Dracula's Groom

CHAPTER FOUR: Kissing Strangers

A ray of sunshine warmed the right side of my cheek as I opened my eyes to the ceiling of a four-poster hand carved canopy bed. Pushing the covers off to the side, I slowly swung my legs over and placed them firmly on the floor as I yawned softly and tried to get my act together. I clearly wasn't meant to be a morning person, that's for damn sure. I walked over to the window as the early morning dew covered the dead branches while a mysterious fog blanketed the road that led from the castle into town.

Afterwards, I got dressed from the clothes I could find in my duffel bag before leaving the room in search of the nearest telephone and phone book. But there wasn't one. Not even a damn phone to try and call for help in case I needed to. My legs brought me down to the end of the hallway at the top of the landing that overlooked the vestibule. I sighed as I descended the grand staircase, knowing that this castle was going to need a hell of a lot of work.

The kitchen lay in shambles. Pots and pans lay about all over the island counter while the busted window over the sink allowed drafts of cold air to fill the room as it chilled me to the bone. Then I heard the endless drip, drip, drip coming from the ceiling as droplets of water made a massive puddle on the floor near the far end corner of the room. Great! Busted plumbing now too? What else was I going to find in this castle that needed fixing?

It took about almost two and a half hours to finish exploring the rest of the castle. Between that and the extensive damage, I seriously considered just tearing down the whole castle completely and building it up again from scratch. But aunt Agnus would kill me if I did that. She'd probably flop around in her urn if she saw how bad this place turned out after she was forced to leave it behind and move to the States were her remaining family, myself included, could look after her in her waning years.

Next, I toured the grounds. A giant lily pond had surely seen better days as it floated around in its own muck. The grass had turned gray and dried up as it crunched beneath the heel of my shoe. And beyond the lily pond was a hedge maze with a rose garden and an old wishing well at its center if I'm not mistaken. I found the garage a few meters away from the castle as I walked across the open space between the two structures and took a peek inside. Only two cars were found inside as they were well over twenty years old.

I looked into each of the car windows and found that they were indeed operated by a stick shift for which I didn't know how to drive one. I'm an automatic boy, always have been and that's not going to change. But the thought of me having to walk up and down this side of the mountain again made my knees tremble. I mean, I guess I could start to learn. How bad could it be, really? I checked the time on my phone and realized that it was almost noon!

I needed to get into town and try to speak with some of the general contractors about the possibility of coming out here and fixing up the place. I was just about to run back inside when I noticed a set of keys hanging on a hook next to the garage door. I grabbed a set and walked over to one of the cars as I inserted the key into the door and turned my wrist. The lock popped open with a thud as I pulled the handle and slid into the driver seat.

Looking around the car like a first time driver, I tried to familiarize myself with its layout. I put the key in the ignition and turned it over only to realize that it wouldn't start. I tried it again and still, nothing happened. I found the clutch and slammed it down to the floor as I turned the key forward. The engine backfired with a loud pop but at least it stilled worked. The gears quickly grinded together as I tried my hardest to put it into first and slowly make my way down the driveway to the black Iron Gate.

My knuckles cracked when I finally unwrapped my fingers from the steering wheel after safely reaching the center of town. I parked next to an old fruit stand as I got out and luckily found a map that surveyed the entire area with the names of businesses and local shops displayed in English. Pulling out my phone, I took a quick snap shot of the closest contractors and decided that it was a good idea to start their first and work my way around.