The Other Twilight - I

“No Alice, listen to me. You are not gonna do this” Edward said in authoritative tone.

“You can have Wasabella, but I can't have Rake? ” She fought back.

York – a very small town, a town - where the thorn bush turns wild/ white. The city which gets scanty rainfall and doesn't have much luck in getting sunshine either. I was transferred there on a client project that I was assigned to against my wishes and my only motivation to go there was that I was getting paid in dollars. I was on a project of a local weather company, engaged in making predictions based on the city's weather. And immediately, I could see a pattern of missing animals against the local weather. Whenever it was sunny, there were no reports of missing cattles.

Little that I knew that my encounter with forks is going to be a much more than a regular job assignment.

“I am sorry, I am really sorry. First, I bumped into you and then I broke your iPad. It's totally my fault.” I said apologetically.

“But you don't have to worry, I am a s/w guy I can fix this in minutes.”

I didn't know what I was getting into.

“That's exactly what I am worried of, of all the people I could have bumped into , I bumped into a s/w guy. What a luck, alas.” She said mournfully, her eyes fixed on the broken screen of the iPad.

And that's how our love story began. A love story between a mortal and an immortal.

“I am sorry? You are a what, vampire? Ha Ha”

“You are right and I am the count Dracula, and a very handsome one - mind you.”

I said in sarcastic tone not knowing that Alice was being honest to me. And the fact that I was not reading her eyes lead further to my disbelieving. Eyes they often tell you truth without the necessity of utterance of a single word.

“You don't believe me, ain't you Rake? “ “It is as true as my love for you. I am a vampire and I can cling to the ceilings just like a bat.” I could now sense some seriousness about what she was telling me. But it was hard - even the simple thought of believing such a thing makes you sound crazy.

“If you are a vampire, then you must drink blood – human blood.” I added.

“Yes, blood – but not human, only animal. We've overcome our desires for human blood, we practice yoga everyday. We are a strict follower of Mr. RamDev. We call ourselves 'animo-blood-etarian' ”

“Oh! I got that. Are you the reason behind the recent disappearance of cattles and farm animals from York?

To be continued...