A Vampire’s View
The vampire doesn’t often look in mirrors but happened to idly glance in one that morning. He didn’t like who he saw. It couldn’t have been his reflection… he’s giving and generous – one might think him selfless. By no means perfect, of course, but then who is? But the man in the mirror… self-centered and calculating, with cold dead eyes and a grim expression. His first concern is himself and his comfort. Before “giving of himself”, he calls his accountant to figure the tax write off. Before the opportunity has even been fully apprehended, his mind is already running the numbers. “What’s in it for me?” Would I have a full belly and a comfortable place to sleep?
He is repulsed by the darkness bubbling up from his own soul – sure, he knew it was there, but he’s gotten into the habit of not thinking about it, of avoiding his own reflection. Even now, when feeling the desire to confess his ugliness to others, already the accountant is hard at work, fingers flying on the keypad, pencil in his pursed lips, calculating and recalculating – return on investment, cost/benefit analysis… what is the potential gain of confession? What might be the risk? Even confession is a commodity and he considers whether people might find his humility praiseworthy.
He wonders as he writes this post… does he really want to share his dark secret? How many more are there just like him, polished on the outside, but inside just a dead man’s bones? He begins to tally comfort from considering that there are many and maybe he’s not as ugly as the man in the mirror after all…