carmilla

Part 25 : The End .....

Second, they often choose one special person. Mircalla chose Bertha first, and then me. Vampires can spend weeks or months falling in love with that one person.

Then they start to drink their blood, but slowly, like a fine wine. And slowly that person, like Bertha, dies. While they are falling in love, they still need blood. So they find other people, usually young girls.

They drink their blood in one or two visits, and the girls die quickly.

That is what happened to the forester's daughter and the young farmer's wife. None of the books can explain how a vampire gets in and out of its grave. But we know that it must spend some hours every day in its grave.

You remember that Carmilla never came downstairs before one in the afternoon. In fact, she was out all night and then asleep in her grave in the morning. Another sign of a vampire is a very strong hand. When the General tried to kill Carmilla, she caught his wrist. He had to drop the axe.

He was never able to use that hand again. The following spring, my father took me on a tour of Italy. We travelled for more than a year.

I began to feel a little better, a little calmer. Many years have now passed, but the terror of that time still lives with me. Blood-red memories fill my nights, and I hate to be alone during the day.

Carmilla often visits my dreams. Sometimes she is sweet and beautiful. Sometimes she is the monster that I saw in the church. Often I wake suddenly. Then I think I can hear the light step of Carmilla. Is she just outside my door?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The END......