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The Beginnings | My Costume Shop | The Drinking of Blood

The Beginnings

Ever since I can remember I always had a desire to be a vampire, I remember coming home from school, and my Mom loved to watch horror movies while ironing clothes in the afternoon. My favorites were always Dracula movies and movies about his son and daughter.

I had dreams of when I grew up I was going to be a vampire. I started to see the tales of the undead in movies, comics, books, and instead of thinking them as rotting dead evil corpses, I thought of them as tragic folks living unending lives in search of love, the blood of life---but most of all searching for that part that is forever, in other words to stay alert, not to get bored, to be a part of the world of the living. I was always disappointed that vampires were always easily killed in movies. I also thought how can one be immortal if sunlight, or stakes in the heart or beheading would kill these powerful creatures. It seem they were fragile and not as wondrously strong as I wanted them to be--As I wanted me to be.

So I began my study of vampires now mind you back in the 60's and in school libraries there was not much info.  I did find the book Dracula by Bram Stroker, which I read.  I also had comics, movies, and Halloween tales as my guides.

I was always thought of as strange and weird, but I feel into a group of gals who were like me. Who liked to put Barbie in black and played slumber party  games such as "Lite as a Feather"

We read romance novels that gave hints of immortality. I wanted to know once and for all was it all a myth or were Vampires real? I search for facts and I really wanted to meet a real live Vampire. My friends giggled at the thought, but not sure if it was giggling thinking I was nuts, or they wanted the same. Even with the giggles they were still like me in front of the TV at 3:30 every day to watch Dark Shadows . Giggling, screaming and swooning over the immortals on the show. But I wanted to know more---I was hoping to be one very soon.

Then tragedy struck--my parents informed me--there were no such things--as vampires.  I was crushed, it was worse then knowing there was no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy.  They told me it was all make-believe.  There never was and never will be Vampires.  How can this be?

Years passed and I was even more confused.  I heard rumors of Vampires, living in Europe, or in San Francisco--I mean I went to SF many times, and those folks were not exactly human.

When Anne Rice's books came into my life, she seem to agree with me on what an immortal vampire should be.  She didn't see vampires as weak, soulless, rotting and ugly. She saw them as powerful, beautiful and in some ways sad, imagine to live forever entrapped in bodies filled with desires and needs. I read the stories filled with love, lust and power beyond anything we have ever encountered. As many people did, I feel in love with Lestat, the brat prince along with the Queen of the Damned--Akasha, long before I saw the movie version.

When the movie, "Interview with a Vampire first opened in theatres in 1994, " I met some of my friends at the theatre, wearing my leathers, my long nails (which I always have had), and my fangs (trust me they were dressed the part also).  What a great time to share this movie with some other believers.  I enjoyed the movie, until this woman behind us, began talking too bloody loud, my friends and I turned bared our fangs and hissssssed at her, I swear she jumped but it had the effect, she shut up the rest of the movie. After the movie was over and we were leaving the theatre, this nice lady asked me how the movie was, I said it had an interesting effect on my life, and bared my fangs, she smiled then giggled nervously.  

Anne Rice made many of the ugly little problems with Vampires go away, she made the older ones harder to kill, becoming truly immortal. This was the kind of vampire I wanted to be.

My tale continues in My Costume Shop

The Beginnings | My Costume Shop | The Drinking of Blood