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My name is Fredrick Smith. My friends call me Freddy. I am a patient at Regional Psychiatric Hospital. For a long time I thought I was a vampire. One of the undead who lives off the vibrant blood of living humans. With the help of my good friend, Dr. Wilson, I came to realize this was untrue, and that indeed, I am a mortal man.
Life here in the hospital is a good life. The staff is helpful, and the other patients are really good people. In fact, I have developed friendships with many and look forward to seeing them in the cafeteria and later in the evening when we gather to watch TV.
I must admit that at times I have strange feelings. Dr. Wilson said this is normal and for me not to worry about it. I try very hard, but sometimes they are quite strong. Medication has helped and so have the regular visits with the good doctor. Despite those weird sensations, I know that I am a mortal man. There is no rational way I could be a vampire.
Sitting alone in my room gives me ample time to reflect on my life. Dr. Wilson has helped me realize that I had a nervous breakdown. Even though my wife supported me, I reached a point where professional help was needed in order to be cured. Everything is so clearer now. It is as if I have emerged from a fog. A fog where existence is measured in irrational delusion and fantasy. No longer is my life ruled by my imagination. I have become a rational human being. That is, I have become a rational mortal human being.
As I continued to sort things out in my head, my thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a beautiful woman. She did not enter my room in the normal manner. My door is closed. It was as if she appeared out of thin air. One moment she was not there, and the next she was. I marveled at this creature that stood before me. Her beauty fascinated me as I was transfixed by the smile on her face. I had never seen anyone like her. This was the woman I had always dreamed about. Now she had graced me with her presence in my room.
She approached me on my bed and gently took my hand. “Hello, Omar,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake,” I said as I looked into her deep blue eyes. “My name is Smith. Fredrick Smith. You can call me Freddy.”
“That was your name when you were mortal,” she declared. “But once you became one of us, you became Count Omar Oloff!”
“What do you mean ‘one of us’?” I asked with growing curiosity.
“One of the undead,” she revealed. “Don’t you remember? You’re a vampire.”
“I am not!” I protested. “Dr. Wilson has helped me see that my imagination was playing tricks on me.”
“Dr. Wilson doesn’t know the truth,” she offered. “He’s only mortal. He could never understand.”
“I don’t believe you!”
“Do you believe these?” she asked as she opened her mouth to show a set of beautiful white fangs.
“Those are lovely,” I declared as the smile returned to her face.
“You have a nice set, too,” she offered as she gently stroked my face with her hand. “It’s just that you have suppressed your natural urges. They will come back once you set your mind to accept what you really are.”
“I don’t know about all this,” I reflected. “I mean I’ve worked so hard to fight against the thought of being a vampire.”
“I know you have, dear,” she offered in a very gentle tone. “But there’s no need to fight. All you have to do is accept the facts. Look deep into your soul. What do you feel?”
“I’ve always felt I was a vampire,” I revealed. “I don’t know. I don’t even know why you’re here.”
“Why, I’ve come to take you home,” she declared.
“Home?!?”
“Yes, dear, home,” she said. “Everyone is waiting to see you. It’s been such a long time.”
“What home are you talking about?” I asked.
“The home where all we vampires live,” she replied. “The home where everyone knows the truth. The home where no mortals can enter. Our home.”
“I can’t leave this hospital,” I protested. “Dr. Wilson would never let me. He wouldn’t understand.”
“Well, you see, sweetheart, that’s been your problem all along,” she declared. “You’ve expected mortals to understand our existence. They cannot. It is beyond their limited capabilities.”
“I’m having a hard time understanding this myself,” I offered.
“Think about it for a moment, Omar, and you will know I’m speaking the truth,” she said. “What have you been trying to convince others and yourself of?”
“That I’m a vampire,” I answered.
“They haven’t believed you, have they?” she asked.
“No, they haven’t.”
“And they never will,” she declared. “That’s the big mistake you made. You tried to make them understand.”
“So, I should’ve kept all this to myself?” I pondered.
“That’s exactly right, dear,” she revealed as she sat down on the bed beside me. “We learned centuries ago that it was best for us to exist in secrecy.”
“In other words, no one should know we’re vampires?” I asked as I began to understand what she was saying.
“No mortals should know,” she replied. “That way they won’t ask all those silly questions and lock us in hospitals like they’ve done you.”
“I see,” I said. “If they believe I think I’m a vampire, then they see me as someone who’s crazy. On the other hand, if I act as a normal mortal, they have no reason to suspect anything.”
“That’s right,” she said as she smiled again. “Then they won’t put you in a hospital. You will know the truth, but the mortals will be fooled.”
“This makes perfect sense,” I said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.”
“Well, that’s why I came here,” she declared. “To help you see the truth and to take you home.”
“Dr. Wilson is going to let me go?” I asked with surprise.
“Yes, he is,” she replied. “At first he wasn’t, but he changed his mind with a little help from my hypnotic suggestion.”
“So I am a vampire,” I pondered. “I knew it! I knew it!! I knew it all along!!!”
“Yes, you did.”
“I am a vampire! I am Count Omar Oloff!!”
“The one and only,” she laughed. “Now, gather your things for it’s time for us to go.”
“We can’t go now,” I declared with some disappointment.
“Why not?”
“The sun’s up.”
“Oh, that’s no problem,” she declared.
“It is, too,” I protested. “We’ll burn to a crisp. They’ll be nothing left but a pile of dust.”
“I have come prepared for that,” she offered. “Here are some special sunglasses. Put them on and they’ll protect your eyes from the sun.”
“But what about my flesh?” I asked.
“Here is a special sun block lotion,” she said as she handed me the tube. “Spread it all over any exposed skin. The sun will have no effect on you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I came here in the sunlight, didn’t I?” she answered. “Count, you may not remember, but you and I love each other. I would never let anything harm you.”
“You love me?” I asked with hopeful anticipation.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, I fell in love with you the moment you appeared in my room,” I declared with unabashed honesty. “If you say these items will protect me, then I believe you.”
“Good! Now, hurry, there are so many things I want to show you and so many others that want to see you again,” she offered as I donned my overcoat.
“I’m ready, but you’ll have to lead the way,” I declared. “I still don’t remember everything about my existence as a vampire.”
“Just follow me, dear,” she said as she kissed me on the cheek.
“All right! Let’s go get some blood!” I shouted.
“Now, sweetheart, please remember what we talked about,” she said as she gently swatted my arm. “When we’re around mortals we act like they do. That way they never become suspicious of what we really are.”
“I’ll remember,” I promised.
“Then later tonight,” she smiled as she slipped her arm into mine. “We can stalk them and drink their blood!!”
I joined in her laughter and said, “I like the way you think!”
###############
Dr. Wilson was busy at his desk when Nurse Jones entered the room. He looked at her and removed his glasses as she approached.
“Well, Mr. Smith is finally going home,” she declared. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see the day.”
“It has been a long uphill battle,” agreed the doctor. “Has he left yet?”
“He and his wife are signing the release agreements now,” she replied. “She seems to be a good woman. They stayed in his room talking for a long time before they got ready to leave.”
“I believe she’s good for him,” offered the doctor. “I’m happy for both of them.”
“Doctor, do you think he’s cured?” asked the nurse.
“Oh, he’ll probably never totally quit feeling that he’s a vampire,” laughed the doctor. “But he has learned techniques that will help him suppress those fantasies and allow him to fit in with the normal world.”
“I wish him the best,” declared the nurse. “He’s really a nice guy.”
“I do, too,” agreed the doctor. “Besides, we’re not cutting him loose. He’ll be coming back for regular check-ups.”
Nurse Jones looked out the window and said, “I believe that’s them leaving now.”
Dr. Wilson rose from his desk and joined her at the window. Mr. Smith and his wife were walking to their car in the parking lot.
“Did you check him out before he left?” asked the doctor.
“Yes, I did. Why?”
“His skin has kind of an orange tint to it,” reflected the doctor. “Do you see it?”
“Oh yes,” agreed the nurse. “He’s got sun block on. Some pretty heavy stuff. It’ll probably block anything the sun can throw at him.”
The doctor slowly shook his head and observed, “He’s wearing sunglasses, too.”
“What are you saying, doctor?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” smiled the doctor as Mr. Smith looked up toward him. He smiled and waved to the two at the window. They returned the wave. The doctor nodded his head and said, “Goodbye, Mr. Smith. And good luck.”
THE END
Copyright ©2006 by Jerry W. Crews
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