Set Me as a Seal upon Your Heart Part 3

Submitted by dongregg on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 20:11

PART THREE

Chapter 4: The Teacher Appears

The Hobby

With boxes unpacked and the attic of their new home secure, Mr. Ávila asks Oskar and Eli to join him at the dining room table. "Kids, you've done a bang-up job getting the attic the way we want it."

They smile and Eli wiggles.

"It's clean, the window covering is lightproof, and you can bolt the door from inside. Now the next step. Are you ready to take up a hobby?"

"Sure," Oskar says.

Eli asks, "You mean taking pictures, like we talked about on the way from Vällingby? I'd love to take pictures."

"That's good because your attic room is perfect for a photography darkroom. If anybody wants to see you while you're asleep during the day, you'll have a sign on your door that says you're printing photos and they can't come in.

"Now here's the thing. The equipment will cost plenty."

"What kind of equipment?" Oskar asks.

"Well, you need a good camera."

Eli's lips tremble. "A good camera?"

"Two good cameras, Miss Eli. A camera for each of you. And tripods because you'll be shooting at night. Oskar, the other equipment is so you and Miss Eli can learn to develop your film instead of taking it to a photo lab. You need special cans, chemicals, and a thermometer. A timer. But you'll also be printing your shots. An enlarger won't be cheap. And you need trays and photo paper."

Eli protests, "But Mr. Ávila, I don't know how to do any of that stuff."

"I know, little one. After you get your cameras, I'll show you how they work. Then you can practice in the neighborhood or in town. And where we buy the equipment, I'll ask about evening workshops or a teacher so you can learn how a darkroom works."

"Sounds great," Oskar says, and Eli nods vigorously.

"The only problem is, I don't want to take money from my retirement accounts. Some of what I make from those accounts pays the rent. Miss Eli, would you please run up to the attic and bring down that large roll of money you showed me? Bring the small roll too. I didn't look closely at them in Vällingby."

Eli is off like a shot and tumbles back down the stairs in seconds with both rolls of banknotes. The children move their chairs close to Mr. Ávila so they won't miss anything. He fans the notes from the small roll and makes a short stack off to the side.

Eli says, "The small roll is what we ever spend from. It's really convenient, and it's mostly small bills so we don't attract attention."

"You and Oskar have good survival sense, don't you?"

Oskar looks at Eli and twists his mouth into an of course half smile, and Eli gives him a "duh" eye roll.

Mr. Ávila begins to arrange the money from the large roll into stacks, but he stops almost at once.

"Little one, I've never seen a collection of banknotes like this. I believe the government stopped printing these Mother Svea notes after the war. And the rest are older than that. How long have you had them?"

"Well, not from the beginning. For a long time the money was silver or something. I was glad when this kind of money started because the silver money always got too heavy to carry around. When that happened, I left it behind when I moved hideouts."

"You left it? That makes it sound as though there are piles of silver coins hidden all over Sweden."

"Oh, but I know where they are. I have a problem remembering a lot that happened to me, but I can go straight to any hideout I ever had. I guess it's a sort of automatic survival thing."

"I imagine some of your coins have been discovered by now."

"Ha! You don't know how good Eli is at making hideouts!"

Eli grins as she always does when Oskar compliments her.

"You should see her Grimsta Forest hideout. Nobody could find it in a million years!"

Mr. Ávila smiles at Oskar. "There's still so much I don't know about our remarkable young lady. But about these banknotes, Miss Eli. Nothing after the top layer is legal tender."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we can't spend them, right Mr. Ávila?"

Eli looks crestfallen.

"Yes, but here’s the good news, Miss Eli, the very good news. Your banknotes are so old that collectors will pay at least a big part of the original value. These are in good condition, and even notes with normal wear could bring as much as double their face value. It depends on how rare they are. Do you follow me, kids?"

They nod and Eli's face brightens again.

"Let's see what we've got. Hm. These are barely circulated. Merciful heavens! This layer contains banknotes that are for a thousand riksdalers. I don't think Sweden has used riksdalers for over a hundred years." He shakes his head in amazement.

He sorts the banknotes into stacks and adds the ones they can still spend to the children's short stack of ready money. "Okay, now the hard part. I can contact dealers in old currency and get quotes from them, but I can't just walk into a shop and hand them hundreds of thousands of kronor worth of banknotes. We can only sell a few at a time."

"We have to wait?"

"No, Miss Eli, our timeline doesn't allow for waiting. We must get this hobby going before we hire your tutors. And before—or if—Child Protection Services gets curious about our little family."

The next morning while Oskar and Eli sleep, Mr. Ávila makes phone calls to camera stores to find out how much the hobby is going to set them back and to see if any are willing to stay open after dark. Most of the shops in Malmö close at 7:00, but for the expensive cameras, lenses, and equipment, staying open late turns out to be no problem. By noon Mr. Ávila has an idea of how much money it will all cost. It's a lot. He calls his bank to arrange a loan, which he plans to pay off a little at a time by selling Eli's banknotes.

A Second Hobby

Mr. Ávila gets a hobby of his own out of the deal. He becomes a “collector.” He drives to the Malmö Municipal Library in the park near the castle where he gets a catalog showing the value of Eli's old currency. He wants to appear knowledgeable when he shops for banknotes at hobby stores.

Coals to Newcastle, right? He's supposed to be selling, not buying. Yes, but to sell, he has to appear to be a hobbyist with a collection he put together over time. And, whether or not he buys any banknotes on his first visit, he'll buy a supply of currency sleeves that collectors use. He'll be able to sell a few banknotes from time to time as though he just wants to unload part of his collection. No dealing with banks, no question of provenance. Small is beautiful.

Meanwhile, the bank approves his loan and prints a statement of his checking account balance. Mr. Ávila arranges for a camera store to stay open. To forestall questions, he explains to the store manager that the children have a rare skin condition and asks him not to draw attention to their pale looks. "They are easily embarrassed about it. Sunlight is not their friend. That's why much of the children's outdoor activity will be at night."

When dusk signals that it's okay for them to become active, Oskar and Eli shower and put on their new outfits. Mr. Ávila asks them to hang on for a minute. He goes into his room and comes out with a baseball cap that has a city coat of arms and the word Barcelona on the front. He puts the cap on Oskar's head and stuffs his hair under it.

Eli laughs and tells Oskar he looks goofy, but Mr. Ávila quips that Oskar would look even goofier in police custody. "Without the hat, he still looks like the picture everybody saw on TV, doesn't he?" He turns to Oskar. "You need a different hairstyle, so you might start thinking about how you want to look. And you can be sure that it will be soon."

They pile into the old Fiat, so excited about their excursion that they chatter about it all the way to the camera shop. Once there they are like kids in a candy store, marveling at everything. The manager of the shop greats them warmly and confirms that he has put the order together—two of the latest Nikon F series cameras and a Czechoslovakian Meopta enlarger along with the various Nikon lenses that he and Mr. Ávila discussed on the phone.

The children learn how to mount their cameras on the sturdy tripods. Because they will be shooting after sunset, they get flash attachments and handheld light meters to back up Nikon's through-the-lens metering system. The list is long, but the manager and his clerk assemble the order into cardboard boxes. Mr. Ávila adds two items—red light bulbs and a sign that reads, "Photo Processing. DO NOT ENTER."

Before Mr. Ávila writes a check, he shows the documentation the manager said he would need—the lease agreement, bank balance statement, and driving license. "Since the check is so large, you may want to present it to the bank officer who handled the transaction. Her name is Edina Eriksson. She'll remember Señor Ávila from earlier today.

"I'll teach the kids what I know, but that isn't much. In a day or two they will need either a workshop or a teacher. Do you have any contacts like that?"

The manager recommends they talk to Professor Grigor. "He's from Romania, a retired academic of some kind. He's a wizard in the darkroom. I could give him your phone number tomorrow."

The manager and his clerk load the little Fiat with so much equipment that Eli has to sit on Oskar's lap in the front seat. "Cramped is good," Oskar whispers, and Eli giggles, remembering how much they enjoyed the narrow confines of the Vällingby hideout.

After they bring their purchases into the house, Mr. Ávila sits with them at the dining room table and explains how their cameras work and how to take pictures. From time to time, the kid's stomachs rumble. Mr. Ávila doesn't know what that means, but he soon tells them he wants to turn in. They put their cameras, film, and light meters into their camera bags, which they take to their downstairs bedrooms. They carry the enlarger and the rest of the equipment to the attic where they unroll their pallet and lie down.

"Oskar, we have to go out again tonight and scout more of the neighborhood."
"Mm-hm."
"We've got the beach and the old docks down. Let's go the other way tonight. I want to explore that rock quarry."

"Yeah, a quarry could solve one of our problems. We haven't found many places in Limhamn to stash bodies. Since we're not grownups, we can't buy a boat and do burials at sea."

Eli laughs at the novelty of that idea. There's nothing more they can do with their new cameras and equipment, so they continue talking until they don't hear Mr. Ávila moving around. They change into black sweatshirts, pants, and sneakers and silently leave the house to spend the rest of the night roaming the neighborhood.

Professor Grigor

The next morning Mr. Ávila is brewing a pot of coffee when his kitchen phone rings.

“Hello.”

“Señor Ávila?”

“Speaking.”

“I am Professor Grigor. You have two children who want to learn about darkroom procedures.”

“Yes. Yes I do. Are you available evenings?”

“I am retired, Señor Ávila. My time is my own. Would this evening be good?”

Mr. Ávila gives him directions to the house. “The children aren’t active during the day. Did the manager of the camera store mention that?”

“He mentioned that they will be shooting at night. He said, too, that they are self-conscious about a skin condition.”

“Yes, their skin is sensitive to sunlight."

As Mr. Ávila talks, he looks at the astronomical calendar taped to the refrigerator.

"Would you mind coming at 9:00?”

That evening Mr. Ávila answers his door and greets a portly, dark-haired man almost as tall as he is. The man is wearing dress slacks and a white shirt open at the collar. His rumpled tweed jacket and leather elbow patches suggest his academic background.

“I am pleased to meet you, Professor Grigor.”

“The pleasure is mine, Señor Ávila.”

“Thank you. Please join me at the table so we can talk before I introduce you to Oskar and Miss Eli."

When they are seated, Mr. Ávila says, "May I ask what you charge for lessons?”

“I do not charge for sharing a hobby that brings me so much pleasure, Señor Ávila. If your children are eager to learn, that will be sufficient recompense.”

As the sun slips below the horizon, Mr. Ávila walks upstairs to roust out the children, who are lying together in an embrace. They disentangle themselves, pull on their clothes, and roll up their pallet. Mr. Ávila tells them about Professor Grigor, and the children thunder down the stairs to meet him.

They introduce themselves and Eli says, “Everything is still on the floor of the darkroom, Professor Grigor..."

"...and Mr. Ávila wants you to tell us the other stuff we need."

"Want to come and look at what we have?” Professor Grigor chuckles when Eli takes his hand and pulls him toward the stairs.

When they return from the attic darkroom, Oskar and Eli get to the table first and grab chairs. They don't wait for the professor to catch up with them before Oskar says, "Professor Grigor said we need two long tables."

"And clothesline and clip-on weights," Eli adds.

Professor Grigor enters the dining room a few seconds later. "For hanging strips of negatives while they dry, and a loupe for close examination of negatives on their light box." He takes a seat at the table and looks at the children. "Have you taken any pictures?"

“Not yet," Oskar answers. "Mr. Ávila only showed us how our cameras work.”

“How far did you get, Señor Ávila?”

“Just f-stops and shutter speed. Focus. Really basic. How to load and unload the film. Since they’ll be shooting in low light, I showed them how to use their light meters.”

“Señor Ávila, if you will permit it, I would like the four of us to go on a shoot now. The darkroom work will make more sense to them if they can see the magic happening as they learn.”

"What do you think, kids?"

"Sure," Oskar says, and Eli nods.

"Okay, get your camera bags from your bedrooms. And your tripods."

When they come back into the dining room, Eli and Oskar get into a tug of war over the camera bags. "Why do you get the brown one?" Eli demands, even though the content of the bags is identical.

"Because I got it first."

"Did not. We got them at the same time."

Eli’s uncharacteristic behavior puzzles Mr. Ávila. He can see that she is about to start the adventure in a pout, so he recommends that they decide in a way that's fair.

"Okay, kids, rock paper scissors."

"No! Oskar always wins!"

"Right then. I'm going to flip a coin. Call it Miss Eli. Heads or tails?"

"Heads!"

Mr. Ávila flips the coin and it comes up tails.

"Sorry little one."

Oskar regrets having acted childishly in front of their visitor. "Ah, you can have the brown one."

"Really?" Eli takes it and gives Oskar a little one-arm hug.

"Okay, all set then? Let's let Professor Grigor tell you what he wants you to do."

"Very well, Señor Ávila. Okay, show me how to load film."

Oskar and Eli pop open the backs of their cameras and load in the film.

"Good then. Let us take everything to my car."

The children scramble into the backseat of Professor Grigor’s Volvo. “We’re going to the harbor. There will be interesting subjects to shoot and plenty of variation of light and dark. Since you'll be shooting at night, we might as well take that on from the start."

The harbor bustles with people showing up to take the fast hydrofoil to Copenhagen. Professor Grigor parks so the four of them can walk around. He lets the children pick their first subject, and he talks them through transferring their light meter readings to camera settings.

"Kids, I know this must be going slowly for you, but it will soon become second nature."

Eli says, "No no, Professor Grigor. Keep going. This isn't slow at all."

"Okay then, your first darkroom lesson starts here. You will learn darkroom techniques to make a picture look better, but you will solve most problems before you press the shutter release."

With Professor Grigor's guidance, Oskar and Eli begin to see with new eyes—angles, converging lines, light and dark, and how to select the right lens to fill the frame with an image. They take pictures of ships, loading cranes, and buildings, such as the ferry waiting building with its long colonnade. Professor Grigor explains why they need to bracket each shot in a lowlight situation, and they soon burn through their rolls of film.

When they return home, they show Professor Grigor that they know how to rewind and unload the film.

"I know you are eager to see the results. As I shall show you tomorrow night, it will take only a few minutes to develop your film. We shall set up your enlarger, too, so you can print your shots." He turns to Mr. Ávila. “I do not wish to appear forward, Señor Ávila, but would you like company tomorrow when you buy the tables?”

"I would enjoy your company, Professor Grigor. Would you like to come for coffee at 10:00?"

After Professor Grigor leaves, Eli says, "He's really nice. He makes taking pictures seem easy."

"We can do this, right Eli?"

The children put their camera bags in their bedrooms, say goodnight to Mr. Ávila, and go upstairs to the attic to play or read until the house becomes quiet.

As they change into their black sweats, Oskar asks, "What was that stuff about the color of the camera bags?"

"I don't know."

"Is it because we haven't hunted?"

"I don't know, Oskar. I don't want to talk about it."

They descend the stairs as silently as shadows, open the back door, and step out into their partially wooded yard. Taking advantage of dark areas, they make their way north over fences and through backyards, following a route through residential neighborhoods and staying west of the brightly lit areas that are dense with apartment buildings. After a while, they enter the seaside park that will take them to Malmö Castle and tonight's goal—Old Town, and especially the old cemetery there.

The cemetery is large and serves as a popular in-town park. Even after midnight, there are still a few tourists from the nearby hotels and bars, couples, late diners, and others. For Oskar and Eli's purposes, it has areas obscured by foliage, allowing them to explore much of the cemetery without anyone seeing them. But they see—lovers in secluded nooks, homeless people sleeping behind shrubbery, and an occasional drunk sleeping it off on a bench.

They also see the old tombs and grave markers, and they take note of a mausoleum they hope will serve as double-occupancy, a way of interring the newly dead alongside the dusty remains of the current occupants. As it is, the idea of the newly dead takes up a lot of Oskar and Eli's thinking. They are pushing themselves to the limit of when they need to hunt. Their stomachs rumble more frequently and they are growing weaker. There is a line they don't want to cross, when they wait too long and their hunger precipitates a reckless attack.

But scouting a city takes more time than scouting an outlying suburb or a small town. They learn a lot about Malmö, and quickly, but much of the city remains unexplored.

The Reveal

The following morning, Mr. Ávila greets Professor Grigor and invites him to sit at the dining room table for coffee.

“Señor Ávila, I see that the children address you as Magister Ávila. I trust that you were their teacher.”

“Yes. Oskar’s.”

“They are not your children then.”

“No." Mr. Ávila starts to say more, but the professor holds up his hand.

"How long have you known that they are vampires, Señor Ávila?"

"Oh…you know then. I would like to know how you know. And I would like to know what this means for the children's safety."

"Fair enough, Señor Ávila, although I am certain that my reasons will be unique to me. That is to say, just because I deduced their condition does not mean that it is obvious to others. You see, my academic field is forensic science. I am trained to see what others do not. And to see what all see but take no note of."

"And you see..."

"I see skin so pale that it is almost alabaster. There is no medically described condition that leads to a lack of pigmentation of just the skin and that does not include the eyes, or at least the hair, as well."

"Please go on, Professor Grigor."

"There is an odor that people the world over are genetically predisposed to notice. It is the odor of decay. The children appeared to be clean last night and to be wearing clean clothes. The odor was so faint that another might not have noticed it, but as I said, I am trained to notice."

"I suppose there's more."

"Yes, and although my observations may sound trivial, they point to the same conclusion. The way they move, their agility. And that their activity is confined to the nighttime. There is their night vision, too. Even when we were standing in deep shadows, they had no difficulty changing f-stops and shutter speeds. In the end, nothing I observed contradicts either the evidence or my intuition. To quote a famous detective of fiction, 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains..."

"...no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'”

"How splendid that you are familiar with Conan Doyle's famous detective."

“Yes, and while that is all very well, my concern is still this—Does your knowledge of their condition threaten the children in any way?”

“It does not."

"And that is because..."

"Partly because I fell in love with them last night. Does that seem strange to you? Judging character comes with my experiences as a forensics expert. Oskar and Eli are good kids. They are also bright and eager to learn.”

"Professor Grigor, I can accept at face value that you care for them, but that does not explain your easy acceptance of what most would consider impossible."

"That is both fair and wise, Señor Ávila. I believe there are two salient points that can allay your concerns. The first is that I accept the children as part of the natural order. Oskar and Eli exist in the world; therefore, there is a place in Nature's scheme for them. The second is that in my lifetime I have helped bring people to justice who knowingly caused great harm because of cruelty and greed. What these children must do, they do out of necessity.

"What I say next will perhaps sound irrelevant to you, but it is an important part of my understanding of the world. You know that I am from Romania. You do not know that I am from Transylvania."

"I don’t see how that could…"

The professor holds up his hand again. “In our villages we still occasionally see pale people walking about at night. Best not to bother them. Once in a while a traveler disappears. But mostly, Señor Ávila, while this narrow crescent that is Western Europe claims to have discovered the whole world—and to have an explanation for all that is therein—the rest of the world resists such certainty."

"I understand. The first point is about what the children are, that they are part of the natural world; and the second point is about who the children are, regardless of what they are. Is that not what it comes down to for both of us, Professor Grigor?"

"Yes, Señor Ávila, that is an excellent summary of my thoughts and of my unconditional acceptance of Oskar and Eli. I would add another note—their loneliness. My heart swelled as I watched them last night putting so much energy into just being two normal kids. That suggests an ocean of loneliness that separates them from the world of other children. Thank God they have each other. And you, Señor Ávila."

Mr. Ávila collects their coffee cups and puts them in the sink. Professor Grigor pushes his chair back. "Shall we buy those tables? While we drive, I would like to know how long you have known that the children are vampires."

As Professor Grigor navigates through traffic toward an area of Malmö where they will find the supplies the children need, they continue their conversation.

"As to Oskar and Miss Eli's condition, I don't refer to them as vampires. Miss Eli knows from tragic experience what a vampire is. She was kept as a plaything by a sadistic vampire who tortured and later infected her. She is adamant when she says she and Oskar are not vampires. They see their condition as an illness. They get no joy from killing, and they exercise a measure of control over the condition.”

“In what way, Señor Ávila?”

“They don’t target young people or children. They don’t try to justify what they do to live, but they accept it.”

“And so you, too, accept what they must do to live.”

"I'm still working on the acceptance part. As to how long I have known of their condition, Oskar telephoned me just over a week ago and said he needed to talk with a grownup. I had not seen Oskar for more than a year, but his voice had not changed and he had not grown any taller. I noted his pale complexion. Within a few minutes, I inferred that Oskar had changed in a way for which I had no explanation.”

“And you were okay with that.”

“I was of course puzzled. I know Oskar. I like him. He is still the same kid he was when I was his teacher.”

“And Eli?”

“They are a package deal. Miss Eli rescued Oskar from certain death, and he asked her to infect him so they could be together."

Professor Grigor smiles.

"Oskar and Miss Eli told me they had been moving from place to place to avoid detection, and I offered to serve as their grownup—to give them a measure of stability and, as I hope, security. They picked Malmö, and we arrived a few days ago. My books and furniture arrived a couple of days later."

They fall silent and presently Professor Grigor parks near the loading dock of an office supply store. He hesitates before he opens his door. "Señor Ávila, can you accept me as an ally?"

"Yes, Professor Grigor, without reservation," and he thinks, This could go horribly wrong, or it could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

They get out of the car and walk toward the loading dock. "And now I wonder when I will tell the children—and how they will take it."

"Do you anticipate there being a problem?"

"No, but this is all new to me. Miss Eli is also 12, but she is far, far older than Oskar. I've noticed that he solicits her judgment and defers to her on important issues. I sense that if Miss Eli doesn't feel secure, they will leave. She has survived for—I hope this doesn't shock you—more than 200 years. It is her desire to lead a stable life in town with her Oskar, as she calls him, that puts them at increased risk."

Professor Grigor stops walking and turns to face Mr. Ávila. "My God. She presents as Oskar's age. That shocks me."

"That isn’t accurate, Professor Grigor. She doesn't present as Oskar's age; she is Oskar's age. She is not an ancient creature inhabiting a young body. As she puts it, she's 12 and has been for a long time."

"Then how do you propose that we proceed?"

"Why not let them have fun with this wonderful hobby? An opportunity will no doubt arise. Anyway, I have a good feeling about how they will respond. When you left last night, they spoke of how much they like you and how easy your lessons are."

"As a fellow teacher, Señor Ávila, you know what such an encomium means to me."

Equations of Survival

A few days later, as the grownups enjoy afternoon coffee at the dining room table, Mr. Ávila asks, "How would you say the children are doing with their hobby?"

"They have progressed far beyond any reasonable expectations. They added an understanding of the relationship of focal length, aperture, and depth of field. Eli has started experimenting with fine-grain film, and the results are stunning."

The professor gets up from the table and walks into the big front room. He looks at several of the photos taped to the wall and takes down an 8x10. "She shot this with available light. She convinced the old man to sit still on his park bench. It is a stunning portrait, is it not? Especially considering they have been at this for only a few days. To use an appropriate metaphor, they are completely focused on photography."

Professor Grigor sits down again, a look of concern on his face. "But during this short time, Señor Ávila, I have seen a dramatic physical decline in the children. The circles under their eyes have grown darker, making their skin appear even more pale. And their necrotic odor, faint until now, has become stronger.”

Mr. Ávila gets up from the table and takes the professor’s cup to refill it. He returns and says, “When they haven’t hunted, as they call it, their bodies begin to deteriorate. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they begin to die. As I understand it, they must hunt now or perish.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“No. They tell me they hunted just before they sought my advice in Vällingby, so the need has become urgent for the first time since we got to Malmö. I imagine that one night they'll return from their rambles having dealt with it.”

“Which of course they will. But Señor Ávila, you created a living situation here so you can stay in Malmö for a while, which is at odds with the option of leaving quickly if the police were to discern a pattern to the disappearances. Once such a pattern emerges, surveillance is a usual next step.”

“Believe me—I understand that we are at risk, Professor Grigor. It was a close-run thing in Vällingby. But I’m out of my league when it comes to police matters. What do you suggest?”

“If they will allow it, I would like to help them develop guidelines for avoiding detection by anticipating the kinds of behavioral patterns the police rely on. But that is a strategic consideration. Tactically, there is the urgent need for them to hunt now."

"Yes, that's the case."

"I have a simple idea. If you and the children agree, it would give us more time to help them develop a long-range plan. Perhaps they would accompany me tonight on the fast ferry to Copenhagen.”

"If they're for it, I'm okay with it. I stay away from that side of their life because nothing in my experience is relevant to what they have to do."

"Whereas my forensic knowledge could be useful. Such knowledge is what brought me to Malmö. I helped bring a serial killer to justice in Romania, and a person in the criminal investigation division here saw a write up about it on a news wire."

"How long ago was that?"

"Three years ago. The Major Crimes Division found money for a stipend and travel expenses, and my university granted me a sabbatical. I joined the task force investigating a series of dramatic murders in Lund."

Mr. Ávila raises an eyebrow. "And you're still here."

"Yes. The police theory was that they were dealing with a madman obsessed with blood, perhaps for a ritual, or a delusional person who imagined himself to be a vampire."

"What was the outcome? And what was your theory?"

"The police had organized a task force to canvas hospitals and blood donation centers for thefts, break-ins, suspicious characters. The outcome was that the increased police activity warned the perpetrator off."

"But your theory..."

"...is that Lund had been visited by a vampire. The manner of death was peculiar—throats ripped open, necks broken. Not conducive to draining the blood and carrying it away for later consumption, and yet the blood was missing."

"Good grief."

"My reaction, too, although the language I used may have been a bit stronger. Of course I shared my suspicion with no one."

"But you stayed."

"I saw an opportunity. For the same modest stipend, I agreed to help the police with intractable cases that had grown cold. They assigned me three, two of which I solved quickly. With those under my belt, I began pressing for resident status. Once granted, and with the chief of the national major crimes division behind me, I pressed for citizenship. I was issued a Swedish passport not long after my sabbatical year was up."

"That must have set a world speed record for bureaucratic action!"

"Well, Señor Ávila, Sweden is so fearful of the Russians that the government sometimes acts as though the country were on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain. But while I was pressing for citizenship, a diplomatic furor arose over a nuclear sub that had gone aground in Swedish territorial waters."

Mr. Ávila nods and says, "Yes, near Karlskrona."

"Yes. Both governments issued a stream of bellicose pronouncements. I used the tension to suggest that the Russians would see granting my request as an amicable gesture that could help to ameliorate the risky effects of the diplomatic bluster."

"You're a deep one, Professor Grigor."

Professor Grigor smiles modestly. "Of course, neither the Russians nor my own government had a clue as to what I was trying to pull off. I still think the last little push was when I had a detective wait for me at the Russian Embassy in Stockholm. My Romanian passport got me in. I looked around for a few minutes and came out minus the newspaper I went in with, which I left in a trash receptacle. I had the detective drop me at the Illyria House, a hotel near the embassy that caters to Russians."

"I can picture you doing that, like in a spy movie!"

"Señor Ávila, Cold War Europe is a spy movie."

Mr. Ávila laughs.

“Since the Russians do not know me from Adam, I am still laughing at the thought of their analysts going over the newspaper I left, looking for secret messages.”

That image gets both of them laughing.

"Okay, what about the third case?"

"I solved it. Then I traveled to Bucharest to work out a deal with my university. They allowed me retire as Emeritus Professor of Forensic Science, and I agreed to make myself available for an occasional seminar or professional society meeting."

"Professor Grigor, I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or run for the door."

"Run for the door? How so?"

"I am not given to accepting coincidences without questioning them. How is it that you, perhaps the only other person in Sweden who believes in vampires, end up serving as the co-guardian of two of them?"

"Well, Señor Ávila, you asked the camera shop manager for an individual who teaches darkroom work. I do not teach darkroom work, but I have shared my photos with him, and he knows I am retired. What if you had not chosen that camera shop? Just about all of the camera shops in Malmö know me. I have time on my hands, and as an adjunct to my career in forensic science, photography has become a hobby about which I am passionate. Not much of a coincidence so far, right?"

"Okay, the vampire angle."

"If the shop manager had not mentioned the children's odd pallor, or if the children had come with you during the day, I probably would have declined."

"Okay, that hangs together, but after what you've told me about how you got a Swedish passport..."

"…and citizenship."

"...should I not be disinclined to take what you've said as the whole story?"

"I cannot judge that for you, but I can judge the rare quality of our friendship."

Mr. Ávila gets up and paces, much as he did in Vällingby when he had to decide whether to help Oskar and Eli. At last he sits down.

"Professor Grigor, I made the decision to throw in my lot with the children based on my feelings. Logically, no one could have decided on such a course. In that respect, I think I am more like Miss Eli."

Professor Grigor laughs. "I have thought about that! And I think Oskar and I are more alike in our logical approach."

"Yes, I see that. Well Professor Grigor, my feelings tell me that you are as you present yourself to be. I am proud to reaffirm our alliance. I look forward to our growing friendship more than perhaps you know."

"Or perhaps I do know, Señor Ávila. These are happy and exciting days for me."

The conversation flows. Mr. Ávila puts a bottle of sherry in the fridge to chill while he prepares tapas for a light dinner—goat cheese and garlic roasted on squares of toasted bread.

Chapter 5: Skating on Thin Ice

The time passes pleasantly, and soon after nightfall the two friends hear giggling over the sounds of Oskar and Eli showering. The children come into the dining room with shiny faces and dressed in freshly laundered clothes.

When they sit down at the table, Professor Grigor tells them how pleased he is with their progress. "Anyone who sees your 8x10s will know that you are real photographers."

"Whose pictures are better?" Eli asks abruptly.

"That is hard to say, Eli,” and he appeals to Mr. Ávila. "It looks as though we are to be dragooned into the role of jurists." The professor takes on a solemn look and intones, “It is the judgment of this court that both of these fine photographers are worthy of the highest praise for their excellent work.”

Mr. Ávila adopts a judicial air. "May it please the court, we are in complete agreement with this ruling.”

Oskar laughs at the game, but Eli's expression doesn't change. Mr. Ávila wonders what's behind her growing competitiveness.

Professor Grigor looks at Mr. Ávila and raises one eyebrow. Mr. Ávila shrugs and turns to Eli. "Professor Grigor is alarmed at your physical decline. He knows about your infection and wants to help."

“You know? Professor Grigor, you know?”

“Professor Grigor knew the first night, Miss Eli. He figured it out during the shoot, and he told me the next day when we went to buy the tables. I put off saying anything because you are having so much fun learning photography. Now that your need has become urgent, this seems like a good time to talk about it. You will have questions for Professor Grigor, but you'll find you have nothing to fear from him."

Eli looks at the professor. "You're not..."

"Infected? No. Nor do I think you would take comfort from it if I were infected, would you?"

"No, I guess not."

"As for that, the only people whose deaths I have helped bring about are those convicted of capital crimes, through my testimony as an expert in the science of forensics."

"Cool," Oskar says. "I like forensic stuff."

The professor smiles and nods to Oskar but continues to address his words to Eli. "You are children who must kill to live. You go about your business as you must, but without material gain and without deriving pleasure from it. You are not criminals. If I had to give you a label, it would be that you are like wolves or some other magnificent predator."

"Wolves. I like that. Eli, are you okay with Professor Grigor knowing we're infected?"

Without taking her eyes off the professor, Eli responds, "I’m not sure. It could be all right."

"Okay then, you must give a lot of thought as to how you can avoid detection.”

“Yes, a lot. It's our main job, I guess.”

“What if you could use my forensic expertise to help you? At the same time, I could learn many fascinating facts from you."

"Sure! What do you want us to do?" Oskar asks.

"I think most of your hunting will be in and around Malmö."

Oskar looks at Eli for confirmation.

“For now,” she says.

"Well, you see, we start with patterns the police look for when people disappear or when bodies turn up. However, Señor Ávila tells me that your need to hunt is urgent."

Oskar and Eli have become so in sync with each other that their stomachs rumble at the same time.

"You see it too, right?" Eli says.

"I see indications of it. So my idea is this. We could make a quick trip tonight to Copenhagen. That would allow you to hunt until we work out a strategy for Malmö. We can leave now and come back on the last boat at midnight.”

Oskar and Eli are quiet for a moment.

“Midnight," Eli says. "That’s a problem…”

“…because we may not be able to hunt safely until midnight…”

“…or even later, when there aren't many people walking around. And we don’t know Copenhagen. When we were moving a lot, we’d get to a new place and then scout it out...”

“...for a week, if we had time,” Oskar says.

“Oh my, then you will have to hunt in Malmö.”

Oskar turns to Eli. “That's still the plan, right?”

Eli sees that Oskar's eyes have begun to change. She takes his wrist under the table in an iron grip.

“Yes. Tonight. We keep our eyes open while we're shooting. After each shoot, we go out again and roam around in Limhamn and Malmö.”

Mr. Ávila marvels at how openly they talk about themselves to Professor Grigor. That is, until the hair stands up on the back of his neck as he thinks, Oh God, Professor, don't make a false step.

Oskar says, “Even though Malmö Old Town is nice, there are homeless people. And there are bars and clubs…"

Eli completes his thought. "…so we might follow a person when they leave a bar. We aren't old enough to hang around, so we watch from the roof of a building."

Oskar adds, "We're good at covering our tracks, especially if no one can find the body. You know the Cemetery Park in Old Town? We made room in a couple of crypts in a mausoleum."

"You made room..."

"For a place to hide in an emergency, or for..."

"I see."

Oskar continues, "Homeless people sleep in the bushes in the cemetery or in the parks around the castle."

“We also scouted the quarry near here,” Eli says. “We can shift enough gravel to bury a lot of bodies. We’re strong like that.”

Professor Grigor and Mr. Ávila shake their heads at how far the children have gotten with their own plan.

“Malmö Old Town is a long way from here. How do you get there?"

Eli answers, "We move fast..."

"...like wolves," Oskar says and gives Eli a self-satisfied smile.

Eli smiles at Oskar, remembering his description of the journey from Örebro.

"Plus we already found routes where the shadows and our dark clothes make us invisible," Oskar concludes.

Eli gives Professor Grigor a serious look. “And now you can tell us why you didn’t run away screaming when you figured out what we are...”

“...and return with a howling mob of peasants with torches and pitchforks,” Oskar says.

Professor Grigor laughs heartily. “My word, children, what sardonic wit!"

Eli looks at Oskar.

"I think it means sort of smart-alecky, doesn't it?" Oskar looks at Mr. Ávila.

"That’s right."

"Yes, in a mocking way," the professor says.

"Yeah, but I'm like mocking us, you know? Like our life is a B movie. That kind of mocking?"

Before Professor Grigor can catch up to his verbal acrobatics, Oskar turns to Mr. Ávila. "Why don't you take us to see a movie?"

"Really?" Eli says. "We could do that? I've never seen a movie."

"Oh yes, I think a movie would be fun," Mr. Ávila says.

Professor Grigor clears his throat. "Erm. Oskar, you have been getting by with stuffing your hair under your cap, but anyone who has seen your picture—I mean anyone who is good with faces—would be able to identify you. I would not count on going to movie theaters or other public venues until you figure out how you can change your appearance."

"Yeah, that really bothers us. Eli and I tried to blend in when we got to Göteborg, but while we were like walking around, a couple started following us."

"We talked about hair dye for Oskar, but you need more than a basement in an abandoned house..."

"You need running water…"

"…even if we knew how you dye hair. But Professor Grigor, you didn't answer why you are not afraid of us." She looks at him with a steady gaze.

Professor Grigor returns her gaze, holds it, and says quietly, "Fürchte mich weder vor Hölle noch Teufel."

The professor’s commanding presence and self-assurance touch the lack of self-confidence that Eli sometimes feels around grownups.

Noting her signs of unease, Mr. Ávila says, "His words mean it would take a lot to frighten him."

"But should you not also ask why I am eager to help you?"

“Yeah, why are you?” Oskar asks.

"Like Señor Ávila, I not only see that you are infected, I also see who you are. You are good kids. You have an illness for which there is no cure and for which there will probably never be a cure. You are victims.”

At the word victims, Eli drops her knowing demeanor and turns inward.

“Part of me aches that you were robbed of your childhood…”

Mr. Ávila notices that, at those particular words, Eli’s lower lip begins to quiver.

“…but another part rejoices that I can be part of helping you recover it.”

Eli starts to cry softly. She isn’t frightened that Professor Grigor knows about their infection. She doesn’t feel like running. Instead, she feels like hiding, like going into a dark closet and curling up in a ball.

She goes to Mr. Ávila and buries her face in his shoulder. He knows something just happened, but he doesn't know what. Mr. Ávila hugs her gently and kisses the top of her head.

Oskar sticks out his hand, and the professor takes it and pulls Oskar to him for a bear hug.

Eli stops crying. "Mr. Ávila, Oskar and I need to be alone."

Mr. Ávila gives them a hug. They say goodnight to Professor Grigor and go up to their attic darkroom.

"Eli, what was grabbing my wrist about?"

"Your eyes were changing. The hunger almost took over."

"Oh crap. I didn't even know it."

"Oskar, do you think what Professor Grigor said is right? That we are like wolves? That we are predators?"

For once it is Oskar who falls silent.

"Or are we something else?"

Soon they hear Professor Grigor say goodnight to Mr. Ávila. When the house becomes quiet, they change into their black sweats, leave through the back door, and make their way to Malmö Old Town.

Two tourists will not be returning home. Days pass before the Hamburg police start an enquiry, but the Malmö police find no trace of the men.

Transformation

The following morning as they are enjoying coffee at the dining room table, Mr. Ávila says, "Professor Grigor, it is the first quality of a criminal investigator that he should see through a disguise."

"Señor Ávila, I imagine that your quote from The Hound of the Baskervilles is a way of introducing the topic of Oskar's appearance."

"Yes."

"And since I sometime serve as a criminal investigator, I infer that your next sentence will be an inducement for me to be party to the task."

"Elementary. You no doubt have the ability to see through disguises, but the inducement is a challenge for you to create a disguise that none but the most astute police constable could penetrate."

"And, since it does not involve beards or a costume, Señor Ávila, it is child's play to deduce that you would like me to accompany you to a hair salon."

"Yes, and I have the address of one in Limhamn."

"Done. And if I may say, Señor Ávila, you are in rare form today."

Mr. Ávila laughs. "Along with choosing a hairstyle for Oskar, I have to encourage a salon to stay open late, so one that is close will not require much travel time."

They finish their coffee and Mr. Ávila drives them to the salon, Hair Today. They enter and Mr. Ávila introduces himself to the proprietor, who tells him her name is Zoey Ahlstrom. "How can we be of service, Señor Ávila?"

"My nephew is 12, but his hair style is too boyish. I think it's called a pageboy style."

The proprietor tries to suppress a shudder and almost succeeds.

"He's getting to the age where hair style is important. I thought you might show us a few pictures."

"Yes, of course, but could your nephew not just come himself?"

"Therein lies the problem. He and his cousin are enrolled in an intense course of preparatory studies, so their time is limited."

"Bright children, are they? Well, here are our stylebooks. Please make yourselves comfortable. Take as much time as you like, and just yell if you have questions. May I get coffee for you?"

The two friends sit down on a couch and go through the albums on the long coffee table. Many of the styles—Mohawks, spikes, garish colors—are not suitable. Professor Grigor says, "A short hairstyle would look good on Oskar, but the weakness of short hair is that he would still look like Oskar."

At last they settle on a wavy shag. Oskar's hair would have to be permed to make it wavy, but it would be about the same length it is now. The professor suggests that Oskar also change his hair color to dark brown.

Mr. Ávila gets Zoey's attention and talks to her about the styling and dyeing. The proprietor assures him that the shop would prefer do it in one sitting.

"I mentioned his cousin. She is also 12. I think her hair is beautiful, but she gets cranky when the boy gets more attention than she does. Could you maybe trim her hair? Or really, you know, just shape it so she won't feel left out?"

"Yes, I can do that while the boy's perm sets."

Using "intense course of study" as a reason and money as an inducement, Mr. Ávila convinces Zoey to stay open several hours past her normal closing time. Money talks, even in ethically antiseptic Sweden.

"Their names are Oskar and Eli. I'll be back with them at 9:30 or maybe a few minutes earlier."

Professor Grigor says he'll stick around because he wants to see the results, although the hour will be late for him.

Mr. Ávila rousts out the children a few minutes after nine and asks them to scrub quickly and put on freshly laundered clothes. On the way to the salon, he tells them what to expect. He explains to Oskar that he and Professor Grigor chose the style and color for unimpeachable forensic reasons, and Oskar makes a mental note to consult Mr. Ávila's big dictionary for the meaning of unimpeachable, but he's okay with the decision.

Eli is curious about what Mr. Ávila means by trimmed or shaped, but he doesn't really know either. "The stylist, Zoey, will have to show you pictures. Since your face isn't on any wanted posters, you could do pretty much anything you and the stylist come up with."

"I can decide?"

"Sure."

Eli smiles and feels a little bit grown up.

Two hours later Oskar has a new look. Professor Grigor pronounces Oskar's disguise to be impenetrable, and he compliments Eli on her new style. The professor drops them at the house, Eli with her long hair looking good from the layering and trim Zoey suggested, and Oskar with a supply of dye so they can touch up the roots as it grows out. If it grows out. This is a part of how the infection works that Oskar and Eli haven't needed to pay any attention to.

Once inside the house, Eli can't keep her hands off Oskar, hugging him and kissing his cheeks. "Hey, cut it out. I'm still Oskar, remember? Same guy."

"I can't stop looking at you! Who knew how beautiful you would be with dark hair? And you look older! You have to be my big brother now instead of just my cousin."

Aware of Eli’s recent episodes of sensitivity, her last sentence alerts Mr. Ávila that they may be headed toward an unpleasantness if he doesn't step in.

"Miss Eli, take a look in the mirror. Oskar can’t be your big brother because you look older too.”

“I do? I look older?”

“Yes. Your hair was already beautiful, but now you look older and prettier."
"How old?"

"At least 14, I'd say." Eli smiles demurely, but Oskar fixes that.

"Oh come on. You don't look a day over 200."

He takes off like a shot, but he doesn’t make it to the back door before Eli tackles him and they go sliding down the hall. She pounces on him and holds him down while she tickles him.

"No! Stop!" he shrieks. "Okay! Okay! You look 14 already. Sheesh."

A Father-Daughter Talk

The following evening, Mr. Ávila is reading in the easy chair that he shipped from Vällingby along with his books and other furniture. After Oskar and Eli shower and dress, they come into Mr. Ávila's room to say hello. The children have recovered their usual appearance—The circles under their eyes are not as dark, and their skin looks and smells healthier. They haven't said anything about the successful hunt of two nights ago, and Mr. Ávila hasn't brought it up. Presently the children head back to the attic to develop their backlog of film and to make prints from selected negatives.

From time to time Mr. Ávila hears raised voices coming from the darkroom, and after a while he hears the door slam. Seconds later, Eli comes down the stairs, goes into her bedroom, and bangs the door shut.

Mr. Ávila sets his book aside and walks down the hall to her door. "Miss Eli, are you okay?" When she doesn't answer, he opens her door a crack and peeks in. Eli is lying with her face buried in her pillow, sobbing.

"What's wrong? It sounded like you and Oskar were fussing at each other."

"He (hic) says his pictures are better than mine. But (hic) they're not! Mine are better!"

Mr. Ávila sits on the edge of her bed. "Miss Eli, your pictures are wonderful. Both of you are very accomplished photographers."

"But mine are better!"

"Little one, I've noticed that you and Oskar seem to be in a kind of competition. I wonder why it's so important that you outdo him."

"It just is."

"But you don't seem happy. What is it really?"

"I don't know."

Mr. Ávila waits.

Eli sits up in the bed. "Because you like Oskar better than me!"

Mr. Ávila thinks, Bless her heart, she's been competing for my affection. But why does she think she needs to?

"And the reason you think that is..."

Eli's voice becomes shrill, which Mr. Ávila has never experienced, something that hasn't happened since Eli lived with Håkan.
"Because you were his teacher! Because I took him away from you! Because I took him away from everybody!"

"But Miss Eli, how does that make me like Oskar more than I like you?"

"Because I messed everything up! Because I'm the demon from hell that stole him from you!"

"Little one, I remember Oskar said that in Vällingby, but he was talking about how it would seem to his mother. To me, you're the angel who saved him."

"By turning him into a monster! Like me! I was selfish. I robbed him of his childhood because I didn't want to be by myself anymore."

"I see how you could look at it that way, that you robbed him of his childhood."

"Really? You agree?"

"In a way, yes. But it wasn't stealing, was it? You wanted it, but you tried to talk him out of it, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"And he made the decision."

"But I said yes! I could have said no!"

"Is that stealing?"

She looks down and says in a small voice, "Well, Professor Grigor said we got robbed of our childhood, so I’m the one that robbed Oskar."

Mr. Ávila knows this might not be a good time to correct Eli's use of who and that. "I agree that infecting Oskar changed his life forever, but he's still Oskar. You gave him something he wanted. Something you both wanted. But it bothers me that you say you turned him into a monster. The person who infected you was a monster, wasn't he?"

Eli nods.

"Are you like him?"

Mr. Ávila takes her chin and gently raises her head. "You're not like that, are you? The monster that infected you didn't turn you into a monster, because you're not a monster. You're a child whose life has been very hard. And Oskar is not a monster. You infected him so you could be together."

Mr. Ávila wonders if he has said too much, if he is confusing the child.

"Little one, you need to know that daddies have a special connection with their daughters. Daddies may feel they have to be strict with their boys, but daddies love their girls just the way they are."

Eli looks down again as she struggles to find words.

"We've been needing to have this father-daughter talk, haven't we?"

Eli's head snaps up and she looks into Mr. Ávila's eyes. "You're, like, my father? And I'm, like, your daughter?"

"Yes, and I love you beyond all measure. I cherish every moment that I'm with you."

Now Eli cries in a way she has never cried before, a really by God therapeutic tear fest that begins to wash away doubts, fears, guilt, and hurt. She hugs Mr. Ávila and buries her face in his chest. She cries until she has soaked the front of his shirt.

When she's done, she takes Mr. Ávila's face in her hands and lets him see deeply into eyes that are no longer guarded. It is as though he were peering into endless night, but as he feels his love flowing into the beautiful child, light floods the void and he feels a profound sense of peace flowing from her.

He takes out his handkerchief and gently cleans her face. "Blow, little one."

"Mr. Ávila, I'm not by myself anymore, am I?"

"You’re not by yourself, Miss Eli. You have a family."

Eli looks toward her door and laughs. "I know you're there, Oskar! And my pictures are better than yours!"

Oskar peeks in. "Are not!"

"Are too, and I'm going to kick your butt when we start playing racquetball!"

Oskar laughs. "Yeah sure. You and whose army?"