My world Your world Our world

Chapter 1
Why shouldn't that go?

It was a calm and pleasant summer night in the Southern Carpathians and the moon was shining in all its glory. At Krolock Castle, however, things weren't quite as quiet. The landlord's daughter Sarah and the count's son Herbert quarreled over a very banal matter.
"But I want to learn now," Sarah said to who knows how many times.
"But I was the one who walked through this room first," argued Herbert.
"You already had enough time to work with it. Besides, you can already play the piano for a long time."
"So what? On the occasion of this beautiful evening, I wanted to send a few pleasant sounds into the night. You are only insulting the wonderful atmosphere with your banausen strumming."
Sarah, who sat stubbornly at the piano and didn't make the slightest movement, wanted to learn to play the piano. However, Herbert had something against it. So the argument continued and if Alfred and the professor had not just come into the room with the young scientist packed full of books, they would have continued."Alfred," shouted Sarah and Herbert at the same time. The young vampire dragged to the two of them questioningly and first got rid of the heavy reading.
"Yes?" He asked, looking alternately at the two of them.
"Tell this person," he pointed to the girl and didn't even bother to look at her, "that she wants to move away from the piano and let someone play who has more experience."
"Tell this spoiled count's boy," said Sarah, also not trying to look at Herbert, "that it is time to step down and let a young generation take over the music."
Visibly confused about what the two of them had said and asked for, he looked at her in astonishment.
"So what's it about?" Was Alfred's counter-question.
"That's why," Herbert was the first to say, "that they," he made a casual gesture in the direction of Sarah, "should disappear from MY piano so that I can finally play my piece."
"Your piano?" Sarah crossed her arms."But it doesn't have your name on it and besides, I won't smash it."
"Ts," Herbert made and wanted to continue arguing with his tactics, but he didn’t get around because his father, attracted by the loud argument, stepped into the room and asked why this volume was so loud. He was immediately texted by Sarah and his son at the same time. After he somehow managed to find out what it was about, it quickly became clear what had to be done.
"So Sarah," he began. "You should understand Herbert," with these words Herbert stood next to his father, his arms crossed over his chest and nodding his head.
"That it is not easy for him not to want to play on such a beautiful night. So it would be fair if he gave you lessons."
"What?" Shouted Herbert in protest. "I wanted to ..."
"Since you don't agree and you don't seem to like playing dear Sarah, you can make sure that she learns your musical taste.""But ...," Herbert tried to protest.
"Not but!" Said the count with a tone that suggested that he shouldn't contradict.
"All right," said Herbert and looked at his father, who inwardly sighed with relief that he had solved this problem. "If you care so much that she learns to play the piano, why don't you teach her." And before the count or anyone else could say anything about it, the gray-silver-haired man stormed out of the hall.
Alfred, who had stood there with the professor and observed everything, seemed to have been the only one to have noticed that Herbert had tears in his eyes when he left the room. The count just shook his head at this cautiousness. When the count decided to teach Sarah to play the piano, Alfred sneaked out to check on Herbert because he felt sorry for him. After searching halfway through the castle, he found the person he was looking for in the private cemetery.At the sight of the count's son he felt rather sorry for him. The poorest was sitting in front of one of the tombstones and had his arms wrapped around it and, even from this distance, Alfred recognized that a few tears were quietly rolling down his cheeks. It was a bit uncomfortable for him to see a crying Herbert and didn't want to bother him any further, but when he was about to leave he stepped on a branch that cracked in two. Of course that had warned the count's son. He quickly wiped his arm over his eyes and looked to see who dared to disturb him.
"Alfred?" He called to the junior science assistant.
Since he was seen anyway, he could sit down next to him, which Alfred immediately did.
"Um, what are you doing here?" Alfred asked somewhat shyly.
"I'm going to visit my mother," Herbert answered in a low voice.
"Oh," said Alfred, looking on the tombstone in front of them with the legible name of Breda von Krolock.Both sat next to each other for a few minutes and Alfred was not used to seeing Herbert so quiet and calm. " You mad?"
"It was clear," was Herbert's reply.
" What?"
“That my father stands by Sarah, his star child.” At the last words he snorted a little contemptuously.
"Is it really that bad that she wants to practice on the piano?"
Herbert said nothing about that.
"Your father was just trying to find a solution," the younger wanted to cheer up the older one.
"Tell me, Alfred," began Herbert, "how is your family?"
" Why do you want to know that?"
"Tell me. Are you an only child too?"
"Oh no, I have three other siblings. I'm the oldest of them."
"I envy you," said Herbert, looking up at the sky. "I've never had a sister or a brother."
"But it can also be annoying sometimes, especially if you are the oldest. You then have to constantly take care of the smaller ones, help them if they don't come down from the tree they were climbing, play blind cows with them even if you run into danger running up a wall or something like that or trying to hide a piece of cake from the sweet tooth."With his memories of his family, Alfred only now realized how much he missed them. Sighing, he slumped a little and watched a beetle cross his path.
"My poor Alfred," said Herbert, stroking Alfred's back. “You miss her a lot, don't you?” A slight nod of the head answered the question.
"And you?" Alfred raised his head and looked at Herbert, who could clearly be seen that he had been crying. “Do you miss your mother very much?” Alfred could imagine that the question sounded and was stupid, but at that moment he didn't know what to say.
"Yes. I miss you very much." Herbert hung his head and saw the beetle running around his mother's tombstone. "She was the one who gave me the piano after I had begged for one for a long time."
"Oh, is that why the argument earlier?"
"There are only three things that remind me of my mother."
"And what if I may know?"
"My memories of her, the piano and my earrings that she gave me."Alfred, who had listened attentively, would have loved to do something that would have cheered up the count's son again. He thought about it, but with the best sake nothing bothered him and so there was still a grave atmosphere.
"What about your parents?" Asked Herbert, eager to learn more about Alfred's life when he was still human.
"My father is actually by and large good-natured, if you don't irritate him too much, things can get uncomfortable ..."
"Sounds like my father's description," interrupted Herbert and smiled barely noticeably.
"Anyway, he was the one who said I should become a scientist because he said I was smart enough to do that, although I sometimes have doubts about it."
"You don't need that. I think you're a really smart guy. Sometimes awkward, but smart," Herbert was of the opinion.
"Uhm," said Alfred. "And my mother is a person who loves entertainment, like theater or music concerts. She always thought I should be an actor or a musician.""Your family sounds really great," said Herbert, thinking of his mother.
"Even if they got on my nerves sometimes, I miss them. What are they doing right now? Do they miss me at all? How nice it would be to see them again."
Herbert perked up at the last sentence of his favorite. Something in his head had clicked and was locked into place.
"Alfred, why shouldn't that work?" Said Herbert and his face seemed to brighten a little.
"Yes, why not?" Asked Alfred, confused by this sudden joy of Herbert.
"Why don't we visit your family," suggested the count's son. "Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you can't see her."
"Yes, but ..." Alfred was a bit surprised at the suggestion and worried at the same time. "What if they find out that we are vampires. Wait a minute. Why do you want to come with us?"
"I just want to know where you lived and get to know your relatives.“Herbert jumped up.” And you don't have to worry about things like “what if they find out we're vampires”. "Herbert's beaming face didn't exactly calm Alfred down. No matter what Herbert decided to do, he pulled it off, to Alfred's chagrin.

"And where should it go?" Asked Count von Krolock when his son sat in the fireplace room with Alfred, the professor and Sarah the next night and had a little discussion about traveling.
"Well, think about it," said Herbert, pretending to be thinking hard. "I
I heard Königsberg is supposed to be really beautiful at this time of year. "
"You both want to go to Konigsberg alone?" Asked Sarah.
"Where are you thinking, we will of course take the professor with us."
Professor Abronsius seemed enthusiastic about the idea of ​​going home.
“And nobody else?” You could hear the disappointment in Sarah's voice.
"I can't think of anyone else ... oh yes ... Father, you're coming with me, aren't you?"The landlord's daughter looked a little offended at Herbert who was grinning cheekily at her.
"I have to, after all, you can't be left alone with the young vampire," said von Krolock. Sarah was sure of one thing, the count would of course take her with him and so the trip to Konigsberg