Vamp the Vampire's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Vamp the Vampire wanted only to help, but the baker screamed and ran the moment he smiled. His fangs did that. Every time. He stood in the market square with his hands open, trying to prove he meant no harm, and the townsfolk scattered like leaves. A woman dropped her basket. A man yanked his child inside and slammed the door. Vamp sighed. He had left his castle to be kind, and all he caused was fear. He climbed back to his home, the tall stone castle with red turrets and glowing windows. He sat on the cold steps and thought. People feared his teeth. So he must give them a reason to stay. Something gentle. Something that said, I want to heal you, not hurt you. He remembered an old garden behind the castle, full of mint and lavender. His mother once used such plants to soothe aches. Vamp gathered leaves by moonlight. He tied them with twine into a neat bundle. The herbs smelled sweet and green. He pressed his lips tight over his fangs and practiced a small, closed smile. Then he carried the bundle down to the valley. He found an old woman limping along the path. She saw him and froze. Her eyes went to his mouth. She turned to flee. "Wait," Vamp said. He did not step closer. He knelt and set the herb bundle on the ground between them. "For your leg. Mint for the swelling. Lavender for the pain. I made it for you." The woman stared at the bundle. She stared at Vamp, who stayed low and still, hands empty. Slowly, she bent and picked up the herbs. She sniffed them. Her shoulders loosened. "You made this?" she asked. "I did. I only want to help." She pressed the leaves to her sore knee. The ache eased. For the first time, someone looked at Vamp without running. She even smiled back. By morning, word spread. The old woman told everyone the vampire healed her knee. People came to the castle steps, shy at first, then curious. A boy with a cough. A farmer with a cut hand. They brought their hurts to Vamp, and he tied them bundles of herbs. Vamp beamed. His plan had worked. The townsfolk no longer fled his fangs. They lined up at his door instead. But by dusk, the line had grown long. Too long. Dozens waited on his steps, and more climbed the hill. A man shouted that his wife was very sick. A mother begged for medicine for twins. Hands reached for Vamp, pulling at his sleeves, all at once. "Heal her first!" "No, my son!" Vamp looked at the crowd pressing in. He had wanted to help a few people. Now the whole valley needed him, and his small garden held only so many herbs. He had no way to help them all.