Beside me on the piano bench she sat,
And we, under the watchful gaze of Frederick,
Danced upon the keys.
A language unto itself, but I tried to think of
the words.
To add a touch of intellect to this soulful moment.
I wanted to say, "She walks in beauty like the night,"
But she was too familiar with that.
The Scratchman threw those words at her in folly
Like so many dead roses.

I thought Aeschylus would be better.
With his song of a slain king, or Euripides
In all his cynicism.

The vampire has held its place in superstition as long as any other creature. The vampire of today is, for the most part, quite different from the one of ancient times. In researching the vampire lore, I attempted to find out just how different they are. I wondered what people thought of them now compared to yesteryear.

*She held him in her eyes, every word drifting into her mind like a song. A tragic lonely song.* His voice, "You know, I've told you the truth, you know his intentions, yet you seem paralyzed to break free from his hold on you. *holding her face in his rough but gentle hand and wiping a cheek with his finger* I have to let you go, it kills me to see you sacrifice yourself to that monster, but it's out of my hands...."

January 23, 2003 - Vampire fans are gathering in Germany in the hope of being voted Mr and Mrs Dracula. The competition is part of the annual three-day Vampire Congress, held in Fernwald forest, Hessen.

The fate of one "vampire killer" was determined in Arkansas recently, while three people in Guyana still await their chance to prove in court that they acted rationally...if they can.