He dropped into his chair, his mind spinning, trying to process what he was seeing. “Impossible! Impossible! How can this possibly be?” He saw the sudden look of concern on the child’s face as she saw his reaction.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! But I had to do something! I had to make you believe me…” She quickly brought her arms back down to her sides.

CHAPTER 7

“Well, we knew it might rain, huh?” Oskar declared as he felt the first, light spatters strike his face.

Eli stopped walking, craned her head up, and looked at the dark, cloudy sky. She, too, felt the raindrops, and she paused to enjoy the sensation. A gust of wind blew the warm, June air across the trail.

She opened her mouth and extended her tongue, trying to catch some drops. Oskar looked at her, grinned, and did the same.

Warning: NOT FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES. Contains foul language and sexual themes possibly involving minors.

An interpretation of a 40 year old Oskar who's remained with Eli.

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Oskar took another long pull from his beer, put his mug down with a bang and lit up another cigarette. He scratched the back of his hand with the greying stubble on his chin.

Eli and Oskar walked slowly across the courtyard, leaving footprints in the still-falling snow. They had made their final choice this afternoon, and waited until well after dark to set out from their little apartment. The Biology Building at Karlstad University was barely visible through the snow as they turned onto the well-lit walkway towards the main entrance. Oskar could see the lights in the window on the second floor, where Professor Dawson’s office was located.

I have always thought that there must be a way to write an epilogue to this story that is grounded (as much as possible) in reality, and still gives Oskar and Eli a happy ending. I have tried, without much success, defending such a position in various threads. I don’t think I convinced anyone that the artistic, fairytale quality of the story, so beautifully crafted by JAL and TA, wouldn’t be compromised by any finagling with such boring worn-out ideas as blood banks, voluntary donors, DNA replication, etc., but I just couldn’t shake the idea.

Esteban stepped out of the bathroom. He wondered if Eli had come back while he was in the shower; if not, there was still plenty of time before sunrise. He was heading to his room when the front door opened, and Eli walked in without saying a word, closing the door behind him. Esteban saw the dark stains on Eli's shirt and on the corner of his mouth. Who did he kill tonight? Eli was looking down, away from Esteban. A mother, a father? Another child?

Eli looked up. In the electric light, his eyes were no longer slits.

Seed of a dark sire, born of sinister motives without choice.

Youth and beauty mingled with affliction and macabre.

Abomination, scourge, monster, vampire.

Death's chore forced upon you, taker of souls precious.

Forsaken by mortal comforts, forever a nocturnal exile.

Strength uncontested yet bound by day intangible.

Time as an ally and enemy, loyal as both.

A curse within not yours to bear alone for it's will brings bereavement to many.

Traps set with deceit and baited for compassion are your works.

Notes regarding Redemption from Darkness

I decided to write an internal dialogue for Eli that tracked the events in the film LTROI because I felt that the story was told primarily from Oskar’s perspective, and I wanted to explore what Eli might have thought about their burgeoning relationship. Also, I am fascinated by Eli’s background and conflicted character. These interests resulted in Reflections at Dawn, in which Eli contemplates what is happening in her life each dawn as she prepares to go to sleep in her tub.