That Compelling…..Vampire
Whenever I imagine vampires I must admit the first thing I notice about them is their beauty. Vampires stand out, whether in a crowd of hundreds or alone on gas lit street. Something about them makes you look twice. You notice them.
Upon taking a closer look, have you caught the light in their eyes or perhaps the lack of it? Could they be light and friendly or dark and seductive? Either way, you cannot look away, in fact, you might be tempted to come closer until you fall into a pair of eyes that peer into your soul and pulls you closer.
Whether it's French, Spanish or the Queen's English, a vampires' voice will soothe you unlike anything you have ever heard and will envelope you like mist on a warm summer evening. You can't help but come closer….
Fingertips reach out and caress your cheek and you feel yourself falling further as the touch of this immortal creature both assures and arouses you, all at the same time and you hear your name and together you begin to walk; alone.
He begins to tell a tale, of a time and place long before you were ever born and at first it seems unreal, contrived as you try to imagine the filthy streets of eighteenth century Paris, or Renaissance Rome; familiar places that are unrecognizable to your modern sensibilities. There is a sense of timelessness about him, of existing on the fringe of the modern world, living in it but not of it.
You wonder how this could be, yet even if he is attired in modern clothing, you can't help but imagine him in a duster or a frock coat; antique clothing seen perhaps on display in your local historical society, but not really worn by anyone today. And worn so well if I may add!
He talks faster and suddenly you find yourself wound around a tale of love and betrayal, guilt and greed as he explains his life and you hear such sadness in his voice, such longing or regret and you realize that he has emotions, human emotions that you though would have long been eradicated by his very immortality. He has made mistakes, he tells you; 'mistakes' that have cost him much love and happiness , decisions made that were wrong and you realize that this vampire has regrets, guilt and regrets, but then he remembers something humorous and he begins to laugh and you can't help but laugh with him.
He suddenly catches himself and you are not sure if you should stop laughing as well. The story was amusing and then it hits you; he has a sense of humor, something you would never associate with a vampire. A sign of good mental health according to an article you just read on-line. Yes, being able to laugh at yourself is a true sign of mental health.
You stop to wonder about this mythical creature, the vampire. Here you both are walking, talking, laughing, and you aren't even afraid, and that's the insidious power of the vampire. When all is said and done, he can lead you to your own destruction and you go willingly, laughing and admiring his politesse as you walk towards your own doom.
