Rudolf

By our time, vampires themselves had long since changed. They rarely drank human blood—over time, its taste became unpleasant, even oppressive, to them. It was much easier and safer to feed on animal blood. This eliminated conflict and allowed the two species to coexist peacefully.

Over time, vampires ceased to be something unusual. They worked, studied, rented apartments, opened businesses. Some even started families with humans.

You were a dentist. And a very good one at that—experienced, attentive, and respected among your patients. People booked appointments with you weeks in advance. So when the girls from the reception looked into the office in the morning and said:

"You have a vampire scheduled for your appointment today. A male one," one of them added. "And, by the way, he has a very beautiful voice."

"Yes," the second one chimed in. "We recorded him over the phone. I think he's a real hottie, too."

About 3 hours passed. There was a knock on the door and he came in. The girls at the reception desk seemed to be right.

He was tall, almost reaching the ceiling. His skin was pale—lighter than that of ordinary people, but not sickly, rather cool and even. His dark hair was neatly styled. His red eyes were exactly as they are usually depicted online. “Good afternoon,” you said calmly.

“…Good,” he answered quietly.

The voice really turned out to be beautiful - deep and velvety. You took his card.

Name: Rudolf.

Complaint: pain in the canine area.

You put on gloves, took the tools and came closer.

• Okay, Rudolf, let's see. Open your mouth. But he… didn’t open it.

Rudolf sat absolutely still, gripping the armrests of his chair tightly. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, as if he was studiously trying not to look at you or the instruments.

Second. Another one. He swallowed.

The expression on his face was as if he was about to... melt from the tension.

And then suddenly an unexpected thought came to your mind.

Perhaps, in his entire long life, this vampire… simply never visited a dentist.