Loving a Monster

By Hernan Tejeda Barriga

Count Vrax was the last surviving member of a family lineage known for their wickedness. His father had forced him to witness brutal rituals conducted on innocent people from a nearby village, which left a permanent mark on the castle he lived in. As a result, the castle became cursed, and no one dared to approach it.

One day, a daring woman named Ruth entered Count Drax's mysterious castle to uncover the secrets hidden within its dark depths. She believed that the tales told by the villagers were exaggerated. As Ruth explored the castle, she began to communicate with the immortal Count from the shadows because he was afraid that Ruth, upon seeing him, would feel a deep dislike for him. She discovered the price he paid for an existence linked to eternity. Ruth found that the Count longed to be loved by someone, but the curse on the castle made everyone see him as a monster.

Despite the curse, Ruth eventually came to trust the count, and she married him. They shared happiness for over thirty years until Ruth passed away, leaving the Count alone again in his immortal nature.

After she left, the count continued to wander eternally through the dark corners of his castle, each day the same as the previous one.

Every morning, the count went up to the highest window of the castle to look in the direction of the village to see if another Ruth was coming. The count did the same for hundreds of years, hoping she would one day arrive at his door, but she never came. After seeing that, once again, no one would come, a tear always ran down the count's cheek.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hernan Tejeda Barriga
• Release date: Apr 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224174997

Book preview

Loving a Monster

Hernan Tejeda Barriga

Published by Hernan Tejeda Barriga, 2024.

Loving a monster

The man who couldn´t die.

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A novel

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HERNAN TEJEDA BARRIGA

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, countries, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or individuals, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Contents

Contents

1 The secrets of an ancient castle.

2 A night in the castle.

3 Reading a book of horrors.

4 The castle opens its gate.

5 Ruth's history.

6 A rape. The revenge.

7 Ruth is expelled from her home.

8 A mob challenging the castle.

9 An attack on Ruth.

10 Ruth in the hospital.

11 The count meet Ruth. An unforgivable crime.

12 The man who couldn’t die.

13 Ruth´s history.

14 Ruth and the count join.

15 Ruth impending death.

16 The count is left alone.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Soledad Cristi, Fernanda Bastias, and to the many writers who guided me on the hard path to create my first book.

Among them James Bell, Ged Cusack, Paul Gutierrez, Ben Nova and many others.

But what started me on the road to write Science Fiction were Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

And to you also, if you read this book.

1  The secrets of an ancient castle.

A big castle that seemed frozen in time stood in a desolate, barren land where the sky was almost always shrouded in a perpetual mist. The castle was a monument to a bygone era, a testament to a tragic and unforgivable history. Its cold, imposing stone walls rose high into the sky, casting ominous shadows over the surrounding landscape.

Count Vrax, a mysterious figure who seldom ventured beyond the shadows that clung to him like a second skin, lived within the castle's walls. He was a man haunted by the past and the secrets buried within the castle's walls. The castle was his refuge, his sanctuary from the outside world, where he could be alone with his thoughts and memories.

The castle was a place of fleeting, dark, and sinister beauty, where the past met the present in a clash of mixed emotions. Time had stopped in this place, where the ghosts of the past waited to be released. And yet, despite its sinister reputation, the castle had an undeniable appeal. In a world that offered few opportunities for adventures and thrills, daring visitors were eager to explore its secrets and uncover its mysteries. However, they would often give up their plans at the last moment after hearing the disturbing tales told by the villagers of a nearby village.

But one day, a daring woman named Ruth was drawn to the mysterious castle with a determined spirit and a heart yearning for adventure. Ignoring the sinister stories told in the village where she lived, which she considered exaggerations, she entered the castle, unaware of the disturbing figure that watched her from its dark corners.

Count Vrax, a prisoner of his own story, felt a warmth he had never experienced before when he watched Ruth exploring the castle's hidden corners. Although he felt a little attracted to this woman, his secrets weighed heavily on his heart, so he could not show himself because he risked being rejected if he exposed his true identity.

Bound by the chains of his past misdeeds, Count Vrax fought the desire to approach this woman, but fear inhibited him. He remained in the castle's gloom, torn between the warmth of these new emotions and the icy grip of his story.

As Ruth continued exploring the castle's mysteries, she sensed a troubled soul stalking her from the shadows. Count Vrax had a desperate desire to be loved by someone, anyone. However, he knew it was impossible to achieve this goal. As he struggled with this unattainable wish, his soul felt like it was about to burst with silent screams. He was a man imprisoned by his secrets and his longing for love.

In the end, Count Vrax remained hidden in the solitude of his sadness, sacrificing this small opportunity to get close to a woman to protect Ruth from the disturbing truth within him. The Count knew there was a dangerous man inside him, and he didn't know how far he could go if the violence inside him were released. The castle, a silent witness, knew his search for love could never bridge the gap between darkness and light.

As Ruth descended the ancient stone stairs, deeper into the castle's basements, the air became increasingly humid and filled with a foul stench that clawed at her senses. The darkness was overwhelming and filled her with fear. She felt as if a sinister force had taken hold