Meet Alucard. The namesake. The myth. The Two-Foot tall frog-fish-man Wizard!

(He's not two-feet tall yet... He's just a baby)

(Damn… I just realized—he’s kinda like a Pokémon!)

The men dashed over to observe, and Cil, unable to contain her interest, limped over to join the rest. The group crowded around the hammock, and Berengar reached inside, gently lifting the large egg out. A section had been pushed outward and fallen loose, leaving a shadowy crevice on one side. Berengar carefully placed the egg down on the floor and waved everyone back.

 "Don't stifle the thing!" he bellowed.

 "What in Gangy's name is it?" asked One grimly. "Is it a bird?"

 "No, it's surely a dragon!" called out Three excitedly.

 "You think so?" asked Two, showing some interest.

 All watched the hatching unfold with bated breath. Another piece broke off and fell clear. Then another. And another. Suddenly the remaining structure crumpled to the floor, forming a small mound. At its center was a small man-shaped creature, the size of a human hand. It had blue-green skin and delicate webbed hands and feet. Large, pale, blind-looking eyes stared uncertainly about the room. Its mouth opened in a vacuous gape, showing two rows of pink gums. The overall impression was that of a misbegotten frog walking upright, covered in a thick layer of grayish slime.

 One, Two, and Three all let out strangled cries of dismay, fell backward onto their haunches, and scuttled away across the floor.

 Berengar frowned and said, "Don't act toward baby parsan like that!"

 Brand knelt on one knee and spoke soothingly to the creature. "There, there, it's okay."

 Cil instantly became enamored with the thing and lowered herself to the floor beside Brand, saying, "Oh, it’s so cuuuuuute! Come here, my little baby-frog—mummy is here."

 Berengar knelt nearby as well, spreading his arms wide. "Don’t listen to these miscreants, Baby Parsan. You know who your daddy is, don’t you? You recognize the one who labored over your egg for days and kept you warm through the nights, don’t you?"

 The creature tottered on unsteady, bowed legs and began to wander about blindly, first in one direction and then the other. Presently it moved toward the cries of Berengar and then, uncertain, changed its mind and staggered weakly toward the sounds of Cil. Almost reaching her, it turned aside suddenly and tottered up to Brand with arms wide.

 Suddenly the gray film of slime caught on the floor and peeled off like a cloak. Its blind eyes blinked, shedding their temporary shells, and revealed glowing-blue eyes, bright as the summer sky.

 It stared up at Brand with eyes full of love. "Mama!" it cried in a soft gargle.

 The fact that it could speak immediately might have surprised the others, but Brand and Berengar knew it was a genetically programmed creature—and thus, they expected the unusual. Brand smiled with affection, scooped it up, and held it against his shoulder.

 "Nooooo!" Cil cried out in despair, beating her small fists on the floor. "That is simply not fair! How could you choose that ugly boy over me? He's not even a girl! How could he be your mother? Brand, won't you let me hold him? Please? I'll be nice!"

 Berengar turned away. Then stood up and gazed out one of the light shafts, a single tear sparkling on his sun-browned cheek.

 Was the great oaf sulking? Brand wondered in disbelief.

 "So be it," Berengar mumbled beneath his breath.

 The man's like a great child sometimes, thought Brand. "Will you two stop it? Don't be so ridiculous. Here, Cil, if it will cease your cries, have a hold of him."

 Cil grinned and took hold of the creature, who immediately began letting out a plaintive gurgle, and attempted to paddle its way back to Brand.

 With a frown of dismay, Cil handed the creature back to him, where it cuddled peacefully against his shoulder.

 Eventually, One, Two, and Three got over their shock and came to inspect the creature.

 "Ey, it's not so ugly now, is it?" said Three.

 Cil gave him a withering look.

 One asked, "What in the devil is it?"

 Brand directed a meaningful look at Berengar, who simply shrugged. Then Brand decided to tell them: "It’s a genetically engineered creature—a construct of the ancients, left behind. Its forbearer died in a calamity in a mountain village. We salvaged the egg as we escaped."

 "It's like a fish-frog-man," said One crudely.

 "Don't be insulting, it's so much more than that," said Berengar defensively.

 "One's words at least have the merit of brevity," admitted Brand.

 "Amazing. Who knew that such things still remained?" said Cil, fascinated.

 "Back off!" said Brand, suddenly agitated by their closeness. "You're stifling him."

 "Ah, his motherly instincts are kicking in!" barked Berengar with an offensive laugh, slapping his knee.

 Brand rolled his eyes while the others laughed.

 "Well," said Berengar finally, "the plan hasn't changed. Three, teach us the ways of the sky!"

 And so, Three instructed Brand, Berengar, and Cil on his machines and the basics of aerodynamics, in the presence One's hateful gaze. The hours went by, and the shafts of afternoon sun eventually faded, to be replaced by the silvery shimmers of moonlight. Three was at this moment explaining what an updraft was and sketching their locations within the canyons on the map when baby Parsan awoke from his nap and began a plaintive gurgle. Brand attempted to soothe him, but this time nothing worked.

 "I believe he's hungry," said Cil, with that motherly insight inherent in all women.

 "Ah, okay... but, what does he eat?" replied Brand in a huff.

 "What does a frog eat?" said Three.

 Brand and Cil glared at him, but then Berengar broke in. "He may be right. Frogs need no milk and eat insects and small fleshy things... and he does be like a frog after all... Three, hand me that desert-hamster kabab."

 Three handed him the kabab, and Berengar broke off a piece of meat the size of a fingernail. He proffered it delicately on one large finger to baby Parsan.

 The creature ceased its plaintive noises and turned its eyes upon the meat, sniffing it. It then began to suckle on the meat and fingertip, delicately.

 "Ah, that tickles," laughed Berengar. "Oh, his gums feel hard, like a lizard's beak."

 Suddenly, its jaw stretched wide like a pelican's and engulfed most of Berengar's large finger.

 "Ouch," he cried in surprise, laughing all the harder as he quickly tugged his finger away. "He nipped me!"

 "Did you see how his jaw expanded?" said Brand, aghast.

 "Let’s see what he can do with something larger!" said Berengar, his voice full of barbaric curiosity. He tore off a full leg—about the size of a chicken drumstick—and offered it to the creature. Its jaw opened, and its elastic lips stretched wide to engulf the entire leg, which was nearly as tall as the creature itself.

 Its eyes bulged as its small head ballooned around the meat and bone. Its flexible body molded to the shape of its meal in an unbelievable fashion. All watched, gaping in stunned silence, as it overcame the drumstick lengthwise. Then it looked up at Brand with affection in its blue eyes. Its body now appeared strangely shaped, lopsided and hunchbacked, due to the stiff drumstick within. It leaned against Brand's chest and promptly fell back asleep.

 "It's a damned monster!" said One in surly tones. "Imagine what it could do if full grown!"

 Brand swallowed nervously. Then said, "We'll bring him up right. Also, I believe a name has just come to me."

 "Yeah?" said Cil.

 "Yes. Alucard."

Look out for the next episode!

Peace

—Alucard

Btw, if you haven’t already seen it in my previous posts. I’ve got a book out—available on Amazon and pretty much everywhere else online. It’s a grim fairy tale set in the moonlit gardens of rural Japan, blending the eerie beauty of traditional folklore with a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere. If you’re a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away—you’ll feel right at home here.

It’s bite-sized, easy to read in one sitting, and perfect for lovers of dark, haunted landscapes, and strange little spirits hiding in the mist.

Grab it now on Kindle, paperback, or wherever you get your books.

Click the image If you're curious—it’s available in paperback for $5.99, or just $1.99 (or free) on Kindle.

And if you do grab a copy, please consider leaving a quick review—it really helps.

P.S.

If you’ve been enjoying the writing, and the podcast (which now has over 1000 downloads!), consider buying me a coffee and supporting the effort so I can keep bringing you high-quality content. Thanks so much!

Buy me a coffee (or in this case… chip in for my new streaming laptop ☕💻)