Unable To Resist

 “God, just look at you” Liam whispered ever so softly while looking down at a peacefully sleeping  Polly.  Liam has entered Polly’s bedroom while she slept unaware for the past three years. Every night is the same. Liam climbs the stairs silently up to the second story wraparound porch so commonly seen on most all of the houses in this quaint little beach town in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, enters through Polly’s bedroom window that thankfully her parents have still neglected to fix the broken window lock for all the years he has been visiting her.  Liam is often still surprised by that neglect seeing as how Polly’s dad is a police officer. Then again, how many people are dumb enough to break into a policeman’s house? Other than Liam that is…….

As always, Liam lowers himself into the vanity chair close to Polly’s bedside just to watch her breathe in and out.   Sometimes he gets to hear her angelic voice talking sleepy nonsense during her dream filled nights, but mainly she is so still that he has found himself many a night frightened she is developing sleep apnea or will have an attack of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Then he reminds himself that his Polly is a 20 year old woman, not an infant, so SIDS is an impossibility.

“One day I will see what color your eyes are..”  he again whispers so silently you’d think it was just a breeze on the wind.

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Liam fell infatuated with Polly at first sight (well technically… sound)- three years ago. While walking the beach listening to the waves crashing violently at high tide, Liam heard a musical laugh floating on the wind. He scanned what he had first thought was the deserted beach for the sound and saw a teenage girl sitting in the sand talking into her cell phone.  He wasn’t close enough to make out her exact facial features, but the sound of her unbridled happy laughter made him long for something he hadn’t felt in the 143 years he’s lived since the beginning of his new existence. Liam just wanted to hug her for the sudden happy feeling she inadvertently invoked within him, but at the time his hunger held him back. Liam had absolutely no intention of feeding from the defenseless girl that had just given him such an amazingly unexpected gift so he just continued walking down the shoreline.

Hours later well fed and while walking back to his beach house, Liam again passed by the spot where he had heard the beautiful sound of her laughter, only this time he saw something shiny reflected by the moonlight discarded on the sand. Walking away from the shoreline up to what he will now always mentally refer to as “Laughter’s Dune” Liam saw a pair of sunglasses and an iPod lying in the sand. Pocketing the items he continued home.

Once inside for the evening, removing the items from the pocket of his cargo shorts Liam noticed a sticker on the back of the iPod, “If found PLEASE call 252-555-9462… My music is my LIFE!”.  Chuckling a little at the dramatic handwritten sticker, Liam thought it was actually a smart idea since so much time, effort, and money go into making your iPod perfect. Deciding he would call the following evening once he awoke at sundown, he made his way downstairs to where many local beach houses classify as the entry room or laundry room on the bottom floor. This area was perfect for Liam’s needs as it has no windows, no sunlight.  Sleep came with the sound of that teenage girl’s laughter still playing like music inside his mind.

Waking at sundown, Liam called the number on the iPod. “Hello” Liam’s response stalled just for an instant because the answering voice of the young lady was just as appealing as her laughter. “Yes Hello” Liam finally spoke “My name is Liam. I am calling about an iPod and sunglasses I found on the beach last night .”

“Oh Thank God! You just don’t even know how I’ve turned my room, well honestly the whole house for that matter, upside down hunting for my iPod all day. I been driving my Momma flat out crazy and she’s threatening to ground me” . This beautiful but fast Southern accented talk spilled into Liam’s ear like warm honey. He cleared his throat gently and huskily replied, “Um.. Well I am terribly sorry you have had such an inconveniencing experience. I am calling however because I would like to return your items to you.”