In Voyages with Vampires by none other than yours truly, I became one of the few to survive staying with Vampires for a prolonged period of time. Perhaps it was my Most Charming Smile or my beautiful golden hair that kept me from being turned into a creature of the night. Whatever it was, I am truly grateful for it. And while I am humbled by how wonderful I must be to survive such a dangerous adventure, I must not forget those who came before me and failed miserably. I salute your efforts.
This adventure showed me a side to life that I had never seen before. This was my first journey that truly meant anything. This was when I would prove myself. In truth I was scared and it takes more courage and greatness, and a stronger smile, to admit one's own flaws. This was the first time I had ever been truly scared. The head vampire of the community in which I was visiting greeted me with a firm hand shake. The first thing he said to me was, "My, you have such a charming smile! Have you won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award yet?"
"No," replied I, "but I plan on it happening soon."
He nodded and then offered to take me to meet the others. He was tall with blond hair (certainly not as nice as mine) and gray eyes. His thin stature made him look more undead than he already was. His name was Astocio and was over 500 years old. He then introduced me to two other vampires named Reynoldo and Desperina. Since I chronicle my adventures with these vampires, I will not go into complete detail. Instead I will reflect upon my experience with these creatures of the night.
I discovered within myself a darkness. Finding this lack of perfection frightened me more than anything. I actually understood why they do what they do. I believe that within us we all have a darkness...mine, for example, is that I hide the fact that my locks are not as glorious as they used to be. I also tend to hide the fact that.... I had one tooth pulled as a child. Thankfully that has not hindered my glorious smile.
I must admit I learned a lot from the vampires. They too desire better hair care. Perhaps, one day, I will collaborate with them on a project for vampire hair care. Even though they are undead, they can still experience the sheer pleasure from the smell of shampoo, conditioner and moose. I also learned that everyone, humans, muggles, wizards, and vampires, all desire survival. Some of us go to more extremes than others to survive. Why I'm not sure. But I do feel that the time has come for all of us to banish this darkness within and find a light. A light that says "I too want to be like Gilderoy Lockhart."