I am enjoying reading your book on vampires, for, you see, I am one. Your volume is quite accurate on many counts, but wrong on others, and I thought I might be so audacious as to attempt to correct your facts, if you would bear with me for a moment. I am what you deem, in your book, a physical, immortal blood-drinker. As far as I know, we are the only type of true vampire. The others are imposters. No mortal is a vampire, nor can he be. True, there are those mortals who drink blood and claim to be vampires, yet they are not, I tell you. They are mortals pretending to be vampires, and nothing more. As to the spiritual beings you mention, neither I nor any of my colleagues know of their existence, though I must tell you that I do factually know that many spiritual entities exist in this realm, most of which have never been identified by man. Thus, there may very well indeed be such phantom blood-drinkers, and indeed there is some evidence of such, but I assure you, they are not vampires.

I became a vampire approximately 150 years ago, in Londontown. I claim no great romantic history, nor exotic name or culture. I am a European, much like yourself. I was a fairly successful banker who was attacked by a vampire and changed one night, in a small street called Bufford, which, I understand, does not exist in modern London.

You are correct that the first vampire was in Sumer, but he was not one of the seven demons. As far as I can tell, he was a common man, a citizen of Sumer, named Akkudi, a laborer by trade I have heard, who, for reasons unknown, became a vampire. Some say he was cursed by the gods. Remember that these ancient times were more rife with spiritual activity, but I digress. He was the first vampire, according to many of the older vampires I have consulted on the matter. Since then, mortal men become vampires by being bitten by a vampire, and in no other way. No one is born a vampire. That part of the legend at least is true.

The process by which a vampire is created is as follows. First, a mortal is attacked and bitten by a vampire. By drinking his blood, the vampire kills the mortal -- he actually dies. Then, the vampire infuses part of his own blood back into the mortal, and this causes him immortality. Thence a vampire is created. Now, the vampire does not have to re-infuse his blood, and often, we merely leave the mortal for dead. But sometimes, we recognize some trait of character which would benefit our race, and so we change him. We do not know what reanimates him, whether it be demon or spirit, but we do know this: we retain some part of our original person after having been changed. Now, understand that the new vampire is not created immediately. There is an incubating period, as it were, of anywhere from one day to nine days, the reason for which difference no one seems to know. Often, the body is discovered and buried, and for this reason, the vampire must rise from the grave. This is indubitably the foundation of many of the stories throughout history of vampires' being in graveyards. Now, even an embalmed corpse, having been previously bitten and changed, rises and become a vampire, and for this reason I suspect that there is a supernatural force at work, once he rises and feeds, is filled with blood.

Now, some parts of the rest of the legends are also true. We avoid sunlight, for it indeed burns our skin. It does not, and cannot, kill us (more on killing us later), but it does harm us. Thus, while our older and more robust fellows are able to tolerate sunlight for perhaps an hour or two, most of us simply avoid it. The garlic is of course nonsense. True, the boldness of certain herbs, including garlic, can sometimes inflame our senses, as we are more sensually sensitive than mortals, but garlic is no protection against a vampire who is determined to find blood. I suspect only that we are more sensitive than mortals, for reasons unknown, and thus any irritant to a mortal is an irritant tenfold to us. As for crucifices, well, most of us have a healthy fear of God, and while a crucifix might remind us of this, it cannot actually harm us. The idea that we all sleep in coffins in likewise nonsense, as many of us have beds just as do mortals.

There are only three ways in which we may be killed. The first is indeed the wooden stake which, when plunged through the heart of a vampire, disrupts that organ of blood to such a degree that we do not survive. Decapitation, provided the body is also destroyed, will kill a vampire, as will the complete burning of the entire body, including the head. It is fire that we fear the most, for just as fire is among the most painful deaths for a mortal, it is no less painful for a vampire, and perhaps even more so. Fire will almost always keep a vampire at bay under any circumstances, so great is our spite and fear thereof. Fire is, indeed, a great protection to mortals, for even our oldest and strongest cannot withstand the ravaging oxidation of the flame. In fact, the oldest and most powerful vampire I know, a certain Ruglius who dates from ancient Rome, will shriek like a child if confronted with fire. I tell you this only as a favor to one who has researched my race so extensively -- fire is your greatest protection from us. If ever you are assaulted by a vampire -- and I risk my very existence by revealing this to a mortal -- use fire to defend yourself.

As to our appearance, we are pale as the legends say, but besides the paleness, one could not differentiate a vampire from a mortal by sight alone. Our bodies, our organs, function as do yours, except that blood is our preferred and necessary food. We do indeed have a pulse, we do appear in mirrors and in still water, and we do not stink. The legend of the vampire-stench most probably comes from the fact that any newborn vampire is, of necessity, fresh from the grave, so to speak, and until he cleanses himself, does tend to produce quite a repulsive, decaying odor. However, we bathe just as you do, and a clean vampire smells as fresh as a clean mortal.

Our teeth are not fangs, contradictory to the legends. Careful examination of even your own, mortal teeth will reveal that the vast majority of mortals, of human beings, have canine teeth quite capable of piercing skin in a bite. Out teeth do not change when we do. Thus, it is simply a myth that a vampire may be recognized by the length of his canine teeth.

We do tend to heal more quickly than mortals. I suspect that this is because we constantly receive a fresh supply of vital blood. Unlike Renfield believed, the drinking of blood does not convey youth. A vampire appears, in terms of aging, exactly as he did when changed. Thus, because I was changed in the twentieth year of my mortal life, I remain as a twenty-year-old man for eternity. We generally choose young victims, for the aged are as physically-unappealing to us as they are to you. There are some of us, a rare few, who were changed in the twilight of their lives, and of course they appear old. Though, once we are changed, we never age, neither do we become younger. We simply remain at the age of our changing forever, or until we die.

What other legends shall I confirm or dispel? Contrary to a letter in your book on vampires, we are indeed evil. There is simply no such thing as "a good vampire." Most of us feel that our dead bodies are reanimated by some sort of demon, though as I mentioned, we retain our personality. Thus, we care little for mortals, and we seek their harm, your harm, if only for their blood. We live for the kill, and it exhilarates us. You mortals are to us as more than animals, but not as great as we. Perhaps the only charitable view among most of us is a certain respect we have for you mortals, for we remember that we were once as you are, and we remember the fear, the pain, the suffering that all humans must endure. Some of us even pity you, I being one, though it is not the sort of compassionate pity that the Savior showed, but a sort of grotesque curiosity. I, and almost all other vampires I know, have at one time or another set out after some young girl or maiden for her blood, only to recant and choose another victim after grasping her and seeing her beauty. For you see, though we do not fear you mortals, we do almost envy you. Our immortality is exciting and powerful, but most of us would probably be wont to admit that we are jealous of your ability to simply die and go on. This world becomes dreary at times, century after century, and ours is a lonely existence. I, for example, once pounced upon a beautiful, young girl of perhaps sixteen years, in a small, farming village in Rumania. She was returning at dusk from the fields to her father's hut. The poor creature submitted to me, staring at my eyes with her doe-like eyes of innocence, beauty, and charm. She was fearful, but also trusting in God, and she simply closed her eyes and asked the Father to deliver her soul at her death. For just a moment, I thought of the tragedy of a beautiful creature such as she spending a lonely eternity as I do, and I let her go. I simply released my grasp and whispered, before my blood-lust could cause me to repent of my release, in my broken Rumanian, "Run home now child! Do not look back!" I could not bear to destroy such beauty. She even thanked me, adding to my shame, then simply ran to her father's hut. The next day the entire village was after me, but they never found me, and fortunately so! For their anger was almost as searing as the flames which they had prepared lest they should catch me. I barely escaped the fire by hiding in a cave, thus risking my own life and safety for the girl's. So, you see, we are not purely evil. We are certainly by no means good -- we are evil, but perhaps we are so plagued by our fate, and the nostalgia of humanity, that somehow, we pity certain ones among you…but again, I digress. I have indeed drunk from enough young girls to account for the few whom I let escape.

How many vampires exist, and where do they live to escape detection? As to how many of us exist, I cannot say. We have no census method. I have met thousands in my 150 years, yet I have met ten times more mortals. I know that we are many, yet still the vast minority when compared to mortals. I would myself find it interesting to know how many vampires exist in the world today. Because the Modern Age is so much less supernatural than the Ancient Age, due mostly to the incredible disbelief of moderns, and their faith in the scientific method as the only means of inquiry, I suspect that vampire killings have all but ceased. In the old days, vampires were killed frequently, but today, such a thing could not exist. Thus, I suspect that our population has increased greatly in recent years.

As to how we live to avoid detection, the answer is itself deceptively simple. As I mentioned above, we look like mortals, but for our pale skin and nocturnal lifestyles. A vampire can walk among mortals as easily as a mortal himself. In fact, our supernatural powers (described below) allow us probably more freedom to wander among you undetected. I have, on many occasions, been present at some mortal's party, only to become the very life of the party, wholly undetected. We kill, true, but we are also skilled in the art of hiding. Remaining generally undetected is a simple matter of careful attention to detail, and the use of supernatural powers.

Allow me now to speak of these supernatural powers. The legends say that we possess the power to fly, to transmute, and many other such things. All of this is nonsense. We vampires possess but three supernatural powers. We have the power to levitate to a certain degree, the power to influence weak minds, and supernatural strength. Beyond this we are no different than mortals in our powers. We may levitate to a height of roughly twenty feet if we are strong. By this means are we able to enter the second stories of homes. By using our eyes to possess a mortal, we are able to influence their minds, but only by direct contact. We have no power over them if we are distant. Such is the lore of cinema. We may look into the eyes of a weak person and influence him or her, but that is the extent of this power. Finally, we possess about twice the physical strength of the average mortal. By this means are we able to overpower most mortals. Other than these three powers, which are of course very useful, we have none. Any other alleged powers are but myths.

The subject of vampire hunters, or vampire slayers, has recently been brought to popular light by the television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We vampires believe that such supernatural slayers exist. Now, the majority of such "hunters" and "slayers" are but imposters, mere mortals who delve into our world, and often lose their lives because of it. Most such slayers and hunters are very brave, until they encounter a real vampire such as I, at which point they beg for their lives like schoolgirls. Yet, we acknowledge the existence of a small number of real, supernatural slayers, humans who possess some sort of supernatural strength, and whose purpose is to kill vampires. Few of us have encountered one, yet the testimonies of such by reliable vampires is such that we believe it. Of this I can say no more.

I know not what other vampire facts to relay to you. I have revealed this much merely out of respect for your research. I assure you that, were I to meet you in person, I would not hesitate to drink your blood, but I would indeed change you into one of us, for you possess the qualities that we seek. Do not allow my generosity in knowledge to offer you a false sense of protection. As I have truly relayed to you, fire is your best protection. A wooden stake may kill us, but I assure you that we can overpower you. If you wish to repel us, you must use fire.

I know not whether you shall choose to believe, or to disregard, my letter to you. It is the truth, though I know you have no evidence. I suppose that the only way for me to convince you would be to bite you, but you are far enough away from me as to be safe from my teeth. I give you permission to use my letter in those ways which you see fit. If you wish to contact me, I am not foolish enough to give you my physical location, as you might destroy me. I do keep an email address: strigoinosvamp@hotmail.com. Feel free to email me.

A final note: you receive many letters such as this. Most of them contain contradictions and are obviously fraudulent. Many of them are written by young people who are confused and desire to be vampires, but who are not. I daresay that you have received precious few letters from real vampires, as we tend to stay to ourselves. Why, then, have I written you? Simply because, as mentioned, I respect your respect for our race. There is no other reason. I have no evidence which might prove the veracity of my correspondence to you, other than my sincerity. I assure you, I am a vampire, and we do exist. From merely reading your book, I suspect that you already believe this. I only hope that this brief letter might kindle in your spirit an interest in our race, so that you may know the truth.

One last point. You make mention in your book of one substantial argument against the existence of vampires. That is, you offer this question: if there are indeed vampires, why is not every alley, every street, every path littered with the bodies of our victims every morning? The answer is this: we hide most of our victims. Those whom we do not change to be like us, we dispose of. For, though we be strong, we are no match to the grouping of your forces. There are many more of you than of us, and we know this. We understand that, if you were to find scores of bodies daily, with fang marks on the neck and blood drained, you would possess the power to destroy us (do not forget how we fear fire). Thus, we hide our victims. I cannot tell you where and how we hide them -- we have a method, but that is sacred knowledge, and no mortal shall ever know this. But, most of our victims are indeed hidden. The rest are probably the objects of murder investigations which are never solved. I encourage you, if you doubt me, to investigate the unsolved murder files of your local community, and I assure you that you shall find many cases which bear the marks (forgive my pun) of my race. Whether you choose to merely dismiss these with some convenient excuse if not my affair. But the honest mind, and I believe you possess such, shall see the evidence.

I am confident that I shall not ever meet you in this world before your mortal death -- I do not desire to meet you. You take us seriously, and I would hate for you to be destroyed by one of us. Perhaps you shall one day be changed to be like us. In that case, I promise that I shall arrange our meeting. As you shall discover if you become one of us indeed, we have means of communication which are swift and sure.

Well then, I have attempted to briefly convince you of our veracity, and to inform you of some of the truths of our race, as opposed to the various fictions. All that I have said is true. I tell you the truth -- I am not lying. We vampires are very real, we are immortal, and we feed off of you. If you choose to include this correspondence in your work, I merely ask that you call me Sporatio. I cannot possibly reveal my true identity, as this would absolutely guarantee that my fellow vampires would assault and destroy me. By telling you the few things I have told you, I am breaking the cardinal rule of silence which permeates our race. I hope that you shall use the information I have given you as wisely as you can.

Sincerely,

Sporatio