The Blood Feast of Lost Souls


     Something hungry lurks nearby in the darkness.  All is silent.  There is no breath or even the sound of a heat beat, yet you can feel its presence, its desire.  The terror of waiting is the worst.  Please, no matter how this will end, let it end now.
     Life flows through the blood stream, so it is natural that the unnatural dead require a consistent supply to continue dwelling in the mortal world.  The modern image of the blood drinker has roots as ancient as human existence.  The Egyptians, the Greeks, Chinese, and Romans all shared similar fears of the returning dead.  In nearly all cultures, until the present time, vampires have been vulgar creatures, hardly the aristocratic or romantic figure.  In parts of Mexico, the vampire has a fleshed-out human body but the head is a bare skull.  In Brazil the vampire has thick hair on the bottoms of its feet to walk stealthy.  In Eastern Europe and parts of Russia, the Vampire is a decaying creature that sometimes has the need to throw off all its clothing before it attacks.
     The vampire may take many forms to aid in its transport or concealment.  The image of the bat is a very recent addition to the folklore.  In older tales, the vampire may turn into a rolling wagon or cart wheel.  It may take the form of mist, a wolf, or any number of nocturnal birds.  In Japan, it frequently becomes a cat, but is noted for having two tails.
     In Romania, the vampire is known as a Strigoi Mort, which means "dead witch."  Anyone who delves into black magic in life is likely to return as a vampire.  In some cases, vampires are the souls of the executed or those of suicides.  In my novel, Carpathian Nights, this is the pattern.  Executions often take place at crossroads to reduce the chance of the executed soul returning as a vampire to its own home town, seeking revenge.  Many vampires return only to serve their families.  There are many accounts of a dead man returning to his widow at night to chop wood for her fire.  In most of these stories there is little report of actual blood drinking.

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