This Could End Badly…

Come on!” said Anna. “I’m sure Rudolph is getting impatient!”

“Rudolph?” he mumbled. During the conversation with Anna, he had almost forgotten about the little vampire. “Where is he?”

“He’s waiting for you in the castle chapel. For a reading hour, he said.”

“A reading hour?” Tony said with a sudden burst of excitement.

“I have no idea what he’s going to read,” Anna went on. “Probably stories from this stupid Men’s Club.”

“I don’t think so!” replied Tony, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

“Why?” said Anna, surprised. “Do you know what he wants to read?”

“I…” Tony hesitated. Rudolph must have had a reason why he hadn’t told Anna which book it was.

On the other hand, Anna had done so much for him that he didn’t want to keep any secrets from her now.

“He promised to read to me from the family chronicles,” he explained.

“What? From our chronicles?” said Anna, startled. “Oh dear, this could end badly.”

“End badly?” Tony’s voice trembled. “For m-me?”

“Certainly for Rudolph,” Anna said. “You know what happened when Aunt Dorothee found out that he spent time with you—a human being!”

Tony nodded. At that time, the little vampire had been banned from the crypt, and in his desperation, he had moved into Tony’s basement.

“Let’s hurry!” said Anna. “Maybe we can get to Rudolph before my grandmother, Sabine the Terrible, notices that the chronicles are missing!”

“But haven’t your relatives left their coffins by now? Tony asked, concerned.

“Let’s hope so,” said Anna.

With these words she rose into the air and flew away so quickly that Tony had difficulty following her. It was only above the castle gate that Anna slowed down and turned to Tony.

“Wait here!” she whispered.

Then she flew on, and Tony landed next to the gate. Pressed close to the wall, he stopped and listened to the sounds around him. Now that he was alone, everything sounded eerie, even threatening. Even the faint crack of a branch made him flinch. When he finally saw Anna coming back, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“The crypt is empty,” she said in a whisper. “Everyone’s out and about!”

“Rudolph too?” asked Tony in dismay.

“He’s sitting in the castle chapel, reading our family chronicles in the midst of mood lighting. Unbelievable!”

“Mood lighting?”

“Yes. Can you imagine, he’s lit at least fifteen candles! It is strictly forbidden to waste our precious candles. Just wait, I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Being cavalier with our chronicles, wasting candles, none of this is any good.” Anna snorted indignantly and shook her small fists. Then she called out, “Come on, Tony, hurry up!”