Metamorphosis

I began the day like any other normal day by working hard and running errands, like so many other people in this world. When I was on my way home for the day, I finally had a chance to look at the world around me. I watched with open eyes, eyes that were focused on the world around me and not on myself.

I saw the leaves of the trees and how they had been changing and that is where my mind focused. What felt like not too long ago these leaves were lush green, now they were various shades of reds, yellows and oranges. But they also had a tinge of brown. It seemed the leaves were beginning to die, which makes sense since it is now winter time and fall is swiftly vanishing behind the cold of winter.

This was a fun experience, watching the leaves sway in the light breeze while feeling a gentle bite from the cold of winter. Watching the cycle of life going on around me. Birth (the trees had sprouted the leaves), death (over the course of the year the leaves had died and now they were dying again) and rebirth (when the spring comes again the leaves will come again).

But then I felt a warmth, a warmth that I did not expect. The warmth was coming from my neck, but I found that I could not move in order to feel or see what was causing it. I could just tell something was there causing a nipping feeling and a warmth was spreading over me. Little did I know, I was in the same cycle as the leaves. But this was not my birth phase as I have been around too long for that. No, this was swiftly becoming obvious it was my death phase. The warmth could only be something draining me of my blood, my life force. I was feeling a warmth because it was fleeing my body. I began to realise the nipping was the being or creature attaching its self to me and the warmth was it feeding on my life force or blood. I did not however realise what the creature was until it was time to begin the next phase.

This creature that had started feeding on me, it had to be a vampire as nothing else made sense. Not long after feeding on me, the creature spoke. I was given an offer. I could join them as a new vampire thus becoming more than I was or I could let my cycle end at just death. I was only twenty years old. I did not want to die, but I definitely did not want to just end my life either. So, I responded to the offer and told the creature I would join them.

The next step was to start the rebirth phase. I would be reborn as a vampire, one of these powerful creatures that could so easily help transform me from a mere human into much more. With the flick of their wrist against a small knife, a tear in their skin opened and I was given an order to drink from this cut.

At first, I was resistant. It seemed very odd and somewhat gross. But then the thought of dying was not a great comfort to me either. With that I began to drink from their wrist. I could taste the coppery slick juice and it felt warm against my throat.

Then the rebirth process of my body began. My organs died; my body immediately stopped growing new cells. Things like hair and nails were locked into their current state. This process was rather painful, with the sudden shut down of my heart and lungs throwing me to the ground as I struggled to breath but no longer was able to. But at the same time, I no longer needed to breath. Once I realised this, the writhing and flailing ended and I was able to stand again and began to take charge of my body.

Never would I age, never would I grow further. Change was no more in the cards for me than any other dead being. But I was able to rejoice in the knowledge I was not really dead, I was un-dead – never to die but no longer alive like the rest of mankind.

The cycle of life had ended for me. I would forever be in the final stage of my existence. Reborn, changed into a creature of the night. With this new vampire able to now move and talk and take action, my sire began teaching me how to be a vampire. A creature of unknown power that would live forever, well not live but exist at least. I would also be at the top of the food chain, no longer a weak human that others could so easily bully. I would be a lean yet strong creature who would not die of old age and I would no longer be frail as my body would heal each day as I slept. I would have a beast within but it could be quelled by simply feeding. Simply, I guess that may be the wrong word. For it is a simple act but at the same time a complicated process. I would have to fight what was left of my humanity to feed, but at the same time I must struggle to keep my humanity in order to prevent becoming nothing more than a beast.

In essence I was reborn into a monster of legend and would see things that other people only dreamt of, all because I was willing to look at the cycle of life and accept it when the time came.

How many will I be able to make this same offer to throughout my existence? How many will join me in eternity? I do not know, but I am eager to find out the answer. I am eager to find those willing to open their eyes to the world around them and help them to be reborn just as I was given the chance to be reborn.