A True Done It : Part Three

A True Done It
Part Three
Finale

The lights flickered on. Everyone was standing stock still. The head caterer made his way to the kitchen and came back out a few minutes later with the Saloon Girl back into the main room. She looked stricken, even behind her golden yellow satin mask.

“It was the house cat,” said the head caterer. “It has been murdered.”
“Well, I think we should all go ahead and unmask so we can discuss what we should do next,” said the Witch King.

With the masks away, we all revealed our true selves, blinking as though the masks had cast some sort of dark glamour from which we were all being awakened. My counselor was standing next to me and Vi.

“Some party Aslinn…I did not expect dinner and a show,” he said in his soft southern voice.
“I didn’t plan this,” I said to him. “We had planned a little hide and scream, but not this.” Eric Lover was looking around, counting the faces of her friends.
“Are we all here dearest?” asked the lead counselor.
“I think so,” she said, still looking around.
“Someone is missing,” said the lady counselor.
“Who?” asked Dude.
“The Ghost,” said the young counselor. “Where’s the Ghost?” We all looked around and did not see the Classic Ghost in his sheet with eyeholes.

“Damn!” swore the lead counselor. “Everyone split up, go with a counselor and search the house.” He turned to God Speed. “What is on the third floor?”
“The caretaker’s apartment,” said God Speed. “The cat lived up there but roamed around the house through the cat door. The caretaker has been gone all this week.”
“How did the cat die?” asked Westexan.
“Let’s find out,” said our counselor. We followed the counselors into the kitchen. Nia was on tippy toes to look at the little corpse. Iluvtheviking and Linzy and Hoyt were peering over shoulders. God Speed, Dude and Mrs. GS were squatted down looking at the little victim. Mrs. GS touched it's paws and stomach. She looked up at the lady counselor who was inspecting the cat herself.
“It’s cold,” said Mrs. GS. “When was it last seen?”
“I swatted at it about an hour ago. It took a swipe at me, tried to snag my stocking and I was complaining to…” said Iluvtheviking.
“Complaining to whom?” asked the lead counselor.
“The Ghost,” she said simply.

After a few minutes discussion, we broke into groups. One group went into the control room with the camera bank. Westexan, Nia, Lina and Hoyt along with the young counselor went in there, to watch the monitors. God Speed growled scowled a little at that. Liz, True Blood Fan, Mrs. God Speed and the Dude went with the lady counselor. Eric Lover, Iluvtheviking, Minnie and God Speed went with the lead counselor. Renee, Vi, Linzy and myself went with my counselor.
We took advantage of the hidden passageways and headed off to explore the mansion. The group with the lead counselor went to the basement where we had held our meeting.
“Hey,” said Eric Lover, tugging on the lead counselor’s sleeve. “If he was down here and then came back up, we would know it.”
“How do you mean lover?” asked the lead counselor.
“The floors down here are really dusty. We had to take special care about wiping our feet when we came back up so we didn’t track the dust up to the polished floors,” she explained.
“Is there another way up?” he asked.
“Yes, up the hidden stairs, the servant’s stairs,” said Eric Lover, pointing to the narrow wooden door.
“Come on then, dearest,” said the lead counselor, taking her hand in his.

“So, who is the Ghost, anyway?” I asked my counselor as we edged our way through the hidden torture chamber behind the fireplace. I could make out the dentist chair in the dim lights and the trays of torture implements in the table beside it.
“You would recognize him right away if you saw him,” said my counselor.
“Like we recognize you?” I asked.
“Yes, only more so,” he said.
“Is he dangerous?” I asked.
“He can be. That is why one of us is with you,” he said. “We will not allow any of you to be harmed.”
“I know,” I said.

The lady counselor was still in the kitchen with her group, still looking around. She took a minute step back and something clinked at her feet. Dude bent down and picked up a bottle.
“Some of your special refreshment,” said Dude, showing the tall blond the bottle.
“I take it you were taking special care of disposing of these?” she asked.
“Yes, GS was putting them back into the cases so we could just carry them away with us to dispose of at his house,” explained Dude.
“There are several bottles over here,” said Mrs. GS.
“Well, so much for housekeeping,” said the lady counselor.

“There is Aslinn, Liz and Vi with their group,” said Westexan.
“This is boring,” said the young counselor. “I want to go out there.”
“We better stay here,” said Hoyt.
“We could go out there and hunt ourselves, Hoyt,” said the young counselor. “Are there any places the counselors aren’t going?”
“There is a small storage room right off from the caretaker’s apartment,” said Westexan.
“Let’s go Hoyt, let’s go look,” she said, grabbing Hoyt’s wrist. She had him up and out before they could protest.

Westexan pushed the little button marked “mic” and announced over the intercom that the counselor in training and Hoyt were on the move.
“Damn,” swore my counselor under his breath. His eyes peered into the darkened stair way we were in.
“What do we do?” asked Renee.
“C’mon Westexan, tell us where they are,” I said, almost praying.

“I am losing patience with that undisciplined child,” said the lead counselor.
“Wonder where they are,” said God Speed, keeping his voice even. He didn’t like to hear anyone bad mouth his little redheaded counselor. “The camera is right there,” he said. He stepped out in front of it and shrugged his shoulders, pantomiming a question.
“I’m so daft,” said Westexan. “They have gone up to the storage room.”

Everyone began to move to the attic and the storage room. They met on the third floor, counselors and group members together. The lead counselor went to the door, seemed to listen for a moment, then turned the knob and opened the door. Carefully we all stepped through it.
Hoyt and the young counselor were on the couch, locked in a rather passionate embrace on a couch covered in a dust sheet. There were other pieces of furniture draped in dust sheets as well. The couple on the couch was for the moment oblivious to us.
“Find anything you two?” asked the lead counselor, his arms crossed in front of him. The two some jumped up and straightened their clothes and looked a little sheepish.
“Actually, we just got up here,” said the young counselor.
“You and I will discuss this further,” said her guardian tersely. She simply rolled her eyes.
“Did you not hear Westexan on the intercom?” asked the lady counselor.
“No, I was distracted,” she said.
“There are no speakers up here for the intercom,” said GS.
“Heightened senses are a part of our condition,” said her guardian. “She would have heard it had she been paying attention.”
“Well, that is neither here nor there,” said True Blood Fan. “Is the Ghost up here?”

“Here he is,” said the lady counselor. She pulled the sheet off the large enshrouded lump. “What are you doing up here?”
“I’m sorry ma’am. I’m sorry Mr. E., terrible sorry,” he said, looking up at the lead counselor. I didn’t know what to make of the usually stoic counselor’s face. He seemed to be somewhere between a wide mouth laugh and fury. Whatever it was, he killed it quickly.
“Did you kill that cat downstairs?” asked the lead counselor.
“Well, I tried to do as you said, be still, drink Tru:Blood and enjoy the party but one of them pretty gals said I could have it,” said the Ghost.
“What exactly did she say?” asked my counselor.
“Well, the varmint had been after her stockings and she was smoothing them out and checking them for holes and she said she would be much obliged if I sent that cat to Kitty Cat heaven, so I figured it would be alright,” said the most famous face in music history.
“Well, the party is over,” said my counselor to the King of Rock and Roll. “Apologize to these folks.”
“I….I’m sorry,” he stuttered in his soft Mississippi accent.
“It’s okay,” I said, a little star struck.
“Thank ya…thank ya ver’ much,” said the man from Memphis.

The Counselors led their errant companion out of the house and onto the porch. The lead counselor turned to us.
“We had a lovely time, thank you for inviting us to your fete,” said the lead counselor.
“Do you have to travel far for your accommodations?” asked Nia.
“Not far. We will get there with time to spare. Be careful on your way home. I fully expect to you to be at group Wednesday,” said the lead counselor.
“What will you do about the cat?” asked the lady counselor.
“I haven’t the foggiest,” I said.
“Give them this card,” said the lead counselor. “Tell them to call this number and we will discuss restitution.”
“I will,” I said. The lead counselor went over and kissed Lina and Linzy and Eric Lover, then stopped in front of me.
“Good night Aslinn,” he said, barely touching my cheek with his lips.
“Happy Halloween,” I said. My counselor came up and kissed Liz and Nia and Vi on the cheeks and then stopped in front of me.
“I will see you on Tuesday night sweetheart?” he asked.
“You bet,” I said. I felt his lips on the cheek opposite the one the lead counselor kissed. As he turned to leave, I could see Hoyt, Dude and GS speaking to the lady counselor and the young counselor. I looked in the Mercedes and saw the face of the Ghost. He smiled his shy crooked smile and he made the upraised pinkie and thumb sign for ‘I Love You’.

“Well,” said Liz. “It looks like Elvis has just left the building.”

True Done It Part Two

True Done It Mystery
Part Two
Alligator Stew was pounding out the beat for the dancing and twirling group. The old house was transformed into a Merlotte’s away from Merlotte’s and everyone was dancing and sweating and having a great time. The cat was sitting in a corner, humped up like a hen sitting on a clutch of eggs, eying everyone evilly. This was not a normal cat…most cats run away when the place is too loud and there are too many people. But this is a cat used to crowds and activity, evidently. He scurried across the floor, having sighted a victim.

Soon, however, Shade was trotting away from the angry figure in the blue flapper dress, her feathered mask wafting in the air cutting around her face as she tried to catch it. She decided it was a fruitless effort and bent at the waist, checking her stockinged leg, checking the seam and making sure there were no nicks or run in the silky nylon. She swore under her breath softly, shaking her head as she smoothed the run free stocking with her hand.

“Pestilential cat!!!” she said tersely.
“There’s a cat around here?” asked a vaguely familiar voice. She looked over and saw cowboy boots sticking out from under a sheet. The Ghost.
“There is and I would definitely be obliged to whoever would catch that creature and send it to Kitty Cat Heaven,” she said. She straightened up to look at the Ghost who stood at around six feet.
“I’ll take care of that for you ma’am,” said the Ghost. She turned away for a moment to get a drink. When she turned back around, she saw that he was gone. “Boy that was creepy.”
The wait staff moved through the room, cleaning up the plates and cups and bringing in fresh trays of food. The Ghost lurched past muttering a hurried “Excuse me” as he whizzed by.

The Saloon Girl made her way up the stairs to go to the loo. The upper hall overlooking the gallery was dimly lit as she entered the room where she was staying. She stepped into the darkened room but was startled by the touch of cool hands on her shoulders.
“I would know your perfume anywhere,” he said in a soft southern voice. She turned, her heart beating like a timpani drum. He smiled at her below the black velvet mask that covered half of his face.
“You frightened me,” she said, a little breathlessly.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said, coming closer to her. “Can I have a sweet treat from your lips?”
“Yes,” she said, tilting her head back.

The priest moved with grace and he held the angel of death in his arms. “You know, I met the angel of death once and you look nothing like him,” he said lazily.
“I suppose you would know, being a priest and all,” said the Reaper.
“Occupational hazard,” he said, shrugging. “This is a lovely party.”
“Have you been enjoying the refreshments? We have a wonderful caterer,” said the ‘boned’ one.
“I have enjoyed the drink,” he said.
“Good, just don’t drink too much, or we will have to make you sleep here, can’t have you driving intoxicated,” said the Reaper.
“I think I will manage,” he said. “Are you staying in the house?”
“Sure,” said Death. “It is a creepy old house.”
“My kind of place,” he said. The Gypsy swirled by with the Witch King, all a glitter in gold and turquoise catching the eye of the River Boat Gambler who seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere.
By the time the clock struck eleven, the room was in such a fever with dancing people. It was hot and the wait staff actually opened the door for a moment to let the cooler night air in.

Sheila Na Geira was dancing with 007, swaying to the music. The Irish Princess was a spectacle of gold and green and red. James Bond was tall and handsome in his tux and black velvet half face mask. Christmas Gift and Mother Nature were chatting and fanning themselves by the open doors. They watched the cat scamper back into the kitchen.
“The party seems to be a hit,” said the Irish Princess to the spy.
“It does indeed,” said Bond.
“Do you think ‘they’ made it to the party?” asked the Gaelic Girl.
“I think more than the spirit of Halloween is among us tonight,” he said. The Christmas Gift sailed by the arms of Marlon Brando and the Witch King was dancing with the Witch. The spy’s eyes followed the angel and her gossamer wings. “I wonder who the Ghost is?” he mused. “He has a real familiar voice.”
“Um, I haven’t had the chance to speak to him yet,” said Sheila.

When the song was over, Sheila thanked 007 for the dance and went and fetched herself a glass of punch and walked over to the chairs to sit and cool off. Red Riding Hood patted the place beside her and Sheila came over to sit down. The Cheerleader watched the Saloon Girl come down the stairs. She noticed that she was a little blushed and pointed it out to Grim, who’d just joined them. Harley Quinn grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter and sat down beside Mother Nature, who was taking a breather, fanning herself with a napkin.

They all watched as the Saloon Girl got herself something to drink and sat down beside Harley Quinn. She sipped the punch and fanned herself in an attempt to cool off.
“Well, you look all flushed,” said Harley.
“Maybe she got herself a little treat,” said Grim.
“You guys…” she demurred. Her eyes seemed to track one particular person in the room. Grim tried to figure out who she was looking at.

The Priest was talking to Athena, smiling a lop sided grin, a little too dangerous and sexy for a Priest. The River Boat Gambler was chatting with Marlon Brando and the Pirate and the Pirate’s Wench. The Witch King was bringing the Faerie and the Angel a drink from the kitchen. When the song changed, Harley Quinn up and was seized in the arms of the Priest who spun her out into the dance floor and spun her back to him. The River Boat Gambler pulled the Flapper to him and began to boogie to the Jerry Lee Lewis song.

The catering staff was on the floor to observe the unmasking about five minutes before the stroke of midnight. Red Riding Hood decided to go and get a bottle of cold water to temper the two glasses of wine she’d guzzled down. She got up to go to the kitchen, frightened momentarily by a fanged specter. She laughed and pushed open the double doors of the kitchen.

The clock began to strike the midnight hour and as the song was over, everyone went out on the dance floor. This was the time everyone was to unmask themselves and reveal their identities. Just before the Witch King was to make his announcement for everyone to unmask, the lights went out and there was a terrible blood curdling scream.

A True Done It

All Hallows Eve
A True Done It

The Grim Reaper walked across the room, it's skeletal face looking right at home in the eerie room. In it's boney grip was a platter of shrimp Suzettes just from the oven. Harley Quinn, dressed in motley and a bi horned hat with bells, followed behind, jingling with every step, with a large punch bowl, walking carefully to make sure the delicious elixir did not slosh around much. The sliced oranges and the pulp from the kumquats and the floating cherries made the drink very festive indeed.

The brothel like room had transformed itself into the haunted mansion it was. Just under the lively Halloween music were the sounds of moaning and chains rattling and between songs you could hear the unearthly sounds and the occasional scream filtering through the speakers. The huge portrait of the evil looking old man had commenced to doing his Hogwarts portrait gallery thing and the longer you watched him, the more gruesome he got. At one point the old geezer was munching on what appeared to be a human leg.

The electronic spiders and their orange eyes blinked on and off in the draped webbing over the velvet drapes. Smaller plastic spiders were scattered throughout the treat table, now resplendent with the carved pumpkins and lit candles and lovely gourds. A few just smaller than life like plastic skulls were nestled in among the pumpkins and gourds, grinning their boney grins at the people moving around purposefully around the big main room.

One of the incredible things about this house was that it was filled all things that make a haunted mansion (Think the house in the Addams Family meets Twelve Oaks meets the Munsters house and they all got together and had a baby: this house without the cob webs) There were hidden doors, hidden rooms and hidden staircases to led to other rooms. We had spent Wednesday night exploring all the secret nooks and crannies, after the counselors had gone home and the extras were off into the night. We laughed and squealed and God Speed had triggered a few of the motion sensitive effects to scare us, but he by no means showed us all the tricks. They were lovely and truly frightening. We would be having so much fun.

The catering staff, dressed in tuxedo shirts and black slacks and cummerbunds were moving around, helping us set up. We laughed at their suggestion that we all just sit down and relax and let them do the work but we looked at them as if they had insulted us. We simply agreed to stand there and wit for orders to lift and tote…you could tell none of us had been born with the mythical silver spoon. So far though we were staying out of the way

The chaises which had dominated the room were moved back and several chairs brought in to make comfortable seating pods in the corners of the room and out into the foyer where over heated dancers could cool off. The wide porch was swept and the porch furniture’s cushions plumped up and ready to receive guests, decorated with orange and black crepe paper and pumpkins lit up inside with candles. The Witch King came in, lugging a box of red bottles into the kitchen. Death followed him.

“Hey Grim, where did you want these bottles?” he asked the strangely merry face of the skeleton.
“Best put them in the fridge, don’t you think?” said the Reaper, pointing like the hand of fate to the stainless steel refrigerator. The Witch King (WK) nodded and sat the box on the floor, opened the big wide door and began to methodically put the bottles of special refreshment in the fridge.

“Don’t forget, only we heat these up when the counselors arrive,” the WK reminded.

The counselors would arrive around dark. The lead counselor had emailed to say that he was bringing another guest. He was told more the merrier. Everyone wondered how the counselors would dress. We had all been jealously guarding the secret of our costumes and could not wait to see who was who. Regardless of what you wore, you had to wear a mask. Some folks would be easier to guess than others.

About that time, James Bond came sailing through. He stopped and looked at the WK….then he extended his hand. “Bond…James Bond,” said the counterfeit spy.
“Witch King,” said the heavily garbed person in a strangely beautiful if abstract mask, resembling an arrow head.
“Good to know you,” said James Bond. “Who is that?” he asked, pointing at Harley Quinn.
“I think it is a harlequin,” said the Witch King.
“Funny, there’s a comedian born every second,” said the spy. “I brought a barrel of mead; wanna help me get it in?”

“Sure, I’ll just get my wand…” said the sarcastic witch. “Levi-Corpus!!!” he chanted, cackling wildly. Death just shook it's head. There was a faint pressure on Death’s bony leg and it looked down. Shade, the house mouser the owner had told them about was rubbing her thin black body against the skeleton’s legs. With careful fingers the Reaper plucked a shrimp treat and offered it to the cat, who immediately ran off with it under the table and began to eat the fishy little morsel.
“Good kitty,” said Death in a soft voice.

A Saloon Girl came by with large bowl full of cookies. She smiled at Death.
“Great costume,” she said.
“Thanks, “said the Reaper. About that time Marlon Brando came in complaining about how he could have been a contender to a Cheerleader dressed in a blood red outfit with a large C on the chest.
“Which team are you cheering for?” asked Athena, goddess of love and beauty.
“Team Compton, of course,” said the Cheerleader. A Flapper in a bright blue sequined costume walked by and looked at the Cheerleader.
“I came so close to coming as a Cheerleader with a big V on my chest,” she said.
“What would the V stand for?” asked Red Riding Hood.
“Viking,” whispered Death in her ear. “Did you bring any brownies?”
“You bet, but the ones in the kitchen are very special, if you know what I mean,” she said. Death nodded at her and headed away for the kitchen. Harley Quinn was sampling a small pinch of brownie herself. Death reached in and got a small piece and ate it. Chocolate is a favorite, even among the living impaired.
A Christmas Gift came bustling in complete with silver paper, red bows and a bit of holly. Death looked at Harley Quinn and shrugged. “Christmas comes sooner and sooner every year,” she said, her lips curling up with a grin. About that time Mother Nature paid a visit.

“A bit early isn’t it?” said Ma Nature.
“What’s it to you Poison Ivy?” asked Christmas Gift, eyeing the diaphanous gown covered with flowers and vines and the crown made of wild flowers and a little blue bird bobbing merrily over her head as she walked.
“I am not Poison Ivy!!!” fumed the earth spirit.
“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature,” said Harley Quinn, nudging Christmas Gift gently, the paper rattling ever so gently.
“Ah,” said Christmas Gift, a look of dawning on her masked face.
Sheila Na Geira, the Irish Pirate Princess waltzed into the room. “OOooo, what are we talking about?” she said.
“Mother Nature,” said Christmas Gift.
“Well, it certainly looks like spring is about to bust out all over,” said the Gaelic girl. Mother Nature showed the Irish Lass her middle finger but blew her a kiss at the same time. While one argument was circumvented, another was working up in the main room. Death and Harley Quinn ran past the others and through the double doors to see the Witch King arguing with Marlon Brando, James Bond trying to stay between the combatants.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, let’s remember this is no time to have a smack down,” said 007. “Don’t make me whip my license to kill out on you.”
“Give me a break,” said the Witch King. A beautiful witch in a long gown and green hooded cloak came by and cast a baleful eye on both of them.
A Pirate and a Pirate’s wench came in, carrying large platters of goodness. The caterers who were hired to serve the treats scurried around, helping us set the platters but there simply were not enough eyes to keep that cat out of everyone’s way. The excitement was often punctuated by the sound of the cat meowing and hissing, sometimes giving a sharp slap to a reprimanding hand or gently nudging foot.
“Scat!!! You accursed beast!!!” swore the pirate, swinging his plastic cutlass at the offending animal who was trying his damnedest to collect a pig in the blanket, one of those savory little sausages in a crescent roll.

Death went over and began shooing the cat, who turned a drop dead glance at the Reaper and meowed itself out of the room. The Reaper had stray fantasies about the cat scorching it's tail on one of the pumpkins the gang had spent all of Thursday carving out, even using templates of our favorite characters from the show and books. Death was shaken out of it's cat tail burning revelries when a gypsy came in, breathless with excitement announcing it was a half hour before darkness fall and the arrival of the Counselors. Suddenly, the night and everything about it held delicious promise.

The party began with music and everyone, regardless of skill or grace began to shake their money makers to the music which ranged from Nine Inch Nails to Toby Keith. Between each song, you could hear the sound effects filtering in. Already there had been some yummy scares with some holographic ghosts floating in. The Dance Hall Girl was having a cup of Kumquat punch with the Cheerleader when she noticed a tall man in a priest’s cassock.

“I wonder who that is?” asked the Dance Hall Girl.
“I don’t know, “said the Cheerleader. She saw Athena float by, her spear in her hand and she tugged at the goddess’s toga. “Who invited Father Tall Dark and Mysterious?”
“I don’t know, but our Witch seems to be enjoying her dance with him,” said Athena. A waiter floated by and Athena took a glass of wine.
Death came over to join the girls in their discussion. The bony hand reached out to the same waiter and took a glass of wine and sipped it.
“Who is the person in the Sheet with Eyeholes?” asked the Reaper.
“I think you would call that ‘Classic Ghost’,” said the Dance Hall Girl. “And look at that adorable Faery!” she said, pointing at the creature with the delicate translucent dress and long flowy wings.
“Looks like the Witch King is digging her in a big way,” said Athena. Death spied Harley Quinn and saw that she speaking to a Guardian Angel, complete with a harp and feathery wings.
“Well who is that Mother Nature is talking to?” asked James Bond who sidled over to see what all the hub bub was about. Athena saw Mother Nature chatting with a River Boat Gambler. When the song was over, the Priest led the witch off the floor, whispered in her ear and she nodded and went into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a highball drink and handed it to the Priest who smiled at her.

“Well, it is Halloween, after all, all spirits of good will are welcomed to our fete,” said Death.

To Be Continued

Wednesday October 28th Meeting

GS and Dude were busy setting up the buffet while Eric Lover and I were putting our chairs in a circle and Liz and Mel were setting down table cloths and getting ready to put out the treats and the drinks for the meeting. I had made pumpkin bread and Westexan had made orange sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and Vi made little sugar skulls and used candied frosting to make little roses and curly queues on them to give them that Latino Dias de los Muertos look to the festivities.

This place looked more like a true cellar than an actual basement. It did not take a vivid imagination to see manacles and chains, a rack or perhaps even a lab table big enough to build your own monster. The walls were laid stone but were covered with years of white wash. The floors were hand laid slate and though you would think they would be damp, they were dry and little dusty. I envisioned stone dust on the floors of the house above and reminded everyone to wipe their feet on the throw rug at the top of the stairs leading to the house.

God Speed brought down the big coffee maker and Hoyt, being a good sport, brought down the cups and the plates and the napkins, still secure in their Walmart bag. I went over and took the bag and began to spread everything out as Mrs. God Speed brought down the tray of mini corndogs and pizza rolls. I swear the meeting place looked more like the basement party of kids whose parents were out for the evening than a meeting of a very different sort of 12 step group.

Dude put chairs down in the shadowed places where there were doors. Two were at the bottom of the steps where the female counselor and her counselor in training would be sitting and two were placed on the far wall opposite, near the outside door to the cellar. Finally, everything was done and it's place and we milled around and got coffee and tea and filled little party plates with treats and sat down in our accustomed places in the circle, though our circle was now in a definitely different place.

Soon though it was not long til we heard the voice of the lead counselor.

“It is so wonderful to hear your happy voices,” he said in his low deep voice. “The party has you very excited. I like the energy.”
“What shall we talk about tonight?” asked my counselor, in his equally comforting voice with it's southern drawl like a warm breeze off the bayou.

“Let’s talk about the Queen,” said Westexan. “We haven’t really talked about her.”
“What would you like to say about the Queen of Louisiana?” asked the female counselor.
“Well, is she a friend or a foe? Is she good or bad, can Sookie and Bill and Eric trust her? Or is she ruthless and spiteful?” asked Westexan.

“I think she is good at what she does,” said Lina. “She is a young queen with Vampires who are older and stronger than she and she is ruthless, but I imagine she has had to be that way to be a successful Queen.”

“As far as can Sookie and Bill and Eric trust her?” said GS. He looked around at the group who looked back at him. “Can you really say that Sookie can trust any of them? Oh she trusts Bill a lot, perhaps to her detriment. She doesn’t trust Eric so much. Bill doesn’t trust Eric at all, and can you blame him? And Eric doesn’t care enough about Bill to wonder if he trusts him, he knows that Bill has to mind him because he is sheriff and Eric and Bill both have to mind their makers…well, not Eric, since his maker is gone, but Bill does, and they both have to mind the queen, who doesn’t trust anyone in principle because she is the queen, that is how she has survived.”

“Is she way you thought she would be?” asked the southern counselor. “From what you knew of her in the one world to how she is presented in the other.”

“No, she isn’t,” said Eric Lover. “In the Connection’s world, she looks like a little girl, but something more sophisticated. In the Source’s world, she is haughty, petulant, perverse, spoiled.”

“Perverted? Like in sex perverted?” asked the young counselor.

“No, not like that,” said Eric Lover, “She likes to see the world and then twist it to her own point of view…sort of like that weird philosophy about yahtzee, how it equalizes her among those who may be her social, intellectual or physical inferiors because it is all just about a roll of the dice.”

“A roll of the dice…” I said, in a far away voice.

“Yes Aslinn? Did something come to mind?” asked Eric.

“Well, the young guy, the one that favored Bill with a blood meal, he complained that the queen was using magik…do you think she really is? I mean, she could be…Vampires may not like witches, but they like having any edge over one another. Do you think she already has an edge?” I said.

“She could, but I think it is too soon for that sort of scenario….” said my counselor.

“No, no really because Eric gets in such big trouble with witches….” I said. “Now I am not only worried about Sookie and Bill but Eric as well as far as the queen is concerned… What if she is involved with….”

“That is pretty far fetched,” said Dude, “But, I have heard crazier things come true out of our speculations.”

“What time will your party begin?” asked my counselor. I looked in his general direction. This time, I was very suspicious. Why doesn’t he wish to discuss this bit of speculation? Is that it may be going too far in the future and is crazy to boot? Or was it something he simply didn’t want us exploring anymore?

Whatever it was, I didn’t have a chance to say anything because there was animated discussion around the circle as they discussed the party and all the things we had planned.

Road Trip

I was tired when we pulled into the bar at Shreveport. Eric Lover, Minnie, Liz and Mel and I looked at each other. There were broad smiles on our faces as we got out. God Speed and Westexan and Mrs. GS and Vi jumped out and Dude and Hoyt pulled in and joined us as we formed our group in the parking lot. I had a plain shiny black gift bag on my arm and my jacket on the other and my big bag of crazy slung across my chest.

"Well, shall we walk in and see what happens?" asked Liz. I looked around at everyone and we all nodded our agreement.
"May as well face the music, get it over with," said GS. He put his arm around his wife and we made our way into the bar. We stood in line, with the rest of the punters and when we stepped up to the door, the female counselor shook her head.
"Why do you insist on being so willful?" she said.
"Are we welcome?" I asked.
"Of course you are," she said. "Good luck getting out."

We walked into the bar. It was busy for a Tuesday night and we walked in, looking around at the patrons in their usual garb and some of the regular "attendee's" to the bar, the main attractions. We sat down at the bar. The bartender grinned.

"Give me your order, the Boss knows you are here. Go sit in his booth and I'll send Ginger with your drinks," he said, smiling a toothy smile.
"Well you know what I will have," I said.
"Black stuff coming right up," he said, smiling at the tip I slipped into his brandy snifter. I walked over to the booth and sat down. As each member gave their order, they came and joined me. I watched the go-go dancers and saw that the door to the office was closed and the throne was empty.

Finally, Ginger and another waitress came over and brought us our drinks and we tipped her a little too and settled into our drinks. We were quiet for a few minutes, just watching the zoo and it's collection of inhabitants.

"So how much more are we going to do for the party?" I asked GS.
"We only have a few more things and then we have the meeting to get ready for. I thought we would have a small buffet for the meeting," said Eric Lover.
"What a wonderful idea. Even if the counselors do not stay for the little get together after the meeting, we can stay up and eat and chat," said Westexan.

My phone and Westexan's phone and Violet and Minnie's phone rang all at the same time. I looked. It was a text message from our counselor.

"Shiatsu," I swore. "He wants to know where we are."
"May as well tell him, he will know soon enough...you know the lead counselor knows," said Eric Lover.
"Here, type him back," I said, handing her the phone. "I hate to type using the number keys." She took my little cheap pay as you go phone and typed in "The Bar" and sent the message and handed it back to me.

About that time, Ginger came up to the table.

"Aslinn, the Boss wants to see you right away," she said, a little fearful. I shrugged, took my purse off me and gave to Eric lover for safe keeping grabbed the gift bag and went first to the bathroom. If he was going to bawl me out, he could wait. I watered the lilies, came out of the stall, washed my hands, ignoring the sounds of sighing and a slight sucking sound coming from the end stall, and dried my hands and picked up the gift bag again and walked out. I went to the office door and before I knocked I could hear the voice of the lead counselor.

"Come in Aslinn," he said. What no 'dearest'? I was in deep chop suey with the lead counselor. I turned the knob and walked into the bar.
"Hi," I said, coming into the office. The lead counselor was sitting in shadow, just as I liked him and I sat down.
"I thought that I and your counselor told you to stay away from Shreveport and the Connection," he said. "Why do you insist being so willful when we simply want to protect you and all your friends."
"If you don't think they will tell us anything, why do you care if we go? What are you so afraid of?" I snapped back.
"I ask you to do things for your own good," said the voice of the counselor. It was soft, deep, reasonable voice and I knew he was getting mad at me.
"For our own good, or to control us?" I asked, feeling my Irish. He laughed.
"Well, we have been far more open with you and your friends than we have ever been with your kind," he said. "Did you enjoy the visit with the Connection?" It was my turn to laugh.
"We were too late, we got there just as she was leaving. We worked on the party decorations and by the time we looked up we were late. So we came anyway because I wanted to get you something for Samhain." I picked up the gift bag and sat it in the center of his desk. His large pale hand took the bag and pulled it into his lap he reached into the bag and took out the large coffee table book. He laughed out loud, sounding more relaxed.

"The Illustrated History of Pornography?" he said.
"Happy Samhain," I said standing and turning to go.
"Aslinn?" he said.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I'll see you and your friends tomorrow night," he said.
"Good night," I said.

The Day Before the Road Trip

I woke, a little disoriented, like you do when you wake somewhere unfamiliar. I looked over and Eric Lover was out of bed already. A look at the clock told me it was nine in the am and since I am about as friendly as a porcupine with rash in the morning, I decided to go down and share my friendly disposition with my fellow TBers and have a cup of wake the hell up.

I stumbled into the loo and came out a few minutes later and shlepped down the hallway and down the grand stair case, nearly tripping on the effing cat. It hissed at me and I cursed it roundly and it spat at me and slapped my ankle with his paw. "Son of a Mother Fudge!!!" I yelled and side stepped it as I finished my trip down the stairs. I walked into the kitchen and GS and the Missus were making pancakes and sausage and Eric Lover was making mimosas, the breakfast drink of the fashionable and alcoholic everywhere. But I needed my coffee, so I went and poured me a hot cup of Joseph (this early in the morning, you have to treat coffee with respect) and grabbed my crumpled pack of cigarettes and meandered onto the porch.

Westexan and Liz and Mel were sitting on the porch, drinking their coffee.

"Morning," they said brightly. See, I am of the opinion that people who are cheerful of the morning should be staked in the heart, but that is just me. I mumbled something fairly incoherent and sat down on the steps and lit a cigarette and supped my coffee. After smoking a ciggy and drinking about half a cup of coffee, I felt a little more human and joined my fellow junkies.
"Awake Aslinn?" asked Liz.
"Yep," I said. "How did you chickens sleep?"
"That damned cat decided to lay under my bed and meow all night long!!!" said Westexan. "I'm getting to hate that noodle butted thing more and more."
"The little shiatsu tried to trip me going down the stairs, hissed at me and everything," I complained.
"Well, he kept pounding on my door last night, wanting in," said Liz.
"He better watch out, he'll end up on the menu," I said. "Black Cat Pate, it would go down good with a cranberry martini." Everyone laughed at me at that and about that time, we gave up on fantasizing about the messy demise of the professional mouser to follow the breakfast bell coming from the ducet tones of Mrs. GS screaming 'Eat or go hungry!!!'

After breakfast and the dishes done, we worked on the lights that GS had made. I swear there is just a hint of interior designer in God Speed because the lights he made for us were just divine. He was still keeping the visual effects under wraps and refused to tell us anything about them except they are really cool and we would love them on the night of the fete.

None of spoke of the trip we were going to take to Shreveport. Before I went to bed last night, I checked my email. My counselor wrote me,

Sweetheart, please give me your word that you and your friends will not come to Shreveport.

I didn't write back.

Decorating Day

Decorating Day

We pulled in in front of the house Eric Lover had procured for us to hold our Halloween Fete. The house is a house everyone would know in an instant if they like the sort of movies that begin with a dark and stormy night and end with a body count. Eric Lover fished the keys out of her pocket and opened the double front doors and we stepped over the threshold. I expected Bela Lugosi to greet us on the stairs and say, "Good Evening, welcome to my home," but then again, it was daytime and the prince of darkness would be at his day time rest.

The foyer was beautifully appointed with a wide entry way (Think Bill Compton's entry way only big enough to park a Cessna) with two elegant velvet boot benches on either side and a set of oak panel doors in the middle that Godspeed opened into a grand main room, a huge parlor. It was decorated in Victorian whorehouse, but it had the room we needed for dancing and the room to set up our buffet tables. My eyes were drawn to the huge fire place with carved goddesses holding up the mantle and huge a picture of a stern looking gentleman.

"I see you guys found this place," said an unfamiliar voice. I whipped around. There was a tall older man standing there in jeans and a Warner Brothers tee-shirt. "But you should be careful about the doors, we have Shade living here, our resident mouser." About that time a long, slender black cat came out meowing in that bouncy way all cats sound when they are meowing and trotting all at the same time. He stopped for a second and sniffed me and then walked up to the man and rubbed himself against the man's legs.

"Will he be okay while we have our party?" I asked.
"Oh sure, he may sniff around at first but he has a place in the attic where the caretaker stays. The caretaker is out of town, but he has a cat door to go in and out of," explained the man. "So where is your special effects man? I want to show him the control room."
"He's right here," I said, pointing to God Speed.
"Come on, I'll show you the stuff you will be the most interested in for your party," said the man. God Speed followed the man to the hidden door where the control room was located.

Liz and Mel pulled up and Eric Lover and I went out to meet them.

"We brought the helium tanks and balloons and the black and red table cloths, well, bed sheets," said Mel. "The lady at Walmart looked at me as if I was buying sheets for a bordello."
"Well, look around chere, and tell me if it doesn't look like a bordello in here," I said, grabbing bags of goodies from various walmarts, party stores and craft stores. About that time, GS came out of the control room and stood there, watching us trudging in with our burdens. "Oh, don't strain yourself GS, let us pack all of this stuff in ourselves," I said sarcastically. He grinned at me and showed me his favorite finger and went out and began to gather up the remaining bags. He struggled in, huffing and puffing.
"Jezzus Pleezus Liz, what do you and Mel have in there, it feels like bowling balls," he said, sitting them on the floor.
"Bowling balls, they were having a sale at 'Ballz R Us'," said Liz. "You should go, they are having a two for one sale."
"Funny," he muttered. "GS is not amused."

But, GS was not unamused for long as Dude and Hoyt came up in Dude's truck. I was excited because the Dude was bringing fodder shocks and about twenty pumpkins and four baskets of gourds. Dude parked and climbed out of the truck and shook hands with God Speed. Hoyt waved at us girls and we waved back.

They boys finished emptying Liz's car and then went to work unloading Eric Lover's car and God Speed's car and finally lugging out the contents of Dude's truck, bringing the pumpkins and gourds first, then hauling out the light but unwieldy bundles of cornstalks for our Halloween decor.

In the kitchen, we girls were sorting out the things in the bags and bundles. In addition to decorations, we also bought party staples we might need to replenish the party goodies and to fix easy meals for us as we batched it in the 'haunted mansion'. Shade sat contentedly, watching us move around, putting things in the fridge, opening packages of paper plates and plastic silverware (my favorite oxymoron) and examining the little bits and pieces and debris that would constitute our decorations.

About that time, I heard someone shouting "Hey, who do you think you are carrying that stuff, you have no business lifting and pulling on heavy bags!!!" I jogged to the door and saw Westexan there, her hands full of plastic bags of things. I watched as God Speed went over to her with Dude and Hoyt and they took the bags out of her hands and muttered under their breaths about how Westexan knew better than to pull and lug around on a bunch of heavy bags in her condition. She smiled, pretty and preggers and came up onto the porch.

"This place is great!!!! I can't tell you how many movies I have seen this house in," she said, hugging me.
"Wait til you see the inside chere, it is fantastic," I said, as we came in as the boys came back out. She stopped GS and gave him the keys of her SUV so the boys could unpack her car as well.
"Gee whiz Aslinn, would you get a look at this place?" said Westexan, all eyes and face, looking at the Gothicy decor. "Have you been upstairs yet?"
"No, we haven't. I figure after lunch we could go spy out the rooms and pick our accommodations. I love this, like a little Vacation," I said.
"Where are we having our meeting for the TBA?" she asked.
"Right here in this house. There is a conference room in the area that would be a cellar in an ordinary house. That way no one will see the decorations yet," I said.
"Cool," said Westexan.

We spent the morning unpacking and washing the glasses Westexan found on sale at a Halloween store, setting up the four tables, two on each wall on either side of the grand fire place, for the grand buffet and putting down the sheets we'd bought for table linens and Setting the fodder shocks on each end of the tables. We figured out where we would put the pumpkins but did not put them or the gourds out. Thursday, we would spend the day carving pumpkins. Liz was pulling out the big column candles and putting them on the glass candle plates and putting them around the room. They were black and corn yellow and red and purple, all the colors of the season and we were jamming out to Monster Mash and Werewolves of London and Purple People Eater being played over the house intercom.

We draped the dark velvet curtains in some sort of grey gauzy material and God Speed brought us some animatronic spiders that lit up and made an icky clicking noise. He plugged one in and held it down to Shade, who immediately batted at it hard with his little black paw and hissed. GS was delighted at the cat's reaction and continued to torment him.

"GS, will you leave that poor animal alone!!!" said Liz.
"I hate cats," he said. "Be glad that's all I'm doing to you baby," he said, quoting a dead fangbanger.

We stopped at noon for barbecued ribs and wings and potato salad and rolls for lunch and laid around like the living dead for about a half hour after wards. I smoked one of the lovely Turkish blend cigarettes, one of the precious few that I had from the gift from the lead counselor. As though Eric Lover was reading my mind, she asked me if I heard from the lead counselor.

"No, he's 'disappointed' in me for not promising to stay out of Shreveport. You know how his voice gets calmer and softer when he is upset," I said, puffing the cigarette.
"But he is still coming to the fete?" asked GS.
"Oh yes, my counselor said that there was nothing our lead counselor loved more than a party, especially at Halloween," I said. "He'll just have to get over it."
"Did your counselor say anything to you about Shreveport?" asked Hoyt.
"Not anything I haven't heard before," I said. "If they say they know that the Connection won't tell us anything, why do they worry about it so much?"
"I don't know, unless, they really believe she will tell something," said Dude.
"Who knows," I said. I took a last draw and put out the cigarette and got up and went to get my suit cases from the car and head up to stake a claim on a room.

Eric Lover and I chose the front room and said we would share it. Liz and Mel were sharing the room beside us, with the bathroom suite in the middle. Westexan took a small ensuite room across the hall from us and Hoyt and Dude buddied up to share a room. As Mrs. GS would be joining God Speed, he too had an en-suite room. The rest of the lodgers, if there be any, would have to fight for the rest of the sleeping space.


To be continued.. ..

Meeting September 21

Lina was putting the finishing touches on the cider as I walked into the True Blood Anonymous group meeting room. There were a few others as well. God Speed and Westexan were chatting about a special effect he was planning for the party and Eric Lover and iluvtheviking were looking over Linzy's shoulder at a picture of their favorite Vampire. Nia and Isabella were discussing the yummy tee-shirt they found in a catalog with our True Blood Gang of Bill, Eric, Sookie, Sam and Maryann featured on the front it. Nia pouted a little over the fact that Bill's face wasn't larger. "Or at least in the center of the tee-shirt so it would rest on my heart, like this one," she said, stroking the tee shirt she was wearing as though the man himself were reclined against her. I smiled...I shared her opinion. There just could not be enough pictures of the most handsome Vampire on True Blood...well, as far as I was concerned.

Hoyt and Dude and Minnie were discussing a few things they saw in season one they wanted to bring up in group. I sat big bag of crazy down on the chair and went to get my cup of cider and some sort of cinnamon twist pastry Raki brought and was about to sit down when Hoyt and Dude called me over. They asked me about what I thought about the topic they wanted to discuss and I told them to go ahead, knock themselves out, it would make for lively discussion, anyhow.

I went and sat down and Vi came and sat down with me.

"I saw that note you put up. I got a little note too," said Vi.
"I love getting letters in the mail. I would write to Satan himself if I thought he would write me back," I said. I am sort of old fashioned, and while I appreciate this modern world and it's new way of communicating, I liked the romance of the old way. People invested more of themselves when they wrote letters and were far more intimate in the hand written letter. Just holding the letter from our counselor was like holding some tiny bit of the man himself in the palm of my hand. "Have you gotten many letters from him Vi?" I asked

"I have received a few letters from him. But now that he has written you, he will write you often. It's so fun and so old fashioned," she said. Vi loved history and loved the way things were done "back then". Vi and I were sisters from another mother. "What did those two want?"
"They want to talk about Season One, Episode Three....that is such a tricky episode in my book. It troubles me," I said.
"It troubles me too," said Vi. Eric Lover and came and sat down in her usual spot. She looked at me and smiled.
"Been raiding Bill's closet, Aslinn?" she asked. I looked down at the raisin colored henley I was wearing.
"Yeah, I put it on when I got out of bed this morning and headed home," I joked, though I really could not remember how I got this shirt or when I bought it. Must be one of those don't ask, don't tell, 'a m*ther f@cker don't have to know everything they done did' type situations. "I see you are wearing your special shirt." Eric Lover was wearing a long sleeve black athletic shirt under a red Fangtasia shirt. How she got her shirt was identical to how I got mine, so she just smiled broadly at me as well.

Liz and Mel came in and got their treats and sat down by Renee and TBF. VCat had been MIA for a few weeks and I was worried about her. I reminded myself to write to her and check on her. The group finally began to settle into their accustomed places and waited for the signal group was to start. When it came, I rolled my eyes around as I sipped my cider, tasting the brandy in it. I could see the shadowy form of the lead counselor, leaning with his back against the door and my counselor sitting in his usual place. By the look on God Speed's face, I could tell that the female counselor and her young protege was in their place by the back door.

"It is 32 1/2 weeks of the hiatus, how are you all holding up?" asked the lead counselor.
"Okay," said Liz. "It is always a little slow while we wait for the next season, but we have been doing our radio show and posting contests and finding news for the forum and the home page."
"You have a very excellent web site, very high rent. I visited another forum very nearly like yours and most of the posts are so old, there has hardly been any movement at all on the forum. It surprised me on some levels, but then again, you simply don't have the same caliber of people on that forum as there are on the your forum," said the lead counselor.
"Well, thank you for saying so," said Liz. "There are a few bugs that have to be worked out, but so far we seem to be up and running."
"What shall we talk about tonight?" asked my counselor.

"I wanted to talk about something in first season. Is that alright?" asked Hoyt.
"Certainly," said the lead counselor.
"Well, we are getting ready to watch episode three, the one with the three evil Vampires in it sniffing up Sookie. What I want to know is why? Why does Bill let them do that to Sookie?" he asked.
"I think," began Vi, "Bill wanted to sort of teach Sookie a lesson. And then of course, Bill was out numbered and Malcolm was much older than Bill and much stronger."
"You don't think there was some ulterior motive in this, that Bill wanted Sookie to be afraid of Vampires so she would just want to be around him?" asked Dude.
"Maybe, but Bill hadn't claimed her as his yet. Maybe he just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make this play for Sookie in front of Sookie, so she would feel like he had a claim on her," said Westexan.
"Maybe he just wanted to teach Sookie a lesson about being cautious around Vampires, that not all Vampires are even working at a pretense to mainstreaming," said Eric Lover.
"Do you think Bill is really mainstreaming?" asked Minnie, our quietest member.

I thought about it for a moment. Was he really mainstreaming?

"I think he is doing his best to mainstream, but I don't think any of the Vampires really know how to go about mainstreaming, not really. It is an untested word for them," I said.
"How do you mean Aslinn?" asked my counselor. I closed my eyes for a second, savoring the soft sound of my counselor's voice.
"I mean, they are trying to explore what it means to be a Vampire in human society. They haven't trusted us for years and we have always thought they were mythological, and according to myths, they were evil, so we don't trust them either. They have seen us as prey for so many years, and we have seen them as predators. How do you go from being a mythic, demonized, but romanticized and mysterious creature to the bloke next door, discussing property taxes and the price of gas over a Bud Light and a Tru:Blood?" I said.
"Can they do that?" asked Liz. "Or is it impossible?"
"It may be for any of them to completely mainstream, like Bill. He will always be who he is, a Vampire, a killer. Maybe his motivations are different, he does kill bad people, but he is a killer. I think he tries to honestly mainstream while Eric mainstreams primarily for gain, the bar, other things," I suggested.
"Other things meaning Sookie?" asked iluvtheviking.
"Well, yeah, I mean Eric has no use for other humans except to make money from them or to feed from them. So, one of his few motivators to more than he does by way fo mainstreaming is to win Sookie. She would not want to be with him if he didn't try harder at being mainstream. She hates the fact he is all wound up in Vampire politics," I said.
"So, do you think Eric will try harder to be more human because of Sookie?" asked Eric Lover.
"No, I think he will try to explore what being human means because of his maker. Godric wanted it that way, not just for his child, but for all Vampires, so there could be real unity. But I don't think Godric was convinced that Vampires could recapture their humanity, that was why he told Eric that they were wrong, that they didn't belong here," I said. "Discovering that humanity may be the end of them, just as it was for Godric."
"But not all Vampires want to mainstream," observed Nia.
"You are quite right," said our counselor.
"I don't think that will matter to humans like the Newlins," said Isabella.
"I don't think so either," said Hoyt.

"I think we should leave it right there until next week," said the lady counselor.

We headed out into the night, our minds full of the discussion and the party and the road trip we were about to take to see the Connection, despite the counselor's warnings not to go and see her.

A Letter in the Mail

Well, one of the things that I really enjoy when I get home is putting my feet up, sipping a cup of tea or a nice glass of wine and reading my letters. So often, however, I mostly get bills, catalogs and my letters are in the form of emails and voice messages. So imagine my surprise when I found a letter, an honest to God, hand written letter in an envelop with a stamp and everything.

See, there is nothing like opening a letter. It is a so special and so precious that I got up from my chair and fetched my letter opener, the one that looks like a miniature version of Excalibur, sunk into an acrylic stone sitting on my desk. I get it and sit back down, shifting my hips a little on the cushion of my old shabby chair and put my feet back up on my ottoman and settled in to read my letter.

My letter was written on a heavy bond, not quite card stock, linen paper. The ink was black and made not with a ball point pen but with a fountain pen. The hand was neat and relaxed but had a sort of elegance. The stationery was embossed with a black "C" in heavy calligraphy script. I was so excited about it, I nearly squealed with excitement...a letter. Someone took the time to hand write me a letter. (I know, you are thinking, easy Aslinn, you are about to make a puddle)

Because I want to share this letter with you, I scanned it and include it here:

Having a Party

La Fete d'Halloween

I had the hot boxes of pizzas in one bag and a six pack of Bud light in the other as I walked up to the main door of the apartment building Eric Lover lived in. I rang the buzzer to be let in and Eric Lover buzzed me in and I walked up to the apartment. God Speed and Westexan and Minnie and Vi were already there, waiting for me to get there. GS had brought pizzas and beer too, so I knew we had plenty to eat and drink while we planned the big party at the house we had rented for the big night.

"Hey Aslinn!" said Eric Lover, opening the door wide to admit me and my precious cargo. I moved through the house, into the open kitchen/dining area, where God Speed was waiting. Eric Lover had set out plates and forks and knives and napkins and beer glasses, if we so desired. Westexan, our pregger member was slurping back a root beer. I opened the boxes, displaying the meat lovers pizza, the sicilian four cheese pizza with roma tomatoes and spinach, the sausage and pepperoni, and the plain cheese pizza. I got a plate and put a thin slice of all them on the plate and grabbed a napkin and beer and made my way back to the living room. A floor sitter from way back, I plopped down on the floor and sat indian style by the large rectangular coffee table and commenced chowing down on the gooey treats on my plate. Eric Lover brought her plate and sat down next to me.

God Speed shared the couch with Minnie and Vi and Westexan, like the Queen of Louisiana, seated herself on the chair, a fresh bottle of root beer in her hand. All you could hear were the sounds of eating and satisfied groans as we grappled with hot pizza cheese and savory meats and sucked back the cold suds. After we had sated our hungers, we sat back, relaxed and chatted.

I was excited about the party. Everyone was going to be there, even the counselors. I'd received RSVP's from my counselor and his counselor in training with promises of costumes. I'd also received a note from the lead counselor, who committed himself and the lady counselor as well. I wondered what they were going as.

"C'mon, tell us what you are going as," begged Westexan to Minnie.
"Nope, Aslinn said that we could not tell anyone, that after the party we would all reveal our true identities." said Minnie.
"Wonder what the Lead Counselor will wear?" said Eric Lover. She had that strange hard edge about her.
"You are stoned," I said. "You have been doing V." V for Eric Lover, was of course Viking and I could tell that look from a mile away. Doing Hard Viking made the user look a little wild, a little unmanageable.
"Well, I notice you have that little 'Bill' glow about you," said GS, smiling at me.
"Hey, I just got out of my car and I was listening to Nathan Barr's original score," I said. "You know music has its own character in the story."
"Yeah, especially that Bill music...it's all there..." said Vi, a fellow Bill huffer with Westexan and myself.
"You can almost feel his hands in yours, can't you, when you listen to that music that was playing when Sookie walks across the bar," said Westexan.
"Yeah, you can feel a lot more than his hands when "Grieve, Grave and Groove' comes on," I said, a suggestive leer on my face.
"I need blinders wherever I go anymore," said GS, rolling his eyes self righteously.
"Okay, okay, take it easy GS," I said, "No sense in getting into a lather. So, tell me about the caterer."

"Well, I got in touch with this fabulous caterer who does all the parties for the employee parties where I work, and they gave us a decent rate, so, the menu stands with barbecued wings, crab cakes, fried mushrooms, a great gourmet cheese platter, a meat tray, dips of all shapes and kinds and flavors and nationalities. Then there is the salmon and shrimp and the fruit trays," she said. "It is simply explosive more food than you can imagine."

"GS, were you able to procure more red stuff for the counselors?" I asked.
"I was, it was hard, but I did and they are shipping it to Eric Lover, so be here to sign for it and keep it cold til the party," said GS. "Now is there a fridge and microwave at this house?"
"Yeah, and we will make sure that we are the only ones who get things for the counselors so there aren't any tricky questions," I said.

"I have all the lights and decorations ready, all I have to do is string them up. When can we go in to decorate?" asked GS.
"The 24th, I will have the key by then, so we can go and make sure everything is ready," said Eric Lover.
"Where are the counselors staying?" asked Westexan.
"That is a subject on our don't ask, don't tell policy," I said. "Our counselor assures me they have a place to rest after the party."
"How many of us are staying in the party house?" asked GS.
"You and the missus, me, Vi, Minnie Mouse, True Blood Fan, Linzy, The Dude, Nia and Isabella, Iluvtheviking, Hoyt, Renee, I think that's it," I said.
"The rest are in area hotels, I get a special rate because of where I work," said Eric Lover.
"Cool, well, now, about this road trip we are taking....." I began.

Night Swimming

This is one of favorite styles of writing: Insert your favorite here..

There really is nothing quite like it. The feel of being somewhere in the dark, remote, where you know you are otherwise safe but naked in the natural world like the creator meant us to be. You shuck down, putting your clothes in a friendly pile beside another pile of amiable glad rags and step tentatively toward the water's edge. You can feel the earth beneath your feet, damp, growing damper, cool, but not uncomfortably so. There is a movement of air but not enough to chill the skin, and your toes reach the water's edge and it laps over the top of your feet and the water is something above tepid.

They take your hand, your companion. You never thought that one of their kind would enjoy swimming, but apparently any physical experience is enjoyable to them. You walk into the water together, the water first at the middle of your calves, then your knees, then mid thigh, then hip, to the waist up to the center of your chest. They let go of your hand and launch themselves out into the water. You do the same, taking an opposite direction, feeling your body dive into the dark water. You come up, your head back so that your hair will be slicked back away from your face. You paddle, staying above water and watch your companion look at you as they dive back down.

There are no bubbles streaming from them, as they have reason to breathe. The water is not opaque and you can see the brilliant whiteness of their skin under the rippling water of the pond you are swimming in. They come up right there, the only indication of their presence is the movement of the water in response to their bodies cutting through that element like the hot blade through butter. The water beads up on their bodies just as it does yours. You take a breath and dive and swim as fast as your body can propel you, but they are a hundred times stronger and they meet you on the opposite side of the pond.

The moonlight on the water makes the surface look like molten silver, the only silver they will know that will not burn their skin. Between the silvery play of the celestial orb the water is black, black as ink, night time waters. And how long have they swum in the waters of time and walked the night and known the shadows as intimate friends.

Now they swim away and you know they are not swimming as hard or as fast as they could swim. What sort of game shall you play? Marco Polo? Follow the leader? Will you have a contest to see who can hold their breath the longest? Other games? They wait for you and you swim up to them, opening your mouth as you come out of the water to exhale and inhale at the same time and they wrap their arms around you.

What have you gotten yourself into? Will they be like the nymphia and pull you down into the inky depths and keep you there? Or will they steal your breath another way? They guide your hands around their waist and launch themselves on their backs, swimming away with you secured against them. You can feel their bodies moving against yours as they lead you into the deepest part of the pool. Their legs are kicking, their bodies turning, their back muscles stretching, their shoulders pulling, propelling you along as their arms sweep water behind them, and all the while they are looking at you. You trust them, their preternatural strength, their otherness and when they stop, their legs are still kicking, keeping the both of you afloat, they begin to turn in the water, an aquatic pirouette and then you realize you are both going under. They lean forward and feel you fill your lungs, their arms go about you, their mouth covers yours and as you go under, you know you could drown and not care.

October 14th Meeting and A Short Discussion

October 14 Meeting

It was a cold and rainy night, even for October, as I made way to the True Blood Anonymous meeting. I had been in a blue study for the past few days, reviewing in my head all the drama of the past summer and beginning the journey again from the beginning just this past Saturday. HBO was replaying season one and while I was happy to see the way it all started again, there was a part of me that felt it was bittersweet, what with all that I knew from the past season and all the things I anticipated from the next season and the fact that a few of us were on our way to the Shreveport Barnes and Noble to see the Connection, though the counselors had given us direct orders to stay away.

I opened the door. Liz and Mel had brought the goodies, good old fashioned doughnuts and my favorite Irish coffee with lots of Irish and cinnamon rolls as big as the Sheriff of Area Five's hand. (Which, if you have the seen the Sheriff of Area Five's hand, you know those cinnamon rolls are ginormous.) I grabbed a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll and sat down. Eric lover was late too as she bustled in with a box of chocolate chip cookies from a nice bakery. She fiddled around to get coffee and a couple of cookies and a doughnut and sat down beside me.

God Speed and Westexan came in and got their treats, Westexan looking very pretty and preggers, eating a cinnamon roll and licking the icing off her fingers and sipping from a bottle of water she brought with her. "I should not being eating this, I am going to be huge by the time this kid decides to come out," she said. I smiled at her. "Go on, have another one," I said.

Renee and TBF and Nia and Isabella came in together. They were squealing over some news about SM, our favorite British actor. I asked them and they told me about a movie he and his fiancee were going to be in....a horror movie. I agreed that I wanted to see that flick as well and promised to post anything I found about it on the forum. Then Nia showed me some beautiful pictures of our Bill and I felt that tingly sensation, akin to the sensation of cocaine addicts who get a short sniff. I gazed at the playing card sized screen and sighed a deep sigh..

Hoyt came in with the Dude and Raki, who was busy at work on our award show. We were still doing nominations and doing some run off voting and gathering up the videos, graphics and voice over stuff to put together into one big show. It was fun to do, but time consuming as well.

Linzy and Iluvtheviking and Violet came in, the last of the group to settle as the lights went down and our counselors took their accustomed places.

"How is everyone tonight? I hope you are well," said the lead counselor, leaning against the door with his hands behind his back. "What would you like to talk about this evening?"

"Let's talk about Sam Merlotte," said Linzy, the first to pipe up.
"What about Sam?" said the lady counselor behind us.
"Well, Sam has this mysterious little life that we are just getting know about," said Linzy. "I want to know what his adopted mom meant when she said Sam's real parents were bad people."
"Do you think they are really bad people or do you think she just thinks they are bad people because they are shifters?" said God Speed.
"They might be bad people, but I sort of have my doubts. If they were really bad people, why would his dad give him the address?" asked Hoyt.
"Well, Hoyt," said God Speed tersely, "Someone like the Merlotte's who abandoned their son just because he changed into a dog on the full moon maybe would not be reliable judges of character." I looked at Eric Lover who rolled her eyes at the two Jessica heads. As though on cue, the young female character spoke.

"Well, what would you do if you had you had a child who could change shape, or became a Vampire, or whatever, something beyond their control, I mean it isn't like she had much of a choice."
"She?" said TBF.
"I mean he," she said, her voice cracking a little. Without a thought about it, I reached for the tissues Vi was extending and passed them over my shoulder and felt them being tugged out of my hand. "Thank you Aslinn," she moaned.
"No problem," I said. "But she brings up a good point, what would you do? Would you turn out a kid of yours for being different? That is the entire subcontext of the show, right?"
"I watched the first episode of the first season Saturday and I thought about poor Sam. He really loves Sookie, but he really loves that town too," said Liz, thoughtfully. "He knows the truth about them, their petty ways, their gossip, their prejudices but he really loves that town.
"I wonder if his feelings will soften toward Bill?" said Nia. "He was pretty hard on Bill and more than a little judgemental."
"But, he did trust Bill to keep him from dying, and he did it for Sookie and for the town. I think it was a big thing for him to do. Sam is a big hero in my book," I said. "So, Sam is going to be out of the picture for a while at least while he sorts out family history....What will happen to Merlotte's if Sookie has to leave to go and find Bill? Who will run the bar then?"

"Those are all excellent questions," said the lead counselor. "And I think we should leave it here tonight."

We all stood up and gathered our coats and grabbed one more cup of coffee for the road. "Hey chere," I said to Eric Lover.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Let's get together Friday to discuss the party," I said. "You meeting us God Speed?"
"Sure," he said.
"Are we meeting at the bar?" she asked.
"No. Let's meet at your house Eric Lover, we'll be able to chat freely there," I said.
"I'll bring the beer," said GS.
"I'll bring the pizzas," I said.



A Short Discussion



I whirled around, my keys securely in my hand when I realized it was the lead counselor.

"Son of a mother fudge, you scared the shiatsu out of me!!!" I said angrily as I let my arm down. "You know better than to sneak up on a person like that!!!"
"Sorry dearest, you just left in such a hurry and I wanted to speak to you," he said, stepping back, away from me, a little deeper in the shadows, where I liked him to be. "That was an interesting bit of speculating this evening."
"Well, that is all we can do right now, is speculate," I said. "If you will excuse me, it is late." I turned back to my car and unlocked it and opened the door and tossed in my bag.
"Wait," he said. I turned to face him. "I got your invitation to your lovely party for Samhain. I love costume parties."
"Did you get the directions? It is not my house, it is a house we rented for the occasion," I said.
"I did, along with the picture. Lovely home," he said, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Thank Eric Lover, she found the house, I think it used to be movie set," I said.
"I will thank Eric Lover, personally, very soon," he said. "Will you be a good girl and stay out of Shreveport while the source is in town, or am I going to be seriously disappointed in you?" he stepped little closer to me and I refused to look at him. His big hand tilted my head up, but I batted it away, averting my eyes so I would not look into his face.

"I read somewhere that people can't really disappoint you unless you allow them to disappoint you," I said."Besides, I was never really a good girl. Not a really bad one, but never really a good one." The lead counselor laughed.
"Willful, then, and a bit greedy," he leaned forward and sniffed audibly. "But no, not a bad girl...I can smell innocence a mile away and you still smell fairly innocent."

He turned and walked away, laughing into the dark. I watched the lead counselor fold himself gracefully into the red corvette and I heard the engine start and he pulled out. I got in my car, closed the door, locked it and drove away in the opposite direction.

Sometimes, things like this made me wonder.

Meeting October 7

God Speed brought mini-cheeseburgers (I guess our discussion over lunch made God Speed a little hungry Grin) and Minnie brought the Banana Empanadas to sweeten the deal. Hoyt brought Adele Stackhouse's Lemonade (all grown up with a bottle of So Co on the side). I held my glass and made a come on motion while Hoyt poured more dixieland nevermind into my styrofoam cup.

It had now been a month since the series went on hiatus, we were now 34 1/2 weeks into the countdown to June and I was feeling the pressure. I was feeling it so much I was considering a road trip to Shreveport to meet the connection, despite the marked urgent email I received from my counselor : Sweetheart, I implore you, the lead counselor and I thought you had agreed not to see the connection in Shreveport and I concur. My only desire is your and your friend's well being. Say you will do it, not because I say so, but because you understand this is for your own good. Yours..

Well, I agreed, and so did Vi and Westexan after I forwarded the email...still, there was nothing that says I couldn't go to Shreveport to visit the bar the lead counselor owned and if I bumped into the connection whilest doing a little browsing, what could the lead counselor say? Besides, I wanted to pick out a book of Erotic Art for the Lead Counselor as a Halloween gift in return for the lovely first edition copy of Justine I kept, not in my stack of 1st editions, but by my bedside.

"Are we still going?" whispered Eric Lover. I nodded and she nodded back at me. Eric Lover grabbed a mini CB and walked over to her seat. She picked up her big bag of crazy and dumped it on the floor and sat down. I grabbed a MCB and sat down as well. She leaned over and sniffed my lemonade, heavy with SoCo and wiggled her nose. "Jeezus Pleezus, Aslinn, if you aren't careful, you'll have to join another 12 step." I made a one fingered hand gesture, but smiled at her and sipped the strong concoction sucking in the taste.

TBF and Nia and Isabella came in with Dude and Violet. God Speed and Hoyt were still fuming at one another and were sitting at opposite ends of the circle. Dude waved and said "Hello gorgeous," and I answered "Hello Handsome," as he went and got his lemonade and MCB. Westexan was munching a Banana Empanada and a sparkling water. Liz and Mel came in and sat down and VikingLover went and sat down with them.

Linzy and Ilovetheviking came in and grabbed their goodies and sat down next to Zaranias and Renee, who were sitting down with a MCB and a lemonade. After some excited babbling, the ritual of the lights began and our four counselors appeared as if from the ether of the room. We quieted and waited for the meeting to begin.

"To begin," said the lead counselor in hid deep, lazy voice, "It has not been lost on me that some of you are discussing coming to Shreveport soon. I will only say this once again that is a detriment to you to do so. I strongly urge you to stay away from the area while she is here, it can only harm you and your well being."

"Why is that?" asked Hoyt. I shook my head...some junkies just don't get it.

You can be addicted, read the books over and over, watch the episodes of both the 1st and second season, trawl the internet for news, lounge around in the forum, email, text and IM your friends, but you could not come into direct contact with the source (AB) or the connection (CH).

"Because, addicts such as yourselves believe that these people have the answers, when in all actuality, they do not. They fill you up with false promises of secrets and intrigues but then they withhold from you. You are not ready to know anything yet. May and June, then you will be ready to know more," said the reasonable voice of my southern counselor. I shivered at the sound of his voice and Westexan and Minnie had twin expressions on their faces somewhere between delight and rapture. It didn't surprise me. I am sure I had the same look on my face.

"That being said," said the lady counselor. I looked at Dude and his eyes closed momentarily as if a memory passed across his mind. If I could have heard his heart, I would have sworn I could hear it skip a beat. Wonder what all that was about. "Let's discuss.. "

"The blood bond, the one between Eric and Sookie, the one he tricked her into having with him," said GS. Eric Lover took my lemonade out of my hand and took a couple of healthy swallows and blew out her breath. I looked at her.

"Very well, the blood bond. What would you like to say about it God Speed," she said.

"Well, I want to know what it will do," said God Speed. "And will Sookie's emotions be true about Eric? Or will they just be about the blood."

"One might say the same thing about Sookie and the blood bond she shares with Bill," said Hoyt, not to be outdone.

It was my turn to drink deeply and gather myself. I looked around the circle.

"Well," began Westexan. "We have to realize something, Sookie was already attracted to Bill. In fact before she even had his blood, she was attracted to him. Remember how she was practically hypnotized by Bill as she walked across the bar toward him. That was before she was beaten nearly to death by the Rattrays and healed by Bill."

"Do you think he might have set that up? Do you think he might have done it on purpose so he could save her?" asked God Speed.

"You give Bill too much credit," I said. The room fairly gasped. "What? Hey, I may be a Bill Girl, but I am not going to give him that much credit. I don't think it was a smart thing to do, he must have been starving to think he could do that, lure those two out, and get a meal out of them without some sort of trouble. Bill has already exhibited that he is not that clever. He often makes mistakes, often to his detriment, and Sookie's. He isn't very good at the underhanded thing."

"Yeah, he isn't very good at keeping secrets," said Eric Lover.

"So, Westexan, you think that the blood bond had just strengthened whatever attraction she may have already had for Bill?" asked GS.

"Well, yeah. Eric on the other hand is much more complicated in his finagling the blood bond between he and Sookie," said Westexan.

"How do you mean?" asked that soft southern voice of our counselor.

"Well, I think he is fascinated with Sookie, because she is different than most breathers, as he said. He could have never have predicted what Godric was going to do, but now that has happened, he has something else to think about," said Westexan.

"And what is that exactly?" asked the Lead Counselor.

"The whole thing with Godric and the fact that even though she doesn't like him much, she showed him compassion. He is fascinated with that. And then the fact that even came up on the roof at all, that has to mean something to him. All that "Don't use words I don't understand" crap. He is clever enough to realize that she is nothing like the humans he has been around. By the time Eric gets around to actually tasting her blood, his head will be spinning. In my opinion, the blood bond will effect him more than it does Sookie, because he will have become fascinated with her," said Westexan.

"And these are your feelings about it?" asked the lady counselor.

"Sure," said Westexan.

"Aslinn, do you have a comment?" asked the lead counselor.

"I do. Sookie has a....special lineage...I think that the blood bond worked two ways for her and Bill. She had his blood and he has had her blood. That creates a powerful link. Could make a reasonable, careful sort like Bill be rash, reckless, do things that are not...smart...in order to protect what he has, even if he isn't quite sure what he has. I think Eric may have a clue now, since the queen has warned Eric not to taste her blood. And Lorena.. " I drifted off in my thoughts.

"What dearest?" asked the lead counselor.
"What if Bill's kidnapping was not orchestrated to get Bill, or not entirely to get Bill. What if it was....to get Sookie? She tasted that Barry. Bill whisked him out of there, but what if Lorena got him again and made him tell her about his telepathy and in a fit of desperation, told her about Sookie being telepathic, too? What if she is after Sookie and if she can hurt Bill in the process.. .." I stopped again. I looked at the group.

"We'll leave it here for now," said the lady counselor.

I got up quickly and began to grab my things up. I wanted to get out right away. I flew out the front doors and opened my car door. I put the key in my lock and a large, white, cool hand clamped gently over my wrist.


Later gator :D

Drive In Movie

Johnathan, also known as the Dude was surprised when the lead lady counselor took him up on his offer. He had been contemplating meeting with her for some time now and he wanted to do something very unique, something perhaps she had never done before. When he discussed his suggestion, she was fascinated...she had never in all her long existence done anything quite like this.

There are not many venues like this in America, they are dying out, a rare treat now a days, much like the lovely tall woman with blond hair sitting beside him in his vintage Ford truck. He paid his admission and slowly made his way through the rows, stopping for children, teenagers, and adults, their hands filled with little cardboard boxes filled with sodas and nachos and hot dogs. A lot of folks brought their own treats, but there were enough people who liked the goodies at the concession stand to have regular traffic on the graveled parking lot of the drive in theater.

After finding a good, central spot, Johnathan backed in his truck and got out. He moved around the front of the truck and opened the door for the lady counselor and handed her down. She was dressed in what looked like a very expensive track suit in some sort of wine colored velvety fleece material. Her hair was pulled back on the sides with clips and curled a little on the end. She smiled at him as he pulled the seat back forward and retrieved the heavy stadium blankets from behind the seat. He usually brought these for when he went to the football games, but they would suffice as cushion and cover for the woman he was with.

He walked around the back of the truck with her and let down the tail gate and hoisted himself up. He spread the blankets in the floor of the truck and then helped her into the bed and held her cool hand as she gracefully let herself down onto the blankets. He jumped back down to grab the speaker and he pulled it over the side of the truck and turned up the volume of the speaker and let it drop onto the blanket.

"Is it loud enough?" he asked.
"Certainly, I hear very well, thank you," she said. Her voice had a business like brusqueness about it but her smile was reassuring. He sat down carefully beside her and leaned against the back wall of the cab. The previews were about to begin and he took the time to look at her and gauge her reaction.

When he suggested the outing, she asked him to explain to her what a drive-in movie was. She told him that she had never before gone to a drive in movie, though of course she had been to the movies. That was the wonderful thing about these people in the TBA...they liked sharing new experiences, and though she at first resisted doing one on one counseling as the boss and the second male counselor had, the chance at having a new experience was too much for her to refuse.

"What is the film we are seeing?" she asked Johnathan. He sort of blushed at the thought of the movie that was going to be shown. "What? Is is a dirty movie?"
"No, it's a regular movie. I hope you haven't seen it before...It's Interview with a Vampire. ." his voice trailed off. The lady counselor looked at him and laughed.
"Really? You brought me to see a Vampire movie?" she said. Johnathan felt like kicking himself. She must have sensed his inner reproach. "I think it is charming....perhaps we will both gain some insight about the way things they show on the movie and what is fiction...and fact." She smiled at him. For some reason, her smile was quite different, a wild smile.

She turned back to the huge screen and laughed at the little concession stand song ("Let's go out to the Lobby, Let's go out to the Lobby, Let's go out to the Lobby and get ourselves a Treat"), her eyes glittered over the previews for coming attractions. ("That looks interesting," she said about the film "Bloody Valentine") and finally the main attraction began.

Immediately, she liked Lestat and loathed Louie. Louie was whiny and reminded her of a certain man she knew. She loved the little girl Claudia until she double crossed her maker and fairly clapped when the Paris Vampires exposed her and her new companion to the sun and laughed like a delighted child when Lestat leaped into Christian Slater's car and pulled the ruined lace cuffs over the tops of his hands as they confidently clutched the steering wheel. When the movie was over and the credits began to roll, she stood up so Johnathan could hand her down, waited as he folded the blankets and allowed him to escort her to the passenger side door of the truck. He stowed away the blankets and handed her back up and shut the door and went around and got in the driver's seat. He looked at her.

"Did you like the movie?" he asked as he started up the truck.
"Let's find somewhere secluded where we can sit and discuss it quietly," she said.
"Sure," he said, without a moment's thought.

Hope you enjoyed your movie Dude..