Vjesci - The returning
According to legend, the Vjesci did not die, instead returning to life at midnight after burial. The vampire would leave the grave and return home to eat its family and neighbours.
As Daniel typed on his well-travelled but dependable laptop; the statement, referring back to the book by the eminent Professor Dariusz Poliński from Nicholas Copernicus University, sat back and sighed. The train compartment was not small, but it could not disguise the clutter of his research strewn across the open spaces. He had spent the last 16 of his 17-hour trek on the train and still felt ill-prepared to make the final leg of the journey to Pien, a village in the north that had discovered the remains of a woman and child in a grave. The importance of the find for Daniel Tolliver was that the remains had been padlocked in their graves. A detail that had huge import to his work.
This detail identified them as vampires or Vjesci. In life, the woman and possibly her daughter would have been drowned or killed and laid in graves and the villagers would take the extraordinary measure of attaching a padlock to the toes of the woman and child and laying a sharp sickle across the neck of the woman. When that detail was made public, he dropped everything and packed hurriedly and jumped on a train.
He had to get to the site as quickly as he could so he could compare this site with the findings that he had uncovered in his highly secretive and highly illegal excavation near the rings of stone near Uffington. in Wiltshire. Daniel was convinced that a group of vjesci had settled in the region of the standing stones and that the inhabitants of Uffington had embarked on a systematic pogrom or purge of the vjesci in the village with either the tacit permission of or full-blown support of the King's sheriff of the execution of the inhabitants.
The evidence he had gathered had convinced him of a terrible massacre and an unwritten bloody page in history. This trip would give him a correlated basis of evidence to connect the two sites and perhaps give him the influence to open a legally sanctioned archaeological dig in the area.
Upon reaching Pien, he was met by an associate of Professor Polinski, Dr Monika Kaminski who struck Daniel by her remarkable physical attractiveness and her knowledge of vjesci and the excavation. Her white, blonde hair and striking grey eyes complemented her slender body and firm breasts. On the journey to his hotel, Monika discussed the details of the excavation and although Daniel was interested in what she had to say, his attention was taken by her firm buttocks in the thin floral dress she wore and her nipples that showed through the thin material. Forcing himself to listen to her, he realised that she was from the area around Pien.
"You grew up there?" Daniel asked and rummaged around in his leather briefcase for a map of the area, "where exactly is the excavation of the church?"
"Of course," Monika showed him the points on the map and then showed him where she grew up. Despite her information, Christin couldn't help but notice her cleavage and the fact that she wore no bra. Upon arrival at the site, Daniel was given a brief respite from the attractions of Monika and managed to view the excavation and take some photographs of the skeletons, now housed in the laboratory and then a series of pictures and sketches of the graves. For an hour, he had managed to accumulate a lot of information and then as Monika returned, he was again immersed in the safety of his research.
"Perhaps you might like to go to the tent, I have prepared for you, and start to collate your research with ours. I will come and collect you for the evening meal in the town. I will see you at 7.30 pm." With that, she walked away, Cristian followed her with his eyes/
"Wow, your arse is out of this world" He sighed. Monika looked back over her shoulder, her blonde hair was caught by the wind, creating a wonderful snapshot of the woman. Daniel also noticed that she had a small tattoo on her neck and filed it for future reference. He worked through the afternoon and early evening but by 7.00 found himself famished, so with a wash, shave and change of clothes, he awaited Monika's arrival.
Spookily, Monika arrived early and tapped on the tent flap. Lifting it open, Daniel stepped out into a glorious sunset over the mountains around Pien.
"Good evening, Daniel. I hope your research has been successful, however, I am afraid that Professor Polinski will not be joining us this evening, so you will have to put up with me." She smiled. Daniel smiled back. She was dressed in khaki shorts, sandals and a cropped white shirt, and her breasts moved freely as Daniel was quick to notice.
"I must say your English is quite excellent, Dr Kaminski" Daniel tried to shift the conversation as they walked to her dusty 4X4. She chuckled and climbed into the car, and as Daniel joined her, he noticed her tanned-toned legs.
"I studied in Cambridge for two years and have a few friends in England and can keep up my practice." She started the engine and Daniel smiled.
"Jestem pod wrażenie, "He replied, eager to show off his language skills.
"Oh, you speak Polish?" She opened her mouth in surprise. Her brilliant white teeth and red lips made an 'o' shape." She stammered.
"Mój polski jest trochę zardzewiały, ale szybko się uczę" Daniel suggested how his language skills were rusty, but he was learning.
"Cóż, będę musiał uważać na to, co mówię." Monika replied with a sly smile on her face
Returning to English, Daniel smiled "Yes you will have to watch what you say," He looked at her, as she glanced back, "unless it's something nice."
"I don't know you well enough to say nice things about you, except you have a nice butt" She smiled and accelerated away down the road.
The hotel restaurant was reassuringly busy, and Daniel's table was occupied by four other researchers working at the excavation, two men and two women. The two men were young students, in the middle of their second year of study, Paulus with spectacles and a blonde crew cut and Christian, with a mop of unruly brown hair and beard. The women comprised one older, but attractive mature woman, with glossy black hair and an impressive pair of breasts that must have exceeded 42D wrapped tastefully in a deep blue wrap-around dress. The other woman, Magda, was another blonde, but pear-shaped, and wore clothes too young for her. Daniel introduced himself and sat down to eat. The meal was traditional polished fayre but well-presented and flavoursome. The six of them discussed the fid and Daniel surreptitiously avoided any in-depth detail about his illicit excavations in England.
As the evening wore on, the two men indulged their love of vodka, which the pear-shaped blonde, Magda joined in with. Daniel was pleasantly sandwiched between the buxom Elena and Monika, sipping a crisp white wine, though Monika drank only soda water. The two women were highly knowledgeable of the Vjesci mythology and the evidence taken from the excavation. Daniel decided to press his agenda, he turned to Elena,
"So as the resident anthropologist on site, do you think of the Vjesci as a group of people, separate from the poles in the region?" Daniel smiled and topped off her glass and caught the waiter's attention to bring another bottle. Monika looked at him but said nothing.
"Well, the biology of the Vjesci suggests they were the same as their Polish neighbours, but I think another factor might have been in play. You know that the Vjesci were essentially considered vampires, yes?" Daniel nodded.
"I know of the science behind porphyria, the disease that gave the victim receding gums, pale complexion and an aversion to strong light. The classic vampire trope." Daniel noted that Elena's glass was quickly drained and so topped it off again. Again, Monika said nothing but glanced at Daniel and suspected that Daniel was hoping to loosen her tongue. Daniel, of course, was stone-cold sober, as was she.
"Well, if some recessive genetic abnormality became active and made the Vjesci look different, the superstitious natives would react aggressively. I have further material up in my room." She added, downing a large gulp from the glass, " If you will excuse me," she made her way to the bathroom. Daniel sat back and glanced at Monika. Her look told him that she saw through his ploy.
