Eighty-four years later...

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Mr.Benetto, it will be another fifteen minutes according to the GPS."

"You've been saying that from Saultaire, where is this place anyway?"

Neil reclined in his seat to look through the open window. The heat had been growing unbearable since they left Saultaire. It had been the last city before their destination and as if on cue, the landscapes had drastically changed en route. What had been tall skyscrapers and traffic filled streets, now gave way to alpine pastures and picturesque glades. An occasional cow grazed across the green grass, and an occasional farmer drove his tractor across his field.

The car was packed, the atmosphere humid and one of his company's directors in the passenger seat was becoming cranky. His two co-workers sitting beside him were busy trying to swat a stray fly, which looked as if it enjoyed being a menace.

The fly landed on his hand after destroying their peace. He lifted the little insect par to his eyes to get a better look. The insect sponged the back of his hand and rubbed its globular head clean with two forelimbs. Its body was an iridescent display of violets, greens and blues. The fly was a bluebottle, which explained the size and the irritating buzz. Neil gently thrust his hand out and shook it off. Far away, in the horizon before them, they could see a tall mountain range. The grey sky promised a very welcome rain on a very hot day.

Neil realized that they had been in the car for two hours since Saultaire, and he could barely feel his legs.

"Mr. Haufer?"

Neil leaned forward and responded with newfound energy, "Yes, Mr. Benetto."

"Have you ever seen an abandoned factory before?"

His brows furrowed as he replied, "Why, no."

Mr. Benetto said, "I haven't either and I'm told that they are quite good nightmare fuel. Add the rumors. . ."

Neil sideswiped a bead of sweat off his dark forehead. "I'm not a huge fan of creepy, old, abandoned buildings either, Mr. Benetto, but they wouldn't possibly sell us someplace dangerous."

"Still Neil, we can't blindly trust them and I'm not sure why Ms. Nathan wanted to buy this thing either. The factory was abandoned for a reason."

Covering his neck, Neil replied, "Maybe you're overthinking this, Mr. Benetto, I'm sure Ms Nathan knows what she's doing."

"I hope so too."

As he slumped back, the rising sun shone on his bronze, speckled and bald head. A bead of sweat traced a path down his double chin. Neil yawned and continued to look outside.

The first thing that he noticed was the well maintained road; he was surprised to find that the remote town had such proper and smooth roads.

The next were the trees.

Dozens of apple trees in full bloom lined either side of the road. Their pearl white flowers and sugary scent took his breath away.

The car stopped near a wooden furnished cafe. A board proclaiming its name hung in front of it.

~Cappuchi kaffee~

Neil was charmed by its mascot; a capuchin monkey with a beret perched on his head. The little guy's carefree smile made him jealous. How was a monkey so happy when he, a human, had to work his posterior off to survive in a concrete jungle? But he failed miserably in staying mad. The monkey was too cute.

Mr. Benetto got off first and took a lungful of country air. His three employees scrambled out, trying their best to hide their relief from him.

Helga got out of the car after Neil and shut the door behind her. She tucked a few loose strands of ginger hair back into her ponytail as she walked past Neil into the cafe. She turned around with hands on her hips, and asked him,"You coming?"

"In a moment. I need some fresh air. Do you mind ordering a latte for me?"

Helga nodded, looked at the other worker who was checking his phone and strode into the café. The other worker, Firenze, looked at Neil, anxiety visible across his face.

Neil calmly gave him a thumbs-up.

Firenze acknowledged it with a nod and followed her into the café, tugging at his tie to loosen it. Neil suppressed a chuckle and stretched his arms.

The streets were busy, as it should be on a typical weekday. Rasüte was a small town with a population of two thousand and rising. And it did seem like a pretty good place to settle.

Couples walked holding hands in the park adjacent to the café. An old man struggled to hold back a golden retriever barking at a tree-borne squirrel. A group of preschoolers played tag under the apple trees that swayed in the wind, petals falling like confetti. Swings creaked as children took turns pushing each other as high as they could. Parents waited for them on the wooden benches, nursing paper cups filled with steaming drinks.

Neil made a mental note to check out the houses and plots for rent. He'd live here and maybe buy a farm. No, he'd rather use that money for Chipo's college fund. It was so beautiful a place to live. Tess and Chip would be happy here, he would be happy here. A blessed life.

His phone rang with its cherry tune. It was Adam, his family friend and fishing partner.

"Hey bud, how's the tour going?"

Neil ran a hand through his short, curly black hair. His umber skin crinkled near his eyes as he smiled, displaying his upper set of white teeth."So far so good. I've just found my vacation spot."

The man laughed and replied,"Good for you. We really need a vacation."

"We? Oh no, I am not taking you with me."

Suddenly, he heard Mr. Benetto's voice cutting loud and clear through the tranquility of the town. Some of the residents stopped to look inside the café. "What do you mean you lost the ownership papers? We were not informed of any fire whatsoever!"

Neil whispered into the phone, "I'll call back, Mr. Benetto just went T-Rex. I'll call back, I'll call back, Adam, that's a promise. Yeah, okay."

Author's Note:

Greetings, fellow travelers and welcome to my first tale.

Study of a Nightwalker had been posted in its full form on my other account (which was my first one) Avian_Heart before the account got deleted. It's back now, mostly edited, with a few minor changes in the narrative and with more mythological references. There are so many tales and creatures left unused, and untouched by authors in the tales of our grandparents and our ancestors before, and I hope that I can present a few of them here.

If you enjoyed the chapter, do vote, comment and tell me how you felt about it.