I had no idea whether the locals were the antiquing types but according to the real estate agent, there was a successful bed and breakfast located at the edge of town. Hopefully, the tourists would stop on in and buy things. I had no need for the money but I had to justify my reason for moving to town somehow. The bed and breakfast tourists, the little bakery with a good reputation on the corner, and the quaint nature of the shops up and down main street would all serve to explain my relocation to Prosper Woods from a small town back East. The townsfolk would never know I picked up stakes and moved every twenty years or so. It’s what I did when people began to realize I never aged a day past my twenty-eight years.
I’d long ago memorized the floorplan of the store which my real estate agent had conveniently sent along with the long-term lease I’d been asked to sign. Aside from the thousand square feet of floor space, there was an office located at the back and a restroom for shoppers out front. Darkly stained oak shelving for small objects had already been installed on a bare wall as I’d instructed. The carpet was new, the paint fresh. The place was move-in ready.
Most important to me was the fact that the space had no storefront shop windows and only the single door at the front of the building. As a result, I’d negotiated an extremely low price for the place as well as satisfactory lease terms. Secretly, I think the agent had been shocked that I was interested in leasing the space once he pointed out the lack of windows. I’d explained to him that I carried Tiffany style lamps which needed a darker environment so that customers could truly appreciate their delicate beauty and vibrant colored glass when lit.
Yadda yadda yadda.
It wasn’t important for anyone to know or even suspect I had a sensitivity to sunlight. Not that I planned on being around a lot during daylight hours. I’d already hired staff using Zoom on my laptop. I’d immediately hired the retired town librarian who had a penchant for old books and small antique jewelry and watches to manage the store. He’d referred a high school kid who was in the throes of decision-making revolving around which college to choose. I’d listened for about a half a minute to the reason why the kid had so much angst going on in his life and hired him to work part-time on a trial basis. They were the only personnel I’d need for the time being.
I walked around the store and pulled out a notepad, writing down where I wanted to place the smaller things, finally checking out the office in back to make sure it was going to be roomy enough for the desk I brought with me from my last home. As I stepped out of the store and locked up, I scented animals and my ears perked up. Something charged through the undergrowth in a forest a mile away and I was certain they weren’t small beasts. They ran freely in the forest outside town. I felt the familiar tingle before my fangs descended. I retracted them just as quickly, slightly angry with myself at not having checked out Prosper Woods even more thoroughly before moving cross country to relocate here.
At the very least, I should have made a trip out to California to make sure I’d be the only supe living in the small mountain town. Maybe I was wrong. Unfortunately, I never was. I sighed. It was too late now. My things would be delivered in the morning. Until I made other arrangements, I was stuck here.
I walked to the car, satisfied that the contractor I’d hired had done what I’d asked inside the store… now to see how she’d managed to handle the house I’d purchased. I started the car and headed down the empty two-lane street about a mile outside town in the opposite direction of the bed and breakfast. This route took me deeper into the woods. I looked for the wide tree stump with a built-in mailbox perched on its top and found it just where the real estate agent said it would be. Turning off the main highway, I drove about a half mile into the woods and pulled up to the cabin I’d purchased. It was set in a picturesque clearing with a small stream running along the backside of it.
I got out, listening for animals in this part of the redwoods and heard nothing in the vicinity but birds waking up and the pattering feet of rodents and other small creatures. The agent had hesitantly explained that this part of Prosper Woods was populated by the occasional wolf or bear. I found her disclosure intriguing. Wolves usually weren’t found in these parts, though an occasional den popped up here or there. After hearing the sounds in the woods while in town, I now had no doubt these weren’t typical wolves but without proof, I couldn’t do anything about it… not tonight anyway. I’d lived a long time and ran into wolves now and then. I protected myself. I needed to be left alone. That was all.
The cabin was small but built in the last thirty years with all the amenities anyone would expect. Lydia Jameson, the out of state contractor I’d hired, had mailed me before and after pictures of her work. I was very pleased with the windowless room she’d constructed for me at the back of the house. I’d asked her to
