Story 155 – Vamp

VAMP

written by Debbie Williamson

A baby was born one night in the city of Transylvania. The night was warm, yet mysterious. The moon was full and bright. The baby’s name was Vamp.

Vamp was a very healthy baby but his mother was not. Even though she was very young, she had problems with her health and couldn’t look after her child properly. She could hardly look after herself. She decided that she would leave her baby in a basket outside the gate of a very large castle. She put a note in the basket with the baby. The note read:

To Whom It May Concern

Please take care of my baby, Vamp. He is a very special baby and needs the love and support that I cannot provide for him. On his sixteenth birthday, Vamp will come looking for me and I will reveal my secret to him. Until then, please look after him.

The childless couple that owned the castle, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright, found the baby the next morning. They took him in and raised him as their own son. The Cartwright’s moved to the United States when Vamp was ten years old. They felt that Vamp’s education was suffering in Transylvania and they wanted Vamp to have the best education that he could possibly have. Vamp grew up to be a kind and generous boy. He was very smart and did extremely well in school.

“You should be a doctor, Vamp,” said Mr. Cartwright to his son one evening.

“Yes Father,” said Vamp. “I think I would like that.”

Shortly after this conversation, Vamp’s sixteenth birthday approached.

“What are we going to do?” asked Mrs. Cartwright, one morning after Vamp had left for school.

“About what?” asked Mr. Cartwright.

Mrs. Cartwright pulled an old, crumpled piece of paper out of the pocket of the apron she was wearing.

“This,” said Mrs. Cartwright, laying the piece of paper out in front of Mr. Cartwright.

“Oh that,” said Mr. Cartwright, his face turning pale. “I had almost forgotten about that letter.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “What will we do about it?”

“I’m not sure that there is anything we can do about it,” said Mr. Cartwright. “Maybe we should just wait and see what takes place on Vamp’s birthday.”

“What if it is something horrible,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “What if we lose our Vamp? I can’t lose my son. I love him.”

“I don’t think anything terrible is going to happen to Vamp,” said Mr. Cartwright, although he himself wasn’t so sure of this. “Vamp is a good boy. He is smart and why just the other day he said he would like to be a doctor.”

“He did!” exclaimed Mrs. Cartwright. “Oh that would be wonderful. He would make such a wonderful doctor.”

“Yes he would,” said Mr. Cartwright, proudly. “We have a very special boy here.”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Cartwright, a tear rolling down her cheek. “He is very special.”

“What is wrong?” asked Mr. Cartwright, standing up from the table and hugging his wife tightly.

“Well,” sobbed Mrs. Cartwright. “I was talking to Mabel yesterday.”

“Oh Mabel,” said Mr. Cartwright, angrily. “What does she know? She is just a nosy old woman that doesn’t know anything and likes nothing more than to gossip.”

“Well be that as it may,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “I can’t help thinking what she said to me. She was so serious.”

“What did she say?” asked Mr. Cartwright.

“Well Mabel said that our son, Vamp, may have been the son of Dorothy Winchester,” said Mrs. Cartwright.

“Who is Dorothy Winchester?” asked Mr. Cartwright. “And how would Mabel know who Vamp’s mother was. That all took place in Transylvania.”

“It turns out that Mabel’s sister owned the Winchester castle just down the road from our castle,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “Mabel’s sister’s name was Dorothy.”

“Wait a minute,” said Mr. Cartwright. “Mabel is right because I remember a Dorothy Winchester. She was a very young woman but she was also very sick.”

“Mabel said that Dorothy was attacked by a vampire,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “She says that Dorothy became pregnant right after that attack.”

“Oh dear,” said Mr. Cartwright. “Do you realize that our son is a vampire! That was why he was given the name Vamp. It is short for vampire.”

Mrs. Cartwright slapped Mr. Cartwright across the face.

“How dare you call our son a vampire?” she yelled.

Mr. Cartwright took Mrs. Cartwright by the shoulders and shook her.

“Look do you think that I don’t love Vamp just as much as you,” said Mr. Cartwright. “Our son is a wonderful boy. He does such good and he is very intelligent. I would not be saying any of this to hurt him.”

“I know,” cried Mrs. Cartwright. “I’m sorry. I’ve had this feeling that there was more to our boy’s name than we thought. I just thought it was a cute name because he was born in Transylvania.”

“Regardless of whether Vamp is a vampire or not,” said Mr. Cartwright. “We will love him regardless. We will support Vamp no matter what. If it turns out to be that our son is a vampire, then we will help him through this.”

“That is the best idea I’ve ever heard,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “We will stand by our son, no matter what.”

Vamp’s sixteenth birthday rolled around. Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright took him out to dinner to celebrate.

“So son,” said Mr. Cartwright. “How does it feel to be sixteen?”

“Actually Dad,” said Vamp. “Today I have done a lot of thinking. I think I need to go back to Transylvania. I think I want to finish studying medicine there.”

“Whatever you feel is best,” said both Mrs. and Mr. Cartwright. “Son, we are here to support you and to help you out as much as we possibly can. We can call and get the castle opened up and we can fly there on the next available flight.”

“Dad,” said Vamp. “I don’t think you understand. I need to go to back to Transylvania by myself. It is not something that I can explain but I do have to return there as soon as possible.”

“It is okay son,” said Mrs. Cartwright. “You do what you must. Please remember that we are right behind you all the way.”

“Thanks Mom,” said Vamp, kissing her on her cheek.

Before Vamp left to go to Transylvania Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright showed him the letter that his mother had left in his basket and they explained to him what Mabel Winchester had told Mrs. Cartwright.

“Oh Mom and Dad,” said Vamp. “I don’t believe Mabel one bit. I don’t think I’m a vampire.”

Vamp left on the next available flight to Transylvania and stepping off the plane, he saw a little girl crying and holding her teddy bear tightly.

Vamp went over to the little girl because he was afraid she was going to get run over in the busy airport parking lot.

“Little girl,” said Vamp. “You are going to get yourself killed. Please get out of the way. Come with me and I’ll help you find your parents.”

“They’ve disappeared,” the girl cried. “They’re gone. I can’t find them anywhere.”

“Come on,” said Vamp, extending his hand out to her.

The little girl took Vamp’s hand and together they walked into the airport.

“Mommy, Daddy!” exclaimed the little girl, seeing her parents as soon as they opened the door to the airport.

“Oh where were you?” cried the Mother. “We looked everywhere for you.”

“I got lost,” said the little girl.

“Well, I’m glad you are okay,” said the Father, hugging his daughter.

“I found her outside crying, just by the runway,” said Vamp. “I thought she was going to get hurt.”

“Thank you,” said the Father, shaking Vamp’s hand.

“You’re welcome,” said Vamp shaking his hand.

Vamp walked outside of the airport. He was just about to hail a cab when someone walked right into him.

“Oh I’m sorry,” said a teenage girl.

“That is okay,” said Vamp. “No-one was hurt.”

“Do I know you from somewhere?” asked the girl.

“I don’t think so,” said Vamp. “I just fly in from the United States.”

“I think I do know you,” said girl. “What is your name?”

“Vamp,” said Vamp, feeling a little uncomfortable.

“Vamp!” exclaimed the girl. “I don’t believe this! You are my long, lost brother!”

“What?” exclaimed Vamp. “What are you talking about?”

“My name is Melinda. When you were born Mother left you in a basket outside that Cartwright castle,” said Melinda.

“How did you know about that?” said Vamp.

“Well,” said Melinda. “I am your sister. See, Mother, had you when she was young and she was in a lot of pain. She couldn’t take care of you so she left you in that basket. She knew you would have a good life with the Cartwright’s.”

“But,” said Vamp. “How does that make you my sister?”

“After the Cartwright’s moved to the States,” said Melinda. “Mother found a miracle cure for her ailments. Then she met and married a wealthy man and she had me.”

“Is mother still alive?” asked Vamp.

“No,” said Melinda. “She died just about five years ago.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that,” said Vamp.

“She loved you Vamp,” said Melinda. “Very much so. She wanted to contact you but she couldn’t find you.”

“She did!” exclaimed Vamp.

“Yes,” said Melinda. “She told me all about you all the time.”

“There was a note that was left in my basket,” said Vamp. “Do you know anything about that?”

“Oh yes the note!” exclaimed Melinda. “Mother told me about that. Mother said that she had written you a note and that on your sixteenth birthday she was going to tell you something very important.”

“Well,” said Vamp. “I’ve just turned sixteen. You don’t know what she was going to tell me do you?”

“Look,” said Melinda. “The day Mother died, she told me she had some papers that she wanted to show you. She said that you would probably come looking for her when you turned sixteen and that I was to give them to you. Come with me to my apartment and I will give them to you.”

“Okay,” said Vamp.

Vamp followed Melinda to her apartment. Melinda had a nice one bedroom apartment on the east side of the city. Vamp noticed that although the apartment was nice, there was an eerie feeling to it. There was something about it that he couldn’t put his finger on.

Melinda went into her bedroom and came out with a cardboard box. She handed it to Vamp.

“Vamp,” said Melinda. “I’ve got to go to class in a few minutes, so why don’t you stay here and take a look at this stuff that mother had left you.”

“Are you sure?” asked Vamp.

“Yes,” said Melinda. “I’m sure, besides you may have some questions when I get back.”

“Okay then,” said Vamp.

As soon as Melinda left the apartment, Vamp started going through the stuff in the box. Most of what was there were old photographs. Vamp had the feeling that the photographs were of his mother. There was one photograph with a young woman and a dark, elusive but handsome man. Vamp set this photograph aside.

At the very bottom of the box, Vamp came across a letter. He opened it up and read it.

This is what it said:

Dear Son,

If you are reading this letter than that means only one thing, I am no longer alive. I am sorry son. I really wanted to see you on this day. You are a man now, Vamp. I can hope you turned out to be as strong and handsome as your Father. Yes, that photograph is of myself and your Father, Vamp. Your father’s name was Count V. Dram and yes, the V. stands for Vamp, which is short for vampire. You are a vampire my son. Please don’t deny your heritage. Be proud of who you are. We are not bad vampires. We do not suck blood from people as some may believe. We are good vampires. Good vampires suck life into others and help others, just like what you did at the airport for that little girl today, Vamp. How did I know that, Vamp? I know everything about you, Vamp. I know that if you weren’t at the airport today, that little girl would have died. You saved her life, Vamp. I also know that you are planning on becoming a doctor. You will make a wonderful surgeon, Vamp. Just remember that you are a good vampire and we suck the life into people, not take it out.

 
Love,

 
Your Mother.

Vamp sat motionless in the chair thinking about all that he had just read. He was in such a deep thought that he did not hear Melinda come in.

“Vamp,” said Melinda, shaking his shoulder.

“Uh,” said Vamp after awhile.

“I see you have read Mother’s letter,” said Melinda.

“Yes,” said Vamp. “I did. Are you a vampire too?”

“Yes,” said Melinda. “But I’m a good vampire, just like you are, Vamp.”

“Okay,” said Vamp. “So we are good vampires. What do we do now?”

“We take care of people,” said Melinda. “We suck life into them. We give of ourselves to others.”

It took Vamp awhile to get used to the fact that he was a vampire and a good vampire at that. However, after he got used to it, he kind of liked it.

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