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I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL ALMOST eleven o’clock I would have gone earlier, while Mom was at the hospital, but a couple of Dad’s pals came around with kids of their own and I had to play host

Mom returned home at about ten She was tired, so Dad quickly cleared the house of visitors They had a cup of tea and a chat in the kitchen, then went up to bed I let them drift off to sleep, then snuck downstairs and let h the dark like a comet Nobody saw or heard me, I moved so fast I had a cross in one pocket, which I’d found in Mom’s jewelry box, and a bottle of holy water in the other, which one of Dad’s pen pals had sent to us years ago I wasn’t able to find a stake I’d thought about bringing a sharp knife instead, but probably would only have cut myself I’m clumsy with knives

The old theater was pitch black and deserted I used the front door this time

I didn’t knohat I’d do if the vampire wasn’t there, but somehow I sensed he would be It was like the day Steve threw the scraps of paper up in the air with the winning ticket hidden ast them, and I shut my eyes and reached out blindly It was destiny

It took a while to find the cellar I’d brought a flashlight but the battery was almost dead and it flickered out after a couple of h the dark like a ht down, not giving fear tiot, until I reached the botto candles I was surprised weren’t valad

Mr Crepsley aiting forat a sa, Master Shan," he said, without looking up

I cleared ," I said "It’s the ," he said, then looked up and grinned His teeth were long and sharp This was the closest to him I’d been and I expected to spot all sorts of details red teeth, long ears, narrow eyes but he looked like a norly one

"You’ve been waiting forhave you knohere Madaht you stole her," he said

"Why didn’t you take her then?"

He shrugged "I was going to, but I got to thinking about the sort of boy ould dare steal froht be worth further study"

"Why?" I asked, trying to stop ether

"Why indeed?" he replied ers and the cards on the table juether and slid back into the pack by themselves He put it away and cracked his knuckles "Tell ain? Do you still desire Madam Octa?"

I shook ain!" I snarled

He laughed "She will be so sad to hear that"

"Don’tteased"

"No?" he asked "And ill you do if I continue?"

I pulled out the cross and bottle of holy water and held the him to fall back, frozen with fear But he didn’t Instead he sain, and suddenly the cross and plastic bottle were no longer in my hands They were in his

He studied the cross, chuckled and squeezed it into a little ball, as though it were made of tinfoil Next he uncorked the holy water and drank it

"You knohat I love?" he asked "I love people atch lots of horror movies and read horror books Because they believe what they read and hear, and cos like crosses and holy water, instead of weapons that could do real darenades"

"You meancrosses don’thurt you?" I stammered

"Why should they?" he asked

"Because you’reevil," I said

"Am I?" he asked

"Yes," I said "You must be You’re a vampire Va you are told," he said "It is true that our appetites are rather exotic But just because we drink blood does not mean that we are evil Are vampire bats evil when they drink the blood of cows and horses?"

"No," I said "But that’s different They’re animals"