It took me a year to decide where it was going to be and to see if I was going to be accepted at this fine institution. I chose Berkley, in San Francisco, California. Lots of things were going on up there at this time. There were protests against the war, people fighting for peace. This was what I agreed in, and to top it off it was also a good school. I was so excited to be away from Louisiana, my family. Though they were nice, I still enjoyed the idea of being free from them. A man has to live on his own and see what he is really made of. It is all part of the journeys of life.

In august of 1974 I left for California and the destiny that would change my life forever. I didn't have a rich family. I couldn�t live off of Mommy and Daddy's money while I partied the nights away. Somehow I was always known as a party animal anyway. It must have been the Irish in my blood, because I sure enjoyed a good glass of whiskey. Jameson was my favorite. I can only dream of it now that I am a vampire and no longer mortal -- one of those nasty technicalities of being one of my kind. We cannot enjoy mortal foods or drinks of any kind.

I must get back to the story. The first thing I had to do to keep going to school and to have a place to live was to find a job which would pertain to my future profession. So I filled out an application for the San Francisco Times. They must have seen the reporter in me, that determination to get the story no matter what, because they hired me on the spot. I was also willing to do whatever job they gave me. They hired me to be a gofer. You know, go-for that, go-for this. What a job it was. I wondered if I was ever going to learn anything here, or prove myself either. I never had the time. If one person was not calling me to do something, then another was.

That time did come eventually. I must have been working there for about two years and I was now a lackey for one of the other reporters. I was out on the streets, but dragging all their stuff around with me. I wasn't that star ace reporter yet. Just the servant to one. One day my co-workers were all talking and laughing. One, a reporter named Charlie, was holding a letter in his hand. I tapped him on the shoulder.

"So guys, what�s the joke? Let me in, if you don't mind."

Charlie handed me the letter, and I looked at it. It was written with what looked like a fountain pen, or quill. I wasn't really certain. The script was rather neat also, something from a time gone by. The words were the most interesting of all. This is what it said:

To whomever may receive this:

I am a vampire, who has lived for almost two hundred years. I have seen many different ways to portray what I am and all of them seem like strange monstrous nightmares. It isn't that I disagree with them. In fact, I do believe that is what I am. But what kind of monster? I am not the Dracula of Bram Stoker. No, I am something quite different. If you are interested to know my story, please meet me at 201 Divisadero Street, seven in the evening, on the 12th of May. I ask that you be punctual, should you wish to come.

If this is a waste of your time and you have decided that you hold no desire to meet with me or investigate this further, I apologize for this interruption and think not another moment on it; I will not be offended in the least. I realize how incredible this must seem. It would be rather difficult for even me to believe this, if I was not what I am. I shall wait that night for your possible arrival.

Respectfully,

Louis de Pointe du Lac

As strange as it was, if there was any truth in this, it might help me with my career. I was going to take it. And if not, then I was just going to have a little enjoyment in my life. I love a good joke, just as much as anyone else. Still, to make sure that I was not to look like a fool, I just memorized the important information, laughed a bit with the guys, then handed it back to Charlie.

"Very good joke," I said. "Now which one of you guys came up with it." They all said that they didn't, that it was anonymously sent to the paper. That no one knew where it came from.

May 12th was only three days away. I did not have much time to prepare, but I did it. With my new tape recorder, I left for my destination of the beginning of my life as I know it today.

The house on Divisadero Street seemed rather deserted, but I thought I could see a flicker from a window above. I walked up to the door. It was unlocked. Slipping in, I looked around. Everything was dark and isolated. It was rather spooky. I heard a bit of mumbling and motion upstairs.

I screamed up, "Is there anyone here?"

There was no reply.

"Come on now, if you are here say something, or I am getting the hell out of here."

Again no words, just sound, as if something was trying to lead me up there, and it was. My own curiosity was getting the best of me. I headed up the stairs. One of the doors down the hallway slammed just then. I figured that was the direction to head off to. It was towards the front of the house. I figured it must have been the same window which I saw the flickering light in. Quickly I headed to the door and opened it. I felt a swish of air at my back, and with that the candle went out.

"Who's there?" I screamed out. It was then that I felt a touch of air at my neck. "Tell me, are you the one who left the letter at the newspaper office? Are you Mr. de Pointe du Lac?" I asked.

It was then that I heard his voice the first time.

"Oui, it is I. Are you the reporter that has come to listen and to tell the world my story?"

"Yes,� I replied. "It's rather dark in here. It's very uncomfortable not to see the person I am speaking to."

It was then that the candle was lit once more and I saw him. It was as if beauty, a piece of art, was standing before me. His skin was iridescent, like a glimmering opal. His eyes were bright and shiny green. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. It was as if he had cast some sort of spell on me. Those eyes glowed like emeralds in the light of day, though he had not seen that in some time, if what he had said in his letter was true. I thanked him. He smiled back at me. I could see the sharp tips of his teeth as he did this. My heart raced in my chest. From the look on his face, I think he could even hear it. It was the look of a predator. I had never been so scared in all my life.

He spoke again. "So you are ready. Have a seat." His hand rested on the back of one chair as he stood before the other. "I have much to say and I am afraid if we do not start now, we will never be finished before the light of day."

I shook my head and sat down, flipping on the recorder. He began to speak. I was repulsed, shocked and intrigued by everything he said. By the time he was finished, I didn't want to be a reporter anymore. There was only one thing I wanted. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to live my life a million times, to experience everything there ever was, to never grow old, to never die. He was the perfect spokesman for being a vampire. I even told him so. I told him that I wanted to be everything that he was. This didn't go very well. In fact, it only pissed him off. Before I knew it, he had me in his grasp.

"Is this what you really want? Have I not told you enough, that being what I am is a monster, that what we are is some sort of hellish nightmare, that maybe with this story I would save another from this fate?"

My eyes just stuck out of my head from fear of him, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"Are you crazy? You�re trying to tell me that all of this is not as great as it sounds, that this is somehow bad? If that is what you are trying to tell me, then you�re damn well crazy!"

It was then that I felt sharp teeth piercing my neck, and everything blacked out. By the time I awoke it was eight hours later and the house was once more abandoned. My mind raced as I ran to my car and drove off. I may not have known where Mr. Pointe du Lac was, but I did know where another might be. In his story he spoke of a Lestat de Lioncourt. He said that the last place he had seen him was in a house located in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was going home, but it was not to see my family. It was to meet my destiny.

It took me two and a half days before I reached New Orleans. I never went to see my family. I didn't know what was going to happen and didn't want to let them know I was there. If they knew, I might not have had a chance to do this. I had to find Lestat. I didn't even stop for a hotel room. I went directly to the location. The house was rather run down, a place that perfectly seemed fit for the way Louis described Lestat the last time he saw him. Quickly, almost in a frenzy, yet still looking at every facet of the house, I walked up to the door. I wondered what it was like to live there so many years ago. I knocked on the door, calling out as I did so.

"Hello, is there anyone here? Lestat, are you there?"

There was no answer. I knocked on the door louder and called louder. The door loosened and opened up. I could have sworn that it was locked before. How did a door open then? How, when only a few seconds earlier it was locked tightly? I couldn't understand this, but I wanted the answers to my question, and the prize to my quest. I walked in.

I saw a young boy of perhaps seventeen years. More like a young man than a boy. I was only five years older than he was. He was so beautiful. He had iridescent skin just like Louis, but his eyes were brown. Not a dull brown, though. This brown glowed, like a fresh tan with the sun reflecting on it. Like warm gooey hot caramel. They bewitched me even more than Louis'. It was different somehow, but I was here for a reason and I didn't really know this one, so I just asked if Lestat was here. The boy smiled at me, then spoke.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe Lestat is here right now.. I have come to see him also." He put out his hand. "I am Armand.. and.. intrigued.. to meet you. Might I ask, have you and Lestat known each other for long?" He asked the question with an amused look, a raised brow. I just shook my head, no. "Then why are you here, my young friend?"

How could he say young friend? Then the thought came into my mind. How old might this young man be?

"I don't want to be nosy, but how old are you anyway? I mean, you look similar to the one that told me of this place. I take it that you are a vampire."

He just looked at me and shook his head, very quietly. His eyes studied my every move, as a predator would watch its prey. I was very nervous in his presence. I think he could tell, and was enjoying it very much. But I wanted my answers and I wanted the gift, so I stood my ground. He turned and started walking away from me, still speaking. "Who might this one be that has spoken of Lestat and this residence? Maybe I know of him." There was a little, wicked lilt to his voice.

I don't know why I was following him. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was wanting to know where Lestat was. Or maybe the hope that if I didn't find Lestat, Armand would give me what I so desired.

"It was a Mr. de Pointe du Lac. He was the one that spoke of Lestat." We were now in front of a staircase that seemed to be leading down into the basement of the house. I couldn't really see anymore. The whole house was dark. Luckily, I didn't bump into anything. There were a few shards of rubble on the floor, broken items of crockery and porcelain, ringing at every kick, and a loose board or two at every step. I could have sworn he then walked through the door to the basement, but before I blinked a eye, the door slammed behind me. Could that have been Lestat that did that? But no it was not, it was Armand. I could hear his voice at the other side of the door.

"Well, sir.. I will tell Lestat when he returns about your presence and see what he has to say about it. Until then.. I hope you enjoy the accommodations down there. A few rats can keep you company, while you wait."

My heart was racing. I was so scared. "Okay nice joke. Let me out." I began slamming my fists on the door.

"Ah, but, if I allow you to leave, how would Lestat find you when he returned?"

"I'll leave you a telephone number you can reach me by. I don't know. We could find a location. Come on just let me out."

"No, I think I will let you stay there and wait for him. Perhaps he won't be too long. Perhaps he will. We will have to see."

For my own sake, I hoped he'd come soon. I could hear the rats scurrying down there and it was so dark. I wandered about the room trying to see if I could find anything to light, or a flashlight, anything. It was so dark. Lestat did not return. Days went by with the only sign of knowing that anyone was here at all was a fast food bag at the door each morning when I awoke. It was cold, so I could tell that it had been sitting there for some hours. He must have bought it before he went to sleep himself. This went on for what must have been two weeks. Yes, two weeks being locked up in that room.

One night, I was just about to grab my dinner he left me. I was getting weaker and weaker each day. Although he gave me one meal a day, it was not enough. Most humans eat more than one meal a day. A vampire eats once a night. Maybe sometimes we can even skip a night, but a human can't, not without getting weak, and weak I was. I could barely move. But I could push the door, and I fell on it. This time it opened. I was free. It was day time, I saw, as I stumbled into the living room. Light could be seen through the cracks of the boarded windows. I was not going to stay here any longer. I wanted to be one of his kind, but I didn't want to be a prisoner. Maybe he was just playing with me. Maybe he never intended to tell Lestat that I was here. Maybe Lestat was just as much of a liar and cheat and monster as Armand was. I was not going to stay around to find out.

My car was still in front, though there was a bit of mileage on the speedometer. Maybe Armand had tested it out, maybe he planned on keeping the car for himself, after he finished doing me in. That, he was not going to do to me though. I was free and not going to see him again. That was a promise to myself. Funny how things change though, don't you think? Years later we would be together, in a immortal embrace for all eternity.

For years after that escape he followed me. Here, there, everywhere. Then one night as I was sitting at a table in a bar, he walked up to me, still looking like he had when I�d first seen him, still bewitching me with his beauty.

"How are you this evening, Daniel?"

My eyes burst open. "How do you know my name? I never told it to you." I was drinking a bit more these day, maybe out of fear of him still. Afraid one night I would awaken from my sleep and he would be latched on me drinking up my last drop of life.

He just sat there and smiled. "Don't you think that, after some time, if one were to follow another long enough, that one would find out what the other's name was? Hm?" He laughed softly. "I mean, Daniel.. you are quite a treasure and I never wanted to let you slip from me in the first place. I wanted a friend. I am sorry that I held you at that house for such a long time, two years ago. But I was afraid you would leave me.. and I did not want that to happen. Besides.. I've seen how you look at me, and I feel the same of you."

I blushed a bit at this remark. It was true, I did feel something for him, a desire I could not escape from. Every time I ran from him, I also wanted at the same time to run right into his embrace. I wanted to be his forever, if only he would give me the Dark Gift. Looking up at him, I asked. "If you treasure me so much, make a bond with me, for us to be together forever. A immortal bond." I looked deeply into his eyes, showing great desperation for this gift. He just shook his head.

"Didn't our dear Louis dissuade you enough? To realize that this gift can be a curse also? And that curse I can not bestow on you Daniel. Let us just be lovers and friends, hm? I can promise you that I will never leave you. Even when you grow old and gray.. I will stay with you. I will love you forever. I have never given the gift, and never will. You must accept this Daniel."

I just glared. "You only love me enough to be your plaything. If you get sick of me, you'll kill me in a second. This is all a lie to try to keep me. You know I could never leave you. You know the power you have over me, and you revel in it. It makes you laugh every morning when you go to sleep. That you own me. That you have something I want so desperately, and you never plan on giving to me." I was drunk right now, and looked like a madman, a man in desperation. I just sat there crying.

It was then that he wrapped his arm around me and softly kissed me. Kissing each tear that fell down my cheek. I couldn't control myself. I started kissing him back. He had me and there was no escape.

"Shhh, Daniel.. I will take good care of you."

He led me out of the bar and down the street. His arm was still around my waist as led me down to a small hotel. It was there that he truly showed me how much he loved me, and after that there was no escape from him forever. We were one, even if I was on one part of the globe and he the other. It was that night that he handed me a small vial. He told me that it held his blood and would show any other vampire that I was his, and not to put a hand on me. This charm did work. No vampire ever destroyed me or hurt me.

They didn't have to. It was the alcohol that destroyed me. Slowly it killed me. There was no way I would ever live long enough to spend my late years with Armand. I would die by the time I was thirty. Yet, as you see, this did not happen. In the end it was not the dark monster alcohol that killed me, but another sort of monster entirely, one that took one life, and gave me another.

It happened eight years later, when I went to visit Armand in California after leaving New York. My main home was New York at the time, and still is, though I travel to Night Island often.

I was quite sick that day, almost jaundiced in appearance. I didn't even think I was going to make it to see him. He had insisted on my coming, thinking that I was destroying my life. I was. I stumbled off the steps of the plane. It was night time. Armand liked to meet me always from my flights, so they always had to land at night. I almost passed out on the last step. It was a private plane so no one really noticed. There were no people around. Maybe this is why he wanted me to come to California. Maybe he knew I was on my last legs. Quickly he grabbed me and carried me off to his limo. He held me curled in his arms and spoke softly to me.

"Daniel, my love.. why did you do this to yourself? Why did you let that monstrosity, alcohol, slowly eat away at every facet of you?"

I just stared up at him. Softly the words slipped out of my lips, with a twang of sarcasm. "Funny how things go. If only you had given that gift to me, when I was still well. This would never have happened." I laughed, though my whole body pained me when I did.

Softly he spoke back, "Yes, yes, Daniel. Vampires cannot drink alcohol. That is why you will not be able to do this to yourself anymore. You won't be able to kill yourself from this poison. You will live forever more."

He brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes and I smirked.

"Now you will finally give me what I requested. You will give the Dark Gift to me. What if I say no? What if I say that I want to die now, denying myself to you forever?"

He grabbed me tightly.

"I'm sorry, Daniel.. you are in no condition to fight or argue with me this time."

He bit into my neck. Everything went fuzzy. The world was spinning around me. My past was flashing before my eyes, every second. I was slipping away from it all. Things started fading. I tried to call out for it to come back, but it wouldn't. It just kept fading further away. There was a point where I could not even speak, then it all went black.

When I awoke the next night, I felt so weird, everything was so freaky. Things looked so strange to my eyes, like they were almost alive. Similar, I suppose, to the way Louis had seen them. There were so many aches and pains through my body. Armand told me that I was truly dying this time.

I cried out, "No I want to live. Don't let me die Armand." Tears came streaming down my face. He smiled at me, though.

"Don't worry, my Daniel.. it is only mortal death. We will be together for all eternity after tonight. Nothing shall ever break this bond between us. Nothing."

I pulled myself up and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you Armand."

He smiled and said I was welcome. Then he bestowed on me his own blood, to seal the final pact.

I suppose that was how I came to be who I am today. We have had some crazy moments since that day, back in 1985. We are still together now. The last time I was away from him, he did a wickedly, crazy thing and tried to kill himself. I will let him tell you about that. He can explain how stupid he can be. Yes, Armand, I do agree that it was a dumb stunt, no matter what excuse you use to explain it.

I suppose that is it. For now, that is. I have only existed for forty-five years so far. Thirty two mortal, thirteen immortal. There is too much life in me still to have it come to an end yet.