
Photo by: Roger Bultot
Shannon and Nils escaped across the river. The vampire glared at them from across the river.
“We’re safe,” said Nils. “Vampires can’t cross running water.”
“Are you sure?,” shuddered Shannon. “Maybe they just don’t like it?”
Sure enough, the very hungry vampire began swimming across.
The two watched it, slack-jawed.
“I didn’t expect that,” said Nils.
“It does explain a lot. Maybe it stays that way if wet. Lets put it in a water bucket.”
Days later Nils called her.
“I put the vampire/fish in with my piranhas,” said Shannon.
“How cruel!”
“I know. My piranhas have stomach aches.”
________________________
Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2017/10/25/27-october-2017-2/
Author’s Notes:
Part of the vampire myth is that they cannot cross running water. I wondered what the reason was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire#Protection
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CannotCrossRunningWater
http://www.real-vampires.com/myths.html
Haha, nice story! I guess the notion that they couldn’t cross running water came from the idea that they could be repelled with holy water… which, in turn, came from “Dracula”?
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From what I read, water is a life-giving thing. So logically it is anathema to an undead thing. Makes sense to me. Glad you enjoyed this. Thanks very much! 🙂
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That does make a lot of sense! I liked how you applied the myth to your story.
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Well, long long ago a dude walked on water and he was God. Obviously, vamps cannot cross water then. 😀
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Haha! That makes sense. If a holy man can walk on water, then it’s against the rules for an unholy man to do it. 😉 Thanks Varad!
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hehehe… piranhas… like that.
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Cool. Glad you like ’em too. 😉 Thanks Jelli!
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Was in a rush yesterday. I really did enjoy the story, a vampire…afraid to cross water… that’s a giggle and a half. A nice halloween spooky tale…. Loved it!
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Piranhas consumed the vampire fish. Which should I feel more sorry for? Yuck.
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Well for me, I just can’t feel bad for vampires, so my heart bleeds for the piranhas with indigestion. 😉
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Dear Eric,
I’m a tad confused about the vampire/fish…was he a vampire and a fish. Seems illogical for a fish not to like to swim. Aside from that I found humor in the piranhas eating him. Love your rather …um…er.. unusual and somewhat haunting sense of humor.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My bad. I didn’t explain enough. So a vampire can become a bat, it becomes a vampire bat. When entering water a vampire becomes a vampire fish, but the hitch is he has no control. He stays a fish so long as he is wet, thus vulnerable to capture. That’s why vampires don’t like crossing water.
Glad you enjoyed the rest of it, however unusual. I’d hate to disappoint and write anything ordinary. 😉 Thanks Rochelle!
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Pingback: Vampires And Water — Momus News | Fantasy Sources: Art, Gifts, Ideas, Article Resources, News
Nicely twisted story.
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Thank you! I like making them nice and twisted. 😉
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I take it the vampire turned into a type of fish that doesn’t have teeth? That wasn’t thinking ahead at all, now was it? But now it gets a little payback from the piranha, ha ha: funny twist!
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Oh it had teeth, but the fast little piranha overwhelmed it with numbers. Vampires are good at being bats, but since they hate being fish they’re woefully out of practice at it. 😉 Thanks Joy! 🙂
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Ah yes, that makes sense then. But did the vampire fish make any of the other fish into vampires in the process? Seems like between the piranha and the vampire it would be a real… (ahem)… blood bath. 😉
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Ha! Fangs for that. 😉 Well, therein lies the issue. The piranhas start out with stomach aches and later appear to be dead. After that they seem better, but they don’t devour their food anymore they just…drain it. 😉
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It figures that the first sign of vampirism would be something innocuous like a stomach ache. Reminds me of all those horrible diseases I see online where the symptoms include telling events like a headache or body ache, or fatigue, or racing heart. Just reading the symptoms makes me think I have them. Hm, now that I think about it, I feel like I might have the first signs of vampirism. OH NO!
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Quick! A clove of garlic, pickle juice, and mismatching clothes can stave it off at these early stages. Why the mismatching clothes? Vampires are all about being stylish. Being forced to wear out-of-style (e.g., “mixing plaid with stripes”) clothing will put one into a catatonic state, or even prevent the onset of vampirism! 😉
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Oddly enough, I had already eaten the garlic and the pickles. But I’m in trouble. Maybe I was already pre-vampiric (like I was pre-diabetic for a while) because I’ve always been very “matchy”. The very idea of wearing plaid with stripes makes me break out in hives. It might be too late for me, oh no!!!
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Uh oh. That’s not good. You may have to stay away from red wine and drink chardonnay instead. Are you staying up late at night and afterward dreaming of Boris Karloff as an unsung humanitarian? Those are further signs of developing vampirism. You may have to wear clashing colors for relief. Or perhaps wear purple and green together. 😉
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Leave my dreams of Boris out of this, please, sir! 😉 Funny that you should mention purple and green. My first time in Paris, that color combination was in every single store window. As a fan of both colors, I was definitely interested! Although according to your theory, I think that must mean it’s too late for me. Sorry, Eric, but… I’ve commmme to suuuuuck your blooooood! 🙂
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Aaaaaahhhh!!! 😀 😀 😀
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Didn’t know if I should smile at the thought of vampire/fish or raise my brows in incredulity or let my jaws drop at the imaginative heat!💐💐💐
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Haha! If you could do all three at once that would be impressive. 😉 Thanks much!
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😁😁😁
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Trying it!😋😋😋
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Haha! 😀
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I always eat fish and chips on a Friday but I think I’d better avoid battered vampire fish after reading this! Large cod please!
Click to read my FriFic!
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Ooh, now you got me wanting fish & chips. Vampire fish is NOT recommended though. Cod or Halibut is the way to go. 😉 Thanks Keith!
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Teehee! Fancy feeding a vampire to piranhas! You’re just a small boy at heart, aren’t you?!
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It’s true, I’ve never given up childhood. I don’t plan to either. 😉 Thanks much!
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fun ending – lol and nice way to use humor
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Glad you had fun. Thanks much! 🙂
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☺️
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You had me stumped for a minute there. Clever write.
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Thank you! I appreciate that. 🙂
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Wonderful imagination here. I’m glad no people got holes in their necks 🙂
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Yep. It’s the most effective vampire-hunting method yet! 😉 Thanks much!
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Very entertain little tale, Eric. I liked the twist. The vampire got bitten in this one.
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Hehe, it got bit a LOT. For the vampire, the insult to injury really cut to the bone…so to speak. 😉 Glad you liked it and thanks!
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Always love a good twist…also love a good fish story…
Scott
Mine: https://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/reckoning-friday-fictioneers/
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Hehe. Fish stories are the rest, eh? Glad you enjoyed the twist too. Thanks very much! 🙂
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Welcome much!
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Reblogged this on Julie Hutchings and commented:
This is just fun, and vampire flash fiction is hard to come by. Happy reading.
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