The morning found them walking through the forest in search of a new refuge. Arturo was a few steps ahead, merrily jumping between the gnarled roots and filling the air with his singing laughter. Arnaud followed closely behind, his eyes alert for the slightest hint of danger.
Suddenly, the child stumbled and fell to the ground, letting out an exclamation of surprise.
"Argh!"
Arnaud rushed toward him, worried, but Arturo was already getting up, chuckling as he brushed off the leaves and dirt.
"Watch out, Ar!" the little one cried, pointing at the root that had tripped him.
The vampire blinked, confused by the unfamiliar expression Arturo had uttered. He cocked his head, looking at him with inquisitive eyes. Did it imply that falling hurt?
"Ar? What you mean, little one?" he asked in his limited vocabulary.
Arturo laughed again and approached him, taking his hand naturally. He pointed at the root on the ground, then at the vampire, and repeated:
"Be careful, Ar!"
Arnaud frowned, pensive, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind that seemingly nonsensical sound. Suddenly, his eyes widened with understanding, and he looked at Arturo, incredulous.
"Ar... me?" he stammered, bringing a hand to his chest.
The child nodded vigorously, his smile lighting up his dirty face.
"Yes, yes! You are Ar!" he exclaimed, laughing again at the vampire's perplexed expression.
Slowly, Arnaud's lips curved into a wide smile. He had understood: Arturo had given him a nickname, shortening his name. The idea filled him with an unexpected warmth. No one had ever called him by a fond name before.
"Ar..." he repeated, savoring the word. He nodded, gracefully accepting the nickname. "Ok, little one. If I Ar, then you..." He paused for a moment, pondering. "You Ar too!"
This time it was Arturo who blinked, confused, before a radiant smile lit up his face. He clapped and began to jump excitedly around Arnaud.
"Ar and Ar! Ar, Ar, Ar!" he chanted over and over, delighted with the shared nickname.
Arnaud laughed, letting himself be infected by the child's overflowing joy. He joined the chorus, repeating the name over and over as they both spun around, laughing heartily.
Eventually, the laughter subsided, and they dropped onto the grass, panting. Arturo crawled over to nestle against Arnaud's side, looking at him with curiosity.
"Why can't Ar go out when there's sun?" he suddenly asked, pointing at the first rays of dawn filtering through the branches.
The vampire grimaced, unsure of how to explain his nature to such a young child. He searched for the right words in his limited vocabulary.
"Sun... bad for Ar. Too bright, much hurt," he stammered clumsily, hoping he had said it right.
Arturo nodded solemnly, though his eyes betrayed that he didn't fully understand. He shrugged and changed the subject.
"You know, Ar? We could be pirates!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Like the ones in the stories grandma Maria used to tell me, arrr! We'd sail the seas on a great ship and hunt for treasures!"
Suddenly, memories came flooding back to him: the legends and tales he had heard in his youth, back in the 15th century.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Yes... the pirates..." he murmured, nodding with a nostalgic smile. "Men at sea, plundering and seeking riches..."
"Exactly!" Arturo clapped, delighted to see his friend understood his fantasies. "You and me, Ar and Ar! The most feared pirates of all the seas!"
Arnaud let out a deep laugh, shaking his head at the child's overflowing imagination. He ruffled his hair affectionately and joined the game.
"}okl, little Ar. We be the fiercest pirates the world has known," he affirmed with conviction. "And none can face us, Ar and Ar fear nothing and no one!"
"I fear nothing with you by my side, Ar. You protect me."
The vampire was left breathless by those simple words, feeling something stir in his cold chest.
He would protect Arturo from everything and everyone, even if he had to face an entire army of pirates. After all, what could be more terrifying than an ancient vampire who slept through the golden age of piracy?
♢♢♢♢
The afternoon was beginning to fall when Arnaud and Arturo emerged from their little hideout in the forest's thicket, various pieces of the ruffians' clothing covering the vampire from the sun, but the intense light still hurt him. The sunset was bearable, so he decided to move on.
Until they found themselves facing a serpentine asphalt road that stretched toward the horizon. The vampire frowned, uncertain, and prepared to skirt around it to continue their path through the trees.
"Why don't we go that way, Ar?" Arturo's little voice stopped him. The child was pointing at the road with curiosity.
Arnaud shook his head, hesitant.
"No... path of bright monsters. Very dangerous," he mumbled, searching for the right words.
Arturo cocked his head, confused, before a mischievous smile spread across his face. He put his hands on his hips and looked at his friend with an air of smugness.
"Bright monsters? You mean cars, Ar?" he asked, letting out a mocking little laugh.
The vampire blinked, surprised. Cars? Is that what those strange horseless carriages he so feared were called? Come to think of it, the car that he attacked during the confrontation with the ruffians didn't fight back or feel alive.
"Cars? What are... cars?" he inquired, frowning deeper.
Arturo laughed again and took his hand, pulling him toward the road. Arnaud hesitated, his instinct screaming at him to stay away from those busy paths.
"Cars are things people use to move faster!" the child explained excitedly. "They go on the roads and can take you very far in a short time, though they're really expensive, grandma Maria said!"
Slowly, Arnaud began to understand. He observed the smooth asphalt stretching before them, and an idea crossed his mind.
"So... Road bring us closer to town? Place with houses and people?" he asked, remembering his promise to find the little one a new home.
Arturo nodded fervently.
"Yes, yes! The bigger the roads, the closer we are to a big town or a city," he affirmed with conviction.
Arnaud considered it for a moment longer, studying the path with calculating eyes. Eventually, he nodded to himself. If they wanted a safe place to settle, they would have to risk following that route in hopes of reaching a human community.
"Ok, little Ar. We follow road for now," he decided, squeezing the child's hand. "But we careful and remain hidden when... cars approach, understood?"
Arturo grinned from ear to ear and nodded, excited at the prospect of a new adventure. He took the lead, pulling Arnaud onto the road while singing merrily:
"Ar and Ar, the bravest pirates, will face the bright monsters!"
The vampire shook his head, amused by the child's imagination, and followed with more cautious steps. His keen eyes scanned the surroundings for any sign of danger, ready to protect his little companion from whatever might be necessary.
As they advanced along the road, Arturo continued rambling about cars and how fast they could travel aboard one. Arnaud listened in silence, not fully understanding these transport machines, but nodding and smiling at the child's overflowing enthusiasm.
Eventually, the path began to curve, and Arnaud spotted something in the distance that brought him to a sudden halt. Arturo, too distracted by his chatter, bumped into his back and let out an exclamation of surprise.
"What's wrong, Ar? Why are we stopping?" he asked, blinking toward where the vampire stared intently.
In the distance, the lights of a town began to glow in the growing darkness of dusk. Arnaud smiled and ruffled Arturo's hair affectionately.
"Your bright path led to right place, little Ar," he announced with satisfaction.
The child's eyes lit up with excitement, laughed and hugged his friend tightly.
"Come, Ar," the vampire urged, once again taking Arturo's hand. "There is path ahead."
And with a shared smile, the child and the ancient supernatural being resumed their journey toward the lights of the nearby town, no longer fearing the bright monsters he had dreaded before.