more than death could be

Under the warm sun, lived all humans. Running and chasing after their dreams and collecting and making memories as they age.Because they could do whatever they want under the big blue sky.The daylight world had always been their paradise for during this time, everything was before your eyes. Everything that was real and ...

"Harmless? You think dragons are harmless?"

"Come on man! They breathe fire!"

"And they have huge teeth!"

"Be real! They are harmless because they are not true!"

"Not true, huh? You thought that vampires aren't true but here is Shanah," the boy pointed to a young lady sweeping the floor and just listening to them. When the topic has finally shifted to her, she smiled wickedly at them which showed them her two small fangs. "See? She's a vampire!"

" They are nothing but longer yet ordinary human teeth. Vampires do not exist! And say, Sha-nah, do you drink blood? Do you burn under the sunlight? Are you afraid of crosses and wooden stakes? No, right?"

Shanah left her work to answer the 4 little kids curiosity. She slowly slid herself on a chair just in front of them with her elbow propped on the table's edge.

"Boys, boys, boys. I don't burn under the sunlight nor am I afraid of any cross or wooden stake. But let me tell you this, I drank blood once."

"Really?"

"Really! It was one of those moonless nights that I saw 4 little boys in an alley near the town's edge. I saw them laughing at me and heard them tell that I wasn't real. I got pissed off and drank them all thoroughly that it seemed like they were just thin white papers after that. No one knew about that little incident until now because I kill those who find out."

"A-a-are y-you gonna.... k-kill us too?"

"Now that you mention it.... can I?" Shanah grinned and then slowly leaned over to the now scared little boys. "Who first?"

"N-no... please..."

"Not me..."

"I- I- I..."

"You... or you?"

"BOOO!!!" a dark man suddenly appeared just behind them.

"AHHHH!!!! MOMMY!"

Shanah and her accomplice laughed themselves in satisfaction after watching the scaredy cats run out the tavern door.

"Always get them, right Georg?" Shanah gave the man a small punch on the forearm as she went back to her work.

" They still have a long way to go before becoming a man. Say, Shanah...."

"Hmmm?" she gave him a small glance before attending to the dirty tables.

"Are you really okay with all these bullshit rumors about you being a vampire? Ain't it a bit outrageous enough to confront the mob?"

"Well, let them believe what they want Georg. Nothing could ever shut the hell out of them. And besides, even though I am not one, I do believe in vampires."

"Yah, yah. I know. No one can ever defeat you when it comes to believing those toll stories, Shanah."

"Oh, they ain't just made-up Georg. I tell you, they exist with us," she said quite convinced herself with the talk. She gave the man a persuasive smile which he just returned with a 'well...' smile.But it really didn't matter that much to Shanah whether she was believed or laughed at. She never believed that they were real.... she knew they existed.

-------------------------

Just after the sun had set down for the day, Shanah reached her home. Her house was  small yet it was the most comfortable place in the world for her where all she gotta do was sit in front her lighted fireplace and think 'till her heart was content.

Think what?

She picked up an old photo sitting on her side table. A man was in it together with her younger self. A man with deep green eyes. She was once a prisoner of those staring eyes and she gave a small laugh at the memory of him.

"Oh, the cleverness of you, Leonidas," she said to herself but more to the man of her heart. Staring at the picture, she let tears trickled down her now flustered cheeks. "Why do you have to disappear so sudden? I thought you'd never leave me? Just after you successfully captured my soul, you decide to crush me down again? How witty of you... playing my maiden heart. Where are you? Where did you go with her? With that blood sucking monster? Why...., Leonidas. I...." she trailed as she felt her eyelids dropping in exhaustion. "Love--- you...", she mumbled falling into a good sleep after an entire day's work.

------------------------