Amy's Wardrobe

Amy's Taste in Dresses
 I imagine Amy would have worn dresses similar to this one. Whether she was stealing a new dress or deciding what to wear for the evening, she always imagined the way Robert would like to see her when she chose a dress.

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Vampires Go Clothes Shopping!

Wouldn't it be great to be able to shop freely taking whatever you like without having to pay for it? Of course, the vampires were stealing, but that's one of the advantages of being a vampire along with superhuman strength and invulnerability to sickness and, unless decapitated or staked in the heart, immortality. That was the greatest part of the sci-fi movie The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston. Believing to be the last man on earth he went into stores taking whatever he needed and taking whichever car he liked. After seeing that movie I remember remarking to my mother how great it would be to be the last person on earth and have everything to myself. She quickly listed off many disadvantages of that situation that would surely outweigh the one advantage of having everything in the world just for me.

Amy loves to shop for free dresses, but does so carefully so as not to make any of the shop owners suspicious.When Ruthie is feeling down Amy expects Ruthie to have her spirits lifted by shopping for a new dress just as she does. In fact, Amy uses dress shopping as a cure for any bad mood and is baffled when Ruthie fails to be cheered up by dress shopping. However, Amy is thrilled when Susie is delighted by Amy's shopping technique. Unlike Ruthie, Susie is very impressed by Amy's attitude toward shopping and is eager to devise ways to have even more luxuries than just fine dresses. Susie wants to take advantage of all the ways she can improve her life with her new vampire abilities but Amy and Ruthie are constantly oppressing her desires for fear of being discovered and destroyed.

In fact, Susie suggests that they clean out the pockets of their victims and use the money to obtain luxuries for themselves which is distasteful to Ruthie and terrifying to Amy who, as a rule, doesn't do business with humans for fear of being recognized, hunted and destroyed. Susie, citing all the strengths and advantages they now have as vampires, is frustrated and resents being so restrained when she feels the world is hers for the taking. She wants to hunt out luxuries for herself just as passionately as she hunts for blood.

John Strapper's Blood is Drained and He is Left for Dead

Searching the alleys for blood Amy and Ruthie are surprised when the back door of a hotel on Bank Street violently flies open  and a man and woman tumble out into the alley. Ruthie is content drinking the blood of rats but Amy is thrilled to possibly find a human to drain when they realize the man is attempting to rape the woman. As the victim struggles to free herself from her attacker Ruthie easily tears him away from her and tosses him against the alley wall where Amy is greedily waiting to drain his blood and leave him for dead.

As I wrote this chapter I was imagining the alley behind Ernie's Cafe in New London. Ermie's front door is on Bank Street but this alley is accessed from Golden Street. This is how it looks now, obviously, much different than it must have looked in 1850 when the story takes place. The Royal Hotel is above Ernie's and that is the hotel I had in mind while I was writing, although the original Royal Hotel burned down and was rebuilt as this brick building. I think the original was a wooden structure, but I could be wrong.

The Vampires Fly to the Roof of the Custom House

Custom House, Bank Street, New London, Connecticut

Amy, Ruthie and Susie learn they can fly thanks to Susie's enthusiasm for attack and her appetite for blood. Attempting to pounce on her prey she feels herself slightly rise off the ground and after sharing her experience with Amy and Ruthie is challenged to prove her theory. Amy and Ruthie feel that they certainly would have known long ago if they had the ability to fly and as a relatively new vampire Susie must be mistaken. They are soon surprised and amazed as Susie climbs onto an overturned ashcan and launches herself forward landing several feet away.

Shortly after, they fly to the roof of the Custom House to get a better view of the city in their search for the mysterious new vampire in town who is endangering all of their lives with his reckless, brutal attacks on the townspeople.

Susie Becomes a Vampire in the Antientist Cemetery in New London

After Amy and Ruthie kill Susie's attacker and lead her away from the murder scene in Chapter 21, they flee to the "city's colonial burial ground", where they transform Susie into a vampire. They believe they are helping Susie by rescuing her from a life of victimization and also saving her from being accused of the murder of her attacker, however; when Susie learns of her transformation she is not grateful as Amy had hoped.

 The long large stones are engraved and can still be read. Many of the headstones can also still be read. Others have been worn smooth over the centuries.

Looking north parallel to Hempstead Street.

I chose to have this scene take place in a cemetery because it was fairly close to the scene of the murder and I assumed it would be deserted in the drizzly autumn night. The burial ground I had in mind was the Antientist or Ye Olde Burial Ground on Hempstead Street in New London. In 1850 when the story takes place this grave yard was already around 200 years old.

Northeastern view toward the Thames River and the town and city of Groton on the other bank.

Amy and Robert

“One evening I was at a spring ball dancing with all who requested the honor and attempting to decide who would become my husband when I saw a strangely beautiful man standing apart from the crowd. He was tall and well dressed and had dark wavy hair. He was the most handsome man I've ever seen. He was watching me. When my dance partner returned me to my seat by my mother, he approached and introduced himself to us in such a smooth and lovely voice. The sound of which caused a very calming yet exciting feeling throughout my entire being. His name was Robert. My mother questioned him relentlessly, which I found quite embarrassing and feared her protective diligence would deter his interest in me, but he didn’t seem to mind and politely answered all of her questions. He said he was in town on business and the man he had come to see had invited him along to the ball. Finally, my mother allowed him to be my dance partner. Ruthie, I had never felt that way about any man as I felt for Robert. He led me to the dance floor and his touch was like the thrill of heat lightening coursing through my veins and when his dark eyes looked into mine it was like the stars shining in the deep black sky of a hot summer night. I could barely keep from gasping in pleasure and surprise.  When our eyes met as we faced each other on the dance floor it seemed as though in that instant our very souls became one and we were joined for life. His attire and his manner proved to me that he came from a respectable family and his dancing was flawless, masterful yet smooth. I trembled and thought I might faint with excitement as he led me around the floor, I was so taken by him as he held me so tight.”

In Chapter 3 Amy describes to Ruthie how she first met Robert and experienced love at first sight. The scene is a familiar and common one in many 18th and 19th century novels. Chaste matrons, usually mothers or relatives, escort their expensively attired virgins to the ball to display to eligible suitors who survey the available ladies in hope of finding an attractive wife with a wealthy father. The matronly escorts supervise the dance to ensure the young ladies return home with their virtue intact. I often wondered why these men at the balls didn't just knock the old gals out of the way and ruin the helpless virgins out on the veranda or in a secluded room. It doesn't seem as though a middle-aged woman would be much of a shield against a horny young man and a beautiful young lady in an era when young ladies were primarily sex objects. Of course, gentlemen were hopefully raised with some respect for women and if not, the fear of the father's retaliation may have served as a deterrent.

Much of Amy's attraction to Robert may have been his mesmerizing vampire charms but I like to think that it was purely physical attraction. I wanted their passion to rival that of Emily Bronte's Heathcliff and Cathy of Wuthering Heights. First love is powerful in itself, but more so for Amy who is totally inexperienced and completely innocent. As we learn later in the story, Robert had the same reaction as Amy even though he is older and assumably more experienced. When two souls become joined as one nothing, not even death (or "undeath") can keep them apart.