“Oh, Viv! Viv! He’s got another one!”

“Stop shaking me, Celeste, I’ll fall!”

“Then you’ll fly! C’mon Viv! Check this out!”

Viv sighed and stretched her wings over her head toward the faraway ground with a yawn. She wrapped herself up and tipped her head back to peer through the old bubbly window of the gothic castle.

“My sight is growing more bat like every night,” Celeste complained. “You’ll have to describe it to me.”

“Well, it looks like a man,” Viv said. “And he’s dressed funny, not one of the villagers. And get this, Viv, they’re in the dinning room! He’s got a whole feast laid out it looks like!”

“Poor fool, doesn’t know he’s the feast! Did we really fall asleep by the dinning room? I thought we were by the library. Let’s go to the library tonight.”

“Sure, Celeste, but I want to see what happens! This man looks like one of those business men types from England. Maybe it’s got something to do with all the bustle around the castle lately.”

Celeste muttered and flapped her wings. “Give it up Viv, we’re not the favorites anymore. He doesn’t think of us and we shouldn’t bother -“ The rest of Celeste’s bitter reflection came out in a series of squeaks.

“How do you know he doesn’t think of us?”

“Because I’m nearly” squeak “and can” squeak “barely” squeak.

“My head still feels a bit light,” Viv said thoughtfully swaying and looking up at dark moat around the base of the tree.

“Well, Thank” squeak “for small mercies,” Celeste eeked out and snapped at a passing mosquito.

“Oh, he’s fainted! The gentleman’s fainted!” Viv gasped excitedly. “But Drac’s not attacking him. He’s carrying him to bed. Maybe he has a reason to keep him alive?”

Celeste shrugged.

“Do you think he’s really going to England?” Viv asked tentatively.

“I hope he does. Good riddance to bad rubbish!” Celeste huffed, spreading her wings and dropping into the night sky. “I’m going to the library!”

“I’ll meet you,” called Viv. She waited for Drac to reenter the room seemingly standing on the ceiling. She knew it was because she was upside down but she’d seen him stand on ceilings before. It was one of the amazing tricks that had enthralled her. He reframed the world to her and she’d learned that what sometimes looked good could be bad, but then sometimes what looked bad could be good. She watched as he came to the window, opened the ancient panes and looked out into the night. Viv flapped her wings and gave a squeak. Drac looked at her only for a moment but she was sure she saw it. His mouth seemed to curve down in a frown but upside down that meant it was really a smile. She smiled upside down back.

“He must think of me sometimes,” she thought to herself. With that personal little triumph Viv followed Celeste and flew off into the night.