My Boss is a Vampire

"Mommy, mommy, help me!!!" Little Tori cried for help as she got lost in the woods.

It is getting darker now as time goes by. Little Tori is scared. She doesn't know how she got into this part of the woods.

She sat down and cried as she remembered the scary stories that her friends told her about the big house in the woods.

In the secluded part of the woods stood a huge mansion. It was said that a vampire lives there. Rumour has it that when you get lost in that part of the woods, you cannot return anymore. The vampire will use and kill you.

No one is brave enough to get closer to the woods. They said that the vampire will hypnotize you to do his bidding when you get close. You will follow his command, be his slave, and eventually suck your blood and kill you.

Little Tori cried her heart out. She thought that this would be the end of her.

After some time, she lost all hope. No one would come to save her. She is just seven years old, but Tori is a brave girl.

After saying a prayer, she stood up. She believes in the power of prayer.

She got a long stick and started to walk. She also held onto the rosary bracelet and cross necklace her grandmother gave her.

Vampires are scared of the cross. They also said that for the vampire to hypnotize you, you must look directly in his eyes and hear his voice. At least that's what her playmates told her.

If she passes a suspicious person, she will just sing, be noisy and close her eyes. Her cross will protect her.

She walked and walked, but she was getting nowhere. She won't give up. She'll make it out of these woods.

As she grew tired from walking, she saw a huge, weird-looking tree. She decided to take a break and sit under the tree. She needs her energy just in case she comes across the vampire's mansion or the vampire himself.

Because she had been walking for hours, Little Tori did not notice how tired she was. She fell asleep while taking a break under the weird tree.

After what seemed like an eternity, Little Tori woke up. She sat down, eyes still half-closed. She felt something move beside her.

She stayed still and forced herself not to look at the light movement.

She caught a glimpse of tiny feet and noticed that she was covered with a blanket.

She suddenly remembered the vampire. Little Tori suddenly sang in high notes, covered her ears, and closed her eyes. She held onto her rosary bracelet tightly and faced the side where the movement was coming from so the vampire could see her cross necklace.

After a while, nothing happened. There was no movement either. She lowered her voice to hear if the vampire was talking. Nothing.

Then she heard a burst of laughter. A little boy's laughter.

Little Tori slowly opened one eye. She was surprised to see a little boy laughing at her.

Sure this was not a vampire. If anything, the boy looked like an angel. He is wearing all white. Is this her angel? Is she already dead?

Tori, the brave girl she is, opened her eyes and looked at the boy. She looked at him but tried to avoid looking at his eyes directly, just in case.

"Are you my angel?" Little Tori asked the boy.

"Angel? Hmm...last time I checked, I'm no angel." The boy laughed at her.

"Uh, then are you a vampire pretending to be a little boy?"

"Vampire?" The little boy laughed harder than before. "Yes, I am. I will suck your blood. Run, now!" He pretended to scare her.

Little Tori rolled her eyes at the boy and then walked away. She was irritated by his mocking.

The boy burst out laughing, and he followed her.

"Stop following me!" Little Tori shouted at the boy.

"Why are you angry? You are the one asking questions accusing me of being an angel and a vampire. Now you're angry at me?"

"I have no time to play with you. I need to get out of these woods. Are you not scared of the vampire living here?"

"Vampire? I live in these woods. There was no vampire living here."

"What if you're really the vampire?"

"If I am the vampire, I would've eaten you by now."

"If you are not a vampire, what's your name, and where do you live?"

"I'm Moni."

"Moni?"

"Yes, everyone calls me Moni. What's your name?"

"I'm Tori. Where do you live?"

"I live near. Uh, It's getting dark now. I have to go home. Do you want to come with me and ask for help from my mommy and daddy? Maybe they can bring you home."

Tori looked at the boy suspiciously. Is he hypnotizing her to come home with him? If he's not the vampire, maybe his parents are, and he is luring her to their home to kill her.

"No, I'm okay on my own. Bye." Little Tori refused.

But as she refused, they heard a howling.

"Okay. Bye. By the way, if not vampires, maybe werewolves will come after you." Moni winked at Tori and turned around to leave.

Little Tori shivered at the thought.

"Hey, wait." She called Moni. "Are you really not a vampire?"

Moni looked at her wrist. "That is a rosary you are wearing, right?" He pointed at her bracelet.

"Uh, yes, why?"

"Give it to me."

"But, why?" Little Tori held onto her bracelet tightly.

"If I'm a vampire, I won't be able to hold your rosary. I will prove to you that I am not."

Little Tori gave it a thought. If Moni can hold her rosary and the cross, he isn't a vampire. If he is not a vampire, then his parents wouldn't be a vampire too.

She removed her bracelet and gave it to Moni. Moni held onto the cross of the bracelet and wore it.

He raised his wrist and showed the bracelet to Little Tori.

"See, I'm not a vampire." He smiled.

Little Tori trusted Moni, and she came home with him.

When they reached Moni's home, Little Tori was surprised that he lived in the huge mansion.

She pulled Moni's shirt as he was about to enter the mansion's gate.

"Why?"

"You live here?"

"Yes. Why? What's wrong?"

"Uh, this is where the vampire lives."

"There is no vampire here, Tori. It's just me, my mommy, my daddy, and my gramps who lives here. Don't be scared." He lifted his wrist again to show that he is still wearing her bracelet.

"No vampires here. And, don't worry, you are still wearing your cross necklace, and I'm wearing your rosary bracelet. We will be protected."

Because Tori believes in the power of her crosses, she goes inside the mansion with Moni.

They were greeted by an old man with pale skin and skin lesions. He smiled at them. Little Tori flinched as his teeth looked like a vampire's teeth.

"Moni's here!" The old man shouted.

"Hi, gramps. This is my friend, Tori. She was lost in the woods and could not go home. Maybe Mom and Dad can help her. Tori, this is my gramps."

"Hi, dear. How did you get lost in the woods?" The old man turned to Little Tori.

"I-I was following a cute rabbit, and the next thing I know, I was already in the woods."

"Oh, poor girl. Your parents must be worried. Let's eat dinner first and see what Moni's Dad can do."

Moni's grandfather led them to the dining room, and they all ate together.

Moni's dad said it's too late and dangerous to go out in the woods now. They will bring Little Tori home tomorrow morning once the sun rises.

Little Tori cannot protest. That's the safest she could do now. Moni's parents look normal anyway. She was just scared of his grandfather, who looked like a vampire.

"Dad, Tori is scared of vampires. She said that vampires live in the woods." Moni blurted out while they were having dinner.

They all burst out laughing except for Tori.

"My dear, there's no vampire here in the woods. They are probably talking about me." Moni's grandfather assured her.

"You?"

"Yes, dear. I have a rare sickness wherein I have to avoid things similar to what vampires are scared of. For example, I cannot go out in the sun. And maybe people who saw me thought I have vampire fangs. And I cannot eat garlic. But all these are caused by my rare sickness."

"You see, dear, people are afraid of things they don't know and don't understand. But Moni's gramps is the sweetest and most harmless person in the woods." Moni's mom added.

"That is true, Tori. Gramps is not scary."

Little Tori was relieved by what she heard. She spent the night at Moni's house and even listened to Gramps' bedtime stories.

Moni is right. His gramps is the sweetest person Tori has ever met. Since then, Tori vowed that she would never judge people just by their appearance.