Curses, Monsters and Magic

Vampiro Blade

Flash Fiction

“This sword goes by the name Vampiro.”

A man in a burgundy three-piece suit stood behind a podium on a well-lit stage. A group of fifty people sat in stadium seats with their eyes fixed on the stage. Each held a paddle in their hand with individual numbers. A woman walked onto the stage wearing a white button-up shirt and a pair of khaki slacks. She had her hair tied back in a tight bun, and in her gloved hands, she held a broadsword. The blade had a line of gold down the middle, attached to a silver hilt with a golden lion’s head for the pommel.

“Vampiro is from the Victorian era, and it’s said this sword carries a curse. Anyone who comes into contact with the sword would meet an excruciating death. As we all know, curses are as real as money trees.”

The crowd chuckled throughout the auditorium, along with the man at the podium.

“We will start the bidding at five thousand dollars!”

People raised their paddles with ferocity. The price rose to fourteen thousand and five hundred dollars. A woman sitting toward the back dressed in a black dress and heels clenched her paddle. She scraped her finger against its surface.

“Going twice!”

She threw her arm in the air.

“That’s fifteen thousand! Do we have sixteen?”

Her eyes scanned the room. Everyone slinked back in their chairs. She watched each person rest their paddles in their laps. Her wallet growled, and she smirked.

“Fifteen thousand! Going once! Going twice!”

She stared down at the man who raised his paddle for fourteen thousand and five hundred dollars. He rubbed his forehead and leaned back. His grip on his paddle loosened. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sold!”

…

Stephanie turned the key until the door unlocked. In one hand, she held the sword wrapped in burgundy velvet. She eased the door open and walked into the room. Swords from many cultures and periods covered each wall. They sat lined up with one another. A chandelier hung in the middle of the room above a decorative wooden desk and chair. The wall behind the desk had a space big enough for a few swords. Stephanie laid Vampiro onto the desk and unwrapped the velvet. The light streaked against its blade and the golden lion’s head. She clenched her hands around the hilt and held it up in front of her face, and her eyes scanned across the folded metal.

“Woah! Did you just buy that?”

A young boy with a blue and white striped shirt and cargo shorts stood in the doorway, his mouth hung agape. Stephanie looked up from Vampiro and smiled.

“Yes. They had it at tonight’s auction.”

She swung the sword. It whisked through the air.

“Can I hold it?”

She stopped swinging the sword, raised an eyebrow, and stared at him with a smirk.

“Do you really think I’m going to let you hold this? Maybe when you’re older. Now hop in the bath and start getting ready for bed.”

The boy’s shoulders slouched, and he hung his head down.

“Alright.” He groaned.

He turned around and walked toward the wooden stairs next to the front door.

“Hey, I love you.”

He grabbed the railing and raised his head. His frown curled into a smile, and his eyes sparkled.

“I love you…”

His smile drooped, and he raised his eyebrows.

“Mom, are you okay?”

Stephanie prepared to ask him what he meant, but something dripped from her upper lip. She looked down at a drop of blood splattered against Vampiro. The drop shrunk in size until it disappeared. She touched her nose and looked at her fingertips. Blood trickled down her fingers. Stephanie pointed the sword down and hung it on the supports attached to the wall.

“Yes, I’m alright sweetie, it’s only a little nosebleed. Now hurry into the bath and I’ll read you a story before bed.”

“The Dababook?”

She chuckled and held her nose.

“Of course you want me to read that.”

The boy turned with a smile from ear to ear and rushed up the stairs. Stephanie climbed the stairs and walked to her bathroom to clean the blood from her nose. She ended the night reading part of the book to her son. They both drifted to sleep in his bed with him curled up next to her and his stuffed rabbit clenched in his arm.

…

A loud thud echoed through the house. Stephanie jerked from her sleep and shot up from the bed. Her son was gone.

“Max!” she screamed.

Stephanie burst through the door and bolted down the stairs.

“Max, are you okay?!”

Silence wafted through the house. Her heart raced like a Formula One car. She stumbled over the last step and swung on the banister into the hallway. Stephanie rushed into the kitchen. It was empty aside from a half-drunk glass of milk on the counter. She rushed around the dining room table and poked her head into the living room.

“Max, where are you?”

The television was off; the curtains drawn. Nothing out of place. She ran her fingers through her hair and her breath became heavy. Her heart slammed harder against her ribs with each beat. Stephanie returned to the hallway and looked at the door to her collection room. A chill crawled up her spine. The hair on her neck stood on end. She took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob. It squealed and turned with ease until the door cracked open. Stephanie rubbed her forehead and took another deep breath.

“How could I forget to lock the fucking door?” she thought.

She thrust open the door and bolted into the room.

“Max!”

She gasped, covered her mouth, and her eyes watered.

“No!”

Max lay on the floor with Vampiro clenched in his left hand. His skin was a pale white like printer paper. A stream of blood flowed from his eyes and mouth over his shirt, down his arm, and stopped on the sword’s blade. It seeped into the sword like a sponge. The blood from his mouth and eyes trickled away from his face, down his shirt, and across his arm. Stephanie rushed over to Max and kicked Vampiro out of his hand. She dropped to the floor and clutched him in her arms. Tears flowed down her cheeks. His blood stained his shirt and dripped from his arm onto her legs. She howled a harrowing cry.

…

Family members gave their condolences at the funeral. Stephanie’s eyes dried out from the weeks of tears she shed since that night. She mumbled the words, thank you for coming, to each of them. Max lay with his hands folded together in the small casket. His body surrounded by his favorite book, a stuffed rabbit, and a sword wrapped in velvet.

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Sleeping Celeste

Book Review #1

For my first book review, I read Sleeping Celeste by Alana K. Drex, published in 2022. This novella is a period piece of a grieving mother, Marie, who recently lost her four-year-old daughter, Celeste. This book was a great read. I loved the depth of the character Marie, and her journey she takes through grief and recovery to mend her broken heart. My emotions throughout reading this book changed from feeling bad for this heartbroken woman to feeling she deserved her outcome because of the things she had done. I don’t want to say too much to leave the book fresh and exciting for any future readers, because you should definitely pick up a copy and read this for yourself.

Sleeping Celeste by Alana K. Drex

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Inferno

Film Review #22

Inferno directed by Dario Argento, released in 1980, is about a college student named Mark investigating his sister’s murder. After his friend Sara is murdered, he heads for New York to find his sister. The supernatural elements of the movie were interesting, and I loved the mystery of who killed the women. New characters introduced throughout the film become likely suspects for the murders. I did not expect the killer they revealed at the end, but it wasn’t as impactful to me. It felt like it had a heavier impact on people when it was first released. I really enjoyed the different kills throughout the film, and the effects they used. Would recommend people to give this film a watch, at least once.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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