The stranger under the willow tree

Let me explain

"Count Dracula is a bad representative of our species," I said to the human sitting across from me. He looked at me skeptically, as if he didn't believe me. "I know it's hard to believe," I continued, "but not all vampires are like him. In fact, most of us are nothing like him."

The human raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because from what I've read, Dracula is pretty much the quintessential vampire."

I sighed. "Yes, I know. But that's just fiction. In reality, most of us prefer animal blood to human blood. And even those of us who do drink human blood, we don't go around killing people and turning them into vampires."

The human frowned. "But what about the whole immortality thing? Don't you guys want to live forever?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. Immortality is more of a curse than a blessing. We've seen too many people come and go, too many wars and plagues and disasters. We get tired of it all eventually. And besides, we don't really age, so we don't have to worry about dying of old age."

The human looked thoughtful. "So what do you guys do all day, then? Just sleep in coffins and avoid sunlight?"

I laughed. "No, we're not that dramatic. We have jobs, we have hobbies, we have families. We're just like you, except we drink blood instead of eating food. And we don't have to worry about getting sick or injured, because we heal quickly."

The human nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. But what about the whole blood thing? Isn't it kind of...gross?"

I shrugged. "It's an acquired taste, I guess. But to us, blood is like alcohol. Some of us drink occasionally, while others are raging hemoholics. And just like with alcohol, some prefer beer while others prefer hard liquor. It's all a matter of personal preference. But we don't go around killing people for it, I promise."

"Count Dracula is a bad representative of our species," I said to the human sitting across from me. He looked at me skeptically, as if he didn't believe me. "I know it's hard to believe," I continued, "but not all vampires are like him. In fact, most of us are nothing like him."

The human raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because from what I've read, Dracula is pretty much the quintessential vampire."

I sighed. "Yes, I know. But that's just fiction. In reality, most of us prefer animal blood to human blood. And even those of us who do drink human blood, we don't go around killing people and turning them into vampires."

The human frowned. "But what about the whole immortality thing? Don't you guys want to live forever?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. Immortality is more of a curse than a blessing. We've seen too many people come and go, too many wars and plagues and disasters. We get tired of it all eventually. And besides, we don't really age, so we don't have to worry about dying of old age."

The human looked thoughtful. "So what do you guys do all day, then? Just sleep in coffins and avoid sunlight?"

I laughed. "No, we're not that dramatic. We have jobs, we have hobbies, we have families. We're just like you, except we drink blood instead of eating food. And we don't have to worry about getting sick or injured, because we heal quickly."

The human nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. But what about the whole blood thing? Isn't it kind of...gross?"

I shrugged. "It's an acquired taste, I guess. But to us, blood is like alcohol. Some of us drink occasionally, while others are raging hemoholics. And just like with alcohol, some prefer beer while others prefer hard liquor. It's all a matter of personal preference. But we don't go around killing people for it, I promise."