Kiss Of The Butterfly Part 8

'Where did those names come from?'

'From the Revelation of St. John,' Ljubovic looked intensely at Steven. 'You still haven't answered my question. Do you believe that the Devil exists?'

'Oh, sorry. Well yes, but I've never really thought about it except abstractly.'

'Well if G.o.d exists, then the Devil must also exist: all of G.o.d's holy prophets and apostles testify to this.'

'How do you know so much about religion? Didn't you grow up under communism?'

'Oh yes, and the communists forbade the study of religion. When I was young I was a rebel, and when I saw how morally bankrupt and corrupt the communists were I a.s.sumed that anything forbidden was good. As an ethnography professor, I study world myths and religions, so I've read the holy scriptures of all the world's religions. But I find those of Christianity especially compelling. Perhaps it's my cultural background, but the Holy Bible offers me great comfort and wisdom, and I now know why the communists didn't want it to be read. It contradicts everything they teach. It teaches us that we have free agency, that we're children of G.o.d, that man has a higher purpose, and that we're not just animals. It contradicts the materialism inherent in communism and replaces it with a spirituality that transcends this world. It also teaches the difference between right and wrong and good and evil.

'But we've digressed. Evil exists. It's tangible and real and here in the Balkans it's all around us. Don't let yourself be fooled by the vain philosophizing of learned men. You must take care that it doesn't seduce you, that you don't unconsciously become part of it. Now, are you prepared for the lecture tonight?' Ljubovic asked Steven.

'Yes. This time there's much more material and I probably won't do it justice.'

'You do what you did last time and you'll do just fine. Come to my office before we start. There's someone I'd like you to meet.'

'Oh? Who?'

Ljubovic stopped and stared at debris floating downstream on the spring flood waters. 'A friend of mine from the University of Novi Sad, a professor of ethnography. I think you'll find that he's not only interested in what you're doing, but that he may also be able to help you in your research. I've invited him here especially to hear you this evening. And Steven, if you still have trouble getting the book you need, let me know next week and I'll intervene with the library.' Ljubovic smiled.

'Thanks,' Steven said, tossing a pebble into a pile of debris that had wedged against a tree at the edge of the embankment. 'The spring run-off has sure carried a lot of logs downstream,' he commented as his pebble landed amid a pile of water-borne plastic bags and bottles.

Ljubovic shaded his eyes and squinted at the river. 'Those aren't logs,' he answered grimly. 'That's from Bosnia.'

By the time Steven climbed to Ljubovic's office that evening it was already starting to get dark, and the weak neon lighting inside the Philosophy Faculty cast a jaundiced yellow light on everything. On the fifth floor the lights were dark, the empty corridor lit only by the yellowish light that shone through the transom above Ljubovic's office door. From inside came the sound of voices. Steven hesitated before knocking.

The voices stopped talking and Steven heard Ljubovic call out 'Come in.' He entered to find Ljubovic next to a large man in his mid-forties with thick, unkempt hair and a hermit's beard, fiddling with a long white scarf around his neck. The stranger had a slight hunch in his neck and shoulders. 'Stojadinovic, Ljubodrag,' he announced loudly in a deep ba.s.s voice, extending a large paw, crus.h.i.+ng Steven's hand.

'I've been telling Vlada about your presentation last week. He knew Marko Slatina when he lived in Novi Sad.'

'Marko and I are old friends,' Stojadinovic's smile felt contagious and full of energy. 'It's good to see he's still taking new students. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,' his deep voice filled the small office.

'Professor Ljubovic has told me about you too. He said I must meet you when I come to Novi Sad. I didn't know you'd be here this evening,' Steven said enthusiastically.

'No problem. Miroslav has been telling me of your research. It sounds as though you're quite the vampire hunter, the academic Van Helsing of the younger generation,' Stojadinovic's grin was infectious. 'And how is Marko? I haven't seen him for years, although we do write the occasional letter. He didn't mention you were coming.'

'He's doing well.' Steven grinned back. For some reason the presence of Stojadinovic made it feel normal to be researching vampires. 'Yes, yes, and I'll soon start carrying a wooden stake and cross with me wherever I go,' he joked.

Stojadinovic wrapped a large arm around Steven's shoulders in comradely fas.h.i.+on. 'You shall have fun when you come to Novi Sad. The Matica Srpska archives will offer you rich materials.'

'Gentlemen, we'll be late for the lecture,' Ljubovic stood up and reached for his briefcase. 'Let's go.'

A large group of students stood smoking in the hall outside the cla.s.s room, engaged in anxious conversation. As the three approached, the students took long last drags, extinguished their cigarettes and followed them into the room.

Steven was surprised at the turnout. Whereas there had been only eight at Professor Ljubovic's apartment, there were now almost twenty people, including Tamara, Vesna and Bear, crowded together around tables arranged in a large rectangle. Ljubovic and Steven sat at the head table and Ljubovic rapped his knuckles on the wood to call the meeting to order.

'As you know we like to hold these round table discussions to permit our graduate students the opportunity to share their research with their colleagues in an informal setting where we discuss and share ideas freely. We have with us this evening my colleague Professor Ljubodrag Stojadinovic from the Ethnography Department of the University of Novi Sad,' Ljubovic gestured at Stojadinovic.

'Our speaker tonight is Steven Roberts, who is visiting from America. For those of you who were not at his first lecture, he discussed manifestations of vampires in the lands of Yugoslavia. Tonight I've asked Steven to share with us more of his research on vampires. Steven?'

Steven cleared his throat, looked around the table and noticed Vesna smiling at him.

'Be nice,' she mouthed at him. He grinned mischievously.

'Tonight I'll discuss the characteristics of vampires. The reason I've chosen to do so is that after examining the collected accounts of Balkan folklore from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, as well as examining historical doc.u.ments, I've come to the conclusion that real vampires bear little resemblance to what we see in films or read in Bram Stoker's book Dracula. In fact, pretty much the only thing that Stoker accurately portrayed is that vampires dislike garlic and drink blood.'

'Let's start with the word vampir.' He picked up a thick pad of paper covered with notes. 'As you all know this is a Slavic word that has entered many western languages. However, in the lands of the former Yugoslavia...is it okay to use the term 'former Yugoslavia'?' He looked around for approval and Professor Ljubovic nodded his head in agreement as did many of those present.

'In the lands of the former Yugoslavia there are many words for a vampire. They are regional and include vampir, vampirin in Djevdjelija, vaper in Krusevac, voper in Ohrid, vopir, lipir, lampir and lampijer in other places. To make matters even more interesting, according to folk traditions and beliefs there's no difference between a vampire and a werewolf: they're one and the same creature, an undead shape-s.h.i.+fter that was once human, returns from the grave, feeds on the blood of living creatures and can live forever unless killed. So, in addition to the terms for vampire, we must also include the terms for a werewolf, particularly in Dalmatia and parts of Herzegovina, which include vukodlak, volkodlak, ukodlak, kodlak, kudljak, vukozlak, and vukozlacina. There are also other regional terms that describe the same creature. These include strigun, grobnik, gromnik, tenac, medovina, prikosac, kosac, upir, upirina and lapir. Regardless of the name, the folk tales all refer to a creature with the same characteristics, no matter the era or geographic location.'

'Now, how do we identify a vampire? What does one look like? Any thoughts?' Steven looked at the students.

Tamara raised her hand: 'they're tall, dark and handsome, have fangs, wear tuxedos with black capes and speak with a delicious s.e.xy accent.' Everybody laughed.

When they stopped, Steven continued: 'Vampires are difficult to tell apart from humans. First and foremost, because they're shape-s.h.i.+fters. Although they can transform their bodies, they typically remain in human form. Other popular forms include a large wolf or a horse, donkey or ox. Evidently s.h.i.+fting shape takes energy and they prefer human form unless necessary. Because vampires are shape-s.h.i.+fters, it's useless to bar a room against a vampire, as he'll simply revert to the shape of a mouse or c.o.c.kroach and enter that way. Other than shape s.h.i.+fting, the folk tales don't portray vampires as having any other special powers, nor are they superhumanly strong or fast.

'Unlike Hollywood movies, vampires don't usually turn into bats. Rather, they favor b.u.t.terflies. In folklore if a b.u.t.terfly or moth enters a home in the evening it means that someone will die from a vampire.'

'Pardon my interrupting,' Stojadinovic said. 'But in our folklore, upon death the human spirit also leaves the body in the form of a b.u.t.terfly.'

Steven scribbled a note about Stojadinovic's comment and continued. 'When they're in human form, vampires tend to have a specific appearance. Let's start with the face. They typically have goat or cat eyes that are red. Their teeth are made of iron and are also red. They often have a yellowish face and bluish lips, particularly immediately after becoming vampires. But most importantly, vampires don't have flesh. Rather, they're simply large inflated bags of skin, and as they feed they swell up. If they've gone without feeding for long periods of time, then they appear emaciated. So the typical well-fed vampire will appear bloated or inflated.'

'That sounds just like Milosevic and his wife Mira Markovic,' muttered Bear loudly, causing the students to laugh at the thought of the chubby dictator and his plump wife. 'Or Seselj,' called Tamara, sending the room into hysterics with her reference to the puffy paramilitary leader of the neo-fascist Serbian Radical Party.

'You see Steven, even the most mundane ethnographic research has curious implications for modern life,' Professor Ljubovic said. 'Please continue.'

'Vampires also tend to have long fingernails and in some stories they throw flame from their mouth.' Steven stopped and looked seriously at several of the female students. 'I see you have long nails. May we examine your teeth?' There were more laughs. 'Vesna, do you spit fire?' he asked mischievously as everyone laughed.

Vesna wrinkled her nose at him.

'But to return to a more serious...ah...vein. Let's discuss how vampires feed. We all know the cla.s.sic Hollywood portrayal where Dracula bites the victim on the neck and sucks out all the blood. Well, according to all the folk tales I have found, vampires do indeed live off the blood of living creatures. Human blood is their favorite, and after that they prefer the blood of dogs and cattle, in that particular order. If they feel that feeding from humans attracts too much attention, then they'll resort to other sources. When a vampire enters a village the dogs are always the first to react, howling and barking loudly, as they are the vampire's favorite food after humans. The horses and cattle then react next. And all the folk tales seem to agree that vampires can only feed from the left side of the body.'

'A vampire's power lies in its burial shroud. Almost without exception the folk tales describe vampires as carrying their burial shroud with them at all times, typically draped around the shoulders or wrapped around the neck, or in some instances they drag it behind them. If they lose their shroud, they lose their power to s.h.i.+ft shapes. I found numerous folk tales where villagers vanquished vampires by tricking them into dropping their shroud for a few moments, at which point the villagers seized both the shroud and the helpless vampire. Other than the power to s.h.i.+ft shapes, vampires are no more powerful than humans, and Balkan folklore contains numerous accounts of people wrestling with vampires.

'For some reason, vampires are averse to water. They cannot cross bodies of moving water, except by a bridge or boat, and the boat must be piloted by someone other than the vampire. They do, however, like to hang out near watermills. Why I don't know, except that in folklore watermills are often a.s.sociated with the supernatural.

'Some people ward off vampires using garlic, horseshoes, and other wards. In some parts of the Balkans, people bury their loved ones under the threshold or hearth of their homes, or in the front yard, in the belief that the spirits of the dead remain behind to guard the home against evil. Although it's supposed to be effective against vampires, it lowers the resale value of your home.'

Several people laughed.

'Now, how do you kill a vampire?' he looked around the room.

One girl raised her hand. 'Don't you drive a stake through its heart?' she asked.

'Yes, partially. There are three ways that I have identified to kill a vampire. The first is to drive a stake through its heart and then burn its head. But it can't be just any old stake: it must be a stake made from the wood of the Hawthorne tree, which is thought to be the tree from which Christ's crown of thorns was made. The second is to cut off its head and then burn its head and body. The third is to burn it. In any event, it's best if a priest is present to recite prayers while the vampire's being killed.' The audience was listening intently and many were taking notes.

'If I may interrupt,' Professor Stojadinovic interjected. 'The Hawthorne tree has deep roots in mythology and antiquity. But what's most pertinent to this discussion is the fact that the Hawthorne tree emits a chemical called trimethylene, which is also produced by decomposing bodies. b.u.t.terflies are attracted to this chemical, which is why they frequently cl.u.s.ter on both Hawthorne trees and freshly dug graves.'

Steven hastily scribbled down the information. 'Now, perhaps the most interesting thing I have discovered is how you become a vampire.' Steven looked around the room, pleased to see that they were so attentive. He was particularly pleased by Professor Stojadinovic's interest. 'I have good news and bad news about becoming a vampire. The good news is that if a vampire bites you, you can't become a vampire. Bram Stoker and all the others got that part completely wrong. The bad news is that if a vampire bites you, you'll die very painfully, either immediately or within a few short days.'

'Then how does one become a vampire?' Stojadinovic asked perfunctorily.

'That's a good question,' Steven responded. 'I'm not entirely certain, except that it's somehow connected to the existence of evil. The folk tales and legends are relatively silent on that matter. The only thing they agree on is that vampires are people who did evil deeds in this life. The folk tales all agree that an honest person cannot become a vampire, so none of us need worry about being bitten and becoming a vampire against our will...just about being bitten and dying.' Several of the students chuckled. 'But there does appear to be a common thread running through the legends that indicates vampires may have made a pact with the devil while in this life or the next. Nonetheless, it's difficult to say. One rarely hears of people becoming vampires who were killed violently or in battle. They're almost always persons who died a natural death. This means that vampires are usually older, uglier people, not the young s.e.xy actors we see in the Hollywood movies. One other common element among all the folk tales is that if an animal, such as a cat or dog or mouse walks over or under the body of a deceased evil person while the body's lying in state in the home, then that person will become a vampire.'

'If I may interrupt you on this matter,' Ljubovic had a quizzical look on his face. 'This explains much about our folk beliefs and practices. How many of you have been in a home where a dead person lay?' Most of the students raised their hands. 'Have you noticed,' he continued, 'how they always fence off the area around the body and make certain that no pets or animals are permitted in the house?' The students nodded. 'Well, thanks to you Steven, we now know why.'

'Is this custom still widespread?' Steven asked. 'Do people still practice it in the 1990s?'

'When my great-Uncle died last year they fenced around his bed,' one student responded.

'My family is from Sombor,' said another, 'and they did the same thing when my grandmother died.'

'You will all note how folklore is a living, breathing thing. Never attempt to isolate it in a sterile academic context,' Ljubovic instructed the students. 'Everything we do today in connection with birth, death, and marriage is constructed on a foundation of past customs and behaviors, whether we recognize it or not. Now, perhaps Steven, you would like to continue.'

'Thank you. Most vampires are discovered and killed by people from their village within the first 100 days after they appear. After someone becomes a vampire he's disoriented and confused by his new state and during these first 100 days they function much like the poltergeist in western European folklore: they invade the house at night, bang on pots and pans and leave a mess behind. One way to overpower them at this stage is to place wheat or barley or rice in their path, and they will obsessively count every grain. If vampires survive long enough, they move away from their village to avoid discovery, live abroad and change their ident.i.ty. They typically are involved in the following professions: arms salesmen, butchers and traveling salesmen.'

'So what you're saying is that a young vampire is an arms salesman who bangs pots and pans?' asked Ljubovic. The audience laughed.

'Basically, yes. Now this next part is really unusual. According to folklore, some vampires feel remorse for their sins and try to repent. There are even a few rare instances where vampires have achieved redemption, although the stories are vague about the circ.u.mstances.'

'Redemption?' Stojadinovic interrupted excitedly. 'What more can you tell us about this?'

'Nothing, really. All I know is that it supposedly happened, but I couldn't find specifics. And now for the fun part. Contrary to what Hollywood and popular authors state, vampires can have s.e.x.' He grinned at the audience. They all sat up and some smiled. 'There are numerous instances of vampires returning to their homes after their death and sleeping with their wives. In some instances the wives became pregnant and bore children.'

'How many of these children ended up looking like the postman or the vampire's brother-in-law?' Ljubovic asked, grinning.

'Good question. In one instance it turned out that the "vampire" lived five houses away from the widow and had helped her poison her late husband. Both received the death penalty. I found a similar account from 1846 in Slavonija where a woman was being "visited" at night in her bed by a vampire, who later turned out to be a neighbor.'

'But these aren't the only instances of people using fears and superst.i.tions about vampires to engage in dubious activities. There are accounts of villages where a rumor spread that a vampire had appeared, and then food and wine began disappearing from local barns and corncribs and cellars. In almost every instance it later turned out that thieves had spread the rumor to scare the peasants into staying indoors at night.

'But let me return to the question of vampires and s.e.x. In addition to the hoaxes carried out so people could sleep with the widow, there do seem to be a number of cases where a dead person became a vampire and returned to have s.e.xual relations with his wife, and in some instances she became pregnant. Most of the children attributed to vampires were born horribly deformed and died shortly after birth, but the few who survived were called either a vampirovic, or in Dalmatia a kresnik. The vampirovic acts as sort of an anti-vampire, is clairvoyant and is able to detect vampires, no matter their form. A vampirovic can also kill a vampire more easily than a human, for example with a gun, although the bullet must be made of steel and not lead. When a vampirovic shoots a vampire through the heart, the vampire turns into a puddle of b.l.o.o.d.y jelly.' Several of the students made faces of disgust at the image. 'A vampirovic can also live forever, similar to a vampire, except that he doesn't feed on blood.

'Most vampires are depicted as nocturnal creatures who return to their graves to sleep during the day. According to the folklore, this is true only of new vampires. There are many examples of vampires who walk around normally during the day, particularly as they grow older and gain experience. So if vampires were among us today it would be very difficult to know who they are,' Steven concluded.

'Don't be so certain,' Stojadinovic interjected. 'Haven't you seen all the black jeeps and limousines with darkened windows? If I were a vampire, that would be the ideal way to travel around during daytime. And I'd surround myself with beautiful, fast women and wear dark gla.s.ses.' Many of the students nodded.

Ljubovic jumped in. 'The image of a vampire is indeed a powerful one, that of a mystical being that sucks the life essence from those it attacks. In this regard we might consider Yugoslavia as being under attack by vampires. The symbolism is certainly powerful and appropriate. Any comments or questions?'

A number of hands shot up and Ljubovic spent the next hour conducting a lively discussion on folklore, mythology, symbolism and vampires. At the end of the evening he said: 'I'd like to thank Steven for his presentation,' and began knocking on the table with his knuckles. The others joined in with this polite academic applause. 'Before we leave this evening, I would like to ask Steven if he has any last thoughts or comments for us.'

'Thank you all,' Steven said, relieved that the discussion had gone smoothly. 'There's one thing that keeps popping to mind. That's the origin of the vampire myth. Except for regional variations in names, all the vampire stories are consistent over 600 years. Is it possible that at one time there might have actually been some sort of a biological phenomenon or disease or something that gave rise to vampire stories? Anyway, thank you for paying attention and for coming.'

As the students rose to leave, Ljubovic and Stojadinovic offered their congratulations. 'Truly marvelous, Steven,' Stojadinovic gushed. 'The work you've done is ground-breaking. I'm very impressed.'

'Thank you,' Steven said, floating on a cloud of praise, relieved that his work had pleased the two professors.

'You must come to visit me in Novi Sad as soon as possible,' Stojadinovic added. 'There is much for you to learn there.'

Slatina's knife minced the tender green basil leaves until they were nearly paste, and then he turned his attention to cloves of garlic, savoring the richness of the scent. His homemade pesto would go on whole grain spaghetti. He glanced at a pan of sliced eggplants, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, zucchini, parsley and garlic garnished with olive oil, waiting to be placed in the oven. A salad of rucola, pinola nuts, parmesan and thinly sliced pear brought back memories of home. From the other room an all-news cable announcer droned about the weather in Sri Lanka.

He thought of Steven and wondered what he was up to. He felt increasingly nervous about the spa.r.s.eness of communication. Was Steven using good judgment in his a.s.sociations? Was he being careful with his comments? Was he using discretion sharing material with others? The lack of letters and phone calls was worrisome. Increasingly he had begun to question his own judgment in sending Steven with such little preparation. For now, all he could do was hope for the best and trust in Steven's character.

'Can you set the table?' he called.

'Okay, just a second,' Katarina answered. 'I want to hear the news at the top of the hour about Yugoslavia.'

Slatina sighed. He knew there would be nothing good. He heard the music announcing the beginning of the next sixty-minute news cycle, then an announcer's voice: Gun battles broke out today as Serbian forces resumed sh.e.l.ling Sarajevo, attacking the city center, post office, telephone exchange and power stations. At least six civilians were killed and 47 wounded. Serbian aircraft also bombed Croat positions in western Herzegovina, while heavy fighting was reported in Turbe, Derventa and Mostar. Today US Deputy a.s.sistant Secretary of State Ralph Johnson met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade. A US official who requested anonymity said that Johnson gave the Serbian strongman a tough message about Serbian responsibility for the ongoing violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

Slatina frowned as he mentally tuned it out, opened a bottle of red wine from the island of Hvar, and poured it into a decanter, noting with satisfaction its thickness. As he sniffed its purple fumes, a smile crept back over his face.

And then Katarina's scream shattered the air.

Slatina dropped the decanter on the floor: gla.s.s shards and liquid shot in all directions, sending scarlet streaks across his beige cotton trousers. He ran to find her sitting on the sofa, her knees pulled tightly against her chest, sobbing and moaning. He sat down and placed his arms around her.

'There, there, child, it's okay. It's okay. Tell me what happened,' he said soothingly, rocking her gently. 'Everything will be okay.'

'On the TV... it happened on TV' she breathed rapidly, her voice breaking with emotion. 'I saw it.'

'Tell me what you saw.'

'I...I...was watching the footage of the meeting in Belgrade... just now... in the background, behind the negotiators...I saw it...it was hideous...red eyes that were all wrong...fangs...blackness pouring from its soul...it just walked in back of everybody as normal as can be, carrying papers for one of the Serbian negotiators... and n.o.body seemed to notice.'

Interlude IV: The Labyrinth and the Chamber: Monday, 6 May 1940 Two Yugoslav Royal Army officers trudged down the pa.s.sageway, lanterns in front of them. Each carried a long wooden stake.

'Will we ever find the twelfth?' asked the Lieutenant.

'We haven't heard from him all this time,' the Captain responded. 'Someone must have killed him.'

'The seepage is getting worse,' the Lieutenant said looking around.

'Bad plumbing in the garrison buildings above ground,' the Captain answered. 'Poor quality...cheap materials...the Austrians knew how to build things, but this lot...how I long for good German workmans.h.i.+p.'

They continued through the gloom until they came to an intersection with a marble sign that read IV/500 Kom. Gall. Communication Gallery IV/500. They turned down a side tunnel until they came to the lock embedded in the wall. The Captain faced it, crossed himself, heard a loud click, and turned left towards the far wall. He pressed the wall open and descended the damp stairs, followed by the Lieutenant.

Their descent was halted by a clear stream that covered the bottom of the stairs.

'It's risen almost a meter since last year,' the Lieutenant said.

'They're trapped,' the Captain muttered.

'Perhaps the water has also risen inside,' the Lieutenant said. 'Do you think they could drown?'