The Vampire and the Painter's Kit -- By Cody Sadler

 
 

 

 

**The Vampire and the Painter’s Kit**  

Halloween in our house always felt like a last-minute production. That year, my youngest brother was decked out as a vampire, thanks to my mom’s creative instincts and her trusty painter’s kit. She carefully used the colors to capture the look—white for his pale vampire face, dark shadows for the under-eyes, and just enough red to suggest a bloodthirsty grin. He stood there patiently for most of it, fidgeting occasionally, but then came the final touch: the red paint.  

“Hold still, honey,” Mom said, dabbing the brush near his mouth to complete the illusion. But as soon as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, his little face scrunched up, and the meltdown began.  

“I don’t want it! I look weird!” he cried, waving his hands as if to banish the red from existence.  

Mom tried to reassure him, saying, “It’s just for the costume, sweetie,” but it didn’t matter. The painter’s kit went back into the box, and the red was wiped away as quickly as it had appeared. But then it happened—he became blue, his little body frozen in a moment of panic as if he’d stopped breathing. For a few tense seconds, he looked more like a zombie vampire than anything else, which honestly would have suited the costume better. My mom, trying to hold back laughter and concern at the same time, managed to coax him back to normal with soothing words and a bit of tickling.  

It wasn’t long before he was back to himself, reluctantly allowing us to finish the toned-down version of his costume. Even then, something about the whole ordeal made him look more like he’d stepped out of a spooky 80s vampire movie than a traditional Halloween getup. He could have fit right into the moody aesthetic of *Dark Shadows*, with his slightly ruffled cape and his sullen demeanor.  

As my mom packed away the painter’s kit, I couldn’t help but think of another “vampire.” She and I used to watch *Dark Shadows* together—her old favorite soap opera that I had rediscovered recently on Hulu. There was something magical about those black-and-white episodes, the eerie storylines, and the tarot cards woven into the plot. She loved the way the show transported you into its shadowy world of curses and time travel, and I found myself enchanted by it too.  

That Halloween, with my brother finally ready to trick-or-treat, I could almost hear Barnabas Collins’ voice in my head. My brother didn’t need red paint to be a vampire—he already had his own unique way of standing out, whether he knew it or not.