Ann's Alaskan Vampire Clan

An Ann the Vampire short story.

    “We’re moving.” Ann announced one evening in late summer. The sun had just dipped below the horizon. Night was short in this part of Alaska at this time of year.

    Justin and Tyler looked up in surprise from where they were sitting in front of the TV playing video games.

    “Moving?” repeated Tyler. “Really mom?”
    “Yup.” Ann sat down on the couch. “Really.”

    “Are we leaving Alaska?” asked Justin.

    “No! No! No!” Ann laughed. “I’ve no desire to leave Alaska.” She flipped her long light brown hair over her shoulder. “Neither does Eddie.”

    “Thought we were going someplace warmer.” said Justin.

    “I like Alaska.” responded Tyler.

    “We’re moving to another town and we’re going to have our own cabin.” Ann told them.

    “Way cool!” said Tyler putting down his controls. “No more apartment living.”

    “That’s right. We’re going to have lots of privacy and perhaps a sled dog team.” Ann told them.

    “Cool! Huskies!” cried Justin.

    “Like Alaska a little better now, son?” Ann asked Justin with a smile.

    “Yeah! I get to have dogs!”

    “Yes. Perhaps dogs are a really good idea.” said Ann. “Eddie and I are going to go out and hunt. You two need to start packing. I want to be out of here in a few short days.”

    “Where are we moving to mom?” asked Tyler.

    “Coldfoot.”

    Both boys burst out laughing.

    Ann smiled. “I know. I know. It’s a funny name but it suits our purpose. We have a cabin just outside of town. We can add on some really nice dog kennels once we’re settled.” Ann stood up as Eddie came into the room.

    “I hear laughter.” said Eddie, amusement making his brown eyes sparkle.

    “Coldfoot Alaska.” laughed Tyler.

    “There’s a reason for the name, a little history behind it.” said Eddie. He put his arm around Ann’s waist as they headed for their front door. “A little history lesson is in order when we get back.” He added.

    “I want to see some packing done.” Ann said. She opened the door and she and Eddie stepped out to a warm night, warm for Alaska anyway.

    “See yah.” said Tyler.

    “Yeah.” said Justin.

    “See you two later.” Both Ann and Eddie said as they shut the apartment door.

 

    An hour later they were back and Ann was pleased to see both boys had done some packing. Ann and Eddie had paused at a nearby town and picked up some packing supplies after they had hunted. They had quite a few more boxes.

    “We need those.” said Tyler when Ann and Eddie came back through the front door.

    “And I’m pleased to see you boys have been busy.” said Ann.

    Tyler and Justin both smiled, pleased at their mother’s praise. Eddie sat on the couch and started working to put the packing boxes together. “Some history now about Coldfoot like I promised.”

    Tyler and Justin looked at each other and decided to take the opportunity for a break in their packing. “Sure.” said Tyler.

    “I’d like to hear about where we’re moving too.” said Justin. They both sat on the floor in front of Eddie.

    “Coldfoot Alaska was called Slate Creek first. It came into existence as a gold mining camp in the 1890’s. The people of the place changed its name to Coldfoot in the summer of 1900 when one of the many waves of green stampeders got as far up the Koyukik River where the Slate Creek Mining Camp was. There these gold hunters got ‘cold feet’ about then, decided not to go any further and turned around and headed back south. So the name Coldfoot applies, don’t you think?”  Both boys nodded yes. Eddie continued, “It’s a small town, with about a dozen or so people living there year round. We’ll have plenty of privacy.”

    “It’s not a big town.” Ann said. “It’s a tourist town, its population increasing in the warmer months. It has a motel, a restaurant, gas station, a general store, a Laundromat and tire repair and minor auto repair shop. Perfect for us.” She added with a smile.

    “Yeah, small.” agreed both boys.

    Ann and Eddie laughed. Eddie had all the packing boxes they brought back with them put together. “Now we all pack. The sooner we move the better.”

    “Okay! Let’s get to work!” Ann clapped her hands.

    Both boys got to their feet with groans and protests but were smiling. They were actually excited about the move. Glad to be getting away from apartment living and looking forward to having dogs and sleds for future entertainment.

 

     In two days they were moved. By night Ann and Eddie moved their things, flying from the apartment to their cabin just outside Coldfoot. The last trip made was with the boys. Ann flew with Tyler held tightly in her arms, Eddie flew with Justin held tightly in his arms. All four of them were glad to say goodbye to their apartment. It had been their first home in Alaska but they had outgrown it. They needed privacy for their nocturnal lifestyle and they needed privacy to keep their nocturnal lifestyle secret from the humans around them. Tyler and Justin were growing fast. Soon their time to undergo the change would be at hand. Four immortal vampires living in one apartment, even in Alaska, would most likely draw unwanted attention to them all. So they moved.

     And were soon settling into their log cabin. It was a big log cabin, modern with a rustic look. It had two floors. There were four large bedrooms upstairs with a full bath. A large dining room, kitchen, another full bath and den on the first floor. The kitchen had a pantry. The basement had a large entertainment room and two more bedrooms and a half bath. There was a large shed for a generator out in the back. The cabin sat on fifty acres of wild, untamed land. They had all the privacy they wanted now.

    Being vampires it took Ann and Eddie no time at all to get the furniture settled in the house. The little personal items they’d each had they put away in their own time. The boys had their own rooms and Ann and Eddie had the biggest upstairs room.

    “This is beautiful and so wild.” Ann said gazing out the large window of her and Eddie’s bedroom. The forest beyond was bathed in moon and starlight. The aurora borealis was crackling and hissing, looking like shifting curtains of blue, green, purple and red in the night sky overhead.

    Her life in Portland, Oregon had held nothing like this. Just a house, a condo and apartment living in the city as a very sad human woman. Eddie came up behind her and put his arms around her. “We’ll be happy here Ann. I’ll start work on the dog kennel right away. The boys can help.”

    Ann turned in his arms and kissed him, “I love you.”

    “And I love you.” They shared a soul deep passionate kiss. “You’re my family. You, Tyler and Justin.” said Eddie.

    “And you are mine.” Ann whispered against his lips.

    “After all this moving I’m hungry.” said Eddie. “Let’s check on the boys, see how they’re settling in then let’s hunt. We have new territory to explore.”

    “Yes, lets!”

 

    After a quick flight down to Chatanika and an equally quick feed Ann and Eddie headed back for home. The night was nearing its end and they would soon need to sleep. Tyler and Justin had their rooms about organized.

     “When will we get the huskies?” asked Tyler as Eddie and Ann came upstairs. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom. Justin appeared in his doorway to eagerly await the answer.

  

    “Tomorrow night we start building the kennel. As soon as we’re done we’ll purchase several husky pups.” Eddie answered.

    “Yah!” Both boys shouted.

    “Right now we need to sleep. Did you two get your evening meals?” Asked Ann. They had stocked the pantry with plenty of healthy and junk food for the boys. They were teenagers and easily took care of their own nutritional needs.

    “Yeah, we did.” answered Tyler.

    “Good.” smiled Ann. “Our first sleep in our new home. How exciting!” They were all excited but exhausted by the move. Ann and Eddie went to their room and Tyler and Justin went to theirs and they all settled in for the daylight hours.

 

    They had the kennel built in no time and soon had six husky puppies living in it and two dog sleds. The boys spent more time with the huskies, training them to be sled dogs than they did in front of the TV playing video games now. They gave each husky a name. Winter was soon approaching Alaska. The leaves turned to reds, yellows and oranges and fell with the first winter’s snow. They were glad the colder darker season was now upon them for the darker hours were longer than the daylight hours.

    Ann’s Alaskan Vampire Clan was now living in Coldfoot Alaska.

 

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very strong chapter. I like the move to the new town. The description made the town come alive. A very good pace to this story. Each event described with reason and purpose. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Black Cat Fever]

Great chapter in this book. Very interesting. I like Ann.

[Star Wolf]

I like this addition to your Ann the Vampire series.