September 12, 2017

IDEAS ON TUESDAYS 321

Each Tuesday, rather than a POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAY, I'd like to both challenge you and lend a helping hand. I generate more speculative and teen story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..." Here, I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc.) and then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture, fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them.


Antonia Dobre said, “Vampires are imaginary and, to tell the truth, were overdone once second after Bram Stoker published DRACULA and someone else started a vampire story.”

Mihai Barbu said, “It doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree, I want you to tell me how many times in the last month someone has asked you if you ever seen a ‘real’ vampire as soon as they find out you grew up in the Transylvanian Mountains.”

“No.”

Mihai busted out laughing, “See?”

“See what? That people who aren’t from Romania are idiots?”

He frowned, touched her arm and said, “Hey, Tonia, what’s wrong?”

She jerked her arm away, slapping his hand at the same time, “Don’t touch me!”

Mihai hooked his foot around the leg of a nearby chair, pulling it toward them. “Standing in the middle of the Transylvania Youth Hostel is no way to work out our problems.”

“I don’t have problems!”

“Not you!” he said, “Your disposition is always this sunny.” He snagged another chair and gestured for her to have a seat.”

She glare at him and finally cracked a sickly smile, dropping down on the chair.

“What’s wrong?” asked Mihai, sitting down.

She threw up her hands, than rotated one palm up. There was a bandage on it. “I got bit.”

“By what?”

She gave him an exasperated look, “A bat – what else?”

He shrugged, “A goat?”

That surprised a laugh from her. Then she grew serious again. “Really. The bat’s got to be sick.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not speaking or hearing right.”

Mihai suddenly realized that he hadn’t actually heard her speak the last two words. He’d read her lips as he did when his airline mechanic father had him working with him under the jet engines of at the airport. At the same time though, the hairs  on the back of his neck had perked up – just like they did when the sonar security scanner swept over him when he was being scanned before going into the same airport. He said, “Are you speaking ultrasonically?”

“I…” she stopped, eyes brimming, then managed, “I think so…”

Names: + Romania

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