“Be ever so quiet, son,” my dad said to me in a whisper.

“Why are we down here?” I asked confused.

“Shhhh,” he said, putting his hand over my mouth.

I heard footsteps approach and I closed my eyes tight. My heart began to thump so hard in my chest I was worried they’d hear it. The steps stopped and I felt the presence of someone near us.

With a creak the bed above us sighed, as the unknown person came to rest there. Then there was a click, and the light went out.

“Now we just wait,” my dad said; I could hear the excitement in his voice.

Patiently we waited for what seemed like hours, until finally we heard the person snore.

“Now’s our chance,” dad said.

Carefully and quietly he slid himself out from under the bed, and I did the same.

We watched the boy sleep.

“When I’m gone you’ll have to do this yourself, so are you watching?” He said in a hushed tone.

I nodded.

He placed his mouth above the boy’s and opened wide. Dad’s eyes rolled back and turned red. A light mist moved from the boy to my dad, like a funnel of energy. Then he stopped.

“Now you do it?”

I leaned over nervously, brushing the bed with my arm. The boy squirmed, then snorted. Petrified, I froze. A few moments later my dad gestured for me to try again. More carefully I leant over and opened my mouth over his.

My whole body warmed and joy consumed me.

“Stop!” Dad said pushing me away, “Not too much. Too much and he won’t get better for a long time.”

Exhilarated, my heart thumping, I caught my breath.

“Now we uncover his feet so others know not to feed off him.”

The boy was in a deep sleep now, my dad’s voice had raised.

“What will happen to him?” I asked.

“He will have nightmares tonight. But by tomorrow he will be all ready for us again. You did good today,” he said opening the door to the closest.

“Thanks dad,” I said, closing the door behind us.