By Suzan Palumbo
Dear readers,
I’ve found a new story I love and I’d like to share it with you.
This month’s piece is “Vampirito” by K. Victoria Hernandez from the first issue of Khōréō Magazine. You can find more information about Khōréō Magazine and purchasing or reading “Vampirito” here
What I loved about “Vampirito” is that it dissects what we know about vampires, holds it up to the sun (meaningful pun intended) and shows us the truth we’ve been told isn’t the truth at all, or perhaps more accurately, it’s only one of a multitude of truths.
The story begins:
“Everybody knows that a true vampire, though possessed of many traits, is critically defined by three:
Is afraid of the sun.
Has really, really long fangs.
Thirsts for human blood.
Eli was a true—one hundred percent, without a doubt—vampire, and had none of the traits above.”
From there, we follow Eli Gomez as he tries to navigate what being a vampire means to potential friends, his community and most importantly, his family and himself. It is a story about the search for understanding and identity that begins for immigrant and diaspora children at a very young age and the disconnection between who we are and what the world expects of us. Eli isn’t presented with easy answers; the search for authenticity is never easy and that is perhaps a truth on which we can all agree.
A thoughtful, engaging piece, check it out!
Suzan Palumbo lives in Canada. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she is an ESL teacher and Gothic lit enthusiast. Her work has been published at The Dark, PseudoPod, and Fireside Magazine among others. Her full bibliography can be found at suzanpalumbo.wordpress.com.