Vampire Of The New World

Lisa felt the warm bodies of fellow passengers pressing on her from all sides. She found it hard to breathe, but she just concentrated on maintaining her course towards the open door. Nestie was beside her and she saw sweat running all over his face. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and returned a quick glance at Lisa.

Like sheepdogs guiding sheep to go outside their pen, the port security whistled loudly by the side and tried to control the crowd. They shouted and waved their arms. The passengers, on the other hand, continued to press on each other as they struggled to be the first to get out of the fray. Lisa heard children crying to their parents. A father lifted his son to avoid him getting trampled by the crowd.

From across the room, Lisa saw the other gate slowly being opened. The crowd pressed harder, making the inwardly opening gates even more difficult to move. The security guard's voice trumpeted, amplified by a megaphone. He shouted at the crowd, scolding them like little children and asking them not to prevent the second gate from being opened. Lisa wondered if the same scenario was played out every day.

"Is it always like this?" she asked Nestie.

Nestie merely nodded and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Lisa was pushed towards the direction of the second gate which the guard was finally able to open. Nestie, on the other hand, was pushed towards the first gate.

"Let's just meet outside," shouted Nestie above the din. Lisa nodded. Just as Lisa was reaching the second gate, she felt a sudden push from her right as a group of fellow passengers prevented her from getting out. She saw the familiar hat of the woman she encountered earlier and her group of young tourists. She wanted to shout at the group, but was able to restrain herself and just followed them outside the second gate.

Outside the waiting area, the crowd congregated near the ramp leading to the ferry. Feeling the cold early morning air on their faces and the anticipation of finally being able to board the ferry, the crowd was a lot tamer, much to Lisa's relief. Even the group of young tourists resumed their chattering and loud conversations. The young woman with the yellow hat even laughing with her friends.

Nestie was able to join Lisa as she got out of the waiting area. After a while, the long chain placed across the entrance to the ferry and preventing the crowd from boarding was lowered and the herd of people started to board. Cars and pick-up trucks were driven over the ramp snd afterwards secured to the deck. The drivers were careful and drove slowly to avoid hitting any of the people boarding the same ramp. Nestie led Lisa to the upper deck which was quickly getting filled with people. Eventually, they were able to find empty seats near the window and waited for the rest of the passengers to board.

The ferry was an old rusty piece of iron which was surprisingly still found seaworthy by the government authorities. The paint on the hand rails were peeling off and the exposed iron already rusty. Lisa wondered how long the ferry could still brave the waves before it would finally be sent for decommissioning. Nestie sat quietly by Lisa's side, apparently tired from the ordeal of being pushed from all sides by strangers. Lisa wondered why the passengers still needed to push each other after they have already received tickets and therefore assured of a seat on the ferry. Nestie explained that the passengers tend to prefer the seats at the front, away from the noise of the engines and the direct sunlight at the back.

The group of young tourists including the woman with the yellow hat were one of the first people to board the ferry and were playfully taking selfies from their seats. After about an hour, the mooring ropes were untied and the anchor was raised. The crowd cheered when the boat started to move backwards, leaving the port behind. The sun had already risen from the east revealing clear skies and slowly overpowering the remaining sprinkling of stars in the west.

"Looks like it will be good weather today," said Nestie.

"Yes, looks like it." Then, Lisa raised her hand to her forehead. Seeing his companion somewhat disturbed, Nestie realized the implication of what he said.

"I'm sure Jon has a perfect explanation why he said what he said. Or maybe they have a better weatherman who could predict freak storms." Nestie nudged Lisa with an elbow.

"It's okay, Nes. It's nothing. I shouldn't worry about things I can't do anything about." Lisa said, raising her chin confidently.

"That's my girl! Perhaps we should just plan on how we can make the most of our stay in Cardena. You did say we're going to your cousin. What's her name again?" Nestie asked.

"Celie de Luna," replied Lisa. "We grew up together when my family still lived there."

"You mean Celeste de Luna? The heiress? The mayor's daughter?" Nestie was surprised.

Lisa nodded with a smile. "Yes. The same one. Sorry, I forgot to mention that detail."

"You mean we are staying at the house of a socialite? You mean you are related to one of the ric.h.e.s.t and most powerful families in Cardena?"

"You seem surprised." Lisa chuckled.

"I didn't know you're royalty!" Nestie laughed. "From now on, I shall call you Princess Lisa."

"It's Your Royal Highness to you." Lisa nudged Nestie. Then, she added. "I'm not rich. My aunt, Celie's mother, only married into the de Lunas."

"I'm surprised there were no objections from the husband's family."

"Oh, there was a lot of objection. It was just not publicized. But as they say, love conquers everything. My uncle just couldn't let my aunt go. In the end, they married in secret. Eventually, my uncle's family learned to accept my aunt. By the time Celie was born, my aunt was fully integrated into the family."

"Like Romeo and Juliet! How romantic!" enthused Nestie.

"Not quite. You do know how the star-crossed lovers ended, right? My aunt and uncle are still very much alive." Lisa gave a Nestie a light tap on the wrist.

Suddenly, Lisa and Nestie heard the shrill note of a whistle and their attention was caught by what they saw at the bow. The woman with the yellow hat was standing with her boyfriend near the front edge with arms outstretched in what appeared to be an imitation of the scene in Titanic as a friend took their picture.

A wave suddenly hit the boat, throwing the couple off balance.