The Scholar and the Vampire

By Sara Casalino

Kavi is hired by a woman named Amana to work as a translator of rare books. Soon he hears frightening rumors about his employer. After finding a tombstone in the backyard of Amana's home, he wonders if the rumors are true: that Amana is a vampire. Will Kavi be the next victim? (This is a Halloween-themed short story.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sara Casalino
• Release date: Dec 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215608692

Sara Casalino

I have degrees in Creative Writing and Professional Writing. I love to read young adult fantasy, science fiction, and romance.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The cab pulled up to the one and only house for miles around. It was evening and the sky was slowly giving way to nightfall.

Are you sure you’re going in there? the driver eyed the house suspiciously.

I start my new job here, Kavi said.

You must be from out of town if you haven’t heard the stories, the driver’s voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. Kavi wasn’t sure he wanted to hear these so-called stories.

They say a woman lives there who killed her fiance during the night of the full moon. I heard they were fighting over a secret book, probably one that contained spells and such. The woman turned into a monster and murdered him, then threw his body into the well. The body was never found. And to this day, everyone that values their life avoids that house.

A shiver ran down Kavi’s spine.

I don’t pay you to gossip, Kavi remarked. The driver shook his head slowly, as if Kavi were in grave danger and would never be seen again.

After the cab left, Kavi walked up to the porch, glad the long drive was finally over. And thank goodness his employer had paid the taxi fare.

All he could hear was a crow which sounded like it was laughing. Laughing at him.

Suddenly something scurried near his feet. Kavi let out a yell and leaped a few steps back, startled. It was only a lizard. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Gosh, he hated lizards.

Kavi was afraid of the dark as well. The darkness always felt to him like the cold embrace of uncertainty. The fear of the unknown was the worst fear he could name.

He’d responded to the job ad for a translator of dead languages, and after a brief email correspondence