The Vampire Brinstat

By Brind'Amour

Chapter 4
Oddly enough, the next evening, after the brouhaha at the casino over his house of cards trick, Brinstat awoke feeling quite rejuvenated. He had decided, when he went to bed the previous morning, that he was going to give up the job hunt and just be who he is.

He made himself some breakfast, watched a little television, gave his mother a quick hug, and headed outdoors. All night he walked around the town. He went from place to place and ended up back home shortly before sunrise.

After a few days of the same routine, Brinstat quickly became bored. He found himself going out less and less. Several days later, while dinner was being prepared, he picked up the newspaper to read Broom Hilda and spotted an ad announcing a huge Halloween Costume Party given by the mayor in hopes of raising money for better security at the museum.

What caught Brinstat’s eye was the headline, “Bored? Have nothing to do? Want to have a good time? Want to meet new people? Come to the Mayor’s Halloween Costume Party Friday night at 9 pm sharp! Big cash prize for the best costume!!”

“Geez! That’s tomorrow night!” said Brinstat. I have to come up with something good so Mama doesn’t give me another one of her lectures again, thought Brinstat. “Hey, Mama! I’m going to go to this Halloween party to see if I can scare the pants off some people there!”

“Ah! That’s my boy! Your Mama is just so proud of you, Brinstat!” she said, squeezing his cheek.

The next day, Brinstat combed his hair, brushed his teeth, put on his best cape, and headed to the party. When he got there, he was astounded at the turnout. There had to be hundreds of people. He saw cowboys, clowns, magicians, doctors, belly dancers, mummies, Frankensteins, princesses, and so many others. Of course, even though Brinstat wasn’t really dressed in a costume, he fit right in.
Brinstat mingled and chatted with a few partygoers. Suddenly, someone dressed as a prisoner, announced that the costume contest was about to begin. “And there’s a big cash prize for the winner, too!”

While the parade of masked partygoers circled around the room showing off their costumes, Brinstat spotted a sly little cowboy slink over to the prize table, look around, and quickly swipe the metal box containing the prize money. Holy cow pies! I can’t believe he just did that, thought Brinstat.

As the thief quickly fled the scene and escaped out the front door Brinstat did the only thing that came naturally to him… he quickly turned himself into a bat and flew out the door after the culprit. Less than a block away, Brinstat soared right into the back of the cowboy, knocking him flat on his belly. Brinstat swooped up the cash box and quickly flew back to the party. He dropped the box back onto the table, and with a POOF was back to being The Vampire Brinstat once again.

“Dude! That was some awesome trick! I’m mean, Dude, you rock!” said a rock band guitar hero, sportin’ a blue Mohawk.

“Why are you dressed as a vampire if you’re going to do magic tricks?” asked Little Red Riding Hood.

Brinstat just stood there not able to say a word, embarrassed at what just happened. He rolled his eyes as another vampire approached. “That was really something,” she said.

“I’d rather just forget the whole thing,” Brinstat replied. “Can I get you any hors d’oeuvres?” he asked in order to change the subject.

“Sure!” she said. “My name is Rosalie.”

“Mine’s Brinstat.” With that, he went to get plates of hors d’oeuvres for both of them. They spent the rest of the evening talking, dancing, and having fun. “Whoa, I’m really thirsty, would you like anything?” he asked her.

“Yes, thank you. A soda and some snacks would be very nice.”

“I’ll be right back,” he said. Brinstat returned balancing two drinks and two plates full of different kinds of snacks. He carefully placed the drinks on a table and when he went to hand her a plate, a meatball rolled off and made a straight line directly into Rosalie’s chest.

“AH!” she screamed. And, suddenly, smoke started to rise from her chest and she ran outside.

Shocked, Brinstat ran after her. “Rosalie, what happened?”

“I’m burning up here. Can’t you see?” she cried.

“But how? What? How?” he questioned.

“I don’t know, Brinstat. It must have been one of those garlic-infused meatballs or something. I’ll be all right. I just need some air.”

“Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

“Yes, I guess so. I’m a vampire, okay? I’m not some human vampire wanna be! I’m a real vampire and I came here to meet some new friends because this town is as boring as “boring” can be.”

“I know! I feel the exact same way! I can’t believe this!” he replied.

“Brinstat, do you think we can just leave this party and go and talk somewhere?”

“Oh yes, Rosalie. We can go anywhere you want!”

Just then, they both POOFED into bats and flew off together.

Epilogue

Brinstat finally found a friend. A friend for life. Someone just like him. And he found her when he was being nothing more than just himself.

RING! RING! I’ll get it Mama!!! “Hello?”

“Is Brinstat there?”

“This is he.”

“Hi. This is Mr. Giles from the museum. I heard about what you did at the Mayor’s Halloween party and I figured with all the money they raised, and by you catching the thief, I thought we can offer some training, and well, we’d like to hire you back.”

“Really? That’s super awesome, Mr. Giles. Thank you so much! See you Monday night!”

“OH NO! WHAT AM I GOING TO TELL MAMA?!!!!!!!”

The End.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Vampire Brinstat

By Brind'Amour

Chapter 3
Whoa! Now that’s a job for me! I mean, I am a master with a deck of cards. I even know how to play black jack. Well, a little, anyway, thought Brinstat. He jotted down the number for the casino on his breakfast napkin and quickly tucked it away in his cape pocket.

“Ah, there’s my boy! How are you feeling, my baby?” asked his mama.

“Oh, much better Mama,” said Brinstat.

“Goot, that’s my Brinstat,” said his mama, patting him on the head. “I need to go out for a little vhile Brinstat. I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay, Mama. But I might be out doing vampire things when you return,” he lied.

“Ah! That’s my boy!!” said his mama. She then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

The coast was clear. His mama had left and he was all alone to make the phone call.

“Allo? Collins Casino...”

“Hi, I’m calling about the casino dealer position.”

“Ya! Plis hold.”

A few minutes went by.

“Mr. Edwards speaking, how may I help you?”

“Hi, I’m calling about the casino dealer position. And, I just want to let you know ahead of time that I’m really good with cards,” said Brinstat.

“Well, in that case, why don’t you come down and fill out an application. If all goes well, and you seem to fit the job, can you start right away?” ask Mr. Edwards.

“Oh yes. I can start tonight if needed.”

Brinstat hung up the phone, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, straightened his cape, and headed out the door.

Upon arriving at the casino and telling the doorman who he was, he was then escorted immediately to Mr. Edwards who was waiting patiently for him to arrive. Every minute that went by reminded Mr. Edwards that customers were standing around an empty table waiting for a dealer.

“Good evening. You must be Brinstat,” said Mr. Edwards as he shook Brinstat’s cold hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Edwards. I just want to tell you that I’m a master when it comes to a deck of car…….”

“You’re hired!”

“Wow. That was fast.”

“Here’s your uniform. You’ll have to leave the cape in your locker. And please hurry to table seven. The customers are waiting.”

Brinstat changed and headed to table seven. No sooner did he get there than his table filled up immediately with patrons. Brinstat showed off his shuffling skills with hands like lightning. He subtly smirked at the “ooh’s and ah’s” coming from the players.

He gave the stack one more shuffle and quickly dealt out the hands. Chips were flying. Mr. Edwards was impressed as he watched from the hidden cameras. “This guy is good!” he said under his breath.

A few hours later, Brinstat dealt a hand, one in which a customer was less than pleased with. “Uhh, this hand is terrible,” the lady whined. “Hey, Mr. Nice Guy Black Jack Dealer, do you think I could have two new cards? I’m on the verge of tears here. Please? Pretty please?” asked the whining lady.

“Well, I guess that would be okay.” And Brinstat dealt the lady two more cards. This time, the lady was more than happy.

“I won!” screamed the lady. “You’re such a nice guy Mr. Black Jack Dealer! What else can you do for me?”

“Well, I can build a house of cards like none you’ve ever seen,” said Brinstat.

“Yeah? Let’s see,” said one disgruntled man.

Brinstat collected all the cards and proceeded to build a house. Quite frankly, it was more like a castle. The customers were utterly impressed. The structure was so massive it drew many customers away from their tables, eyes as big as golf balls, amazed at the monstrosity in front of them.

Before long, Brinstat was using cards from other tables in order to create the biggest, most intricate piece of artwork he’d ever done. Hoots and hollers were heard throughout the casino. He was shining, smiling from ear to ear.

Then, over the loud speaker came, “Brinstat, please report to the office.”

“Ooh, maybe I’m gonna get a raise!” said Brinstat excitedly.

Brinstat was quickly disappointed to find that he was once again…fired.

He slowly made his way home only to find his mother waiting for him in the living room.

“Vhere have you been, Brinstat?”

“Mama, I think you were right. Getting a job and trying to make friends is just not for me. I will do as you say, Mama. I’m going to just be me—a vampire.”

“There, there, my boy. Things vill be all right, you’ll see. Get some rest and tomorrow vill be a new day!” his mama replied. “And next time, listen to your mother!”

“Okay, Mama. I’m going to watch some television and then I’ll go to bed.”

“That’s my boy!”

Stay tuned for Chapter 4

The Vampire Brinstat

By Brind'Amour

Chapter 2
Sitting on the park bench, Brinstat thought Okay, maybe being a pastry chef wasn’t such a good idea. But how hard could being a security guard be?

Brinstat picked up the paper, tucked it under his cape, and headed back home. Thankfully, his mother was already in bed. He headed downstairs to his room and read the ad once again. “I can do this. I can be a security guard. I’m going to call first thing tomorrow night,” he said out loud.

The next evening when Brinstat woke up, he quietly came upstairs, and looked around for his mother. She was nowhere in sight. “Good,” Brinstat said under his breath. He picked up the phone and dialed the museum.

“Karloff Museum, Tara speaking,” said the lady on the phone.

“I’m calling about the Security Guard position.”

“Oh, you have to speak to the manager. Please hold.”

“Hello? This is Mr. Giles. Can I help you?”

“I’m calling about the Security Guard position.”

“Good, my nighttime security guard just quit. When can you start? Can you start tonight?”

“Oh, yes! I’ll be right down.”

As Brinstat hung up the phone and turned to write a note for his mother, he ended up face to face with her, the blood draining from his face… more than usual.

“Vhere are you going my beautiful boy?” his mother demanded.

“Um, I’m going downtown but I’m in a hurry. I’ll call you later Mama!”

Brinstat breezed out of the house toward the museum. He arrived there shortly before closing. The manager greeted him at the door and escorted him to the office.

“The only thing you have to do is make sure no burglars get in. That’s all there is to it. Check the doors hourly and inspect the outside perimeter on the half hour of every hour,” said Mr. Giles.

“No problem. I can do this!” Brinstat exclaimed.

He got his uniform and badge and was on his way to patrol the grounds. The doors were all locked and not a soul in sight. Everything looked secure. Until…

A few minutes after midnight Brinstat heard a faint tapping sound on one of the doors. He ran over to inspect and with his keen hearing picked up voices on the other side. Brinstat yelled, “Who’s there?” and quickly opened the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two figures quickly dive into the bushes. He rushed over to the bush with his billy club raised.

“Hey, what are you two doing back there?” Brinstat sternly asked.

“Uh, I was taking my girlfriend for a stroll, uh yeah, and she told me she never saw a museum before, and uh, I told her I could show her one but it was closed and um, I was only trying to impress her, if you know what I mean, so I tried to see if the door was unlocked but it wasn’t and then I tried to jimmy it open so I could show my girl how strong I was and then I could be all cool and everything and give her a tour of the museum but you know, not to take anything or touch anything, but just to show her around like you know, like a real cool guy would do but then you came out and scared us to smithereens and we just ran and flew into this bush here, you know what I mean?” said the guy.

“Why do you have that ski mask on? And why are you and your girl friend dressed all in black?” asked Brinstat.

“It’s a fashion statement. We’re like Goth people. So can we come in for a little stroll through the museum so I can show my girl what a fun guy I am? You would be such a swell guy if you let us in and then we could tell all our friends how great you are.”

“Well, I guess it’ll be okay. But I don’t want any funny stuff, you hear!” said Brinstat.

“Okay, no funny stuff. We’ll take a tour and be out in no time at all.”

Brinstat let the couple into the museum and continued on his rounds. The couple quickly walked to one particular area of the museum and left a few minutes later shouting, “Thanks dude!” as they ran out the door.

Wow. That was fast. I guess his girlfriend is easily impressed, thought Brinstat.

Daybreak was approaching and Brinstat’s shift was over. He waited for the next guard to show up and zoomed home before sun up.

“Vhere have you been Brinstat? And vhy didn’t you call me? Vhat kind of boy did I raise, Brinstat? You don’t care about your mother no more?”

“Mama! Stop! I took on another job but this one is really going to work out. You’ll see.”

“How many times I haft to tell you Brinstat, stop taking on these silly jobs. They aren’t for you. Do I need to remind you Brinstat, that you are a vampire? And a vampire doesn’t need a job.”

“No, mama. But I just wanted to make some friends. And I think I made two friends tonight, Mama.”

“Uh, my boy, my boy. You exhaust me, Brinstat.”

Just then the phone rang and Brinstat was happy to answer it just to be able to get away from his mother. “Hello?”

“Is this Brinstat?” said the voice on the phone.

“Yes, who’s this?”

“This is Mr. Giles. Our daytime security guard, Jake, said there must have been a break-in last night. He told me that the highly valuable, precious Anya Sapphire was missing when he went on duty. What happened to it, Brinstat? Didn’t you patrol the museum? Didn’t you see anything or anyone?”

“No, I didn’t see anything other than the cute couple who only came to the museum on a date. But they were in and out lickety split, Mr. Giles.”

“Brinstat, you weren’t supposed to let anyone in. It’s all over the news. A young couple was picked up trying to sell a large sapphire stone in the next town over. Brinstat, I’m afraid you haven’t done a good job and I’m going to have to fire you.”

“Oh no! Not again!” cried Brinstat as his mama came rushing over with a tissue.

Slowly, Brinstat hung up the phone and walked over to the couch, head hanging low.

“Brinstat, you have to stop trying so hard. Just be who you are. Now, cheer up and go get some sleep.”

“Okay, Mama.”

The next evening Brinstat was eating breakfast, watching television, when he heard the newscast. “A local casino is looking for a black jack dealer for immediate employment. Apparently, the previous dealer was an escapee from the Stoker County jail. Anyone interested, please call the number at the bottom. No experience necessary. Keeping customers coming back for more a must!”

Stay tuned for Chapter 3

The Vampire Brinstat

By Brind'Amour

Chapter 1

Little Brinstat woke up one evening all excited about the dream he just had. He ran straight to his mother and shouted, “Mama, I had the best dream ever! I dreamt I got a job and made lots and lots of friends! That’s what I want to do, Mama, get a j…!

His mother interrupted him, “Hush now my son. There vill be no silly talk. You are a vampire. You vere born a vampire and you vill stay a vampire. That’s vhat you are.”

“But Mama!”

“Brinstat! That is enough.”

“Oh!” he complained. And with that, little Brinstat shuffled off, head bowed, disappointed about having his dream crushed.

Years passed and Brinstat listened to his mother and went through life being what he was—a lonely vampire. He wanted nothing more than to lead a “normal” life, have friends, and get a nice job, but being a vampire made that type of life quite hard to achieve.

While munching on a snack and reading the newspaper, Brinstat stumbled upon an ad. The ad read “WANTED: Pastry Chef for late night hours. Experience not necessary. Making customers happy a must!” Brinstat quickly put down the paper and ran for the phone.

“Leonardo’s bakery, can I-a help you?” said the friendly voice on the other end.

Wow! A friendly person, Brinstat thought. “Yes, I’d like to apply for the Pastry Chef job.”

“It’s-a evening hours. Is that-a good for you?”

“Yes! It’s great for me. Evening hours are perfect!” responded Brinstat enthusiastically.

“Okay-a, come on down-a and fill out-a application, my son-a.”

“Sure thing, I’ll be right down!”

Brinstat hung up the phone and contemplated whether to tell his mother or not. Finally, he thought it best to go and just tell her later.

To his surprise, Brinstat was hired on the spot since many people didn’t like the late night shift. He was handed a pile of recipe books, got a tour of the kitchen, and was left with one piece of advice…

“Keep-a this in mind-a, the people like-a suga. Make their bellies-a happy and you will have-a friends for life-a.

“Friends! That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! Okay, Mr. Leonardo, I’ll start right away-a. Ooops, sorry,” giggled Brinstat.

Brinstat immediately opened the recipe books and picked out a few sweet treats to make right away. “Hmm, this recipe calls for a cup and a half of sugar. Mr. Leonardo said people like sugar. Hmm,” he said to himself. “Maybe if I add twice as much sugar, the people will like it twice as much!”

He took out the mixing bowls, utensils, and ingredients and got started right away. “This is going to be great! People will love my pastries and I’ll make a lot of friends! Friends! I never had friends before. This is going to be super awesome!”

Mix, mix, mix. Stir, stir, stir. The pastry dough was piled sky high and ready for the oven. By this time it was getting quite late, or early (depending on if you’re a vampire or not). All he had left to do was bake everything and have it all ready and done before sun up.

Brinstat put his creations into the oven and waited patiently for them to bake. A short while later, the smell of cinnamon, almonds, and pecans filled the air. Sweet, sweet smells. “I am going to make so many friends!”
The other employees started to arrive to get things ready for the early morning rush. Brinstat explained to them that the pastries were all in the ovens and were just about done. He then left in a hurry to beat out the sunrise.

Early the next evening, while watching Dark Shadows with his mother, the phone rang. “I’ll get it Mama!” Brinstat picked up the phone hoping it was Mr. Leonardo telling him how much people loved his pastries. Well, it was Mr. Leonardo but he had news nothing like Brinstat wanted to hear.

“Mr. Brinstat-a, I’m afraid-a I have-a to fire you.”

“What!!?” screeched Brinstat.

“How much-a suga you a put in my-a pastries? They all-a flopped. We had-a no pastries to sell-a this morning!”

“How can that be?” asked Brinstat.

“Too much-a suga makes-a the pastries too-a heavy. They all-a fell over and burnt-a in the oven! I have to let-a you go my boy. So-a sorry.”

Brinstat slowly hung up the receiver and just stood there flabbergasted.

“Brinstat! Vhat’s the matter, my boy?

“Nothing Mama.”

“Brinstat, you vill tell me your troubles!”

“Okay, Mama,” he said. “I took a job making pastries in a bakery so I could be like everyone else. I wanted to make friends, Mama. But it didn’t work out. I got fired.”

“You see Brinstat! That is vhat I’ve been telling you. You have to be who you are. You can’t be someone you’re not. Try to be happy being a vampire, Brinstat. And stop upsetting your mother!”

Maybe she’s right, he thought. I’ll go out and be what I am—a vampire. I’ll go out and do what vampires do. “See you later Mama. I’m going out.”

Brinstat walked in the brisk night air for more than ten blocks without finding a soul, and ended up in Willow Park. For two more hours he walked around the park, not even a stray cat crossed his path. Feeling lonely, he decided to rest on the nearest park bench. There, sitting on the bench with him, was today’s copy of The Daily News. Coincidentally, right on top of the folded paper, was an ad. The ad stated, “WANTED: Security Guard/Night Watchman for museum. Second shift. Experience not necessary. Keeping burglars out a must!”

Stay tuned for Chapter 2

I'm Back!!!

First, let me start off by saying a big THANK YOU to all my friends who have sent me notes and emails. I missed you guys too! So, here’s a big smooch to each and every one of you:



I guess the main reason that I haven’t been posting is that back in August I started having internet trouble. Let’s just say the Slowski’s would have seemed like a ride on the Concord compared to my computer. So, I took care of that problem only to find another….. computer trouble. To rectify the situation I bought myself a brand spankin’ new laptop. And listen to this -- I became so fond of it that it inspired me to write a book!

My research took me to many far away places around the world and landed me in Transylvania. That is where I stayed to write my book.

But now, I’m back from my trip and I’m here to share my story with you, chapter by chapter, starting with my next post. Tee hee hee, did I leave you in suspense?

Boy, am I glad to be back! I missed you guys!!