The First Forgiveness Service Was Nice. What Happened Next Wasn't

They sat in the back, in the very last pew. It was easy to slide in. No velvet cushions this month, what with everybody repenting and all. The Old Pine Street Synagogue, dating from Federalist times had a clean, spare, austere look. Google any early American house of worship. You'll see. The wood floors shine with a rich, deep darkness. Everything else is painted white, except for the varnished oak trim running along the pews and up around the rostrum. The doors to The Ark, behind the rostrum were made of intricately engraved silver, dulled by the years, but still quite lovely. Guide book says they came from Portugal via Holland. Large, brass chandeliers with 'authentic, flame-like bulbs' bathed the faithful in a soft warm glow. 

Tomas and Sarah sat next to an old woman. She smiled at them and they smiled back. He put on his prayer cap, opened the 'book of service' (he and Sarah shared) and joined in, letting the hymns from the white robed choir wash over him. 

And maybe it was Divine Truth, or perhaps just vampiric memory, but he saw the year pass before his eyes....both the triumphs and the failures.... the sins of the flesh and the sins of the spirit....... He quietly repeated - Have mercy, Lord. For my body and soul are Thine.......And God responds - Prepare thyself. Turn away from sin and set thy feet upon My path.... Tomas and the rest of those assembled said that they would. And none so much as suspected the presence of a vampire in their midst.

When they broke for fellowship, he had a taste of wine. The grapes make that a difficult proposition for vampires, but he persevered. Sarah had some too. A lady from the sisterhood offered homemade spongecake, which they 'reluctantly' demurred. Diabetic, you know. Then they made pleasant small talk with a couple from Queens Village (the neighborhood to the south) and left. The streets were dark and quiet. Most of the small, sidewalk trees were still green, though a few dried leaves hid here and there. They held hands. His heart beat slow and calm.

Yet in the blackest shadows of a narrow alley, something watched and it growled as they passed. A four legged creature, with coarse, charcoal fur recorded every move, silently loping out onto the sidewalk and following from a distance. I could tell you its eyes burned orange in the night. A detail like that is usually what comes next. But as it crossed a pool of light cast down from  a black, iron street lamp (the real deal) anyone could see that it had no eyes. The lids hung limp over empty sockets. Still it 'saw' with a sharp keen sight.

The thing accompanied them all the way home. When they went inside and locked the door, it stood vigil , still as stone, in shadows 'neath an old gnarled tree, before vanishing into the mist with the first light of a cool, false dawn...

The 'Dream Time' image draws near...

=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=

please hit the SHARE BAR. help the tale go on. COMMENTS are greatly appreciated. thank you. thank you very much. and if anybody happens to know a person in 'the media' (hopefully, like an agent) willing to mentor and help, please send them our way...

THE VAMPIRE TOMAS ATTENDS A MIDNIGHT SERVICE

I heard him in the study all alone and chanting prayers. The lights were off and no one else was home. Annie ran the streets and Edith went to see a movie. She always stops for pancakes after that. And Conrad went to do the things that only Conrad does. I know he's felt the burden from the start. For sometimes being night-folk ain't much like what's on TV. And night-folk take most everything to heart. 

We had a scuffed, old stereo from nineteen sixty three. Baylah brought it over from her bar. He set it up upon the desk and put the record on, an ancient copy of Jan Pierce, I think he was a big opera star, singing KOL NIDRE, the Hebrew prayer for Divine forgiveness of human frailty. Tomas did that from time to time. We know not to bother him. Once in a while I'll sit with him. He holds me. I rest my head on his shoulder. I don't say anything, but I hear him whisper - And, please, LORD,  forgive and protect my Sarah too. Then he kisses the top of my head. He cries a little bit and it's over. 

But this night is different. This night is Selichot (service of first forgiveness), leading up to the Biblical New Year and THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. Look, I've picked up a lot living with him  for over two years. He can't attend services on The Day of Atonement because that's not his time. He's a vampire... and a good one.... and you know how he believes. So he does things in his own way. But SELICHOT Service is different. Selichot Service comes at midnight, 'for The Gates of Heaven open widest upon the darkest hour.' That's what they say.

If you've been with us for a while, you remember what happened last year. You remember the JERUSALEM that wasn't Jerusalem. Not our Jerusalem anyway. Some say we slipped into a parallel universe. Doctor Franklin believes that. And me, I grew up in a family of teachers. We watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos every time they showed it. Nova too. But I don't know. It's funny being a vampire, because we live with the reality of the paranormal.  Magic is like cornflakes and baked beans. It's 'there.' It just is. This isn't a disease. Believe me. We've looked. There ain't no microbe. Dr. Julia Hoffman was barkin' up the wrong tree. No antibiotic gonna cure her Barnabas. So I don't know what happened last year. Maybe the French Knight is still there? Maybe the little Armenian Orthodox cleric is still there?...... You know, that makes me think..... We haven't heard from Zebulon in a while. He's my favorite. Of all the disembodied spirits who flit through our lives, I like him best. Over two thousand years dead. He was thirteen when it happened.... and he still hasn't lost his sense of humor.

But you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna get dressed, fix my hair and go with him. I'm gonna go to that service. 

Vampires deserve a little spiritual comfort too.. I mean, look at our group. We're good...mostly. 'Cull the wicked. Preserve the worthy'--- that's what we say.

You know how the service begins? You know how the prayer goes? Tomas told me. It's like a little child, could be a boy.... could be a girl.... sitting down, giving a hairbrush to a parent and asking them to please undo the tangles.  The tangles are sins. The tangles  are bad things, thoughtless things we've done  to others. The tangles get in The Way...... And if we ask with a pure, childlike innocence, GOD will remove each and every one.

I gotta do something with Annie. Every once in a while she acts a little better, but this isn't right. And Edith shouldn't eat those pancakes all alone each time. 

I gotta do something. I just have to.

Let me tell you.... being a vampire is a very complicated thing..... 

Now let me go get dressed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

please hit the SHARE BAR so others might read our story. please share your COMMENTS too. thank you and good night. If you're reading this during the wee small hours of Sunday morning, September 9th, Selichot Services are going on right now.