The Vampyre Blogs - One Day at a Time

By Allan Krummenacker and Helen Krummenacker

"The Vampyre Blogs – Coming Home" introduced a new cast of characters to the Para-Earth Series. This anthology answers and raises questions about their backstories and relationships.

What otherworldly threats has the Professor dealt with? How did Nathan's altered self affect his service in the Civil War? What other mysteries linger on Nathan's estate? What did a German like the Professor do during WWII? Who are some of the other people Nathan has met over his unnaturally long life? Are Nathan and the Professor the only ones who've had close encounters with Para-Earth beings?

These questions and more will be explored within these pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allan Krummenacker
• Release date: Sep 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215830130

Allan Krummenacker

Allan Krummenacker grew up on Dark Shadows, Doctor Who, The Twilight Zone, and classic horror movies back in Levittown, Long Island.  In 1985 he moved to California where he rediscovered Doctor Who and joined a fan club where he met his future co-author/wife Helen.  They have been married since 1989 and are still heavily into Doctor Who, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Conventions, costuming. He has recently also added voiceover acting to his list of accomplishments and has narrated the entire Forever Detective Series (a series written solely by Helen) and in the process of recording The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home.

Book preview

Introductions and Insights

It was recently pointed out to me that an anthology should have a theme that brings a cohesiveness to all the tales it contains. This is something that had never occurred to me; I’ve long been an avid reader of anthologies, and many are united only by genre, while others have a recurring type of creature or shared setting. Our version, with the exploration of a specific set of characters from prior works is a rare subset of anthology possibilities. Nevertheless, the desire for a theme began weighing on my mind.  It got worse recently when a couple of our beta-readers mentioned that they weren’t sure if there was a theme to this collection. Originally, I had always assumed that our vampyre Nathan was the link, but then I realized he did not appear in all the stories. Furthermore, even when he did appear, he was not necessarily a major part of the plot. So what theme did connect them all?

Eventually, I thought back to what started this whole project. Many of the characters in this collection had already appeared in our novel "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home.

However, as with any novel, one could only delve so deeply into their pasts without slowing down the main story. And of course, when you have a character like Nathan (who’s over 160 years old) people want to know more about what he’d been up to all that time. Yet we soon found ourselves being asked about the other characters like Lisa, Marisa, and of course the mysterious Professor Otto Hofstadter (well, that’s what Nathan calls him) who is even older than Nathan. Clearly people wanted to know more about them and their relationships with not only Nathan but each other as well.

While planning the original novel, I was interested in doing it in the form of blog posts, and when I asked Helen if she thought it would work, she pointed out to me that Dracula had been written as a series of documents such as letters and news articles, and so the format would be in the great tradition of vampire novels. Moreover, she pointed out that if I ran a real blog by the same name, it would serve as a way to give background for fans, sample stories to stoke interest, and generally give readers some free entertainment as a thank you for getting involved with our world.

Unfortunately, as with any blog that has been running for a while, it grew so big that anyone wanting to read the earliest installments would have to wade through several years of entries, not all of which were stories. That is when the idea of gathering some of the earliest stories and putting them into an anthology collection came to mind. Yet at the same time we didn’t simply want to use things that had already been seen. We wanted to make our anthology special, so we created eight brand-new never-before published stories to go with the ones we had already selected.

I think it was those new stories that really got me to realize that the anthology did have a theme Introductions and Insights. This had been the idea behind the blog, and we were continuing that theme with the new tales as well.

So, for those already familiar with some of our characters we hope this collection brings you new insights to them, as well as introducing you to many new faces who will be appearing in upcoming stories and novels. And to those for whom all this is brand new, we hope it brings you joy and wonder as each tale takes you deeper into an ever-expanding universe of possibilities that await you in our Para-Earth Series.

RETURN TO THE FOLD

LETTER FROM CAPTAIN BRAIN WEST OF THE UNION ARMY

JUNE 30, 1863

by Allan Krummenacker

MY BELOVED MADELEINE,

I know you have been troubled by how distracted I seemed last we were together.  I know I told you it was simply the weight of being responsible for not one but two companies of men.  But with our division on the eve of what may possibly be the biggest battle we’ve faced to date, I feel it only right to explain myself in case I fail to return, especially with the approach of our firstborn mere months away.  I want our baby to know that my thoughts were never far from home, nor was there a mistress or dalliance that had captured my heart.  There has only been you and no other. 

Actually, an old friend, who unexpectedly returned one night in January, has occupied so much of my mind.  Of course, you will correctly surmise that I am referring to young Nathaniel Steward.  After believing him lost at Mary’s Heights, his sudden reappearance weeks later would have raised more than a few eyebrows and murmurings among the men.  But then it became clear he had come back to us not as a deserter, but as a hero. 

Why did I not mention that last fact to you earlier?  I have been under orders from the President himself to be remain silent on the matter, but with the war so unpredictable, and having recently just escaped death thanks to young Nathan, I feel it only right that you know everything. 

As I already indicated, it began early this year, January 2nd.  Night had fallen and my men had already turned in for the night when a carriage arrived.  It had been stopped at the gate and then sent right through, which is highly irregular.  Even Colonel Roberts, had not been notified of the late arrival, nor was he summoned to the meeting that followed.  Instead our late night visitors came straight to my quarters.

Being a soldier, I am accustomed to being awoken at odd times, but upon seeing who my visitors were, I was so taken aback, I almost forgot to snap to attention.  Discovering the President himself in your office wishing to speak to you, is not a position a mere captain is used to finding himself in.  Even more shocking was finding a member of my company, whom I believed had perished at Marye’s Heights, standing next to our Commander-in-Chief.

Nathan? I breathed, before finally remembering my place and greeting the President smartly. 

At ease, Captain, my superior instructed.  This meeting is of course not a social call, but a matter of great delicacy.  It will help decide the fate of this young man.

My legs nearly failed me.  Seeing Nathan alive after nearly a month’s unexplained absence, I had feared that I would have to brand him a coward and order a firing squad come morning. 

You know of course from long habit that, despite the near decade difference in our ages, I look upon Nathan as a younger brother.  Perhaps, it was because I had lost my own sibling, that I sought to fill the gap in my life and Nathan was a good fit.  Plus, it was because of me he was able to join our company, in spite of his young age and sometimes questionable health, and the idea of having to order his execution for desertion clutched my heart with an icy vengeance.

Luckily, one look at our Commander-in-Chief’s face banished all such fears.  Clearly, our young friend had been involved with something so big, that it had brought him into the good graces of our country’s leader.

Still there was something different about Nathan.  There was an almost guilty, even haunted, reserve about him that was more than a little unsettling.

Shall we sit, gentlemen? suggested Mr. Lincoln in his calm manner.

Apologizing I helped arrange seats near the fire and offered drinks.  Nathan was the last to accept either, but did so at the insistence of our esteemed guest. 

There were five of us all together: Nathan, myself, Mr. Lincoln, Secretary Seward, and Colonel Manning who as I soon learned had themselves taken part in the events that had led to this meeting.

Mr. Lincoln began the tale, with the secretary and colonel supplying additional details.  I have enclosed a separate envelope, written in Mr. Lincoln’s own hand, a complete and detailed account of the adventure that brought us to this moment.

Here, I will simply share with you what happened in my office that night.  Mr. Lincoln was the chief narrator of the tale, which involved a munitions train, kidnapping, and the attempted assassination of himself.  The secretary and colonel had witnessed all that had transpired and were able to verify that Nathan had indeed proved to be the deciding factor in thwarting this nefarious plot.

The details that were shared with me of Nathan’s actions were both incredible and seemingly physically impossible.  But I was soon to learn that he, who I called my brother, had become something far more than a mere man.  He was in fact not completely human anymore, as was demonstrated in the confines of my office.

I can almost hear your gasp of surprise as I write these words, but rest assured, I am quite right in my head, and that the toll of this war has not robbed me of my sanity.  Trust that the words I am about to put down are a full and true account and that we have nothing to fear from our dearest friend.  If anything, he has brought new hope to many.

After Mr. Lincoln finished his tale, I stared at Nathan who had his eyes fixed on the fire.  He had not spoken a single word throughout the narration, nor dared raise his gaze to meet mine.  I could not blame him.  If what I had just been told were true, I too would be dreading to hear what one who was dear to me had to say.

Turning to our leader, I cleared my throat and said, I do not wish to appear disrespectful Mr. President, but the story you have told me sounds more like fantasy than reality.  Is it not possible that the strain of your experiences left your minds somewhat ‘rattled’?

Much to my relief, Mr. Lincoln took no umbrage at my words.  Instead he smiled and stood up saying, A reasonable assumption, my good Captain. And were this a courtroom where I was the opposing attorney, I would be asking the same thing.  However, in this case, I am representing young Mr. Steward, and have not one but two eyewitnesses who can corroborate all that I have said.  Unless, you can come up with an explanation for all of us to have succumbed to the same hallucination, I would like to present more evidence to substantiate our account.

I merely nodded and waited. 

Smiling, the President turned and whispered something into our young friend’s ear. 

Nathan listened carefully and then stood up.  Holding up one hand, he pulled up his sleeves, like a conjuror demonstrating that he had nothing unusual hidden there, then lowered both.  A second later, a greenish mist began to emanate from the cuff and his hand slowly became obscured from sight.  As I watched, the sleeve of his uniform on that side slowly began to collapse, like a hot air balloon that has sprung a serious leak.  More and more of the green cloud escaped until the sleeve hung loose as if Nathan’s arm had been completely amputated.  It was a disconcerting sight, yet our friend seemed not the least disturbed by his limb suddenly dissolving.  Instead, his attention was focused solely on the cloud that seemed suspended in the air.

With a little gesture of his head, the cloud suddenly began to move about the room as if exploring its surroundings.  I stared in wonder, forms seemed to take shape within the colored miasma.  Hands seemed to appear and move objects like papers about my desk... then a face which appeared to read one or two of the documents it found there, which Nathan proceeded to recite verbatim although he had not been anywhere near the desk nor had he any chance to have read or memorized them.  I knew this to be true, because he announced the dates on each paper that I myself had only read just before heading to bed. 

Then the cloud shifted again and made a tour of the entire room, even slipping into keyholes and under doors, while Nathan described everything hidden from view.  Finally, at our Commander-in-Chief’s gentle urging, Nathan pulled the cloud back into his sleeve which immediately inflated itself once more.  Only this time I watched more carefully and saw his hand slowly become solid as it emerged from the cuff.

At that point I breathed, Incredible!

Mr. Lincoln nodded in agreement.  Indeed, but that’s just one of this loyal soldier’s talents.  I think you should let him show you some of his other skills.  Do you mind?

I shook my head and leaned forward like a schoolboy eager to see more.

Let him see your little ‘friends’, the President suggested, then turned back to me and confided, Personally speaking, this is one of my favorites.

Frowning inwardly, I smiled and waited.  Nathan sat back down and turned his gaze towards his feet.  This time, it was one of his legs that began to deflate, but no mist became visible.  However there was a rustling movement within the pant leg which seemed to be making its way down towards the boot.  After several seconds a mouse popped out, followed by a great number of others. 

You can imagine my surprise as a small army of rodents, all dark red in color, swarmed out of the boot and onto the floor where they proceeded to act in the most astonishing manner.  The rodents lined up in rows of a dozen and began to move like soldiers on parade, marching in perfect unison.  Back and forth, forward and back, turning sharply in a manner that would make the most hardened sergeant weep with pride.  Finally, they came to a stop and proceeded to stand up on their hind legs, while saluting with their right paws.

Without thinking, I saluted back and told them they were dismissed.  As soon as I did, they scurried back into the boot.  As before with the mist, the pant leg began to expand to a normal shape.

Shaking my head I stood up and began pacing the room.  This is incredible... impossible even.

Yet real all the same, Mr. Lincoln assured me from his chair. Perhaps a drink might be in order, he added.

Of course, I nodded and headed over to the wooden cabinet where I kept the liquor.  You may remember this piece from your last visit, since you used the mirror just above it to adjust your hat more than once.  I point this detail out because of what happened next.

As I opened the cabinet, I glanced up and could see all that was happening in the room.  I could see Mr. Lincoln in his chair leaning over to talk to the chair Nathan had been seated in, only now the furnishing was empty.  Yet, our leader was still speaking to it as if someone were seated in it.

Puzzled I turned around and saw that indeed Nathan was still in the chair replying to whatever Mr. Lincoln was saying to him.  Immediately I turned back to the mirror which continued to show the chair was empty. 

Grabbing the top of the cabinet, I kept myself upright while my mind flew back to a particular play we saw a few years before the conflict started.  By now, I suspect you already know which one I am referring to.  It had a character that could turn into mist and command rats and other creatures of the night, as well as casting no reflection in mirrors... it was called The Vampyre.

In that moment, I felt my heart shatter.  It was like losing my younger brother all over again.  Only this time, my brother was still before me, but was no longer human.  Instead he was a mockery sent from the bowels of Hell to torment me.  And right now it was seated right next to the most important man in the world.

Turning away from the cabinet I reached for the crucifix on the wall and held it at arm’s length, while boldly approaching the thing that wore our young friend’s face.  Get back from him, you fiend! I cried accusingly, You may wear the face of an angel but I know you for what you truly are.  A Vampyre who’s used his hell-spawn gifts to put all these men under your sway.

To my shock, Nathan did not so much as flinch.  Instead, he turned to his guide and raised his hands in a resigned manner as if to say, ‘I told you this wasn’t going to work.’

Mr. Lincoln seemed to understand, for he nodded and sighed, Perhaps you need to show him you’re still the good man he remembers.

This time Nathan nodded and stood up.  Approaching me he stopped mere inches from the cross I was holding.  From there he leaned forward, kissed it, and then pressed his forehead to it.

As you will recall in the play, the vampyre could not even bear the sight of a crucifix, much less let it touch his skin, for it would burn.  But there was not even the merest hint of flesh being scorched as Nathan stood there before me.  And then, to my utter amazement and delight, he began to recite the Lord’s Prayer in perfect Latin, as he had been taught as a child. 

I cannot begin to tell you just how quickly my heart filled with joy at this turn of events.  Whatever our friend had become, he still had his soul, and as soon as he finished his recitation, I pulled him close.  Nathan, you’re not some revenant sent from the grave to torment us.

No, he shook his head, looking relieved for the first time since entering my office.  For I never died.  I was spared and in the process given these powers by some strange life form that bonded itself to me, he explained, then added hesitantly, However, I do have certain limitations and requirements that are quite in keeping with the creature you believed me to be.

Once more my heart sank, but not from despair for myself but for my brother before me.  You cannot walk in the light anymore?

And I must consume blood on a regular basis, he sighed, then quickly added, Although I have found animal blood quite satisfies my needs.  Plus, if I drink enough I can stand the light of day for a few hours.  On cloudy or rainy occasions I can last an entire day.  Also, I must occasionally sleep in the ground.

I see, I remarked, my mind racing.  It was obvious Nathan wanted to return to us, but with his new condition and limitations my options of where and how to assign him were few and far between.

Luckily, Mr. Lincoln joined us at that moment saying, I can tell from your expression that you are conflicted about what to do with our friend here.  Secretary Seward and Colonel Manning both think that it would be best to have him act as my personal protector.

Looking up I said eagerly, That would be ideal.  Our country needs you above all others. 

Although he smiled, I could see he did not quite agree.

A President is an elected official, who serves at the behest of the people.  He can and will be replaced by the people’s will, sooner or later, he said humbly, The people, health, or action by a single person, could end my time in office.  But another would take my place and our country would continue.  However, out here where the war rages and men face danger every day; someone like our friend could make a huge difference.  Instead of one life, he could save hundreds, even thousands.  You’ve seen what he can do.  Information could be gathered right under the enemies’ nose, troop movements anticipated, he can even influence minds.  In my opinion, such a man is worth a hundred presidents, if it means helping end the war and the bloodshed that much sooner.  What do you say, Captain?

I could see his point.  There are duties that can be best performed only at night, I began, Such as keeping watch over the camp...

Reconnaissance, suggested Colonel Manning. 

Capturing spies, added the Secretary of State.

Yes, I see, I nodded with renewed hope.  I could have Nathan back with us, but explaining his absence would be awkward not only to his fellow soldiers but to the other commanders as well.

Again Mr. Lincoln seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.  Of course, he would have to answer solely to you, which might look unusual.  This is the other reason why I have come here tonight.  I think it is only appropriate that orders such as these must be given personally by the highest authority.  Don’t you agree?

I eagerly nodded.

Good, now let’s have those drinks, Mr. Lincoln smiled as above our heads thunder began to roll in the distance.  It seems the weather smiles upon us. We can let the men get a good night’s sleep and then make things official in the morning.  Is that agreeable with you, young Nathan?

Our friend nodded, stating that he had more than satisfied his body’s requirements before coming here.

With that settled, we toasted the Union and the desire for quick end to the conflict.  I was pleased to see that unlike the ‘vampyre’ in the play, Nathan was able to join us.  As I later learned, he could eat and drink all the things he could before his transformation, with the exception of garlic which he seemed to have an allergic reaction to that he preferred not to describe.

After that, I quickly arranged rooms for our guests and awaited the coming of the morn with both hope and dread.  For I had no clear idea of what exactly our Commander-in-Chief had in mind, but I trusted in his judgment and wisdom to allow us to bring Nathan back into the fold of his fellow soldiers.

At the appointed hour all were gathered, many looking confused and even bewildered at the unexpected meeting.  But once our Commander-in-Chief appeared all straightened to attention, eager to hear what he had to say.

The President started by apologizing for the sudden intrusion and expressing his sincerest appreciation for all they and their families had sacrificed and his hope that the conflict could be ended soon.  From there he explained that the reason for his unexpected arrival was to return one of our own to us, one who had done both him and the nation a great service.

Here, he turned and gestured for Nathan, hidden among the shadows, to come and stand at his side. To his credit, our friend approached and came to a halt so smartly I could see the sergeant who had overseen his training beaming with pride.

Private Nathaniel Eoghan Steward, our Commander-in-Chief announced, For injuries suffered in the line of duty on the fields of battle, I am proud to award you the rank of Corporal.

A cheer began to erupt only to be quieted by a wave of our leader’s big hand.  Forgive me, he said with a smile, You might want to hold your applause, I’m only getting started.

I swear you could hear the unspoken questions in the glances of both the enlisted and the officers. 

Meanwhile, the president continued, For your actions and interception of secret plans behind enemy lines, I bestow the rank of sergeant.

This time an audible gasp arose from the crowd, and I couldn’t blame them. But the fun wasn’t over, not yet.  I felt my chest swelling with pride as our Commander-in-Chief continued.

For single-handedly infiltrating and helping capture a Confederate munitions train, with minimum loss of life, you are hereby promoted to 2nd Lieutenant.

This time nothing could stop the murmurs of disbelief that spread like wildfire throughout the tent.  Our President waited patiently, giving Nathan and the rest of us who knew the whole story, a reassuring smile. 

And finally, for rescuing members of my cabinet as well as myself, you are hereby given the rank of 1st Lieutenant, with our most heartfelt thanks, Mr. Lincoln finished, as he presented a brand-new uniform to my friend.

This time a cheer erupted from the crowd, as hats were waved about enthusiastically.  I was congratulated by my fellow officers and superiors for having such a distinguished soldier in my command.  Several even asked about having Nathan reassigned to their own company, but Colonel Manning was on hand to explain that the new lieutenant had special duties to perform and would be