The Light of Oriah : Burning Jungle - Part One by Sam Vickery

time to
herself and didn't really like the other wives on the compound, so
she spent a lot of time walking along the river, writing and
learning to cook with the locals. They warned her to stay within
the gates but my mother, even when mortal, always believed that she
was invincible.” I took a deep breath. It hurt to talk about her
and I felt guilty sharing this story. I had never told anyone
before.
    He saw my
discomfort and squeezed my hand tightly between his, his voice
gentle. “Please... go on.” The warmth gave me the confidence I
needed to continue, although his touch was too distracting, and I
pulled my hand away to clear my thoughts, shrugging
apologetically.
    “They had
been there a few months, she was nearly full term and struggling to
sleep. She went out at dawn, walking through the rainforest,
picking berries, eating more than she put in her basket. She had no
chance of hearing his silent footsteps, he appeared behind her like
a shadow and sunk his teeth into her before she even sensed the
danger. He would have drained her dry, but he was disturbed by
somebody, she never saw who. She lay helpless, the venom spreading
through her veins, fighting against it, for once uncertain of her
invincibility. Faced with her mortality, she believed she would
die. She crawled into the bushes and curled into a ball, protecting
me within her belly.
    She was found
by a medicine man, a Ngangas, named Rishi and his wife Caya, who
right away worked out what had happened. They took her with them
deeper into the jungle, carrying her as she fought and screamed,
delirious with the pain. They tied her down and cut me from her
womb, but it was too late, I had already been infected. My mother
was locked up in an iron cage, well actually, it was a cage within
a cage,” I corrected. “They knew she would be strong if she
survived, and they weren't willing to take any chances. I still
remember it so clearly, her eyes so unfocused, screaming over and
over again, “Not Oriah, not my Oriah!”
    I rubbed my
eyes with the heels of my hands trying to push the vivid memory
from my mind. It seemed seared to the inside of my eyelids, much
like the final picture I had of my father. I sighed, and resumed my
tale. “We knew she had changed by the silence. It just stopped, and
she went so still. I was thirsty and Caya fed me goats blood. I
watched as my mother realised what had happened, discovered her new
body, her new desires. She was wild. She launched herself at the
bars and I was sure she would rip through them and kill us
all.”
    “Rishi began
to chant, low rhythmic patterns, that went on for hours, days. I
still don't know what he was saying, but it was as if he cast a
spell. A calm washed over us all, my mother got some clarity in her
eyes. I trusted her, I knew she wouldn't harm me. But still the
power of a newborn Vampire is too much to be reckless with. My
mother was kept in the cage for a year, Caya caring for me in her
home deep in the rainforest, out of sight of human eyes. They found
I could drink milk as well as blood and I liked both. My mother,
however, would only tolerate blood and she missed the hunt,
constantly demanding to be let out. I believe that if she had
wanted to, she was strong enough to break out of the cages, but
deep down, she knew it was best to wait, to keep us safe from her.
So she was patient.
    After a year
they unlocked the gates. She was nervous, tentative, but when she
held me in her arms I felt so complete, so loved. From that moment
were were inseparable,” I smiled, picturing her elated expression
at that first time she held me. “All this time my father was still
in the Congo, searching for his lost wife. He refused to believe we
were dead, he wouldn't give up on the last tiny shred of hope that
he would one day find us. My mother found him easily of course,
following him until he was completely alone, showing herself to
him. He was scared – who wouldn't be? But
his love for her was powerful enough