After I have walked for a ways, I become aware that I'm being tracked by something or someone.  I have no idea if my tracker is a human or an animal.  They do have bears in Louisiana and they do have alligators.  However, I'm not all that near a stream or bayou and the Cajun man didn't warn me against bears.  I suspect that it's not a bear or an alligator, but more probably a human.  (As it turns out, I'm a little wrong about the human part.)  I keep alert and keep walking.

I get to a fork in the trail.  The better path leads over to the Oaks.  The overgrown path leads, per the maps that I have consulted, to the Smedly Mansion.  I take the overgrown path.  I'm still being stalked.

With no real choice, I keep alert and keep walking.  I can never really spot whatever or whoever is tracking me, but just flickers of movement.  I stop and pull scabbarded Glyr out of my backpack and strap the scabbard to my belt.  I then continue on, through dense woods.

Suddenly, I can see what appears to be the outline of a large, Victorian style house just ahead of me.  I double check for my stalker and again see just a flash of movement.  I want to get to the Smedly Mansion before dark, so I move toward the place, wasting no time.

I get to the front door and find it locked.  I check windows and find one that's not locked.  I enter the house via the window.  It's almost dark outside and even darker inside the house.  However, I can see in the dim light.  The interior of the house is very dusty and there are a lot of spider webs.  I find a broom, in a closet and begin to clear a space free of dust and spider webs.  (The spiders won't bite non-human me, but I don't want to be distracted by the webs.  I sweep the dust aside and get an area cleared.  I then set up a small, low level light that illuminates mostly in the infra red.  I wash my hands with water from my canteen and then have a little snack, before the action starts.

I hear my stalker enter the house, probably through the same window that I used.  I hear the stalker sort of glide down the hallway that I used.  My stalker proves to be female, with a bone white face and very red lips.  I tell her, "I'm of no use to you.  Also, it will likely get very dangerous in here, in the near future."

The female walks up to me, halts and gazes at me with a burning sort of stare.  She says, "You're not ..."

"No, I'm not human.  My ancestors grew from a different ocean and what flows though my veins is not suitable for your kind."

The vampire thinks for a bit and then says, "Do you know what this place is?"

"Yes I do.  In fact, that's why I'm here."

The Vampire says, "That which you carry is of magic."

I chuckle, "Glyr is not really magic, but a living being.  Glyr and I are exiles.  I would prefer to wait for the main event, but I can use Glyr against you, if you insist."

The Vampire again pauses, "There are those who will come.  It won't be long now.  I must not stay.  They will harm even my kind.  Do you think that you can stand against those who will come?"

I again chuckle, "Ghosts will come.  I'm not afraid of ghosts, I'm an anti-necromancer.  The undead will come.  I'm not afraid of the undead, I'm an anti-necromancer."

The Vampire again pauses, "Demons will also come."

I lecture the vampire, "Glyr is a demon, fiercer than any demon of your Earth.  Glyr and I will deal with ghosts, the undead and demons.  However, you must leave.  If you stay much longer, you will die."

The Vampire again pauses, "You are either a fool, or a very powerful magician."

I again lecture the vampire, "Maybe a bit of both.  Glyr and I are exiles.  In order to return home, we must undertake certain tasks at the orders of those who exiled us.  The Smedly Mansion on Halloween night is one such task."

The vampire says, "I must leave now.  It should be a very interesting night for you."

"Most of my tasks lead to very interesting nights.  That, however, is my destiny."

The vampire then glides away, as silently as she entered.

I can feel the rage rise in Glyr.

I say, "Very soon now, Glyr.  You must be a little patient.  It wouldn't do to draw you and let your anger dissipate, while we wait."  (I actually speak the words, but to no real purpose.  Glyr can't hear me, but Glyr can read my mind, to an extent.)

What little light penetrates into the Smedly Mansion begins to fade and it'll soon be night.  Night is when Glyr and I will do what we are tasked to do.  That is, we'll do what we're tasked to do, or we'll die trying.  I relax my body but prepare my mind for the work that lies ahead.  The visible spectrum light fades, but the residual heat of the day still radiates light in the infra red spectrum.

In the infra red light, I see the ghost of a very young girl in a hallway, that leads back into the depths of the Smedly Mansion.

The girl poses for me and then retreats back into the hallway.

I place my hand upon the hilt of Glyr.

The girl again appears and again poses for me. 

I wait.

Something like perhaps a ghostly bird of prey flies over the ghostly form of the young girl and screams with rage.

I swiftly draw Glyr and the screams of rage turn into cries of fear.  I move into the flying ghostly form and Glyr devours the form.  (It's not that Glyr cuts the ghostly form, but rather Glyr sucking in the ghostly form, perhaps like a vacuum cleaner.  I slash Glyr through the area where the ghostly form flies and, after a while, there's no more ghostly form.  I then stand, looking down the hallway.

The ghostly form of the young girl then emits a plaintive wail, removes her head and trudges back down the hallway.

Only then can I see that the young girl died when someone decapitated her.

Glyr then tells me that a male attacked a mother and her child.  The mother tried to protect the child, but the male decapitated the child in the struggle, raped the mother and then strangled the mother.  At last, the mother will now find the peace of the truly dead.  Glyr has eaten the undeath and gives me a small portion of what he ate.

I stand, opposite the hallway and wait for what else the Smedly Mansion might throw at Glyr and me.

The next appearance is that of two ghosts, apparently a young couple.  The boy has a ghostly knife in his belly and the girl's head lolls to one side, as if her neck were broken.  The boy leaps at me, with a scream of rage.

I move into the charging ghostly form of the boy, swinging Glyr, and Glyr devours the form, although I have to also fend off the girl.  Again, Glyr sucks in the ghostly forms like a vacuum cleaner.  I slash Glyr through the area where the ghostly forms seek to get at me.  After a while, there's no more ghostly forms.  I then stand, looking down the hallway.

Glyr then tells me that a brother and sister sought shelter in the Smedly Mansion, from a storm.  A male tried to attack the sister.  The brother tried to protect his sister, but the male stabbed the brother to death, raped the sister and then strangled the girl to the point that he broke her neck.  At last, the brother and sister will find the peace of the truly dead.  Glyr has eaten a double portion of undeath and again gives me a small portion of what he ate.