When the vampire hunter finally managed to break open the door and enter the tomb, the vampires had already abandoned it. Coffins were overturned; lids fallen to the floor. The hunter looked around. It seemed like there was nothing to do for him here anymore. Then he saw something move behind a coffin. Slowly, he neared the black speck that tried to cower behind the oblong box. It was a vampire child the others had forgotten in all the hurry. The vampire hunter raised hammer and spike, about to bring the deadly blow down. But then, he froze in mid movement. The child looked so innocently and helpless at him, that he thought again. He lowered and put aside the tools of his trade. Instead, he reached out his hand, softly speaking to the child, telling it to have no fear. Carefully, the child moved towards the strange man, finally putting its hand in his.
In that moment, the huntsman made a decision. He would take the child home and raise it as his own. From this day on, he would no longer be a vampire hunter. He would be a vampire foster dad.
Oliver Kleyer is a teacher and poet from Northern Germany. He teaches German as a Second Language in a refugee camp. He writes in German and English. His works have appeared in The Zinnia Journal, Disturb the Universe and Cold Moon Journal as well as in anthologies like FromOneLine – The Unseen or Dadakuku 2.
His poem “A rambling meditation”, published in Raw Lit, was nominated for “Best of the Net 2025”.
Academy of the Heart And Mind 