• “Mommy?” I called as I walked down the stairs still half asleep. I clutched my blue security blanket in my left hand, rubbing my eyes with the other. I stumbled twice on my journey to the end of the staircase. “Mommy!” I called again, my voice still thick with tears and sleep. I entered the living room and saw my mother with a strange man. I squinted at the glare of the light after being in semi-dark for so long. The man wore only briefs, gentle muscles occupied his chest. His hair was a blonde mess, his eyes a piercing blue that felt like they penetrated, and making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
    My mother looked at me. Concern and embarrassment in those pretty dark brown eyes. She quickly concealed it and smiled at me. I began to walk over to her, ignoring the strange man. “What is it sweetie?” She smiled rewrapping herself in the satin night gown as I came and sat on her lap, resting my head against her chest. “I had another bad dream…” She kissed and stroked my tangled brown hair. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed and you can tell me all about it.” I hopped off of her lap allowing her stand and took her hand. We walked out of the room leaving the man to lie back on the couch with his arms behind his head, an amused smile on his handsome face. A face I’d never forget. Those eyes, that choppy hairstyle, broad nose, square jawbone. There was something about him, something memorable. Something I didn’t like. Something I didn’t trust. Mommy glanced back at him and mouthed something. I didn’t care enough to check what she was saying and his reaction to it, instead I pulled her away up to the second floor of the large four story house. She walked me back into my bedroom where the duvet had been thrown off in my desperate struggle against the bad people in my nightmare.
    She let go of my hand and felt the mattress although she didn’t need to, the wet was quite prominent on the light blue linen. She went to the airing cupboard to take out fresh bedding and began to strip the bed. I sat on the chair and snuggled up to my blanket watching her. “So Tyler, what was this nightmare about? It must have been pretty bad.” She continued to strip the bed then started putting the fresh sheet on the duvet, allowing me time to calm down and find the words to explain what had happened. After finishing with the duvet and the bottom sheet she came and sat down making me sit on her lap where she wrapped her loving arms around me, kissing my hair, murmuring calm, kind words. “It was worse than the others, much worse. I –I dreamed that… I dreamed that you were… That you were a vampire.” I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought of it. Her smile faltered slightly when I looked up at her. “What happened?” She asked, forcing herself to sound shocked.
    My bright teal green eyes shone with tears. I looked away and sighed. “You were with a man…Drinking his…blood. Then there was a bang and about ten men in cloaks appeared and surrounded you. You still had his weakened body in your arms. Blood was around your mouth, like the feed was rushed. In the other dreams you-”
    “You’ve had other dreams about me being a vampire?” She cut in, her voice full of worry.
    “Yeah but I don’t like to talk about them. I don’t even tell Lissie. You’re usually quite clean and controlled in those dreams.”
    She paused in a moments thought then told me to continue but her eyes were distant.
    “The men in cloaks were holding sharp things shaped like crosses. You know like the Christian one? The ones priests have. ”
    She swallowed; fear prominent in her eyes now, her calm shroud had been shattered at the mention of the crucifix and priests. “Yeah, I know the one.” She struggled to keep her voice calm and even as she knew she needed to save alarming me and my older sister. “And then in the dream the priests stabbed you with the ends of the crosses, the wounds were all steamy and smoky, like when something burns.” I swallowed, my voice growing thick as the tears returned. “And then they dragged you away, half dead. They saw me and Melissa, grabbed us too. Then we were in that church down the village. It was raining which made the coloured window thing look like Jesus was crying. And then you were there, nailed to a cross yourself. Just like Jesus was in the story. The men were around you, in a sort of semi circle, chanting something over and over.” I clung on to her robe as the tears spilled out. She clutched me tighter murmuring comforting words to me. “And then it was morning and the sun came up and you started to burn and…oh it was horrible…Melissa and I were crying and screaming. I was so angry and the men for hurting you so bad. You were going to die. I don’t want my Mommy to die. I love you too much.” My sobs turned to convulsions as the images of that dream came flooding back. My mothers half dead body with the crosses sticking out, how she burned in the light from the sun. Her fangs and hunger as she drank from that mans body.
    I heard a floorboard creak on the hallway and the blonde man’s sweaty and mocking odour hurt my nose. I could feel Mom making frantic hand gestures, waving him away. “What happened then?” Her voice was faster, panicky. She knew what happened when I had such vivid dreams.
    “That was when I woke up.” I looked back up at her. “It was only a dream. You’re not a vampire.”
    “What makes you so sure I’m not?” She smiled making her words a joke although her eyes said something different. They always told me the truth.
    “You’re too pretty to be a vampire. Vampire’s are evil and selfish and mean and nasty and kill people and drink blood.” I stuck my tongue out, disgusted by the thought of blood.
    “There are many different types of vampire.” I allowed her to get up then I sat back down thinking about her words.
    “Look at the time mister. Better get you back to bed.” I glanced at the blue race car clock on the wall. It read 3:30am. She pulled the dark and light blue pillow cases onto the pillows then flipped back a corner of the duvet for me to get in. I jumped down from the chair that was still too big for me and got into bed. I inhaled the fresh scent of my mother and the washing detergent she used and sighed; content again. She gave me my tatty old teddy and my blanket telling me that she’d be right back.
    I strained my ears to listen to the hushed conversation outside my bedroom hearing the name “Carlos” mentioned three times by my mother. I assumed it was the man’s name from the way in which she said it, with the fake tenderness of love mixed with distrust. The way she spoke to all of the strange men she brought home.
    The conversation drifted then died away as they moved down the hallway to Mommy’s room. Then she returned alone carrying four different items. She sat on the foot of the bed, laying the items out. One was a locket. The second necklace was a simple sterling silver cross. The third item was a beautiful 14 karat gold charm bracelet. The fourth and final item was a ring, much too big for me and Melissa, big enough to fit a grown man’s middle finger.
    “These,” She held up the silver necklace and the ring “Are for you my son, the cross will protect you from all those mean and nasty blood drinking things out there that feed on the living. And yourself….” She said the last part under her breath but I still heard. The comment scared me.
    “The ring was your Father’s.”
    I picked them up and admired the ring. The metal was silver but it wasn’t silver. I guessed it was platinum after looking through jewellery catalogues with Mom. It had the head of a wolf engraved in the front and a message in a foreign language engraved inside the band.
    “It is platinum.” She confirmed after I’d asked. “You’re such a clever little boy, I’m so proud of you. I know you’ll get far in life and do well. Now you must promise me something, I know you’re only six but it’s important. You must stop worrying about me whatever happens and never blame yourself. I love you so very, very, very much and your sister. You both mean the world to me. I wish I could tell you everything there is to tell. But I cannot.” She glanced at the clock. 4:00 am. “I promise.” I whispered, though her words scared me even more. “Mommy you’re scaring me. You speak as if you’re going somewhere…”
    “Get some sleep now.” She diverted the question kissing me on the forehead. There was a bang downstairs which made us both jump out of our skin. Mom put the locket and bracelet in a purple silk back then placed them in my bedside table.
    “I want you to give those to your sister when you get the chance. Promise me that too, that you’ll give them to Melissa no matter what.”
    “I promise.” I was close to tears at all these promises and the rushed way in which she spoke. “Good boy. Look after her. Now get some sleep. I’ll see you again.” She kissed me one last time on the forehead, a long deep kiss as if she were putting all her love in that kiss. Before I could ask where she was going I felt myself fall into a drowsy sleep like when you have those cough and cold medicines that make you sleepy. The last thing I saw was my mothers smiling face. Then the darkness as my eyelids closed and I drifted into a reluctant deep sleep. I knew she wouldn’t be there when I woke up. I knew my Mommy would be dead. I knew that my darling, dearest, bestest Mommy would be gone and I’d never see her ever again.