Count Von Roo: Why He REALLY Sleeps…

Terric was never known to listen when people told him not to do things. He tended to run his own show, as he put it, just how a Kougra should. Many people started to call him Terric the Terror, because of his reckless and wild behavior. So, when his friends dared him to leave his home late at night, and venture to the then not so well known Count Von Roo Castle, he accepted the challenge with excitement.

Leaving his home was not so difficult. His owner was asleep, and usually even slept in late, so he would have all night to explore the Count's home. As he crept across the open fields of Roo Island, he had the chance to see the night life a normal pet never would see, and as he neared the Count's home, even weirder things were popping up. What looked like headstones with RIP carved into them started to appear with more frequency as Terric got closer to the castle, and funny looking trees, all withered and dead. Having second thoughts for the first time in his life, Terric almost turned around and went home. Almost. Right when he was going to, he was near enough to see the front door open on the Count’s castle, and that urged him forward.

He slowly entered Count Von Roo's home, and as soon as he cleared the door, it slammed shut behind him. Jumping about a foot in the air, he whirled around, trying to open it, but it remained shut. Now he had to continue forward, to look for the back door, if for no other reason. He walked forward slowly, trying not to trip over any of the discarded furniture that was hard to see in the dim light of the castle. Trying to avoid just that, he ended up catching his tail on something, and went sprawling head over heel, for what seemed like minutes. Finally, he realized he had come to a stop, but was not in the same room as when he started. Instead of a cluttered room, this one was spotless, except for the odd shaped box in the middle of the room. Terric approached it cautiously. Come to think of it, it wasn’t odd shaped at all. It even looked like it might hold a person…

He was about to touch the box when he realized that, and pulled his hand back, but not before an eerie voice filled the room.

“Who DARES to disturb my slumber at this early hour?”

Terric ran to the corner of the room, the one farthest away from the box, and the voice. With wide eyes, he watched the lid creak open slowly, and with a shocked expression, he saw what looked like a vampire sit up inside the box. The vampire looked around the room, until its eyes rested on Terric in the corner of the room.

“What do you want, that you would dare disturb my slumber for?”

Terric gulped. “Wh-Who are y-you?” he managed to get out.

“I am the great Count Von Roo. I have been sleeping many years now, in hopes of… well, that does not matter now…” The count looked saddened when he said the latter sentence.

Terric felt sorry for him, even though he did not know why, and this pumped up his courage. “You’ve been sleeping for what?” He waited for a response, but the Count just looked away. Slowly, Terric moved out of his corner, and edged closer. “Come on, you can tell me. I won’t say a word to anyone else, promise.”

The Count narrowed his eyes. “You promise?” When Terric nodded vigorously, the count sighed. “If word gets out about this, I will hunt you down…” When Von Roo looked menacingly at the young Kougra, Terric nodded his head again.

“I promise. What I learn stays here.”

“Very well then,” the Count sighed. “As you might know, I sleep almost every hour of the day. It helps me, you know…” he shrugged and gestured at himself.

“No… why do you sleep so much?” Terric prompted. Von Roo looked away. “Come on, I already said I won’t tell anyone…”

“Well, if you must know, it's for my beauty sleep. There, happy?” Von Roo snapped, and quickly ducked his head.

“Beauty sleep? What do you need that for?” asked an incredulous Terric.

“What do you mean, what do I need it for? Isn’t it obvious?!” Von Roo cast a skeptical gaze at Terric, who shook his head.

“Nope. What’s beauty sleep for?”

“Why, to look beautiful, of course!” And now, Count Von Roo got a distant gaze in his eyes. “It has been my dream, ever since I was a young blumaroo, to enter into the Beauty Contest, and win. My mother always said my looks were rather fetching, and I, of course, agreed. But what happened when I entered into my very first contest?” And now, his voice was rather outraged, “No, I couldn’t enter, because I wasn’t beautiful enough! Vampires are not allowed to enter, they said! Go brush up on your beauty sleep, and you can enter next time, someone said. So, that is what I have been doing.”

Terric just stared at the count. He was starting to think the rumors about the count were right, that he was just a slice of cheese shy of the whole ham sandwich. “Hm, that’s very interesting, you know…” Terric started to back away. “My, look at the time, it's very late. If you could just show me to the exit?” he ended hopefully.

The count stood up, and left his coffin. He walked over to the corner Terric had previously vacated, pushed a panel, and a doorway appeared. The count walked through first, leading Terric through a maze of twists and turns that he would have been lost in forever, he was sure, if left on his own. When they reached the doorway, Terric paused to look at the Count.

“Um, thanks for the story. Rest assured, I will never tell anyone.” As he made to leave the count stopped him.

“It was nice talking with you, young pet. Please inform others they are also welcome to come visit each night, if they so choose.”

Nodding, Terric left the castle steps, and waved over his shoulder. “Will do, Count!”

It is with great trepidation that I tell this story. You see, if Count Von Roo was to ever find out that anyone knew why he slept so long, who knows what he would do to them. Maybe that explains all the headstones outside his castle…