Outstanding Story (Sub-junior) - The Vampire in the Parallel Universe

“The Vampire in the Parallel Universe” is one of the outstanding stories (sub-junior) of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2019 written by Aahwaan Khullar, India.

The Vampire in the Parallel Universe

The BlueWood Forest was alit with the most beautiful evening hues one could have ever seen. Over here, all the magical creatures lived together, in peace and harmony.

An old witch was stumbling through the dense bushes. She had a sweet smile on her face, as she was out to gather firewood, to light her magical fire. Her gaze drifted to the crooked, willow tree which had remained abandoned for a long time. She saw a sneaky vampire perched on the branches, with a flashing, evil look in his eyes. He looked triumphant, as he had returned from the city. “Oh! He definitely must have troubled the city folk…” sighed the old witch, as she tied two logs of firewood together.

She was one of the senior most teachers in the WitchCraft School, and thus, was respected immensely by all the students over there. When the bell rang for recess, she went to the library instead of going to the cafeteria with the rest of the teachers. The librarian, Michael Zen, was a kind old wizard. He brewed a cauldron of hot tea for the witch, and told her about the vampire.

“Oh, it isn’t exactly his fault, you see. It’s just that he has endured a lot in the past. Haven’t you heard of the Dark Era? Well, the ghouls of the Dark Era invaded his house one day, and took his family away. He had a lovely, little family…. He believes that by troubling the city folk, he is somewhat taking revenge,” said Michael.

The witch decided to talk to the vampire. She took him candy floss, and smiled at him.

“I know that it has been tough for you, but you must realize that we are also your family. Why don’t you come and join us during our bonfire gatherings? We all love you…immensely!”

Tempted by the candy floss, the vampire merely nodded his head. The witch went to bed triumphant, feeling as though she had accomplished a formidable task.

The next day, the witch went to the gnarled willow tree. She smiled at the vampire, and held out her hand to him. But then, she realized that he had not adhered to her instructions, and had troubled the city folk yet again…

The witch had no other alternative. She whipped out her wand, and cast a spell on the vampire.

Now, he was transported to the parallel universe, where the ghouls had trapped his family.

Thus, he was satisfied and never troubled innocent people again….!