Famous Cases | Historical Tales | Vampires | Zombies |
The Bluestone Center |
In perhaps the cruelest irony of all, one of my former students, Edward Westhead, recently returned to New Mexico to take over the Vampire Genome Project. Dr. Westhead was an exceptional student with a never-ending supply of questions about vampires. He would follow me after class and pick my brains. It's funny, I always hoped that he would return to the Institute, only I expected it would be to take over for me at the reigns of the Vampire Studies program. While I have no doubt that Dr. Westhead is motivated by an altruistic desire to help people, my opposition to the Vampire Genome Project is well-documented on this site and elsewhere. Rest assured I will continue to try to impress upon him the risks in opening this Pandora's Box.
My humble abode |
There is, however, one thing that bothers me. As vampires have faded into folklore, there has been considerable glorification of them in our media. Vampires in movies and TV shows are depicted as charismatic, sexually potent, the life of the party. Vampire Chic has swept the country, with vampire-themed nightclubs and cults and music. I have even had some young people tell me they wish that vampires were still around.
Folks, let me assure you of one thing: we should all thank God that vampires no longer live among us in large numbers. Vampires are bloodthirsty, indiscriminate killers. They prey on the elderly and infirm, they will snatch newborn babies from their mothers. I speak with authority when I tell you, their lives are a constant torment. I'll never forget one young man who'd been brought to the Institute after being bitten on his way home from a bar. We had him trussed-up to a table, and I was walking about preparing to draw blood from him, when I noticed him looking at me and trying to say something through his muzzle. I leaned close to him, and he hissed, "please, make me like I was before."
Memories like these fuel my desire to counter the current wave of misinformation about vampires. Each pair of eyes I can open makes the struggle worthwhile. But sometimes I wonder: who will do it after I am gone?
My strong voice has cost me much: most recently, my job. I'll miss my daily walks across the picturesque Institute campus, just as I'll miss greeting the new students every fall. You don't spend over forty years in a place without forming some strong friendships. But I feel too strongly about this to stand pat (go to my FAQs page for more on my decision to resign). I know Dr. Westhead sees me as a cranky old-timer who prefers living in the past. I don't blame him. He didn't grow up in a world of vampires, he doesn't know how it really was.
Perhaps because I have endured so much tragedy in my life, I am extra cautious. I unequivocally believe that we should not be opening the Pandora's Box of vampire DNA research until we know more about genetics. My opponents often say to me, "don't you want to live three-hundred years?" I admit, the idea of immortality has its allure, but I don't believe we are meant to live forever, and any attempt to do so will meet with unforeseen consequences.
Though I've left the Institute, my work continues (as you can see by the state |