The modern day vampire is sexy, sparkly, seductive, and more. The vampire has evolved into the fruit of every unrealized desire. A being just beyond our reach, but yet in our midst.
The connection of vampires and blood goes back before the measurement of time. Legends and myth have them draining our life forces, leaving us vulnerable and on the brink of death with the only hope of survival riding on one decision – transformation. Those same legends give that vampire a face, often depicted as a human-like monster.
Today there are more vampires than the fanged kind that leave us in no different of a state. The consumption of our life force translates to more than blood-sucking. Our energy is depleted, spirit plummeted, and soul faded. The daily grind has people working harder and longer to make ends meet and have the same level of satisfaction.
This weekend, I stopped and smelled the roses as the cliche goes. I was fortunate to be able to stop and have a chat with this tortoise while on his afternoon stroll. In turn, he was kind enough to stop and pose for a few pictures. His old, wise eyes stared at me with a discerning look until he realized I was not a threat. I stared back at him trying to calculate his age, hoping he wasn’t doing the same for me. I had to wonder how he spends his days, wondering around the farm pausing for nourishment now and again. He walked without fear of the horses he shared the field with. He approached new things with a cautious curiosity and did not allow fear to hold him back. I live to be able to do this. Has the element of time afforded him the air of confidence? Hopefully, I won’t have to get too much older before I accomplish this goal.
I’m not sure what kind of tortoise this is. The internet had very few pictures of fanged tortoise. In either case, I was please to meet him and ponder on all things vampiric. Especially as I’m sure he would have bitten me if my finger got anywhere near his mouth even if he is a vegetarian. I wasn’t going to try him just in case I had to make that decision… life or second life.
I was very nice to take a moment… but back to the world of writing, editing, and writing some more.
Have an awesome week!
Love this story, and love the beautiful ancient tortoise. I wonder how many of our lifetimes he has lived? Thank you for sharing your musings. You’ve put a big smile on my day.
Carole
I wondered the same thing. He was glorious to watch. I wonder if one could discern his age from the quantity of rings in each section of his shell… like they do a tree? I’m no expert on tortoise, but this one seemed to be quite familiar with curious folks like me.
Thank you for stopping by