Vamparrot

Chapter 2 Escaping Home

"By the mid-1800s, I decided I could no longer endure the torment."

"After my latest attempt to settle in my home region of Transylvania failed due to a gang of vampire hunters, most likely sent by my mother, who nearly managed to kill me."

"I managed to travel south towards the nearest harbor on the Mediterranean coast. For most of the journey on land, I traveled through dark forests, avoiding human towns and cities as much as possible to stay out of sight of potential vampire hunters."

"Despite being a vampire, I had many advantages over my peers and parents. In my humanoid form, I could travel during the daytime when I was either in a dark forest or on cloudy days. I can endure sunlight, but only for several minutes at a time, in my humanoid form. However, I can tolerate the sun in my parrot form all day."

"To quench my hunger, I was forced to raid vineyards and apple farms for fruit juices or to drink blood from recently deceased travelers and large animals like deer and bears."

"After traveling for over a week, I reached Split. I stayed at an Inn in the city center to rest up for the next part of my journey while hiding my vampiric identity."

"In the harbor of Split, I boarded a British ship bound for Southeast Asia, leaving Transylvania behind. The journey was both an escape from the hell he once called home and a quest for a new beginning."

The scene transitioned to the vast expanse of the open sea, Varujan on a ship sailing toward an uncertain destiny, having nothing but apples and other fruits to satisfy his vampiric hunger and not to attract unwanted attention.

"The ship stopped at Gibraltar to offload some passengers and pick up others before continuing the journey."

"During a calm night at sea, I came out to enjoy the starry night sky. The moon was full, lighting up the night sky."

"Surprisingly, I wasn't the only one who decided to come out at night. A man in his early thirties was going through some documents. While I couldn't read the text, there were drawings of never-before-seen animals."

"One of the drawings the young man was examining piqued my interest. It resembled a black and red parrot with a vulture-like head, not too dissimilar to my transformed state."


"The young man looked up bewildered, so I apologized for spooking him and asked him about the bird in the drawing he had examined."

"He explained that it's a newly discovered species collected in Papua New Guinea, and more research is needed to determine whether it is a new species."

"I realized I hadn't introduced myself to the young researcher. Still, to avoid spooking him further, I kept my identity as a vampire a secret but told him I'm an ornithologist from Eastern Europe with an affinity for parrots."

"The young researcher introduced himself as Alfred Wallace and explained he was heading for the Malay archipelago to do further research."

"Wait, you met Alfred Wallace?" The narrator wondered. "He's considered one of the greatest naturalists in history, alongside Charles Darwin."

"I didn't realize he was such a famous person," Varujan responded, a bit embarrassed.

"But as I was saying, Mr. Wallace explained that he and his colleague Charles Darwin were working on quite a controversial hypothesis to explain the diversity of life on Earth, but it needed more data before publicizing our findings."

"Why is your hypothesis so controversial?" I asked, to which Mr. Wallace explained that it goes against the Bible's Creation story, and many people, including other naturalists, are appalled by our hypotheses because of their religious convictions.

"As I listened to Mr. Wallace, I found a bit of a kinship with him and his colleague and got intrigued by his ideas and theories as we continued our journey. We met every night to keep each other company and exchanged ideas."

"Along the African coast, with stops in Cape Town and Madagascar, it traversed the Indian Ocean before reaching the East Indies. Here, the paths of Mr Wallace and I separated before I continued to Papua New Guinea."

"As the ship cut through the waves, I left behind the haunting whispers of Transylvania. Little did I know that my journey would lead me to the shores of Papua New Guinea, to the heart of the montane rainforests, where I would find a sanctuary amidst the unknown."

The scene settled on Varujan, now standing on the balcony of his castle, overlooking the dense forests of his newfound haven.

"And so, my tale begins anew in the embrace of Papua New Guinea, where the mysteries of the rainforests would intertwine with the complexities of my existence."

Varujan's voice trailed off, leaving the narrator and the viewers captivated by the enigma of the vampire's past. The story had just begun, and the secrets of Varujan Orlok awaited discovery amidst the shadows of the rainforest.