Web Site Manager's Note:

Aulden's encounters in this story occured before he read Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra. When he later read Zarathustra, he was surprised at the similarity - not of the quality (which he wouldn't consider comparing), but the similarity in how the archetypal figures gathered and conversed.

By "archetypal" I mean that each character embodies a single aspect of humanity, and in that sense they might seem one-dimensional. The names alone imply this. In Zarathustra some of the characters who gathered in the cave were "The Leech," "The Sorcerer," "The Ugliest Man," "The Higher Man," "The Shadow," and "The Voluntary Beggar."

Jung pointed out that Zarathustra was written in a contemplative style, and that Nietzsche had an "intuitive-artistic manner of production." For Aulden, the contemplative method was done in a meditative state as if in a lucid dream. The similarity Aulden noticed is that in Zarathustra a group of archetypal figures gathered in one place, Zarathustra's cave, and each took their turn in the conversation. In Aulden's encounters they gathered in the throne room or in a church and the conversation had the same pattern. The surprise to Aulden was that, without having read Zarathustra, the intuitive writing method produced a similar form.

"The vampire motif is worldwide. Vampires are the spirits of the dead in Hades to whom Odysseus must first sacrifice blood. Their lust for blood is the craving or impulse of the unconscious contents to break into consciousness. If they are denied they begin to drain energy from consciousness, leaving the individual fatigued and listless. This story indicates an attempt on the part of unconscious contents to attract the attention of consciousness, to obtain recognition of their reality and their needs and to impart something to consciousness."
- Marie-Louise von Franz

Aulden entered the throne room along with Janice, The Wind and Poseidon. "Your majesty," Aulden announced, "I have the key!" He removed the sun-shaped disk from the book.

The King looked at it, seemingly pleased, and said, "Show the others." Aulden lifted it above his head so that everyone in the throne room could see.

As Aulden displayed the key, a noise filled the room - the sound of ice cracking on a frozen lake. The floor in front of the throne's platform broke open and underneath was water, and a hand reached up through the water.

Aulden took hold of the hand and pulled a woman up through the hole in the ice-floor. She was gasping for breath as she emerged.

Startled, Aulden asked, "Who are you?"

The woman, catching her breath, answered, "Dogfish. I have to talk to you!"

She sat on the edge of the throne's platform and Aulden sat in his chair, in front of her. She was wet and cold, shivering as she sat, and the King wrapped his robe around her. She said, "Listen…" but her shivering increased and she spoke no further.

Aulden, knowing that he had the power of his own imagination at hand, said, "I can make your clothing dry."

She responded briskly, "Don't use that magic here."

Aulden was intrigued by her and asked, "Tell me something about yourself, Dogfish." She answered, "I swim down deep and there's light down there."

"How can there be light so deep?"

She explained, "It's the light of Self, and I see it."

Aulden questioned, "What can you tell me about it?"

She said, "Listen." She took his hand and she dived into the water, pulling Aulden along with her. They swam downward, along a column of basalt. At the base of this basalt cliff they reached an immersed city. Aulden thought it was lost and uninhabited, but as they entered the city he noticed people in lounge chairs, sunbathing. These were not ordinary people, for instead of heads they had yellow balloons with smiley faces drawn on them.

Dogfish led Aulden to a building that was under construction. The stud-walls were not yet covered with siding or drywall. Another woman was there, and she appeared to be a sister or maybe even the twin of Dogfish. Aulden asked her, "Who are you?" She answered, "Eleven-Eleven." Then she said, "Sh, listen!"

Aulden felt leery about 1111 and about this place: an underwater city with a building under construction. He asked, "What's being built here?"

Dogfish told him, "A new house for you."

"Why was it so urgent for you to talk to me?"

She said, "Don't you know? We're preparing a new place."

"What do I need to know about this place?" Aulden pressed for understanding.

Dogfish explained, "We're doing an inventory. We need to measure you for the size," and 1111 added, "A house without a roof. A room without paintings and windows."

Aulden felt more confused, but he complied, saying, "Measure me."

1111 measured Aulden's armspan as he held his arms apart. She said, "One mile." And then she measured his waist and said, "Thirty-two inches." She noticed that Aulden was holding something, and she asked, "What's in your hand?" It was a camera, although Aulden didn't know how he came to be holding it. As if this was planned, she posed alongside Dogfish and Aulden took their picture.

Aulden examined the situation and asked, "Dogfish, 1111, is this new house a coffin?"

1111 answered, "How did you know?" and laughed.

"No paintings, no windows, a door - Tell me what I need to know about this."

1111 said, "You won't die alone. We'll be with you."

"Tell me more. Is this death the end of my material body, or is it something internal and metaphorical?"

Dogfish answered, "We can't talk to you about that."

Aulden pressed on, "You measured me. What will I be doing in the new house?"

The two females laughed and simply replied, "Take our picture again."

"Okay," Aulden relented, "Pose for the picture."

They playfully posed and Aulden asked as he photographed them, "Why do I need this picture?"

They both responded enthusiastically, "To tell your friends. Tell your friends about us."

He was sorry to admit, "My friends don't seem interested when I talk about this land - this underworld."

1111 took Aulden's hand and the two women led him through the house, along the stud-walls. Aulden asked about her name, "1111, is your name a synonym for two humans in a relationship: man and woman and anima and animus?"

She didn't answer, but simply said, "Come with me."

They came to a well, which didn't strike Aulden as absurd in spite of the fact that they were already deep underwater. The three of them jumped into the well, Dogfish first. Already submerged, they descended slowly until they could see that at the bottom of the well was a table with lit candles - a table for two.

Aulden saw and simply asked, "For who?"

Dogfish corrected him, "For whom."

He repeated, "For whom?"

Dogfish continued, "For whom the bell tolls."

Aulden sat at the table, and asked, "Will I see her? Will I see the image of the next woman to become my lover?"

They took Aulden by the arms and made him stand. Dogfish said, "Not yet. When the time comes."

Aulden wanted to return to the sunbathing smiley-faces. He wanted to look for the sun. Dogfish and 1111 agreed and because he was feeling exhausted from so much swimming they pulled him along.

Cheerful though fatigued, Aulden called out, "Hello sunbathers. I see you're bathing in the light of the sun." Their balloon heads transformed into normal heads and faces. The sun was blazing overhead, which seemed quite normal to everyone in spite of the fact that they were deep underwater. Aulden felt surprised when he noticed that a small sun hovered over each sunbather's head.

1111, still holding Aulden's arm after having carried him along from the well, whispered, "Let me bite your wrist for some of your blood." He looked cautiously at her, but offered his wrist without any resistance. Instead of taking his wrist, she savagely bit Aulden's neck and drank from him. She took from him until she appeared satisfied, and then the two females guided Aulden upward and returned him to the throne room.

"When we are able to see our own greed, jealousy, spite, hatred, and so on, then these can be turned to positive account because in such destructive emotions is stored much life, and when we have this energy at our disposal, it can be turned to positive ends."
- Marie-Louise von Franz

The three of them stood in the throne room and, after catching his breath, Aulden asked Dogfish and 1111, "Are you both vampires?" As soon as he asked this, a dove landed on 1111's head and stayed there until she shooed it away. Then the dove flew to Aulden and landed on his finger.

He asked again, "Are you?"

1111 said to him, "We need to be heard and seen."

"What is your function that needs to be heard and seen?" Aulden asked them.

Dogfish explained, "We're builders."

"What do you build?"

Dogfish answered, "Hate, anger, personal vendetta."

1111 added, "Yes, all those things and more: persistence, determination, not letting go."

Aulden needed clarification, "Not letting go? But doesn't death let go?"

1111 answered, "Let go to hold on." Dogfish gave an example, "Let go of love. Hold on to hate."

Aulden turned to the group, "King Skandi! Dear Wind! How do I integrate these two? Should I? Should I?"

The Wind said, "They have positive qualities, but they're dangerous."

Aulden speculated, "Marie-Louise von Franz wrote that there's much life in these negative qualities. I'm not going to banish you or repress you, Dogfish and 1111. I want to know you. I want to understand you. I don't understand why the sunbathers were so close to you."

Aulden was concerned about the date. This day was November 10, 11/10, and the following day would be 11/11. Could the vampire 1111's name be a warning or an omen regarding that date?

"I will ask a question for the court here in the throne room: What can you tell me about what happens tomorrow, on 11/11?"

King Skandi answered, "The blood will flow - the blood of the Spirit - and we will rejoice."

The Wind answered, "You'll drink tea and relax a bit."

Poseidon answered, "Nothing significant unless you learn to dance better."

Aulden turned to Martha, the matronly overseer, and asked, "Martha, what should I know? What do you… What would you tell me about this day I'm entering?"

Martha answered, "I remember you when you were a little boy. You didn't listen to me then. You listen now." She straightened his collar, and said, "Dress a little nicer."

Aulden asked, "Janice, do you have something?"

Janice answered, "Don't be cold. Be warm."

Andrea, one of the muse spirits, answered by referring to Aulden's estranged wife, "Involve her. Are we trying to win her back?"

Carolette, the other muse spirit, answered, "You haven't made love to me in a long time." She leaned up against Aulden. "Don't be cold."

Maybelle, who called herself Aulden's Death, answered, "I don't like this. There are too many people here. I'm not like those two." She motioned to Dogfish and 1111, and then she opened a jar of honey and dipped two fingers in and she put her fingers into Aulden's mouth. He sucked the honey from her fingers. Maybelle continued, "That's the way you do it."

Aulden looked to her father and said, "Fred?"

Fred answered, "I'm with her."

Aulden's meditation continued until past midnight and they crossed into the calendar day of 11/11.

Aulden encouraged Fred, "Do you have advice of your own?"

Fred responded, "Of today? Take a drive."

Aulden turned to the next person in the circle, "Mr. Secretary?"

The Secretary answered, "Today will be another day. The weather should clear up."

Then Aulden looked to the vampires, "Dogfish, tell me something about today."

She was hesitant. The dove that was on Aulden's finger earlier returned and landed on his finger again.

Aulden encouraged Dogfish to speak, "You came with urgent, urgent news. Tell me more."

Dogfish tried but couldn't find the words. 1111 stepped in, "I'll tell! Your wife is uncertain!"

Aulden was unmoved, "That's a step up from opposed. How do I trust you, vampire? Here is your chance to say what you were aching to say. I'm listening. Tell me."

Dogfish spoke, "All these things we give to you, put them to use, Master."

The two vampires, 1111 and Dogfish, then threw canvas bags at Aulden's feet. The bags were labeled, "Hate, Anger, Revenge."

Aulden observed, "The question is, and I'm asking you, Your Majesty King Skandi, how do I put these dangerous things to use? How do I properly use them - anger, hate, revenge?"

The King responded, "You don't use them. You acknowledge them and then you channel them the way you would channel irrigation water."

Aulden asked, "How do I know where to channel it?"

King Skandi responded, "I'll help you with that - me and Sonny."

Sonny, the boy who always sat at King Skandi's feet as his advisor, hadn't said a word through the entire episode.

Aulden gazed at the two of them and after consideration said, "Then with that help I will put the things in these bags to use."

Aulden went to Dogfish and 1111 and took their hands in his, and said, "Thank you for these powerful gifts. Thank you for believing I'm ready for them."

Leaving him, the two vampires jumped back into the water. Aulden gathered his strength and also jumped in, swimming after them. He caught up with them and embraced them both, asking, "Who are you? Are you death? Are you how to save my marriage?"

As Aulden released Dogfish, the arm of a large windmill passed by, striking her and sweeping her away, but she called out as a current carried her from him, "There's nothing you can do."

He then pleaded with 1111, "Tell me about the sunbathers. What's their function in my life?"

She also said, "There's nothing you can do. Either die or lay back in the light of Self." 1111 swam away from Aulden.

He wouldn't see the two of them again until they would return to introduce him to their mother who would become his teacher. But that's a story for later.