Trixie’s eyes shone with excitement as she watched the crackling embers of the fire. The sun was sinking slowly behind the tall pines, and the air was turning cool. She edged closer to the fire, shivering slightly.

“Cold?” Jim Frayne asked. He folded his lanky frame to sit beside her, resting an arm casually around her shoulders.

“Not really,” she replied with a shrug. “It’s been such a wonderful day,” she sighed, relaxing against him and absorbing his warmth.

Jim smiled indulgently. “It was really great of Dad to arrange this camping trip.”

“Especially since this is where your dad used to take you camping,” Trixie continued.

“It’s a beautiful area,” Jim replied, attempting to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics. “Say, do you want to see if we can catch up with Honey, Brian, Di, and Mart? They were just going a little ways up the path for a better view of the sunset.”

Trixie shook her head. “I’d rather stay here, please. We can enjoy the sunset and the fire this way. It really is too bad that Dan couldn’t get time off from working in the game preserve,” she continued, a frown marring her happiness.

Jim shifted uncomfortably. “I got the feeling that maybe Dan wasn’t allowed to come.”

“What are you talking about? Is this about Dan’s juvenile record? We’re not even leaving the state!” she protested, outraged on behalf of the newest Bob-White.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with his record,” Jim replied, attempting to calm her down.

“Well, then, what is it? Why isn’t Dan supposed to come here?” Trixie demanded, turning to face him.

Jim sighed and settled back in the makeshift seats they had fashioned. Tugging Trixie back to sit closer to him, he offered a bone. “How about I tell you a story that my dad used to tell me when we came camping here?”

Torn between curiosity about why Dan hadn’t been allowed to come on the camping trip and the intrinsic desire to know more about Jim’s past, Trixie finally conceded. “Sure. Is it a scary story?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows in anticipation.

“Yes.” He smiled at Trixie’s enthusiasm, then settled in to tell the story his father had passed down to him. Always in front of a camp fire, Jim remembered, and only on nights with a full moon.

“The story begins in Holland,” Jim began. “In those days, marriage was simple. Parents arranged the best possible match for their child, based on social standing and wealth. It wasn’t perfect,” he said, anticipating Trixie’s outraged response to the antiquated notion, “but it was how things were done. And it worked, for the most part. Everyone knew their role and responsibility. It was a simpler time.”

Trixie muttered something about it being the people, not the times that were simple, but allowed Jim to continue the story. “Many, many years ago, there was a beautiful girl. She had hair the colour of the sun, and eyes the colour of the sky. She was vivacious, loving, and care-free. And she loved the man that her parents had chosen for her.” He smiled down at Trixie. “Because, every once in a while, a match was chosen based on who the young people loved, and not just whom it was beneficial to marry.”

Trixie looked slightly appeased at the turn the story was taking, and motioned for him to continue. Wrapping her hand in his, Jim continued the tale. “The man she was to marry came from neither wealth nor title, but he was handsome and strong-principled, and had been adopted by wealthy land-owners. Though his fortune was dependent on the generosity of his adopted family, he was considered a good catch, perfect for a woman of considerable beauty and modest resources. And he loved the girl. The two would spend many hours exploring the countryside, riding horses, and volunteering in the village. They were liked and respected by all.”

He paused, watching as the fire licked and nipped at the kindling, sending sparks into the darkening sky.

“Go on!” Trixie insisted, nudging his side with her elbow. “What happened? Did they get married? Did she have to clean his house? That’s my version of a scary story,” she said, shuddering exaggeratedly.

“No,” Jim said, smiling indulgently. “They didn’t get married.” The smile slid off his face and he adopted an uncharacteristically stern expression. “This is where the scary part starts,” he whispered.

Trixie nodded solemnly, enjoying the tale Jim was weaving.

“The young man and woman were happy,” Jim continued. “And very much in love, too. But, one day, there was a newcomer to their little town.”

“Was it a ghost? A mummy? A zombie?” Trixie asked, clutching his arm.

“Even worse,” Jim told her, placing his hand over hers. When she was looking directly into his eyes, he told her, “It was… a Cool One.”

Trixie held perfectly still, holding her breath. “A Cool One?”

Jim nodded. “A Cool One.”

“Don’t you mean a Cold One? Like a vampire?” she questioned.

“Hey! Who’s telling the story here?” Jim protested, taking mild offense. “I said it was a Cool One.”

“And that’s worse than a werewolf? Or a vampire?”

“Much worse,” Jim insisted. “A Cool One is a…” He lowered his voice until Trixie was leaning forward and he was practically breathing into her ear. “A bad boy.”

Trixie shivered at both his husky tone and the words. “What did it do?” Trixie demanded. “Did it,” she paused, adding to the drama, “drive a motorcycle?”

“It’s not smart to make fun of the Cool Ones,” Jim told her, shaking his head.

Controlling her giggles, Trixie waved a hand, motioning for him to continue.

“As I was saying,” he said, giving Trixie a pointed look. She stuck out her tongue in return, causing Jim to roll his eyes. “As I was saying, a Cool One came to the small town. He was handsome, they say, so handsome that women walked into walls whenever he was near. So handsome that other men secretly envied him and tried to copy his style. So handsome that he wormed his way into small-town life. And that’s not easy for a newcomer.”

Jim held up a hand to forestall Trixie’s inevitable questions about how Jim had felt when he moved to Sleepyside. “But that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was that the newcomer, the Cool One, was wrecking all of the relationships in the village.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “But how? Just because he was,” she paused, laughing at the concept, “cool?”

“Maybe I didn’t do a good job of describing how cool he was,” Jim mused.

“Okay,” Trixie said, tucking a stray blonde curl behind her ear. “I’ll bite. How cool was he?”

“He was so cool that he didn’t even have to talk,” Jim informed her, green eyes studying her intently. “All he had to do was grunt.”

Trixie burst into laughter. “What? You can’t be serious! All he had to do was grunt?”

“Hey! I didn’t make up the story. This is all true,” Jim protested. “It’s not my fault girls like to fall for the dark, brooding types.”

“Ooh, he was dark?” Trixie asked.

Jim nodded, settling back into the story even though he didn’t like the dreamy expression on Trixie’s face when she pictured the dark young man. “It’s said that the Cool Ones usually have black hair and dark eyes. And that their skin is pale.”

“Okay, I can see how some girls might find that attractive,” she admitted reluctantly.

Both pleased and not-so-pleased with the admission, Jim went on. “Anyway, Juliana was the first recorded victim of the Cool One.”

“Juliana? Like your cousin Juliana?”

“Are you going to keep interrupting, or are you going to listen to the story?” Jim queried.

Trixie sighed heavily. “Go on, then.”

“Juliana decided that she would get to know the Cool One. Be his friend.” Though Jim didn’t make quotation marks in the air, they were evident in his tone as he said “friend”.

“And?” Trixie prompted.

“And it worked, for a while. Juliana and the Cool One would work together around the village, helping the poor people. They even worked together with her betrothed.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Really? Juliana’s boyfriend didn’t mind the Cool One hanging around?”

“He didn’t like it, of course,” Jim replied, “but he had no idea of the true danger. Since Juliana made friends with everyone, he assumed that she was welcoming him to the village and being a good friend. And besides, he knew that Juliana loved him. What reason could he have to worry?”

“That’s true,” Trixie agreed. “So what went wrong?”

Jim threw another piece of wood on the fire before leaning back and tugging Trixie closer to him. “Just in case you get scared,” Jim told her, answering the question in her eyes. Trixie rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest the closer contact.

“One day Juliana’s betrothed, let’s call him Juergen, was called away on business for his adopted father. He didn’t want to leave Juliana, but he had no choice. Juliana was disappointed, of course, but told him to go, and do what needed to be done. She would be fine, she said, helping her mother organize a clothing drive for the poorer people in the village. Juergen went, though he could not shake the presentiment of something terrible happening.”

Jim’s dramatic pause was interrupted by Trixie’s impatient squirming. “Well, what happened?” she demanded, twisting so that she could see him better. “Did Juliana have an accident? Did the Cool One freeze her or something?”

“No,” Jim replied, his voice serious. “The Cool One didn’t freeze her. He did something much, much worse.”

“What? What did he do?”

“He played the part of bad boy turned good,” Jim informed her.

“What? Seriously? A bad boy turned good? That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Normally, yes. But, it turns out that, because of her helping nature, Juliana was especially susceptible to bad boys turned good. After she heard his life story, well,” Jim shook his head. “It was all over.”

“What do you mean? What was all over?”

“She couldn’t help it,” Jim said. “She tried to fight it. Tried to concentrate on her betrothed. But it was too late. The Cool One had usurped Juergen’s place in her heart.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. “Just like that?”

Jim nodded. “Oh, it didn’t happen all at once. The Cool One wormed his way into her heart by volunteering at the same places she did, and by being there for her whenever she needed him.”

“Jerk!” Trixie exclaimed. “He pretended to be all sorts of things that he wasn’t?”

Jim shook his head. “That’s what made it even worse. The Cool One really did want to help others, and he really did like spending time with Juliana.”

Trixie considered the situation. “Well, if she fell in love with him, why didn’t she just leave Juergen and stay with the Cool One? I mean, it would have been hard on Juergen, but it would be better than marrying someone you don’t love anymore, right?”

“But that was the problem,” Jim said. “Juliana still loved Juergen, and didn’t want to break his heart. But she loved the Cool One, too.”

“What a mess!” Trixie exclaimed. “But I still don’t understand why it was all the Cool One’s fault. After all, Juliana fell in love with the Cool One, didn’t she?”

“But she had no choice,” Jim told her. “When Juergen returned from his trip, he knew that something was wrong, even though Juliana denied it. Juergen started looking for answers, and didn’t come up with anything until he was talking to some of his friends in the village. It seemed that all of the girls in the village were acting strangely, just like Juliana. Suddenly, they had less interest in their betrothed, even though they still said nothing and tried to act as if nothing had changed.”

“All of them?” Trixie questioned. “Yeesh. He must have been really cool.”

“Oh, he was,” Jim agreed. “Or, at least, the young ladies all thought so.”

“So, he was leading all of them on?” Trixie asked, her tone scornful. “What a jerk!”

“No,” Jim told her. “That’s the most interesting part. The Cool One had no idea he was even doing it. At least, he had no idea until Juergen confronted him.”

Trixie made a face. “I bet that wasn’t pretty.”

Jim shrugged. “Not as bad as you might think. If you recall, Juergen and the Cool One had spent a fair amount of time together, and were friends in their own right.

“When the Cool One realized what was happening, he was horrified. For the first while, at least. He immediately separated himself Juliana and the village, in the hopes that whatever effect he had had on them would pass if he were gone. Unfortunately, it was only partially successful. The other girls in the village recovered once he was gone, but Juliana did not. Since he had spent so much more time with her than with any of the other young ladies, the effect on her was much more pronounced.”

“Didn’t she want to forget about him?” Trixie asked. “I mean, she loved Juergen, right?”

“Yes, she did,” Jim replied. “But she loved the Cool One, too, and she was torn. From that day on, she didn’t feel right about marrying Juergen, because she knew she was only giving him half her heart, and she felt that he deserved all of it.”

“That’s so sad,” Trixie whispered.

Jim’s face was grim. “Not as sad as what happened later. After the Cool One left, Juliana started to fade away. Instead of her hair being the colour of the sun, her hair turned white, and resembled the moon. Instead of eyes the colour of the sky at midday, they faded with sadness until they were the palest shade of the sky at dawn. She tried to rally, for the sake of her friends and family, but, in time, she faded away.”

Trixie’s jaw gaped.

“No one knows what happened to Juliana. She was last seen walking in the woods close to her home, but she never returned. Her body was ever found.

“From that day on, Juergen vowed to find the Cool One, and to make sure that he didn’t hurt any other woman, even accidentally. He did eventually find the man who had broken his betrothed heart, but by then, the Cool One, nursing his own broken heart, for he really had loved Juliana, had discovered the benefits of having young women fall at his feet. He used it to his advantage, much to Juergen’s dismay. Juergen eventually married and had children, but he was ever alert, ever vigilant about the activities of the Cool One, and made sure that he never came close to anyone Juergen loved. He vowed to always protect those around him from the effects of the Cool One. To that end, Juergen trained, and became even more hearty and supple than he had already been, determined to be strong enough to combat the Cool One. And he trained his sons to follow in his steps. They, too, were hearty and supple, and more honourable than the men around them. From that time on, the descendents of Juergen and the descendents of the Cool One have been at odds, with Juergen’s sons vowing to keep their land free of the Cool Ones forever.”

“Did it work?” Trixie asked.

Jim nodded. “For years upon years, there were no appearances of the Cool Ones, and the descendents of Juergen thought that perhaps the line had died out. That hope died when the family immigrated to New York.”

Trixie’s eyes widened.

“It was very close to here that they settled,” Jim continued. “Stories were still told of the Cool Ones, but they were no longer told from father to son, as a means of instruction, but from mother to child as a bed time story. The descendents of Juergen were no longer vigilant, believing that the threat had been eradicated.

“Until one day a family, recently emigrated from Ireland, arrived in the area. And a young man with dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin swept in and stole the hearts of the young ladies of the village.”

Trixie shivered.

“It didn’t take the descendents of Juergen long to realize what they were dealing with. But when they went to confront the Cool One, they were in for a surprise. The young man told them that he was, indeed, what they feared, but that they had nothing to fear from him. He promised to keep his distance from the young women, and to put such a rough edge on his character that even the most determined of young ladies would be put off.

“The descendents of Juergen, of course, were wary. They believed that the young man meant well, but were still loathe to expose the young women of the village to the danger he represented. They told him that they would leave him in peace if he promised to leave their area.

“The Cool One agreed, and since then, no Cool One has set foot anywhere near this land. The descendents of Juergen continue to be more supple and honourable than the average man, and have spread far and wide, hoping to minimize the effect of the Cool Ones. For if there was one Cool One, it stood to reason that were more. And, from time to time, the descendents did find Cool Ones. Ones who were not willing to give up their ways and who continued to enslave the hearts of the women around them. And that is why, to this day, the fathers still instruct their sons to protect women from the Cool Ones, and why the first daughter born to each son is named Juliana. The memory of the descendents of Juergen is long.”

Trixie shivered, her earlier teasing forgotten. “You’re right,” she whispered. “That is a scary story.”

The sudden noise of four people tramping along a path interrupted Jim’s response.

“You should have come with us!” Honey exclaimed. “The sunset was beautiful!”

Di nodded emphatically. “It was amazing! All those colours! But I captured it,” she said, waving her digital camera.

“Email the picture to Dan,” Mart suggested, slinging his arm around Diana’s shoulder. “I know he really wanted to come here. He said something about never having been anywhere near this area before.”

Trixie looked at Jim, eyes wide, but Jim’s only response was a wry smile as he tossed another log on the fire.

Back to Challenge

***
Author's Notes

- I love dreaming up challenges with Mal! Thanks for editing, hosting, and being so much fun to work with, babe!
- Word Count, 3,150