Waiting Until Dark

Tony spent the rest of the afternoon in front of the cave. He ate the last of the fresh rolls and read a story from his new book. It was called “The Sucker.” It was about a boy who, even as a baby, showed a striking preference for the color red, and who, at the age of three, would only sleep in the basement and drink nothing but beetroot juice. On his first day at school in his first class, he bit his teacher’s finger.

The story was more fiction than fact because, after all, no one could be born a vampire. Nevertheless, it was very suspenseful and entertaining—so suspenseful that Tony sat up suddenly when he realized that the sun was already very low and would soon set.

He peered anxiously at the ruins. The collapsed walls were a spooky sight against the setting sun, like something out of a nightmare.

Should he really go there alone and wait for Anna by the hazel bushes, as they had arranged?

He felt his heart beating faster. But hadn’t he always been able to rely on Anna? He was certain she’d make sure nothing would happen to him tonight, as usual.

Tony wanted to wait until it was completely dark. By then, he assumed, almost all the vampires would have flown off, with the exception of Aunt Dorothee, who, as Anna had told him, was celebrating her vampire day and was therefore completely harmless.

Tony went into the cave, turned on his flashlight, and looked at his father. He was fast asleep. Even when Tony sat down on his sleeping bag next to him, opened the book Vampires: Fact and Fiction again, and began to read, he didn’t wake up.

To pass the time until dark, Tony read another story: “Blood Brother: A Vampire in Switzerland.” Afterward, he pulled his father’s earlobe. He was sure that would wake him up.

And sure enough, it worked. His father opened his eyes and asked in a daze, “What’s wrong?”

“I just wanted to ask if you needed anything.”

“No, I don’t need anything.” He closed his eyes again.

“And how’s your hand?”

“My hand?” Tony’s father sighed deeply. “It hurts.” After a pause, he continued, “Tony, would you mind letting me go back to sleep? I think that’s the best thing for me right now.”

“All right,” Tony said, struggling not to let it show how well that fit into his plans. “I’m going to go outside a little longer and look at the starry sky and stuff.”

Whether or not Tony’s father understood, he murmured, “Yes,” anyway, and Tony was able to slip out of the cave.

Once outside, he waited for a while. And when all was quiet in the cave, he made his way through Misery Valley, shaking with excitement.