"First, I am going to ask your name. What is your name?"

"Robert Sullivan"

"Then Robert, I am going to tie you up. I am going to hurt you. Then, I am going to bite you. And finally, I am going to kill you."

*

It happened on a dark night. The town's old church bells had just pointed the half past two and nobody else was on the streets. That was a dangerous part of the town, almost abandoned to the ravens and the poor. Even though it still owned a faint shadow of its ancient Victorian beauty, it was still a very creepy place. But, to get to his home at the suburbs, Robert Sullivan still had to walk through it. He preferred to walk, getting a bus pass would cost money and, since he was young and had healthy legs, he chose to change the comfort of public services by just a few more pounds on his thin bank account.

Half of the lampposts were broken and, since nobody dared to replace them, all that was left was a grim humid light and the cold moon, full of splendor but hidden behind a heavy layer of fog.

"Damn, it was a mistake to accept those extra hours at the club; I bet I'm going to be robbed of everything I have on me! And will have to get home naked, in this cold!" Robert said to himself, pulling his raincoat closer to the neck in a protective and instinctive gesture.

"At least Joanne will be happy". He smiled holding a tiny gift inside his pocket. It was just one of the treats they were giving out at the club's Halloween party, but his little daughter would be thrilled. She loved everything he could ever gift her with a candid laugh and sparkling eyes. He was raising her by himself, since his high school girlfriend abandoned the undesired accident at his door. It was hard doing it all alone, jumping from part-time to part-time, but they were happy, living in a tiny cheap flat, trying to be a family just like any other. He did not care much about his comfort anymore, he chose not to study to be with her but worked so much that they could survive. It was not with any special comfort, but she could eat three meals every day and go to the nearby primary school with clean clothes.

The neighborhood unrolled in front of him like a humid maze. He knew his way pretty well during the day, but it was not common for him to get home so late.  Only some days, like Halloween or Christmas, he left Joanne with a neighbor to work extra hours. That night was especially weird as the gloomy lights of the lamps and the moon mixed with the steamy fog, so he hurried. For the first time he was getting uncomfortable. The stones of the street were wet and the only sound were his steps on them. He was only paying attention on getting out of there soon, getting of that zone stopped in time and space, so he tripped on the wet stones and fell, hitting his chin on the floor. More than scared now, he was upset. Cursing against the stupid stones and the stupid fog, he could have not noticed the dark figures behind him.

*

Everything was dark, darker than the night he was facing before, so he wondering if the fall had been so bad that his eyes were still closed. But soon enough they got used to the lack of light and he could distinguish a floor. Just then he noticed how much his neck hurt, trying to move it and trying to understand where he was and what was the condition of his body.

"Wait… Why am I on my knees?"

Just when he tried to get up he felt pressure on his shoulders. His eyes were not allowed to see much better than two tall creatures under black cloaks that simply laid their hands on his shoulders. He wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but for some reason his throat was too dry to let him. Maybe it was the shivering cold of that place. Maybe it was the smell of old blood. Maybe it was the darkness. Fear.

When he was about to request an explanation when a door opened. The light was dim, but it still hurt his retina. Cut against it an almost bi-dimensional portrait walked towards him. Two other creatures like the ones that were keeping him down were carrying an enormous chair with feet shaped as lion heads and brilliant decorations that could even be seen in that dark atmosphere. He dared to look up, but as soon as his eyes crossed with the creatures he lowered them immediately. They had completely deformed faces, like they had been burned, chewed and then put back to place by a senile vulture. And they were completely white, livid and cold like a batrachians and absolutely unexpressive. He choked in horror and fixed his eyes on the floor. He could now perfectly see what was around him, as someone started lighting candles all around the room. He was kneeling on a floor made of dirt and blood, that many years ago was probably made just of simple stone bricks. The space seemed very large, but he felt claustrophobic due to the cruel atmosphere that the walls released. The creatures carefully put the chair on the floor and the next thing he saw were the shoes of its occupant, walking towards him. He tried to look up and see who was that person, ask for help, ask for an explanation, but all he could see were two eyes, shining as red lights.

Before he even had time to feel it, Robert was across the room, spitting blood and trying to put its jaw back at the correct place. He tried to overcome the pain and get up, but the master of the chair was quicker than him and kicked him again, as if he was ordering Robert to be quiet. He curled to protect himself, but the attack stopped. Fearful and angered, shaking and biting his bloody lips not to scream, he looked up. And then he turned up to look better, widening his eyes as if it would help. He was between the legs of that person; that looked from above with an absolutely bored and disgusted expression.  But…

"What… It's just a little boy!" Robert let his voice escape.

Indeed. Above him, a small boy, maybe just a bit older than Joanne, kept him stuck to the floor with only the power of his grey eyes, so evil that almost glowed red. The boy was dressed in a more than old fashioned way, with a museum-worth coordination of marine blue shorts and a three button jacket. His neck was covered by the silky frills of a satin shirt and the very light brown hair, like the fur of a small deer, was let grown and tied up with a ribbon. Robert was mesmerized by the white skin of the boy, that seemed so fragile and at the same time so edible, sweet and soft. And his lips, red as a rose, closed in what could be the bastard son of a smile and a scream of anger…

But he had not more time to appreciate his captor. The boy touched Robert's chin with the tip of his boot and forced him to look to the ceiling. That tiny creature had much more strength than expected and Robert could not see what was going on. All he could understand was that one of the other people, the deformed animals, was giving the master a very long whip, taller than the boy itself and dragging its tip on the floor. Using it as a cane, the boy stayed with both of his feet on Robert's chest and looked at his face.

Finally, the boy smiled.

"What are you going to do to me?" Robert asked, terrified at the painful cruelty of that smile.

"First, I am going to ask your name. What is your name?"

"Robert Sullivan"

"Then Robert, I am going to tie you up. I am going to hurt you. Then, I am going to bite you. And finally, I am going to kill you."

And stepped his head with so much brute force that Robert felt like he was going to join the floor. He tried to say something, to stop that mad child, but the strength was inhuman and he could not fight back. He was known for being a rebel, a fighter, a school delinquent. Seven years ago a situation like this would not even take place, much less having to get out of it. Now, he could only think of the smile of his little girl, thinking that she needed him to be around for at least ten more years, maybe twenty, maybe forever. Surprised at himself, he let the tears fall as he whispered that sacred name.

The boy stopped.

"What did you say, Robert?"

His voice ringed with the sadness of a lonely nightingale.

"Tell me, Robert, repeat what you said."

"Joanne…"

"Is Joanne someone important for you, Robert?"

"She is my daughter. She is the thing I have most precious. Please, let me go, she is waiting for me"

The sudden interest of the boy faded away immediately. Stretching the whip with both hands he got off Roberts chest and prepared himself to use it.

"Robert… If she is so precious to you why are you not with her? If she is so precious to you why are you on this neighborhood at this time of the night? You gentlemen always invent something especially noteworthy to escape, but it's not that hard for me to detect its flaw."

Realizing that there was not escape for that situation he could not understand, Robert closed his eyes, ready for the worst. The scenes of his loving life with Joanne passed through his eyes. When his girlfriend delivered her to him, such a tiny pink baby, her first smile, her first word, her first year, her first party dress, her first day of school. He would not dare to scream and beg for forgiveness for whatever his crime was. Just before the first slash, he only had time to murmur Joanne's favorite rhyme.

"Here am I, little Jumping Joan, when nobody's with me, I'm always alone"

Everything hurt when Robert woke up. He opened his eyes, even though it hurt, but they were dirty with blood and he could barely see. As he tried to clean them up, he noticed that he could not move his arms. A brief scanning of the surroundings informed him that he was not going to leave anytime soon:  his arms, comfortably stretched, were tied down to a table by leather belts. He was absolutely tied down to the table, naked and covered with bruises. Above him, sitting on a huge chandelier, the little strange boy sat, relaxed and bored. Making a huge effort to focus, Robert saw that he was playing with a knife, agile fingers white as marble. The next moment, the knife was right next to his neck. Now, he was completely awake, trembling with fear and cold.

"Robert, I'm glad you did not die at first", said the boy jumping to the floor. "You see, I was going to be quick, but I obviously heard that thing you said, about Joan… Will you tell me more poems like that, Robert?"

"Please, why? Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you deserve, Robert. They all deserved it. It's the reward for what they did before. It's the reward for being in this place, away from your daughter that you say you love so much."

Robert did not know what to think. He was aware of the horrible danger he was in. But he was also curious to know about that boy. Looking so fragile and beautiful, he felt like he just had to be with him, to stare at him eternally. So, he sang:

"Little star that shines so bright, come and peep at me tonight, For I often think of you in the pretty sky so blue. Little Star! O tell me, pray, where you hide yourself all day?"

The boy sat next to him and laid his head near to Robert's. Caressing his cheek with the little hand, he said, almost silently:

"Do you want to know what I really am, isn't it? You do think I have a secret. And you want to know it before you die."

He kept petting the man and got to his arm. And after saying all this with the sweetest voice ever given to a little boy, he craved his nails and fingers on Robert's arm.

"So, Robert, do you still want to know?", he asked smiling in absolutely innocent way.

He contained his scream and nodded.

"My name is Yoann", said the boy, licking his fingers from the blood and taking off the bits of muscle from under his nails. "Remember my name and call for it when you are in pain. Remember to call for my name."

Robert nodded, but that was not enough for a confirmation, as the boy grabbed his injured arm and squeezed it, blood falling in enormous drops.

"Yoann!", screamed Robert under a controlled fear, "Please tell me about you Yoann. Please use me for that! Use me to get free of whatever is eating you from the inside!"

For the first time, little Yoann seemed surprised.

"You know Robert… This is the first time anyone as ever asked about me… All you men do is to beg for your own lives, not even bothering about the others. It's true that sometimes they tell me about others, their wives, their mistresses, their children, but deep inside they only use them as justification for their lives. And I can't accept that, Robert. I just can't."

He was still in a very delicate position, but he could not help to be curious. Yoann laid right next to him, the little head right in front of his eyes and the delicate hand playing with his surface. Suddenly, he felt the stab of a needle. He did not have to look to know what was expected to happen. Bearing the pain, he listened to the boy.

"Robert, you probably were not expecting to be here tonight. Probably you just wanted to do just like all the others and start your morning drunk and drugged in some corner of the slump. But I don't let it happen anymore. Have you seen my butlers? They were all men like you, men like him, that I caught and turned into useful creatures. Creatures that obey, creatures that live only for me, their master, creatures that suffer in silence, like I had to, like I was forced to. They are golems, you see, they are not really alive anymore. But they still suffer. Eventually that's what I'm going to turn you into, when I get bored of you. This is why I can tell you everything and I can hurt you a lot. Because when you get the chance to turn into a golem you won't be able to tell it to anyone. You will regret it in silence and do whatever I tell you to."

The boy left the pin stick to Robert's body and got up. He had enough care not to poke it on vital places, so his victim would not die so easily. It was even more mysterious now. How could a little boy know so much? He came back with a box of matches, and Robert did not even had the will or courage to ask for forgiveness. It would be better to let the boy talk.

"Anyway, you also probably want to know why you are here. You already know that these are acts of revenge. Not only that, but I am an extremely bored person. I have to entertain myself with something, and what's better to be entertained than to hurting useless people like you and giving you a use later? There used to be something, but you men took it away from me. So, you deserve it. Robert, do you love your daughter Joanne? Do you love her? Because, man, once I also had someone that loved me. She was my mother, Robert. Her skin was made of marble, her hair was made of sun and her eyes were made of sea. Everyday I would wake up and she would kiss me good morning, even if it was at night. For us, the time did not pass obeying the usual orders. The time passed only for me and for my mother. Her smile was a rose and her fingers sang like birds. She taught me to play all the beautiful things she knew. But even now, so many years past, I can't do it as well as she does. My favorite is the harp, because it was her favorite as well. There was only one hour that was like yours. Every night at seven and thirty we would go out, and my dear mother, my lovely fairy, would take me out and let me eat whatever I wanted. At that time this neighborhood was different than what it is today. It had a lot of life and many gorgeous places with beautiful people. But my mother was the prettiest of them all, as she never wore the same dress twice and her hair made of sun would blind every man that dared to look at her. She would grab my hand and everyone would let us pass on the busy streets."

The matches were over. Yoann seemed amused that, even though so many horrible burns ensued, the man had not screamed once. Robert wanted to, though. He just knew that if he let the fear take care of himself he would never see his dear daughter again. And that was the most important.

This time the boy sat in front of him, between his naked legs. He raised them so he could use Robert's knees as armchairs.

"Then there was one day that a man had the courage to talk to my mother. She was so happy that she started talking to him every night, when we went out. So it was not a surprise for me when she told me that he would probably turn into my new daddy. I knew mother was special and was not sure if that man knew it, but did not worry as she put me on her lap and combed my hair, telling me how much she loved me since the day she found me abandoned in front of her door. She told me that people usually abandoned their unwanted familiars at her door, because she would just eat them. But, to her eyes, I was just as innocent and lovely as a small deer that had lost its mother in a hunting scene. So, she kept me and raised me the best she could. And I loved her, even though her heart did not beat and her skin was colder than the snow in the winter. I knew that, even though there was not blood running in her veins, she had more love for me than anyone else. The happiness she showed whenever I kissed her cold cheek or when I hugged her stone like body was pure and genuine."

Robert felt Yoann trembling with rage and hate on his knees, snarled the next words.

"We were both caught on surprise when they arrived, during the day. The man opened all the doors and other people opened the windows. The light came in. My mother, my mother was very fragile, her thin skin could not stand a light as strong as the sun's.  She protected me, I did not understand what was going on. She moved faster than what I have ever seen, raising her beautiful teeth on the hair like they were fangs. But suddenly that man… That man stuck a cross made of silver on her shoulder and that hurt her. That hurt her so much that I can still hear her scream, I can feel the smell of the blood that spurted off her wound, I can almost feel her pain as if it was my own. Can you understand that? Anything that I do to you is just a reward for that pain that you, men, inflicted to my dear mother, my mother in love that had never laid a finger on any of you. And you still held her, as she could not move in the pain, you still held her as she begged you not to hurt me and what did you do men? What did the horrible men did, man? Oh, Robert, they went to her and caressed her. She used her last strength to bite dead the first one, but they did not matter. They laughed. They laughed at the death of one of their own kind! And then, they decided to hurt her even more… By hurting me. She did not scream then. She did not want to scare me more. She did not have enough strength anymore to get free and kill them all, drink all their blood and then sit me on her lap and say everything was over, that everything was but an odd nightmare. Do you know what the men did to me, Robert? Do you also want to know what the men did to me?"

Yoann let himself fall over Robert's injured body and kissed his chin.

"I am now going to show you exactly what they did to me. I can't do it exactly, but don't worry. It will hurt as much as it did for me. It will shame you as much as it shamed me. It will be as horrible for you as it was for me"

And, smiling, he took out from under the table a metal cylinder. Robert took a short while to learn what was that all about. And when he understood, he finally entered in panic.

"Robert… I will let you go after this. I'm bored of you and I don't need any blood from you. But I will only let you go if you tell me one rhyme like the others you've said. You told me you are a father, wasn't it? Then you will also be able to suffer the pain of my dear mother as she saw what was happening to me, without being able of doing anything. Talk Robert. And say my name."

"Yoann… You can do whatever you want to me…", he answered trying to hold the tears provoked by the fear possessing him, "…but let me go after it. If you promise you let me go I will tell you a long poem and… And while I do that you can do whatever you want to me, Yoann!"

The boy smiled, but his smile was the most horrible thing one could ever imagine, a smile so terrible that it was deformed. The boy kneeled between Robert's legs and, without any question or even a simple word, inserted the metal. The pain was horrible, a burn that ripped him apart and went up, an infection provoked by carnivore beings.

"Tis vanity that ever makes repentance come too late"

Yoann was lost in that sadistic game and did not seem to be listening. For him, any word of the victim would sound like a pained scream. And that was what he wanted to hear. "That's what they did to me", he repeated, "Now you deserve to feel that too, so you never repeat again, do you understand?"

"And you who into cobwebs run, right well deserve your fate"

"It's your own fault that you're here, if only you had stayed at home with your little daughter, if you had not come out for these dark streets I would have spared you, but it's only your responsibility, it lies only on your back! "

"Listen, listen, listen, foolish little Fly, Listen, listen to me, foolish little Fly?"

Robert's tears finally fell like rain, crossing his bruised cheeks. Even though it hurt so much, it was also good, his body was fighting to escape from the strange object but at the same time it advanced in its direction, voluptuous but arrested, terrified but fascinated. And Yoann kept saying words about his mother and the revenge.

"So now, all young folks, take warning, by this foolish little fly,"

He was so stupid, Yoann was right. If only he had not accepted that job, if only he had just accepted his fate, so many options of the past could have avoided that situation. But now it was too late and, horrified at the independent actions of his own body, Robert gasped a moan.

"The Spider's name is "Pleasure," to catch you he will try;"

How could that be? It was so painful, so shameful, but his body had still reacted on its own. And it was good. Mixed colors, red and white on his body, as he tried to take a deep breath and recover from that effort.

"For although you may think my advice is quite a bore,
You're lost if you stand parleying outside of "Pleasure's" door,
Remember, remember the foolish little fly; Remember, Oh! remember, The foolish little fly…"

Yoann licked the blood from the sticky bruises provoked by that violent invasion, only smiling as answer to the man's contained sobs. It was extremely hard to handle such pain, much less someone stimulating it. But the boy kept his promise and ended up releasing the leather belts that kept him stuck to the table. Instinctively, he curled to protect his naked body, the rashes and the cuts, shaking uncontrollably, without knowing if it was fear, cold or just the shame.  However, a greater feeling was coming up inside him. Pity. In that moment, more than ever, he pitied the small boy. He could not hate him, even if he wanted to. Because, even if wicked, he was still a child.

"Yoann…"

"You are free to go now. Go away now."

"Yoann… Why do you do this?"

"I told you to go away! This is revenge for my mother, don't let me change my mind! Go!"

But he did not go. He  got up and hugged the little boy, holding him close with all the strength he had left, dirtying his clothes with the blood from the bruises. The boy did not move an inch. He was cold as stone.

"And what happened after that, Yoann?"

"The men went. My mother could not even walk anymore, the crucifix would not let her live anymore, the sun that entered through all the windows and doors would break her skin into tiny pieces. But she still crawled in my direction. I could see her eyes, dry of tears but screaming pain. But I could not tell her that I was alright, I could not explain her that she did not need to worry, much less I could hug her and kiss her marble cheek as comfort. On that moment, she caressed me and bit my neck. She did not do it like she did to the others. It was delicate and warm, it was a kind kiss. And then she sang to me till I fell asleep, petting my hair. That was the last time I smiled."

"And then?"

"The next day, when I woke up, all that was left from my dear mother was a mass of melted and burnt bones. What remained from her hand was still on my head. But my body did not hurt anymore from what they did to me. Instead, the light of the sun burned. I closed all the windows and did not open them since then. I discovered that I could never be sleepy or hungry. I also discovered that I could no longer cry, even though I wanted to cry for my dear mother. I started to read and learn more and more things, I could learn everything I ever with the books of my mother. What she left was enough to let me forget about what happened that day. But, since I could not sleep, the time passed through in an instant and soon enough I had learned everything. So, I remembered revenge. I wanted to revenge. One night, I dressed up my best clothes and went to look for them, for the men. But the city was different and it was no longer bright as it used to be. I searched everywhere, asked everyone. But nobody treated my kindly anymore. The people were different; women would show their bodies and wear pants, while men would paint their faces like women. All of them behaved weirdly. Finally, I discovered that them, those I was looking for, were dead. And had been dead for a long time. It was just then that I finally realized that my heart was not beating anymore. It was just then that I realized I was one of those night creatures I read about in my books…"

After that night, it was something Robert could believe in.

"Are you a…"

"They call us vampires. The truth is that we're just corpses that feed on blood, corpses cold as stones that keep an intelligence of their own… That can make decisions and that have feelings… I finally understood why my mother was a cast away and why everyone was afraid of her. But the books kept telling me that my kin was evil and emotionless. But, if so, how could my mother have raised me and loved me as she did?"

"So, since all the others were dead you decided to take your revenge on the new people of this neighborhood. And you turn them into undead creatures to serve you and get you more victims. All for your mother."

The boy just nodded.

"But, Yoann… Do you really think that's what your mother wanted?"

In a single fast movement, the boy turned to Robert. staring at his eyes with fire and poison. Holding to the last rope of courage, the man sat on the dirty cold floor and held the boy's hands.

"Yoann, I am now just a shadow of the real me. It's a strange sight indeed, a naked man, hurt and ashamed, sitting in front of a tiny vampire that is lost on the 19th century… But I feel like I can understand you. The danger, the suffering, I don't mind if you inflict them on other people. But you told me the story of your mother. Do you really think that she wanted you to spend the next hundreds of years killing and torturing people to avenge her? I am a parent too. If something was to happen to my daughter, I'd do anything to save her, to let her live. Your mother let you live not for the revenge. She wanted what all us, parents, want to their children. She wanted you to make friends, to play, to have fun. She wanted you to eat ice-cream, to smile, to see the shapes of clouds, to dance, to paint with crayons, things like that. And eventually she wanted you to have a job that made you happy, to meet someone, to fall in love, to marry, to have children, to have your turn to love as well. She could not save your life as human, so she did her best and gave you a new one. Are you really honoring her by doing this? By wasting yourself into torturing and killing?"

The little vampire looked like a true child now. It was not as if his own mother was scolding him, but he felt like she was disappointed on him. That, itself, was the worst thing that could happen to him. He started sobbing, but he had not tears that could flow.

"Do you know why Little Jumping Joan is Joanne's favorite rhyme? She always laughs and says that she is a different Joan, that she is never alone, because she has me, she has daddy. However, you got angry when I said it. You hit me more. You can tell me why. I am not one of the men that hurt you. I understand what you went through. I suffered just like you. Tell me why."

And, sobbing in a cry without tears, the boy fell into Robert's shoulders, hugging his neck, longing for protection.

"I don't want to be alone anymore. I want my mother!"

*

The first sun of November was rising calmly and bright, of a yellow so faint that it almost seemed edible. Robert used his jacket to cover the boy he carried on his arms, even though it was painful with all the injuries. The boy kept his eyes fixed on his face, as if analyzing him into the deepest detail of his soul.

"I am so tired, Robert, I wish I could sleep."

But Robert smiled and sang softly:

"When pretty Pussy goes to sleep, tail and nose together, Then little mice around her creep, lightly as a feather. When little Babie goes to sleep, and he is very near us, Then on tip-toe softly creep, that Babie may not here us. Lullaby, Lullaby, Lulla-Lulla- Lullaby."

Yoann understood and laid his head on the man's shoulder. For the first time after so much blood in his life, he felt warm inside, he felt like he would never be let down again. By his side, Robert felt like he had just bought the most dangerous pet, but was relieved at the same time.

"After all, Joanne always wanted to have a brother."