:10","slug":"hunters-moon-ch-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=369","title":{"rendered":"Hunter’s Moon Ch. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Halloween story!<\/em><\/p>\n

A young Twilight fan convinces her friend to take a trip to visit Dracula’s homeland during the week of a blood moon.<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 1 of 2. Probably. Maybe 3 total.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“No,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Abso-fucking-lutely not.”<\/p>\n

“Come on,” Teri whined.\u00a0 “Just one week.\u00a0 That’s all I’m saying.\u00a0 What else are you doing?\u00a0 Nothing, that’s what.”<\/p>\n

“I’m trying to pay off my student loans!”\u00a0 Heather shouted.\u00a0 “You know, that thing we owe?\u00a0 The one you keep ignoring?\u00a0 They won’t just forgive it, Teri.\u00a0 You know that, right? It just keeps getting worse and, eventually, they’ll-”<\/p>\n

“One week,” Teri interrupted.\u00a0 “I won’t ask for anything from you ever, ever again.”<\/p>\n

“Blood,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Sharks.\u00a0 Water.\u00a0 Student loans.\u00a0 It’s stupid, anyway.\u00a0 Twilight<\/em> had nothing to do with Dracula.\u00a0 From what I can remember of the movies you made me sit through.\u00a0 They weren’t even the same kind!\u00a0 Dracula didn’t sparkle<\/em><\/strong> in sunlight; he burst into flames and died screaming!”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Several nearby customers turned curiously to the arguing women.\u00a0 Heather pulled her light jacket tighter against her chest.\u00a0 Despite the mid-day sun, the air was permeated with a bone chilling cold.\u00a0 Heather’s pale cheeks burned bright red, nearly hiding the spray freckles along the bridge of her nose.<\/p>\n

“He was still a vampire.\u00a0 And the first one!”\u00a0 Teri said.\u00a0 The young woman spoke with an enthusiastic fervor.\u00a0 She waved her hands while she argued and seemed constantly on the edge of an impish grin.\u00a0 “Look, I know you think it’s dumb, but-”<\/p>\n

“More than dumb, Teri.”<\/p>\n

“Four words,” Teri said, a grin finally breaking out on her wide, open face.\u00a0 “Super Hunter’s Blood Moon.”<\/p>\n

“Teri, you’re killing me,” Heather said, groaning while rubbing her temples.\u00a0 “I’m literally dying here.\u00a0 I can feel my brain cells screaming in agony while they suffocate from all the bullshit in the air.\u00a0 What in the world does-”<\/p>\n

“And it’s October!” Teri shouted, her hands raised triumphantly.\u00a0 “Seriously!\u00a0 Almost Halloween.\u00a0 Halloween, a Hunter’s Blood<\/em><\/strong> Moon and Dracula!”<\/p>\n

“I can’t afford the trip, Teri,” Heather sighed.\u00a0 She’d known the other woman since the 2nd grade.\u00a0 Arguing after a certain point was useless because the other woman would simply overrun her with her enthusiasm.\u00a0 It was both infuriating and annoying endearing.<\/p>\n

Teri’s eyes took on a thoughtful calculating look.\u00a0 Heather sipped her chai, enjoying the warmth and the sweetness of it.\u00a0 She tried not to worry about her friend; her mind often wandered down strange, incomprehensible paths.<\/p>\n

“Two words, then,” Teri said.\u00a0 She was looking down at the round glass table between them.\u00a0 She pushed at a few grains of spilled sugar while she spoke.<\/p>\n

Crap,<\/em> Heather thought.\u00a0 Her serious face.\u00a0 This is bad.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I’ll pay,” Teri said.<\/p>\n

“You can’t,” Heather replied immediately.\u00a0 “I basically do your financial planning for you.\u00a0 What little there is.\u00a0 I know what you can and can’t afford.\u00a0 You can’t afford a trip for two to Romania.\u00a0 I don’t even know how you plan to afford one ticket.”<\/p>\n

“I can too.\u00a0 That’s how much I want you to go, Heather,” Teri pleaded.\u00a0 “Come on, we’re getting older and who knows when we’ll go on a trip like this again?\u00a0 Why’d you even get a passport if you’re not going to use it?”<\/p>\n

“Every adult should have a passport.\u00a0 Just in case.\u00a0 It’s smart planning.”<\/p>\n

Teri sighed, sinking back in her wrought iron chair.\u00a0 “I’m going whether you go or not.\u00a0 What if I die on my trip because you’re not there?\u00a0 What if a handsome, pale vampire swoops in and steals my virginity?”<\/p>\n

Heather snorted.\u00a0 “Your what now?”<\/p>\n

“Or my innocence!\u00a0 I would swoon in his arms while he made me his immortal lover, destined to cower in a coffin by day and feast on the blood of mere mortals by night and it’d be all your fault!”\u00a0 Teri held the back of her hand to her forehead while leaning back in her chair.<\/p>\n

“Jesus, Teri,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Breathe once in a while.\u00a0 Anyway, you’d be all over that.\u00a0 Don’t lie.”<\/p>\n

“Not if I couldn’t sparkle<\/em><\/strong>, Heather.\u00a0 I’d be a Dracula vampire.\u00a0 Not a Team Edward vampire.\u00a0 It’s not the same thing at all.<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

Heather flicked a small crumb to the nearby perpetual crowd of begging pigeons.\u00a0 She watched the ensuing fight while she considered.\u00a0 “You can really afford it?”<\/p>\n

“Yes,” Teri answered.\u00a0 “I can afford it.\u00a0 But, you pay for your own food.”<\/p>\n

“I can take care of my own meals,” Heather said, distracted as she worked through the details of a possible trip.\u00a0 “If<\/em><\/strong> I was dumb enough to go.”<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.\u00a0 The current weather on the ground in Cluj-Napoca is thirty-two degrees Celsius with clear skies and we’ll be landing at Cluj International Airport in thirty minutes.\u00a0 Please ensure your tray tables are stowed and your chairs are in the upright position.\u00a0 Thank you for flying with Lufthansa.”\u00a0 The speaker’s voice was professional and soothing and was soon repeating the message in Romanian.<\/p>\n

Heather gripped the arm rests while the plane descended.\u00a0 Her eyes were closed as she breathed deeply and evenly.\u00a0 Teri sat in the window seat next to her, staring at the landscape.\u00a0 She loved the mountains that seemed to ring the area.\u00a0 Farms and greenery stretched far off into the distance.<\/p>\n

“You should look, Heather.\u00a0 We passed all of that bad weather a long time ago.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry so much.”<\/p>\n

Heather turned her head minutely and opened a single eye briefly before groaning.\u00a0 “I see.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Very pretty.”<\/p>\n

The plane touched down with barely a bump but Heather’s knuckles turned white.\u00a0 Slowly, the young woman’s muscles relaxed as the plane taxied to the gate.\u00a0 She flexed her hands over and over to work blood back into her fingers.<\/p>\n

“Oh my god, oh my god, I’m so excited!”\u00a0 Teri bounced in her seat when the seat belt lines turned off.\u00a0 People stood to gather their luggage and stretch.\u00a0 “I didn’t get to go on my senior trip in high school.\u00a0 They went to France<\/em><\/strong> and I couldn’t go because we couldn’t afford it.\u00a0 I was so mad but, seriously, this is way, way better.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah.\u00a0 Now I know I don’t like airplanes.\u00a0 I’m going to burn my passport when I get home.\u00a0 I’m fine with cars.\u00a0 I don’t need to go anywhere special.\u00a0 New York has everything I need.\u00a0 I’m good.”<\/p>\n

Teri made a face at her friend.\u00a0 “Don’t be like that.\u00a0 We still have our mid-life crisis to go through.\u00a0 I expect in fifteen years we’ll both take a month long trip to Europe when our husbands leave us for younger women.”<\/p>\n

“Teri,” Heather said, trying vainly to fight off her friend’s infectious happiness.\u00a0 “We’re not married.\u00a0 I don’t even have a boyfriend.”<\/p>\n

“Well, not yet,” her friend agreed.\u00a0 “But, eventually!\u00a0 Unless, of course, we find our immortal beloveds and we swoon our way to an early engagement.\u00a0 We’ll never get older so they can’t<\/em><\/strong> leave us for younger women.\u00a0 Practice it with me.\u00a0 Swooooooon.”<\/p>\n

“Augh,” Heather groaned.\u00a0 “You’re insufferable.\u00a0 Help me with the bags so we can get off this death trap.”<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

“I don’t think he understood me,” Teri said.<\/p>\n

“Gee, you think?” Heather replied.\u00a0 “Let me see the dictionary.\u00a0 Holy hell, Teri.\u00a0 What’re all these little accent things everywhere?\u00a0 We only had like, three in French.”<\/p>\n

“En Francais, you mean?” Teri asked.<\/p>\n

“Shut it.\u00a0 You cheated your way through the classes.\u00a0 Um, crap.\u00a0 Umm… Vor… vorbiti engleza?”<\/p>\n

A grizzled old man stood in front of a pristine dark yellow taxi.\u00a0 His beard was spotted with white and gray and his thin hair waved in the cool air.\u00a0 He had his arms crossed in front of his chest.\u00a0 He watched the two women as the spoke.\u00a0 When he answered Heather, he spoke slowly but firmly.\u00a0 Despite how carefully he spoke, neither women understood him.<\/p>\n

“I thought you said people spoke English here?” Heather asked her friend.<\/p>\n

“That’s what the travel agent lady said.\u00a0 That the, what do they call them here?\u00a0 Cabbies?\u00a0 Taxi drivers?\u00a0 Whatever, that a lot of them spoke English.”<\/p>\n

“This is the third one, Teri.\u00a0 None of them speak English.\u00a0 I think your travel agent lied to you.\u00a0 Where’s your map?”<\/p>\n

“Somewhere in my backpack. I can find it.\u00a0 Probably.”<\/p>\n

“No, just… what’s the name of the place again?”<\/p>\n

Teri paused.\u00a0 “Hog-his?”<\/p>\n

“Hoghiz?” the old man asked.\u00a0 Both women turned to him.<\/p>\n

“Yes!” Teri said loudly, nodding her head.\u00a0 “Hog-his!”\u00a0 She pointed at the driver and made steering wheel motions with her hands.\u00a0 Heather covered her face in embarrassment.<\/p>\n

The old man spoke again.\u00a0 He nodded and opened the trunk of his car.<\/p>\n

“Hah!” Teri exclaimed.\u00a0 “Success!”<\/p>\n

“Why didn’t we just stay here for the night?\u00a0 Cluj-Napoca is huge and has tons of history.\u00a0 I’d rather explore and rest.\u00a0 We just got here, Teri.”<\/p>\n

“No,” Teri said emphatically.\u00a0 “That was the deal.\u00a0 The Hunter’s Moon is tonight and I’m not spending it in a big dumb city.\u00a0 You promised.\u00a0 Bran Castle first and then, on the way back, we’d spend a day at the city.\u00a0 I wanted an authentic village experience and there’s a little one in Hog-his.\u00a0 So, we’re going to stay at an inn and go out and watch the moon.”<\/p>\n

“But-”<\/p>\n

“I’m paying.\u00a0 Don’t forget.\u00a0 My rules.”<\/p>\n

Heather whistled low.\u00a0 “You’d fit right in around here, Madame Dictator.”<\/p>\n

Teri lifted her chin, gesturing to the taxi as the driver closed the drunk.\u00a0 “Open the door for me, peasant.\u00a0 I needs must ride this strange mechanical carriage.”<\/p>\n

“Come on, princess.\u00a0 It’s getting colder.\u00a0 Let’s go find this creepy village.”<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Heather slept fitfully in the back of the taxi.\u00a0 The inside was as spotless as the exterior and the driver played classical music quietly as he drove.\u00a0 Late afternoon turned into evening until, three and a half hours later, the driver pulled in front of a huge old building.\u00a0 Heather stirred and stretched and yawned before unbuckling her seatbelt.<\/p>\n

“Merci!” Teri said as she got out of the car.<\/p>\n

“He’s not French, Teri.”\u00a0 Heather opened her door and shivered in the sudden cold.\u00a0 The driver already had the trunk open and was unloading the bags.<\/p>\n

“The dictionary says it’s close.\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 Wow, Heather.\u00a0 Look at this place.\u00a0 It’s beautiful.”\u00a0 The young woman hugged herself.\u00a0 Her eyes were wide as she turned in a slow circle.\u00a0 Old cobblestone roads mixed with dirt roads and a few paved paths.\u00a0 None of the buildings looked new and Teri clapped her hands in delight at several of the homes.\u00a0 “Heather!\u00a0 They have shutters on their windows.\u00a0 Shutters<\/em><\/strong>, Heather!\u00a0 They look like they came from a storybook.”<\/p>\n

Heather dug for her wallet.\u00a0 She’d left her purse at home and decided to keep a wallet well hidden in her backpack instead.\u00a0 She’d designated herself Keeper of the Coins due to Teri’s spending habits.\u00a0 Smiling at the driver, she paid him for the roundtrip with a bit extra in thanks.\u00a0 The old man smiled, nodded and left.\u00a0 Heather watched him go.<\/p>\n

A large, well-kept wooden sign hung above the door of the inn.\u00a0 Heather couldn’t understand the words but an artistic bull’s face filled nearly the entire sign.<\/p>\n

“This is the place?” Heather asked.<\/p>\n

“Yup!\u00a0 Just don’t ask me to pronounce it.\u00a0 It’s the only inn in the town.\u00a0 Coo-choo-lata.\u00a0 Something like that.\u00a0 The town, I mean.”<\/p>\n

“You are the very definition of an ignorant American tourist.\u00a0 Did you bring your guns and fireworks and bald eagles, too?”\u00a0 Heather asked, sighing as they made their way to the inn.\u00a0 Their wheeled suitcases squeaked behind them as they bounced on the cobblestones.<\/p>\n

“I know where<\/em><\/strong> we’re going. I just can’t pronounce it.\u00a0 Ask me about vampires or Dracula or Bran Castle and I’ll tell you all about it.\u00a0 My tongue doesn’t work right for Romanian.”<\/p>\n

The inside of the inn was warm with a large fire roaring in the center of their great room.\u00a0 A few people looked up at the newcomers before returning to their meals.\u00a0 The smell of stew and fresh-cooked bread filled the room and Heather’s belly rumbled.\u00a0 She hadn’t wanted to chance eating on the plane.<\/p>\n

A smiling, middle-aged woman stood from a nearby table.\u00a0 “Welcome!”<\/p>\n

“You speak English?” Heather asked.<\/p>\n

“Oh, yes.\u00a0 I was born just outside of London.\u00a0 My husband owns the place and I mostly run it.\u00a0 You’re just in time for dinner.\u00a0 Teri and Heather, yes?”<\/p>\n

“Thank god,” Teri said.\u00a0 “It smells wonderful.\u00a0 I’m so hungry.\u00a0 I’m Teri, by the way.”<\/p>\n

“Oh, my manners!\u00a0 I’m Elena.\u00a0 We’ll get your things stored in your room.”\u00a0 Turning to the side, the older woman spoke in Romanian to a teenager.\u00a0 The young boy looked up from his phone, scowled and then grudgingly took the two women’s suitcases.\u00a0 “Just leave your backpacks and Constantin will come back for them.\u00a0 Your room is at the very top of the stairs.”<\/p>\n

“Thank you,” Heather said to the young boy.\u00a0 He grunted in reply.<\/p>\n

“Sit, sit,” Elena told the two women.\u00a0 “I’ll bring your dinner.\u00a0 It’s simple beef stew tonight.\u00a0 The bread is fresh and we get our butter from the farms.\u00a0 Well, the beef is, too.\u00a0 May I bring you some wine?”<\/p>\n

“Yes, please,” Heather answered.\u00a0 “For both of us.”<\/p>\n

Teri and Heather sat opposite each other, close to where Elena sat.\u00a0 The older woman brought out their food and then settled in next to them.<\/p>\n

“Oh my god,” Heather exclaimed.\u00a0 “This stew is amazing.\u00a0 Seriously.”<\/p>\n

Teri nodded emphatically, her mouth full, as she scooped up thick chunks of potatoes and carrots onto still warm bread.<\/p>\n

“Thank you,” Elena beamed.\u00a0 “My husband cooked tonight.\u00a0 What brings you two to Cuciulata?\u00a0 Your travel agency didn’t give me much information.\u00a0 I don’t mean to pry but we seldom get people passing through.”<\/p>\n

“We’re going to Bran Castle,” Teri answered.<\/p>\n

“Ah, Dracula is it?\u00a0 Are you a fan of his, then?”<\/p>\n

“Oh,” Teri said, blushing slightly.\u00a0 “I… I like vampires.\u00a0 I’m not like, crazy<\/strong>, about them and I don’t think they’re real but it’s all interesting and I thought it’d make a great excuse to go on an adventure.\u00a0 I dragged my friend along. ”<\/p>\n

“Well, the castle and surrounding area is beautiful so I can’t say I blame you for visiting.\u00a0 And I’ve heard the tour guides are more than happy to elaborate on Vlad’s bloody history.\u00a0 Thankfully, though, you’ll find the area is quite a bit more calm these days.\u00a0 We hardly behead people anymore.”\u00a0 Elena smiled as she spoke.\u00a0 The older woman had small wrinkles at the corner of her eyes and mouth and her smile came easily.<\/p>\n

“We’re actually planning on going out for a little hike this evening, too.\u00a0 Tonight is the blood moon and I kind of planned the whole trip around that.\u00a0 It makes it more spooky and mysterious.”<\/p>\n

Elena covered her mouth to hide her giggle.\u00a0 “Oh, goodness.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Well, I’m sure you’ll have a very good view.\u00a0 The evenings are wonderful in the country.\u00a0 That is certainly one thing I do not miss from the city.\u00a0 Even at my age I still like to sometimes sit under the stars in the summer.”<\/p>\n

“Are there any wild animals nearby?” Heather asked.\u00a0 “Bears?\u00a0 Wolves or other scary things?”<\/p>\n

“Snakes!\u00a0 There’s no snakes, right?” Teri added, shivering.<\/p>\n

“Oh, no,” Elena said, waving her hand.\u00a0 “Nothing for you to worry about unless you go far from civilization.\u00a0 Still, you’re both quite smart to ask.\u00a0 Don’t get lost, make your presence known and don’t go too far and you’ll be safe.\u00a0 I would be more worried about twisting your ankle, honestly.”<\/p>\n

“Well, thank god,” Heather said.<\/p>\n

“Although, I will add that you should go out sooner rather than later.\u00a0 Daylight is always better for safety and you’ll be able to see more of this beautiful country.\u00a0 There are farms all around but, to the south is a wonderful area to visit.\u00a0 Forestry mixed with wide open unworked fields.\u00a0 This is an ancient land and archaeologists visit more than the tourists.\u00a0 Always finding new ruins, it seems.”<\/p>\n

Teri glanced over at Heather.\u00a0 The young woman’s eyes were lit with the thrill of adventure.\u00a0 “I think that sounds perfect.\u00a0 Are you ready Heather?”<\/p>\n

With a sigh, Heather pushed her empty bowl away.\u00a0 She quickly swallowed the last big gulp of her dark, red wine.\u00a0 “Not even a moment’s rest?\u00a0 We just landed a few hours ago.”<\/p>\n

“Four words, Heather,” Teri said.\u00a0 She nearly vibrated from excitement.\u00a0 “Super.\u00a0 Hunter’s.\u00a0 Blood.\u00a0 Moon.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Halloween story! A young Twilight fan convinces her friend to take a trip to visit Dracula’s homeland during the week of a blood moon. Part 1 of 2. Probably. Maybe 3 total. “No,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Abso-fucking-lutely not.” “Come on,” Continue reading Hunter’s Moon Ch. 1<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[277,278,53],"class_list":["post-369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-status-updates","tag-adventure","tag-halloween","tag-horror"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42NMN-5X","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=369"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":371,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369\/revisions\/371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}