The Vampire, The Handler, and Me

The clock struck midnight. Finally. Time dragged far more tortuously than I could have ever imagined. I have no idea what possessed me to attend a New Year’s party stag. Adding to the emptiness of no one to kiss when the television showed the ball dropping in Times Square as the clock struck midnight, was the sting of not knowing a soul in the room. I felt completely out of place. My promise to myself to do something new on New Year’s Eve never failed me, until now. This party crowd was a cliquish and unfriendly lot. I didn’t belong here. I should never have come. I’m not bad looking. Although, this particular night I felt like an unattractive wallflower, standing alone and unnoticed. I suddenly understood the meaning of being lonely in a crowd. Well, the clock struck midnight. I’d brought in the New Year doing something new. I was surrounded by the new people I’d been sure I needed in order to bring new experiences into my life for th

My body was on autopilot as my car sped down the old county road toward the convenience store where I’d met Nevi Sharpe. It was as if a homing device took over. It was a good thing too, since my mind was off in so many directions. I didn’t belong behind the wheel of a car. I was shaken and confused and in absolute denial of what Geoffrey Jenkins had insisted was fact. My mind whirled as it tried to decipher fantasy from reality. It was such an outrageous claim. He simply had to have been making it up. Geoffrey had looked me straight in the eye—as sober as you please—and informed me that he was a handler. He handled situations that had to do with the supernatural. How did one become a handler? Why, you were born to the task, of course. Apparently, handlers possessed different talents. His happened to be telepathy, which was why he was able to project his thoughts into my head. His tale got even more fantastic when he claimed that I was a handler too. H

My head was pounding. I rolled over in my bed and slammed my hand onto the alarm’s shut-off switch. I yanked the covers over my eyes to avoid the anticipated glare of the light that automatically switched on to accompany the blaring of my alarm clock. The clock was a concoction my parents rooted out of some novelty shop on one of their many trips abroad to assist me with my aversion to getting out of bed. It was annoying, but it worked. I couldn’t believe it. Once again, I’d gone blank and didn’t remember the end of my date with Nevi. Once again, I’d awoken to find myself tucked safely in my bed. As before, my dress hung neatly in the closet. This time I was wearing my favorite Mickey Mouse nightshirt. I thought about the amount of alcohol I’d consumed at dinner and scowled. I’d promised myself to go easy on it. I was so incredibly comfortable in Nevi’s company that I forgot about being cautious with my drinking. I’d tossed caution to the wind and paid absolutely no

I slept like a baby tucked snugly beneath my favorite down comforter while Mother Nature attacked the blackened world outside with a snowy vengeance. I relived my fabulous night at the movies in my dreams with smug satisfaction. I couldn’t say what movie we’d seen. It really didn’t matter. I’d spent an incredible two hours in the darkness of the movie theater—a veritable lover’s paradise—and a bit more time in my driveway when he brought me home in the arms of the most perfect man. We alternated between the throws of deep passion and a contented cuddle. It had been the perfect night. All my prayers and dreams of meeting Mr. Right paid off. Prayers do get answered!The world was immobilized by the time my alarm besieged my perfect slumber. It was time to get up for work. Reluctant to leave my blissful memories and fantasies, I grudgingly slapped at the off button to the alarm, but it just kept ringing. After a few more attempts it regi

Our footsteps echoed off puke colored pea green walls as Jim and I stepped out of the elevator and followed the attendant down the desolate hall to the room at the end of the building. The door to the morgue swung open and two men in puke colored pea green lab coats walked out. They were in deep conversation and paid little, if any, attention to us as they passed by.I felt like the walls were closing in as we drew closer to our destination. The temperature dropped drastically. Perhaps it was just my imagination. If so, my body responded by shivering uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms across my chest and hugged myself protectively.Jim held his arm out to signal for me to remain in the hall while he went into the examining room to speak to the coroner on duty. I peeked through the doorway while he walked through it. I was overwhelmed by the amount of bodies on an ocean of gurneys. My heart did a somersault. Frank was one of those bodies.Their muffled conversatio