STEP BACK  (DRACULA)             (hour 8)

 

How could Jonathan have been so obtuse?

A newby British bank clerk, sure; early 20^th century,

yes!  But so naive as to travel to far-fetched Romania?

First by train, then overnight horse-and-four

driven by a man who commanded red-eyed wolves –

all to get some unaging stranger to sign

property deeds in London?  Seriously,

 

bite me!  Why didn’t he turn back

when natives cursed and/or bestowed

on him garlic wreaths and clunky metal crosses?

 

Ah, well, you know the rest: boy meets

vampire, suppresses homoerotic longings

all while protecting his chaste finance who

lusts after the Count (she’s been bitten,

of course, trying to uncover the mystery

of  her BFF turned blood-sucking Bloofer Lady).

 

And you know what follows, step by step:

boy and friends uncover conspiracy

to sap ye old merry homeland of its young

and new blood.  Stake driven through heart,

corpses burned or shot.  Girl and country saved.

Case closed.