Katskin Chapter 3

Chapter 3.......

The bowels of depression

A beam of light breaking through a section of his bedroom curtains has woken him. Ivan slowly pulls himself into the upright position in his bed. He groans, and then grumbles about the sunlight shining through his room. Rage fills him, and he picks up items closest to him and throws them across the room. He violently tugs on the rope besides his bed that causes a bell to ring to gain Aldwin's attention. 

A few minutes pass and the faint cries of a baby is heard and then it is gone. Ivan's heart leaps in his chest at the baby’s cries, and he wants to know more about his child. 

Aldwin enters the room, "Yes Sir," he answers.

"I want to see my child," he says gently.

"Yes, Sir," Aldwin answers before quickly leaving the room. He returns moments later caring Summer, Lavina is following close behind. However, as he steps over the threshold into the Ivan's master suite, Ivan calls out to him. Ivan changes his mind. Aldwin, disappointed, turns and hands the infant back to Lavina, and ushers them away.

Later that evening Ivan asks Aldwin about the sex of the baby. When Aldwin reveals that it is a girl, Ivan is deeply disappointed. "She is of no use to me! I need a son to be heir!" Ivan grunts.

"Then one day you must re-marry," Aldwin advises.

"I can't...not now," Ivan sighs.

"When you are ready Sir," Aldwin replies. Ivan's sudden silence tells him that he needed to be alone. "Is there anything else you need Sir?" 

"No, that will be all for tonight...thank you," Ivan says pouring himself another drink.

Chapter 2 of Katskin

Chapter 2....... 

Robber Barons

In 1878 Ivan Volkova, a Russian immigrant finds his wealth in steel. Ivan along with many others who find their wealth in the oil and steel industry, through ruthless deals, were called robber barons. Ivan is now one of the respectfully wealthy, living on a two hundred acre lot, with a grand Victorian mansion, in Dutchess County, New York.  His wife Stephanie Johnson-Volkova, suffered complications through out her pregnancy, and through the birth of their first child, which ends in her death. 

Stephanie is thought to be the most beautiful woman in the world, by her husband. And every night he would let her know how beautiful she was to him. Ivan will not accept her death, and her funeral is unbearable for him. Losing his wife hits him deeper than he has expected. He refuses to even look upon his newborn child, or know the sex. In his heart he curses the birth of his first-born child for taking the life of his one true love.

The funeral is held the very next day, it rains throughout the day, so the nannies caring for the infant thought it best to keep the newborn at home in the mansion, and Ivan is relieved to not have to see or hear the cries of his own child. That evening after the funeral one of the maids who also helps to look after the newborn asks Ivan if he will like to see and hold his child, and most importantly name his child.

Ivan instantly grows angry cursing her for asking such a thing. None of his servants will ever mention anything about his child. The head butler Aldwin, finds it best if the child is moved to the opposite end of the mansion, until Ivan is feeling better, and ready to see his child. Being the manager of the mansion, the butler names Ivan's child.

Aldwin holds the baby in his arms. He along with all the servants stand in the mansion's kitchen. All of them has already fallen in love with the new baby. Stephanie has given birth to a girl, she has her mother's blue eyes and although her head appears to be bald, you can still see traces of bright blonde hair emerging boldly.

"What will we name her Aldwin?" Lavina, the head nanny for the baby asks.

"Holding her is like standing in the middle of the garden in June," he says with a smile. " She will be named Summer."

"Summer," everyone chimes in with  hushed cheers.

"Yes, Summer is a fine name Aldwin." Lavina says as she gently took the baby from him. "It is time for her feeding and then off to bed," Lavina said swaddling the infant. She plants a kiss on her small forehead and leaves the kitchen.

Katskin by April Thomas

Hello my name is April and for the past five years I have written and published my own books. I have an great passion for writing and I love sharing my stories with others. Learn more about me at www.ascensionartists.com

Today I want to share a book that I am working on titled Katskin. It is a retelling of a very old and unfamiliar fairytale titled Cat-Skin. Here is the rough draft of the first chapter.

Chapter 1…….

A thin line between love & Insanity

"Take my hand my love," she says weakly as she stretches out her feeble hand towards her husband, Ivan Volkova stands in shock near the bedroom door. His eyes struggle to translate the scene that is unraveling before him. One nurse attends to his wife while, midwife and other nurses quietly leave the room with his newborn child, who is wrapped in white sheets stained with his wife's deep red blood. Although it is morning and the sun beams vividly through the room, it feels dark and heavy all around them, certainly the angel of death is close.

Ivan moves towards his wife, he can barely feel his feet walking across the room nor hear the creaking of the wooden floors. He comes to a stop besides the bed, and falls to his knees. Reality has given him a blow to the gut. This will be the last time he will see his wife. She is young and beautiful, too young to die, this is unfair. He takes her hand and brings it to his lips. "My love, please do not leave me," he begs as tears stream down his cheeks.

"Promise me...promise me that you will never marry another woman unless she is as beautiful as me with hair golden as mine," she cries.

"Please, don't leave me, please..."

"Promise me Ivan, Promise me!" Stephanie demands.

Ivan's eyes lock with his wife's. He knows that once he makes this promise with her, her spirit will leave, and his wife will be lost to him forever. "I don't want to lose you," he weeps. "There is no woman who can ever take your place in my heart, my bed, or my life. I promise you, should I ever marry, the woman I choose will have eyes as blue as the ocean, and hair as golden as the sun, and her beauty can only be in compared to yours.”

 Stephanie smiles lightly as life gently leaves her body. Ivan crumbles under the heavy pain of a soulmate lost forever.