I was born in a small farmhouse in Tennessee. My mortal name escapes me now, but the year was somewhere between 1810 and 1815. My parents were normal, everyday folk. Their household was one of strict religious fervor, and they valued hard work. My mother was a wonderful woman with a passion for singing and cooking, and my father was a stern farmer who enjoyed relaxing with a pipe in the evening hours. I was taught to read and write but the limit of my education was reached when I turned 17. I left home to pursue my fortune as a worker in the many farms dotting the countryside. That’s where I met him.
His name was Aric. We met at a small plantation in Georgia where we both wandered in the same week from different regions. He was from the North, had travelled all over the nation, and his stories made for many entertaining nights in the bunkhouse after long days in the field. He never seemed to experience fatigue or sickness along with possessing a never-ending wisdom that rarely failed to astound us simple boys. He was one of the first friends I made after leaving home. One day, I did something to provoke the farm owner’s son, and he tried to fight me. Afterward, I ran and hid in an attempt to escape the tension, and Aric eventually found me. He assured me that things were fine and that I should return to the fields and finish the day. When I encountered the boss’s son again, his entire demeanor was different. He apologized, with a bit of hesitance, but he made me feel more relaxed about the situation. I was confused when I saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes, especially when I looked back and saw Aric eyeing us from the corner of the barn. Things seemed odd…
One autumn night, Aric shook me awake from a deep sleep. He told me that he wanted to help me become all that he saw I could be. So, throwing on a cloak, he and I began a hurried walk out into the dark woods. My mind raced with thoughts of witchcraft and deals with demons as we plodded through the starlit forest. The chirping of crickets and the crunching of twigs under our feet were the only sounds. When we came to a clearing, he turned to face me. I paused, not knowing what to expect. His smile was only half-lit by the silver of the moon, but I saw the enlarged fangs with an inhuman clarity of vision. His words were quiet as he simply said, “You could be something greater than any of our comrades can imagine.” My mind was in a tornado of confusion as I went over everything I knew about vampires. I’d seen Aric eat garlic, be annointed by the priest at service with blessed water, and work underneath the blazing sun. Once I’d voiced my confusion, his words were few. “Forget what you think you know. We are not what is whispered of us. I will teach you if you take my hand and join us.” Without a thought, I nodded and knelt before him. The bite was quick and almost painless. I felt lightheaded for a few moments, and then I stood with a renewed energy. My muscles were no longer sore from yesterday’s toil in the fields. My vision was more intensified as well. Reality seemed to distort as his next words were breathed into existence, “There is much for you to learn, but I will quiet every concern and every objection. Be my student, and we will walk together for a long, long time.” As my own lifeblood ran down my neck, I knew I’d made the right choice.
As the next few days passed, the sickness overtook me. Vomiting and fever plagued me until I had to take to bed. My temporary strengthening had been my body’s worst decision, I was told by Aric. It always occurred as a means of spreading the infection more quickly. I attained the fullness of vampiric life on the fifth day. My sickness dissolved almost immediately, and I went back to the fields with renewed vigor. Life changed drastically, as I will testify to in my next letter.
THE ELDER
