A BABY KILLER

That Johnny Jump Up thing grabbed one of the cherubs. It happened in the old Laurel Hill Cemetery. We didn't see it, none of the vampires I mean. But one of the caretakers saw it. They know. They know about us. Are they familiars? I don't know. Not really. But they've been 'friends' I'd guess you'd call them for decades. The little ones, the cherubs, like to go up there so they can fly around and play their games without anybody seeing. They gurgle. They flit around. It looks like they're playing tag, but I don't know. Sometimmes they hide behind the ornate stones and obelisks and surprize each other. Look, they're babies. They are just babies. This thing happened to them. They're vampires. But they're babies. And they never kill anybody. What do they take, a few drops? Most people don't even know. It happens when they're sleeping. They think it was a dream. And they're always willing to let the older ones, the elves, and the adult vampires too I mean,  take tiny draughts of their blood for those little glass vials. You know, what they give to sick people. So that poor, little thing didn't deserve this. The caretakers wive makes outfits for them. She knits them out of special thick, warm yarn. Pull-overs, sweaters, little sweat pants, heavier ones to be like coats. Even those snugg, little hats that babies wear. They fly home all smiles in their new outfits. Sarah would make a big fuss. She'd hug them and tuck them into their snugg, little sleeping baskets. You should see how cute the walls of their tiny chambers were painted. They were happy when Sarah came. Oh, Baylah was good to them too. She'd give her life for them. But Sarah lived with them. She was like their mother. You should have heard her when she found out. We thought she'd go crazy. Edith is with her now. She's singing to her. She hugs her. She rocks her. At least she's quiet. Papa feels bad. Look, this is not the night to make me call him  'Jimmy.' OK? Jonathon feels bad too. He's in there with Sarah now. Even Little Bastard Annie is quiet. She wanted to give them some of her coloring books. Luna's still new. She don't know what to make of all this. And you want to know the truth? I'm not sure what to make of her either. 'Luna.' Who needs her? Yeah, Papa wanted a bed partner. Somebody here. Somebody handy. But beyond that...the hell with her.......This is how they said it happened. One of the chubby ones, a girl I think it was, went tearing away, gurgling with delight, because she didn't want the other ones to catch her. And she makes to fly over the roof of a private mausoleum. Almost clears it too. But that creep was up there. He blends in with the dark. It's hard to see him. I think that's one of his talents. He reaches out real fast, like a snake he is. And he grabs her by the leg. You know what I mean, the lower leg. The calf, the calf, I think they call it. The poor little thing starts crying. She's struggling to get away. The other ones, the cherubs, I mean, try diving in close to him, trying to make him fall. But he swats them off like cock-a-roaches. What can they do? None of the elves were around. The caretaker's wife runs out and starts screaming! Her husband grabs her and shuts her up. He don't want nobody running in here and seeing this. But he does manage to pop off a few rounds from a little twenty-two he's got. Won't kill no vampire. But who knows what it'll do to the Johnny Jump Up creep. Only now we do know. It does nothing. The bullets go in. The bullets go out. And he laughs. Then he starts cradling the little thing and stroking her downy head like he loves her or something. The caretaker and his wife just stood there watching and crying. The woman reaches out for her. She thought like maybe he was gonna hand the cherub down to her. And he smiles. He nods. He makes like he's gonna do that. The other cherubs, hiding in the bare, cold trees calm down a little. You could see it. They're not vibrating as much. They're not breathing as hard. ......But then he does it. Like a snake he opens his mouth. So wide, you'd never believe it. And he real fast sticks the head...the whole head!...the whole head! right down in there and bites it off. Oh, the wife fainted. She almost had a stroke. And the other little ones rose up and tore off in a million directions.....Then he just smiles, with his cheeks all puffed out and everything and begins to chew it up. Crunches through the bones and everything.....You know, no vampire can live without its head. The care taker saw it all. He's the one did most of the talking. None of the others, the adult vampires, I mean, came close to tracking him. You wanna know how they spent most of the night? You wanna know what they did? They bought shoes. They went shopping. Why not? Those little places in hotels stay open late. And now they're crying. And now he's still out there. And that poor, little, innocent thing is gone...........