Moonlight Dwelling

For the Mansbridge Experiment to succeed my night school vampires will have to coexist with my regular day school. For these young predators must learn to live among the living but invisibly.

A vampire must learn to live among the living invisibly. A rule that once broken leaves both worlds forever changed. The vampire is by nature a lone wolf, predatory therefore, any sudden temptation to join the community is suspect and dangerous.

Vampires don't know how to love. They only know craving. For vampires courtship is a deadly ritual of stalking and preying. Humans are also known to stalk and prey. But despite their predatory natures it is possible for vampires to fall in love. In vampire lore they call this person the one.

The Mansbridge Experiment hinges on time. It is the great measure. With time a community can be formed. A community that heals all wounds forever.

When vampires feel desire they cannot rest until their hunger has been satisfied. But real love is patient. It gives life instead of feeding from it. When a vampire discovers the one this difference becomes crystal clear.

The vampire experiences an even more frightening passage into his new world.

In truth vampires and mortals experience the chill. That yearning for what we once called home. That cold memory of a forever lost time and place. And for all of us there's only the hope of finding a new home, a new family.

Vampires experience phenomenon peculiar to their race. They're at the mercy of instincts that can flare up at any moment condemning them to act out ancient urges.

A vampire's life is one of solitude and isolation where he learns to survive on his own instincts only trusting himself. Becoming human is about risking trust, allowing yourself to be dependent on another for then and only then can a true connection be made. A joining a souls in the common pursuit of that much precious gift of all life.

Little study has been made of the relationships between vampires. The Mansbridge Experiment affords ideal conditions to observe whether or not they can experience true emotion and more importantly can they share those emotions with each other.

Vampires are obsessive, compulsive. They can form trusting relationships begrudingly. Some never form them. It is my hope that here at Mansbridge such relationships will be forged. This hope is complicated by the fact that the offspring of vampires are deeply molded by their makers into their own dark image. And I am regretfully convinced that Patsy LaRue is not the only maker we shall encounter.

Each day my students and I take small steps but to succeed I must wean them off what they crave. For as long as their addiction stands their ravenous nature continues to boil they will be a threat not only to others but to themselves.

The taming of the ancient urges is a constant struggle for my vampire students however underneath their ravenous nature lies the simple needs of all teenagers to be needed, to be loved. But this bonding that could mean so much is still far off and the bloodlust that controls the wheel of their lives continues to hold its grip.

The role of a teacher is a lonely one. By necessity the teacher's personal needs and desires are often sacrificed. But sometimes the temptation to indulge is hard to resist.

There are sacrifices that must be made for the greater justice, the greater truth, and the greater good.

Because a vampire's life spans so many centuries time stretches endlessly before them. Mortals conserve time and hold it precious while vampires often wish time would end. For like a stake through the heart time ultimately becomes their enemy.

15 For humans love and hate are opposites capable of lifting or tormenting a soul. For a vampire love and hate only torment for in his world they are often the same.

Vampires are not devoid of free will like mortals they have choices. The true test of any vampire or human is have they made the right choice and the state they find themselves in is the ultimate answer.

When a human becomes a vampire it is easy for them to forget their past life bloodlust and their nocturnal schedule distract them memories of the people they once knew and loved but occasionally they are reminded.

For humans it is memories of the past that keep their loved ones alive. For vampires memories are equally important. For through memory they restore their link not just to humanity but to each other.

A creature of darkness a vampire's life could appear romantic and exciting but to vampires themselves their lives driven by instinctual needs seem stale and repetitive. They long for change.

Vampires survive for centuries yet it is not the length of time that gives life value it's love that makes it worthwhile. And with love comes the possibility of rejection and loss. My students must learn to know both love and loss to feel them in all their complexity for then only can they become truly human.

18 Ghost stories are not simply child's play they speak to us about our deepest desires and fears. Every person has their own ghost story which they carry with them hidden from view.

Some ghost stories are there to challenge us inspiring us to slay the dragon, win the princess. Others are there to reveal who we are and where we come from.

19 Of all human endeavours creativity ranks the highest for it brings life to the world. For a vampire fostering creativty is especially important since their basic impulse is to take life not to give it.

Creativity gives life a song, a poem

20 The power of choice can be a dangerous thing. For humans it can mean the difference between success and failure. For a vampire it can mean the difference between life or a fate much worse than death