Baron Faustus Moreau was vexed by the death of his unborn progeny. To have one of his consorts turn upon him in such an irritating and rudely inconsiderate act was something to which he was not accustomed. Her manners were reproachable, her attitude obnoxious, and her subservience virtually non-existent. It was time to move on from the colonial backwaters of New York to a world where his toys were better bred. Thus, the Dark One turned his attentions to the elegance of the old country. He cast his gaze upon the most majestic of cities and voyaged east by clipper ship on a mid-September passage. It was the turn of the century and time to return to his homeland.
The Paris Exposition of 1900 proved to be a rich and abundant feeding ground. Vast numbers of young lovers, seeking to escape the prying eyes of chaperones and guardians, would walk down the barge towpaths on the sides of the Seine, hidden from view by the high ironstone walls. He ate well and sumptuously that season, enjoying the warm sweet vital fluid of many belles filles and their beaus. His favourite meals were to be had beneath the Petit Pont, where the well-heeled students of the Sorbonne were plentiful. The upper class girls were particularly satisfying as he could partake of some manly pleasures before imbibing their life's essence. The deep murky water and strong riverine currents conveniently disposed of the bloodless and mutilated cadavers and thus prevented detection of his nocturnal activities.
Their screams and whimpers, moans and gasps were the symphony of his meals. Some would try to oppose him in futile opposition, unknowing of the vast strength within his body. These he casually broke and maimed, torturing only the most rebellious, before his teeth sought their firm necks. A few of the more attractive women, in whom erotic desire was stronger than primal fear, were permitted to live. Under the charm of his glamour, they would return regularly to him, bringing new male companions to whet his appetites and offering of themselves for his pleasures. He found one, Gabrielle, to have particularly exquisite skills and desires. She would forever have a place in his heart and his bed, for she alone was worthy of taking home to enjoy. It was one of the most pleasant summers that he could remember, and though his victims must have tallied a century, he escaped notice and attention.
While the Exposition had lasted for but a season, the Edwardian era within England had brought prosperity and gaiety to all of Europe. He enjoyed many years within the old city, lunching with artists such as Lautrec and Matisse beneath the Sacre Coeur. He witnessed Bleriot perform the first significant air voyage across the Channel and enjoyed many relaxing evenings within the Moulin Rouge. Of particular interest to him was the opening of the Metro with its darkened underground tunnels where one could dine and relax surrounded by cool comforting earth. He heard the music of Debussy and Ravel at the Opera, finding such venues to provide a superior grade of flesh for his consumption and amusement.
Though war with the Kaiser had been looming on the horizon for many years, it became increasingly inevitable and was sure to commence within a few years. Dead soldiers and starving civilians made for a poor plate and would not provide him the luxuries and pleasures to which he had become accustomed. His visits to the Opera had shifted his tastes from nubile young women to more mature ladies of substance. The deaths of such women were harder to hide, though for him it was not impossible, causing him to shift from meals of quantity to meals of quality. The opening of a millinery boutique in 1910 by his former doll, Gabrielle, now calling herself Mademoiselle Coco, had caused a stir amidst the upper classes that increased the flow of gossip and was making it harder to escape notice. Her past association with him, though erotically satisfying, brought the chance of undesired attention.
It was these events that saw the Dark One book passage back to New York upon the largest and most impressive luxury liner ever to sail the seas. With anticipation he looked forward to an ocean voyage where the deep waters of the Atlantic would erase any traces of his activities. A rare smile graced his face as he boarded the RMS Titanic on his return to America. He had a feeling that the voyage was going to be quite pleasant indeed ...
No comments:
Post a Comment