VAMPIRES GOT MORTAL RELATIVES TOO, YOU KNOW... 4/5/15

They sat watching the television in the little library. Sarah liked the small, warm space and the deep, comfortable club chairs. Gunga Din was on, a swashbuckling tale about British, colonial forces in 1850's India. She loved the classics, especially the old black and white ones. 

Annie sat in another chair, sipping pineapple juice from one of those colorful, translucent, plastic glasses with the curly-twirly straws. They bought it on the way back from the old man's apartment last night at a twenty four hour CVS. She pretended to be interested in the movie, but she really studied Sarah. Lately she was curious about everything..... like would belly fat bounce if you made a ball of it, or what happened to that weird,Johnny-Jump-Up ghoul guy they used to have around here.

They have to measure her every day. Annie, I mean. They mark her height. She's desperate to grow. At first it looked like even though she wasn't strictly speaking 'vampire' anymore, she still wasn't growing. Everybody was worried. They know how much it means to her. She watches old Brady Bunches and says - Am I as tall as her?... and points toward the middle one.... Jonathon says - She's an actress. She's not as old as the character. Probably nineteen years old. They have to be taller to stand out under all the hot lights and everything.... Annie goes - Why? What do they do, melt?.... Edith wants to laugh, but Sarah shoots her a look.... The thing is, she's beginning to grow. Edith measures her with an old Sears retractable, metal, tape measure in the kitchen. Jonathon checks with one of the physician 'familiars' they have. He says she's alright, near average for a seven year old. Annie's about nine, but since she was 'vampire' for a couple years that's not bad. But she still has to pick about something. You know how kids get?..... She goes - Who was that old guy last night, the one in the apartment?...... Sarah says - Nobody. Why do you ask?...... Annie says - 'Cause he wasn't 'nobody.' I can tell. I got the 'hoo doo.' Edith says so and you know it...... Then she just looks.... Sarah says - He's just somebody I've known for a long time...... You mean like before you were a vampire?.... Sarah nods, pretending she's so interested in the Sepoy Revellion (Gunga Din, you know)..... Annie goes - Stop looking at that. They get all shot up. I know. I saw it before...... Sarah goes - When'd you see it before?...... Annie says - Cartoon version with Bugs Bunny. Same thing. Teacher said so. Who was he?..... Sarah looks at her. Annie stares back. Kids can be so focused when they want to be. She goes - Well? He looks like some communist from a movie I saw.... Boy, you sure see a lot of old movies - goes Sarah... Annie just shrugs. Then she looks down like she's hurt..... Sarah quietly says - He was my grandfather.... Annie goes - What to you mean? He ain't dead...... Sarah says - Drink your pineapple juice.....

Gunga Din bites it, marches off into eternity and the movie ends.  Annie switches to late night reruns of FUTURAMA. They sit there in the shadows, bathed in the light from the small flat screen. 

Sarah doesn't want to talk anymore and Annie knows not to push. So they sit there til just before dawn. Then they go to their rooms. 

Nighttime in the townhouse.....

Vampirinas have family issues too.....

The truth'll come out. It always does....

<more next time>

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