“You may have two,” said his mother. “Then we’ll have the rest later this evening.”
“Great!” Tony could hardly believe his luck. Not only had his mother agreed to let him stay up late, but now he was getting two extra buns as well!
“Here, you can have some cocoa too,” said his mother, handing him a steaming mugful.
“Mmm, thanks.” Tony took the mug and the buns and went off to his room. He had already finished his homework, so he could read in peace – and in just about three hours, the party would begin!
A Lively Evening
SHORTLY AFTER EIGHT, THE front door bell rang. Tony had been looking at the clock every few minutes for the past half hour, and now a shiver of expectancy ran through him. He hoped all would go well, and that Rudolph really had come as well. What would his parents say? Tony was so excited that his legs nearly would not carry him out of his room.
His parents had already opened the door. “Good evening,” he heard Rudolph say in his grating voice, followed almost immediately by Anna’s piping: “Hello!”
“Good evening!” replied his mother, taking a couple of steps backwards. “Come in!”
“So here you are at last!” Father was doing his best to sound welcoming, but even his blustery voice sounded rather taken aback. He had a good reason: Rudolph and Anna looked quite a sight. They had put rouge on their cheeks and smeared red lipstick on their lips. Their faces, which were normally chalk-white, were caked with brownish powder, but it had been put on in patches, so that there were still places where white gleamed through. The penetrating smell of ‘Fragrant Earth’ hung pungently about the pair of them.
“This is for you,” said Rudolph, holding out a bunch of greenery to Tony’s mother.
“Thank you,” she murmured, fingering the stems gingerly. They had clearly been torn from a hedge somewhere.
“Aren’t they pretty?” said Anna. “There are plenty like that growing at home.”
“Ssh!” Rudolph hissed at her furiously. It was clear even to Tony that the sprigs were from the box hedge which grew in the cemetery.
“I’ll go and put them in water,” said his mother, disappearing into the kitchen.
“Where is Tony, I wonder?” said Dad.
“Here,” replied Tony, who had been watching their meeting from a distance.
“Tony!” said Anna, her face reddening. “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” said Tony, and he blushed an equally deep crimson.
“Hello, Tony,” said Rudolph, shaking him by the hand. Rudolph’s hand felt cold and knobbly, like the hand of a skeleton. It was the first time that Tony had ever touched Rudolph’s hand, and it made him shiver. Perhaps it was because they both looked so strange and unfamiliar tonight. They must have come straight from the vault, in which case they could not have had anything to eat. In fact, Rudolph was looking pretty drained and weak.
“Er, are you hungry?” Tony asked cautiously.
“Yes,” said Rudolph. “Very.”
“Come on in then,” said Tony’s father, trying to sound jovial. “Everything’s ready. There are some buns and fruit juice.” He led the way into the living room.
“Is there milk as well?” whispered Anna. Tony nodded.
His parents had laid the table with the best china, and decorated it with paper napkins and candles – everything looked lovely … except the two visitors. The same thought must have occurred to Anna, who looked rather embarrassed and wandered uncertainly round the table.
“How pretty it looks!” she said. “We never have anything like this at home.”
“Ssh!” frowned Rudolph.
“Why shouldn’t I say that?” argued Anna. She turned to Tony’s father and said, “It’s true. We always eat out.”
“Do you?” said Tony’s mother conversationally, returning with the box sprigs in a vase. “It must get very expensive to eat out all the time.”
“Actually, it’s quite cheap.” Rudolph could not help smiling, and for a moment his pointed teeth were revealed. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
“That box does smell odd,” remarked Tony’s father. “Shall I open a window?”
“No, I’d rather you didn’t,” said Mum. “Otherwise those moths will get in.”
“Moths?” giggled Rudolph. “I love moths!”
“Well, I don’t,” said Tony’s mother firmly.
“Bats are even better. They have such sweet faces.”
“Ugh!” shivered Tony’s mother.
“Or vampires!” Anna could not resist the suggestion, and this time it was too much for Rudolph. He broke into a peal of laughter, but as he still had his hand over his mouth, he soon ran out of air and began to choke.
“Are you all right?” asked Mum, but Rudolph could only cough.
“Wait a minute!” said Tony’s mother, and ran to the kitchen, returning with a glass of water. “Drink this – you’ll feel much better.”
By this time, Rudolph was coughing so badly that he did not notice that Tony’s mother was holding a glass to his lips. But he had barely tasted the first drop before he sprang up, and ran into the hallway, sneezing and spluttering.
“You poor thing!” said Tony’s mother, hurrying after him.
Anna looked at Tony and grinned. “What can you expect?” she said. “Water on an empty stomach ...”
At this point, Tony’s mother came back. “He’s locked himself in the bathroom,” she said, “and there are the most terrible noises coming from inside!”
To soothe her, Anna said calmly, “It’s only because he’s so hungry.”
This did not seem a very adequate explanation to Tony’s mother, but his father asked: “Haven’t either of you had anything to eat then?”
Anna shook her head.
“Well, come on, come on.” He held out the plate of cream buns, and Anna took one.
“Go on, then,” urged Tony’s father. “No need to wait!”
“I, er, don’t like cake,” she said.
“Oh. Well, just eat the cream then,” said Tony’s father.
“Would you like some apple juice?” asked Tony’s mother.
“No thank you. It gives me a tummy ache.”
“What do you like to drink then?”
“Milk, if you have any.”
“Of course,” said Tony’s mother. “I’ll fetch some.”
As she went into the hall she let out a cry. “Rudolph’s disappeared!” she exclaimed, and Tony heard her hurrying around anxiously, opening all the doors. “How could he have got out of the flat?”
“Through the front door?” suggested Dad helpfully.
“No!” wailed Mum. “We would have noticed him.”
“Perhaps we just weren’t looking at the right moment?”
“Don’t be silly!” insisted Mum. “He would have had to have gone right past the living room door.”
“Well, he must have flown then,” said Dad crossly.
“Who knows?” said Mum. “Tony’s bedroom window is open.”
“What?” exclaimed Tony. He had not opened it! But of course, he must not let the others know that. “Oh, yes, I left it open,” he added hurriedly.
“There you are! A perfectly reasonable explanation,” said his father.
If only he knew. Mum had nearly hit the nail on the head, as usual.
“I suppose I just haven’t looked in the right place,” said Mum in a small voice, sitting down once more.
Dad turned to Anna. “Your brother can’t fly, can he?” he asked.
“Of course not!” said Anna.
“I knew it! You see, Hilary? The things you dream up!”
Tony’s mother looked at Anna warily. Tony wondered if she was suspicious; his father would never notice a thing, but Mum was different ...
“May I have my milk?” asked Anna.
“Oh, of course. I’d forgotten,” said Tony’s mother. “Tony, be a dear and fetch it.” Grudgingly Tony got to his feet.
; “Milk is very good for you,” said Anna. “It makes you strong.”
Tony returned with the milk, and put the glass down in front of her. “Thank you!” She smiled, and emptied the glass in one gulp.
For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Dad remarked, “So you have a fancy dress costume too?”
“Yes,” nodded Anna, not at all abashed.
“Where do you hold all these Halloween parties?”
“In private,” said Anna, looking smug. Tony looked at her admiringly. He would never have thought of such a good answer on the spur of the moment like that.
“I would like to see what you look like without your fancy dress costume on,” said Tony’s father.
Tony’s heart nearly stopped beating, but Anna simply shrugged her shoulders casually and said, “Oh, not much different. Perhaps a bit prettier.”
“Prettier?” Tony’s father laughed hollowly. “You’re certainly not vain, anyway!”
“No,” agreed Anna.
“Or shy.”
Anna looked at Tony. “Sometimes I am,” she said.
“So you and your brother always go to these parties?”
“Yes. We do nearly everything together.”
“Don’t you ever quarrel?”
“Of course. He has a very old-fashioned outlook on certain things.”
“Really? Such as?”
“Oh – anything to do with girls. He thinks boys are tougher than girls.”
“Aren’t they?” asked Dad.
“Don’t tell me you agree with him?” said Anna crossly, her face turning quite red.
“No, no,” soothed Tony’s father, “but you must admit most girls would rather wear pretty dresses than go off climbing trees and getting themselves in a mess.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong!” said Anna fiercely. “Why do girls wear pretty dresses? Only because their mothers like to dress them up. And then they don’t climb trees because they are not supposed to get their clothes dirty.”
“Exactly,” agreed Tony’s mother.
“But what about boys?” went on Tony’s father. “Boys play with cars, and girls play with dolls.”
Anna looked exasperated. “You just don’t understand,” she said.
“What do you think, Tony?” asked his father.
Tony hesitated. “I think girls are stupid who are always giggling and get knocked over, even when they’re just playing netball!”
“Well, I think boys are silly who never let girls play football with them!” declared Anna.
“Is your brother like that?” asked Tony’s mother.
Anna nodded. “Even though the first of our line was a lady.”
“What did you say? The first in your line? Are you just stringing us along?” joked Dad.
Tony went hot and cold all over. Now Anna really had gone too far. But no, she was not so easily disturbed. “I meant our first ancestor,” she explained. “She was called Cleo Hermione Victoria Charlotte Sabina Sackville-Bagg, the vampire.”
“That’s a very splendid-sounding name,” said Tony’s father.
“It’s too long,” said Anna, “so it’s been shortened.”
“You sound a funny lot in your family,” said Tony’s father, laughing.
“Do you think so?” Anna looked put out. “Most people who have anything to do with us don’t think we are the least bit funny.”
“Really?” probed Dad. “What do they think of you?”
“I would prefer not to tell you,” said Anna with dignity. “And now, I must be going.” She stood up and smoothed her cloak.
“You’ll come again soon, won’t you?” asked Dad. “Tony will be so sad if you don’t,” he added mischievously.
“Really?” asked Anna, looking tenderly at Tony. “Well, in that case ...” She began to blush quickly and went out into the hall.
“Wait a minute!” called Dad. “You’re going the wrong way. The front door’s on the left!”
“Oh, of course.” Anna sounded rather surprised. Out of habit, she had automatically turned in the direction of Tony’s bedroom and the open window. Pulling herself together, she marched out of the front door, and even went down to the ground floor in the lift.
Epilogue
“WHAT A NICE GIRL!” said Tony’s father when they were all once more round the table. “Did you like her, Hilary?”
“I thought she was sort rather odd.”
“Odd? Why?”
“Her pale little face ... the funny cloak ... her voice ... I don’t know. “
“What about Rudolph then?”
“He was even worse! Those bloodshot eyes and bony fingers!”
“But they’re only children,” laughed Dad. “You sound as if you were frightened out of your wits, my dear.”
“What wits?” giggled Tony.
His father looked at him sharply. “We don’t want any of your cheek,” he said sternly. “It was you who brought up all this vampire nonsense.”
“I did not!” retorted Tony. “Vampires have been around since the Middle Ages!”
“Oh yes? How do you know?”
“I read it in a book.”
“In one of your horror stories, I suppose.”
“No, actually, in a dictionary.”
“Really?” asked Tony’s mother, sounding genuinely interested. “I’d like to see that myself. Is it in ours?”
“No,” answered Tony. “In the one at school.”
“Well, it might be in ours as well,” said his mother hopefully, going over to the bookcase. She took out a book, leafed through it, and read: “‘Vampires: according to myth, these are bodies of the dead, who leave their coffins at night to suck the blood of humans.’”
“Yes, yes, we know all that. “There are other things according to myth, like ...”
“... witches, dwarfs, ghosts, and fairies,” chanted Tony, who remembered only too well the first conversation he had had with his parents on the subject of vampires.
“So you see, there’s nothing to worry about,” reassured Dad, “unless you’re going to believe in dwarfs and fairies as well.”
“Of course I’m not,” said Mum crossly.
“And probably Rudolph and Anna will try to look a little more normal when they come next time, won’t they, Tony?”
“Mmm,” said Tony doubtfully.
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, I’d be glad if it were a while before they came again,” said Mum.
“I’m sure Tony won’t agree,” laughed Dad.
“I don’t,” said Tony starkly. He had almost choked on his cream bun. “I suppose now you’re going to forbid me ever to play with Rudolph and Anna again?”
“No, no, we wouldn’t go as far as that,” said his mother, “but surely we can have our own opinion about your friends, can’t we?”
“Suppose so,” Tony reluctantly had to agree.
“I think they are creepy,” said Mum, “and if there really were such things as vampires, I’m sure they would look just like your two friends!”
Dad laughed, as though Mum had made a good joke. “But there aren’t such things as vampires,” he said. “The pair of them are nothing more sinister than two normal kids who have delved a bit too deeply into their grandmother’s dressing-up box.” He took a cream bun and munched on it, and for a while nobody said anything.
Then Tony grumbled: “Well, it was you who kept going on about meeting them, anyway. I did warn you about them.”
“Yes, I must admit, you did,” smiled his mother. “Oh, well, I suppose I’ll get used to them eventually.”
“And you won’t go on any more about this vampire nonsense, will you, Tony?” said Dad.
Tony gave a rueful grin. “O.K.,” he said. Poor old Dad still did not have a clue, and Mum’s suspicions would soon quieten down. All had turned out well in the end.
“I’m off to bed,” he said. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, dear,” replied his parents.
It was with a feeling
of great contentment and satisfaction that Tony finally climbed into bed and pulled the covers up over his head.
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Copyright © 2004 by Rowohlt Verlag GmbH
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