Page 3

Father’s villa had stables, and in these, we kept our horses. Now, these were very special. They were similar to the Arabian Stallions, so hugely prized in recent years, but they were larger and definitely faster. These ran as fast as the wind, and indeed, that was what we called them. The Wind. Their fur was glossy black or silky white, there weren’t any with mixed coats, and although they were common on Kaltos, their like has never been seen again.

I sighed.

The fall of Kaltos doomed our animals. A few were saved, but they didn’t survive on the new land, it wasn’t rich enough.

Kaltos had near-perfect weather. It was sunny during the day and rained at night. Artificial means did this (I must admit). We used a device called an atmospheric satellite. This regulated the climate only over Kaltos, not the rest of the world.

That didn’t matter to us, which sounds very arrogant, and it was. Kaltos did not concern itself with outside civilisations. Fog was very rare; I can only recall seeing this twice during my human years. Storms happened two or three times a year. The massive event brought out most of the population. The tempests resembled the great ones seen over the Americas.

Snow was non-existent. If you wanted to see snow, then you had to travel North, which was a nice long trip. Upon arrival, the vast snow and ice fields extended for miles. How far these stretched, I don’t know, but they must have been ten times the size of Kaltos.

Solar power also powered our ships. Indeed, there was nothing that wasn’t powered by the sun. Because there was no pollution, our lakes and rivers were crystal clear.

Every building used stone, as it kept cool in summer and was easily warmed in the autumn. The buildings varied in scale and design. Most of our homes that we lived in daily tended to be similar to my father’s villa.

There were four huge pyramids in the four provinces, and these were for worship of the Creator (you didn’t have to attend weekly services).

The pyramids were kind of symbolic, as if the steps were a stairway to the different planes of existence that we believed in. The temples were there if you wished to pray collectively. Similar to churches today, but they weren’t mandatory. Carrying the Creator in your heart was what counted.

Several priests staffed the pyramids, and their job was to keep the temple clean. If someone wanted private prayer, then they would escort that person to a secluded place. They weremore caretakers than spiritual leaders. They didn’t preach about what the Creator thought, said, or did. We had nothing like the Bible or Koran of today.

As for the Bible, I admit Vam’pirs influenced its reading.Shocking to consider that, isn’t it?The Bible is not pure after all. I could tell you what parts the Vam’pirs helped write, but out of sheer devilment, I won’t.

Read it. Tell me what sections we shaped. You’ll find me, never fear. And if you can’t and you’re delicious enough, then maybe I’ll come looking for you to educate you.

But, I digress.

This blissful existence was what I grew up knowing. Complete and absolute safety. Confident nothing could go awry, I envisioned living this way forever. Not a thing would disturb my innocent and happy little life, so I thought in my arrogance. What a fool I was, so naïve, so cocksure.

I wasn’t the only one. We were all fools. That was a lesson I learned painfully.

Nothing lasts eternally. Someday it all ends.

“Why?” you ask. “Why must it end?”

It ended because we became complacent idiots and were slow to adapt to new circumstances. You think you are flexible, but you’re not. In reality, you’re so rigidly set in your ways that adapting can be hard to deal with. Sure, minor changes are not so bad, but when a lifechanging event happens, you resist with all your might, and that is where everyone is foolish.

You should run with change, whether minor or major. Learn from Kaltos’s mistakes.

We didn’t, and it was our fault.

I’ll come to that later.I keep saying that, but I must continue to tell you of my background, of my ‘ideal’ life. The importance of understanding Kaltos shall become clear.

When I was fifteen years of age, I fell totally and irrevocably in love. The lucky girl’s name was Inka, and she was beautiful. Her hair was blue-black in colour and landed on her waist. It was straight, without a single curl or wave in it. Inka’s eyes, you could drown in a deep cobalt blue that would turn grey when she was worried or angry. Long curling lashes framed those expressive orbs. Inka’s mouth was full and always laughing, and her face was heart-shaped.

Inka would easily rival any beauty of today. My girl was around five feet eight inches tall. At the age of fourteen, she’d a body most women would kill for. A man would resort to committing murder to spend a night with Inka.

One year later, Inka was mine, and the great thing was she loved as deeply as I did. Inka remains alive, somewhere in the world, maybe even reading this.Who knows where, though?

Inka left me after a disagreement several thousand years ago.

My wife has long since closed her mind to me. That was a trait Vam’pirs had. The ability to speak telepathically to each other. Others tell me of her when they see her. But apparently, Inka’s become a loner, and when she seeks company, it is that of the Vam’pirs, not the newer vampires. Inka doesn’t seek my presence anymore, possibly because I remain immature after all these years.

Why shouldn’t I? I am theVam’pir Jacques. I will do as I damn well please, and anyone, including others of my kind, can go to hell if they don’t like it. That’s a fighting statement if there ever was one. Note how my chest puffs out and my shoulders pull back, and my chin lifts in pride.Aren’t I a contradictory creature?

Come closer, reader, and I’ll show you my pearly whites!

Excuse me while I roar with laughter. Sadly, I often amuse myself.