The Cobbler and The Vampire.

It was a quiet night at home. The cobbler had her feet up on a stool beside the fire warming them after a long day in the shop. She was reading a book. Her shoes were hopping around behind her. She could hear them often but always thought she had some mice. She still didn’t know her shoes could hop around. ‘I must stick the kettle on for a cup of tea.’ She said. The shoes stopped dead on the floor and she walked into the kitchen to boil the kettle. While she was in there, she heard her sheep baa-ing loudly outside, as though something was disturbing them. She threw on her shawl and went to the front door. As she opened it, the sheep shot in past her. ‘Ben and Daisy. What on earth is the matter with you two?’ She shut the door and decided to let them stay in. They settled by the fire before a knock came on the door. She looked at the clock and said ‘Goodness gracious, it’s 10 at night, who could want something at this hour?’ she got up and opened the door. ‘Ahhh’ she screamed as her sheep ran to her bedroom followed by her shoes. It was a vampire! He wore a long black and red cloak over a stylish black suit, and had black hair in a quiff. His teeth were sharp and he was quite pale. The cobbler fainted with fright and when she awakened, she was sitting by her fire with a damp cloth on her forehead and the vampire stoking up the fire. He turned around and said ‘Oh thank goodness you’re awake. Please, don't be afraid I didn’t mean to frighten you and I mean you no harm.’ The cobbler was lost for words and the vampire began talking again. ‘Are you the cobbler woman?’ he asked. ‘Yes, that is me.’ She replied. ‘I know it’s late and I hate to intrude but I wondered if you might fix my shoes, I have to go to my wife’s deathday party and she is insistent I’m not attending unless I have respectable shoes.' ‘Deathday party?’ asked the cobbler. ‘Yes, it’s the anniversary of the day when a vampire becomes a vampire. Although, we don’t drink blood. We drink blackcurrant and cranberry juice.’ ‘So you, don’t kill people?’ replied the cobbler. The vampire threw his head back and laughed. ‘Goodness, no. We are vegetarians. We were spotted once at a party with blackcurrant and cranberry juice on our lips and someone told everyone it was blood. Of course, it doesn’t help that we have sharp teeth.’ He said. ‘But, I’m not quite sure why we have them to be honest.’  ‘Oh what a relief.’ Said the cobbler. She made some tea and offered the vampire some blackcurrant jam to eat while she mended his shoes. The sheep and her shoes were nowhere to be found. She mended as he told stories of vampires oaths to help the communities and told her how they are the ones who chase away foxes from the chickens on farms and wake birds up earlier on summers mornings so everyone can awaken earlier and enjoy the full length of the day whilst they sleep. The cobbler grew fascinated by this vampire as she stitched and mended and polished these beautifully pointy black shoes. ‘Now, sir. I hope these are ok for you?’ she said handing him the shoes. ‘Oh they are marvellous, just wait until my wife sees them. Thank you so much!’ She turned for a moment to put down her needle and when she turned back, he had vanished. On the table was a note which read ‘Thank you dear cobbler for a vampire am I, with shoes so nice, mended by you who made a choice, to look past my image and see me inside,  and from you in future, I will never hide.’