1. The introduction by GLG Magazine correspondent 77
I waited for him in a Jazz nightclub in the heart of Paris. A candle light danced silently on the table in front of me. There were many people in the cozy room who were seeking refuge from a rainy, dark and lonely night.  Some were merrily chatting away in low voices, some were simply enjoying the music and fine red wines. I looked down, for the Nth time in the last 2 minutes.  The red rose was still there, lying on the table peacefully.

"I hope he can spot me easily…"
I had butterflies in my stomach. I tried to calm myself down by downing two glasses of wine within the last five minutes, but the attempt proved to be futile.
The beautiful female pianist was playing a merry tune when HE walked up to my table.

"Mademoiselle 77?"  He extended his hand toward me.
" Hi, hi…" I stuttered.

I was startled by his looks, for he did not resemble one bit the picture I had had in my mind. I was expecting to see an emaciated, pale man with grotesque eyes and revolting teeth… Yet there he was, standing right in front of me, handsome, and radiant. He was of middle-height, with a perfect built, neatly trimmed short black hair, and a pair of piercing dark eyes. Most shockingly, he was slightly TANNED, his white jacket greatly accentuated his beautiful skin tone.

I hastily rose from my chair, and was almost overcome by a spell of dizziness (one should never drink at work),  "Pleasure…pleasure to meet you. Dr. Snow, oh…Dr. Snowman."
His hand was ice cold. All doubts in my mind were erased: He was indeed the ONE I was supposed to interview.
"Me too. May I sit down?" He asked politely, with a pleasant smile.
"Of course, please." I gravitated back into the chair.
He waited until I was properly seated, then sat down himself.
The merry music was now replaced by a soft, melancholy tune…

"My Foolish Heart!  It is very beautiful, isn't it?" He commented while listening to the music, after we finished ordering our drinks.

"Oh, yes.  It is …"

"Bill Evans used to play this piece. He had such a style." He said.

I did not expect that my interview would commence with a chat on Jazz.

I was lost for words.  I was in a Jazz club, sitting next to a creature completely unfamiliar to me. It was overwhelming, and, eerie.
He seemed to have noticed my discomfort, and immediately changed the subject. " I understand you want to interview me." 

I nodded my head at least 20 times. "Yes, … I would be glad to have the honor."

"What would you like to know?"

" I want to know everything about your life."
…
This was my very first assignment out of school, a cover story for GLG--Good-Looking-Guys Magazine.  I could not believe how lucky I was, until the editor, Carol Skylight, gave me a warning in a chilling tone, "Don't irritate him with petty questions. He might turn you into one of his kind."

"I have lived such a long life." He seemed to be quite amused, "talking about everything is going to take a long time." He said it with a laugh.

I must have had too much wine, for I noticed for the first time that he had a fine voice. 

I gave him a shy smile, and took out my little camcorder from under the table. 

It was my very first interview with a vampire.

2. Interview Transcript:
Due to some technical difficulties we only have the transcript for the interview available. If you would like to see pictures of Dr. Snowman, please go to   http://www.cp-donnieyen.net.


(Translator's note: Conventional ideas tell us that vampires are not supposed to have reflections in mirrors, which means they cannot deflect light and they cannot be captured on films either... but hey we have seen so many vampire films, have we not? So they CAN be captured on films which means they can be seen in mirrors which means they can have shadows too...) 

77: Right. I am going to start the interview now.
Dr. Snowman (DS): Good, good.

77: How did you get your name, Snowman?
DS: Er… Snowman is not my real name… I was born during a winter’s first snow fall long time ago in Japan. My parents named me Yuki-hito, a very poetic and elegant name, full of wisdom and maturity.  But people used to call me Yuki when I was little…

77: (Enthusiastically) Yuki? Isn’t it a name for pretty girls?
DS: (Embarrassed) Well, yeah, that too. But…
77: You are very pretty too, so the name suits you.
DS: (Blushes)…
77: How did you get the name, Snowman?

DS: (Sighs)  Those Americans were too lazy to learn how to pronounce my name so they translated my name into Snowman. Unfortunately it has stuck with me…

77: (Shakes her head) Yeah Snowman does not sound poetic at all. It’s a disgrace.  Besides you don’t look like someone with a round mid-section, a carrot nose, a funny hat and a scarf. Your nose is perfect, and you have impressive biceps.

DS: (Looks embarrassed) …
77: (Abruptly) What is your favorite color?
DS: Excuse me?
77: What is your favorite color?
DS: Black.
77: Why black? You look good in white.
DS: Yeah, but…
77: You look good in any color really. Oh well, maybe not in olive.
DS: (Casts eyes away, blushing) …
77:  What is your favorite food?
DS: Erhhh… I don’t want to scare you…
77: (Persistently) No you won’t …
DS:  Erythrocytes.
77:  Ery what????
DS: Red blood cells, I mean. Human blood consists of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells are also called erythrocytes, and WBCs leukocytes, platelets thrombocytes.

77: (Nods) Oh… Yeah I almost forgot that you are a renowned hematologist! I heard that you can pinpoint the exact location of finest blood capillaries in any part of human body within 0.0003 seconds, that’s why you assist Dr. Tang Shan in all his surgeries. And you can tell whether a patient has a blood disorder just by looking at their blood samples with your eyes, or smelling them with your nose, without relying on any microscopes.

DS: (Modestly) I am fortunate to have the experience that gave me a strong foundation in hematology. It’s hundreds of years of consuming delicious human blood…(Stops, looks at 77 apologetically)…

77: (Breathlessly) So you enjoy human blood!!!
DS: (Sighs) Unfortunately yes, I do.
77: (Fascinated) Does it really taste as good as say, this glass of red wine?

DS: (Hesitates) Well, I don’t drink wine…I have never had any.  But, to answer your question, I don’t think human blood tastes like red wine.
77:  (Looks at DS in astonishment.) You don’t drink wine?
DS: No, not at all.
77: But you are in Paris.
DS: Yes?

77: We have the best wines here.
DS: So?
77: How can you not even try some when you are in Paris?
DS: (Slight moaning noise) Look, I don’t drink wine, I just… I just don’t.
77: (Very disapprovingly) Dude, you are missing one of the best pleasures in the world.
DS: (Throws hands in the air) And I am very sorry about it. 
77: So why do you enjoy drinking blood?
DS: (Sighs) I don’t think one should try drinking blood unless out of necessity. Blood is my food source.
77:  (Curious) Do you have a preference for a certain blood-type? Like blood type A or B or O or AB? 
DS:  Well… I never thought about that. (Throws 77 a glance that makes her shudder) What’s your blood type?
77: (Nervously empties her wine glass) I…I don’t really know… My mom never told me.

(Very long silence)

77: (Breaking silence) What’s your favorite color?
DS: You already asked that.
77: Oh yes.
(Long pause)

77: (Suddenly) Do you know Count Dracula and Vampire Lestat?
DS: What about them?
77: They are like you know THE vampires, vampire celebrities, you know… Don’t you agree that those two are the two coolest vampires that have ever walked on this planet? I mean, look, every girl kinda fancies them.
DS: (Surprised) Oh…really?
77: Have you met them in person?
DS: No, I have not met them.
77: (Disappointed) Ohhhh…. I was hoping for some insider’s information on those two.

(Silence)
77: When you travel, Dr. Snowman, do you have bats flying all around you, like Count Dracula?
DS: Well…No.
77: I thought vampires all have bats as pets.
DS: ((Frowns)  No, that is not true. See, I am Japanese, and we Japanese vampires don’t have the same etiquette followed religiously by European vampires.

77: Etiquette?
DS: We don’t have bats as pets, that’s for sure, and we are not afraid of holy crosses and church grounds, for example, since Christianity was still quite unheard of when I was born.

(Translator’s note: Christianity is said by some to have been introduced to Japan through the Silk Road and China more than 1000 years ago.  However it is mainly accepted that it was formally introduced to the Japanese in the 16th century.)

77: (Semi-interested) I see. Anything else…

DS: We cannot be killed by a thrust to heart by a piece of wood, or silver…
77: How so?
DS: I don’t know… Some genetic variations… We look way younger than our counterparts of same age in Europe. Besides, our kind loves Katana swords made from silver. We use them all the time, even when we practice with each other. We use wooden ones too, you know, in Kendo, the Way of Sword.

77: Hmmh… (77 thinks to herself: I have to see A New Life again tonight. It has 10 seconds of Kendo demonstration)
DS: The only two things we had in common with our European counterparts were the unquenchable thirst for blood and the undiminished fear for UV light. Starvation and UV light were the only things that could kill us.

77: Interesting.  I wonder if Lestat is as handsome as you.
DS: Excuse me?
77: Even if he rides a motorcycle, climes rocks, wears sunglasses, holds two guns and flips and twists in a tunnel which somehow manages to have 200 pigeons flying around, he still cannot fight like you.

DS: Who are you talking about?
77: Sorry, I meant Lestat. You know for a vampire he looks awfully like the CIA dude in Mission Impossible. 
DS:  Right, I know who you are talking about. Gosh, I forgot his name.  Something sounds like a cruise to Caribbeans…

77: Right. Something about cruise.
DS: Yeah, something like that.
(The atmosphere gets a little lively)

77: (Encouraged)  Hmmh… Caribbean, nice beaches, clear skies, clean oceans, bright sunshines…You get a nice tan… (Looks at DS) Yeah, I have been wondering: How come you are tanned? Aren’t you afraid of the sun or something? It looks great on you.
DS: (Face lights up) Oh… that. You noticed? I love it too. I have to say that I owe everything to my buddy and colleague, Dr. Tang Shan.

77: The famous scientist and surgeon?
DS: Exactly. He invented this blood serum that could build UV resistance in us vampires so we can walk in day light, like humans.
77: You mean there are vampires walking among us every day?
DS: Yeah, most of us take professions as lawyers, politicians, and investment bankers. Becoming a doctor like me, though, is quite rare.

77: In that case, aren’t the vampires going to take over the world? You know, lawyers politicians and bankers are so power hungry.

DS:  Unfortunately, no. The serum does not work for everyone. There are not enough of UV-resistant vampires to do so.

77: Who says that all vampires are born equal? Could it be that God does spend some more time on some of you.?

DS: No, it boils down to genetic variations. The serum works in some of us, but not all of us due to our different genetic codings. Tang Shan is still working on it. Hopefully, one day soon every vampire in the universe could walk under the sun(s), proud and happy, and live in perfect harmony with human beings.

77: (Wows) Wow. That’s very nice of you to say that. 
DS: I am always hoping for the best, yes.
77: So tell me what you think about Dr. Tang Shan, the genius.

DS: We are good pals! He is great, without him, I would have never seen the sun. He gave me a whole new world. I cannot thank him enough.
77: Do you have other close friends?
DS: Well, I live in Dragon Shadows, you know, a small village across the Pond, with 20 or so guys. I have a lot of friends there. Sky, he is terrific. You should meet him one day. He is the MAN, truly legendary.  Some colorful police officers also live there. Chen Jun, he is quite a cool guy. Oh, there is Cat, I kinda like him because he is kinda like me, being nocturnal and all. I think now I go out more during the days than he does. (Chuckles)

77: (Takes a deep breath at the prospect…) Are they all handsome like you?
DS: (Puzzled) Does it matter?
77:  (Coughs) No… not really (Pretends to drink water)
DS: They look a lot like me, if you wish to know.

(Loud, racing heart beats can be heard)
DS: Are you OK?
77: Nothing… Is any of them single?
DS: A couple have attachments, but most of them are single, why?
77: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh… I cannot breathe.

(Heart beats get louder, faster, then a loud thud is heard, the camcorder records a chair lying on the ground and 77’s feet)
DS: Are you all right?  (He helps 77 get up from the floor, and hands her another glass of wine!) Take this, it might help.
77: (Out of breath) Thanks.

77 (Recovered): Your friends sound great. Can you give me their numbers? We at GLG are always thrilled to have an opportunity to interview with guys like you and your friends.
DS: (Gracious) I will ask them. I don’t think there should be any problem. I am sure they would like to meet you too.
77: Thank U, Thank U, Thank U…
DS: (Smiles) All right. You are welcome.
77:  Thank U so much. This is so great.  I cannot wait to talk to everyone in your village.
DS: (Hesitates) Well, you might not want to talk to everyone…
77: What do you mean?

DS: There is this one guy…who might not be the best person to talk to.
77: (Excited) Tell me! What’s his name?
DS: I cannot. I shall not mention his name here. He is here in Paris as well at this moment, shopping for clothes of newest fashions. If I utter his name, he might show up right here.
77: But why?
DS: (Sadly) You know Chinese people have a saying, whenever you mention the name of a person whom you do not wish to have anything to do with, that person would always show up! It is true! Every time we mention this person’s name, he pops up from nowhere and ends up messing up everything.

77: You are a powerful vampire, you are immortal, what’s to be afraid of?
DS: I am not afraid of him, but…The problem is, he is immortal too.
77: Oh, really!!!!
DS: And a 2000-year-old one nonetheless. That means he is probably never going to go away from our lives and leave us alone.

77: What is he like?
DS: He is a pain in the neck… (Makes painful facial expressions)
(His facial expression freezes. 77’s camcorder follows his stares up to a handsome man dressed in a sharp black Armani Jacket, who is standing right by the table.)

Black Armani: (Hulk-faced) You!!!!  How dare you!!!! How dare you say you wish to have nothing to do with me??!!!
DS: Gosh, I did not even mention thy name!!!!
Black Armani: You didn’t! But I knew you were talking about me!
DS: …
Black Armani: I have to challenge you to a fight!
DS: What for?

Black Armani: For defamation!
DS: Is it really necessary?
Black Armani: Absolutely! You said I am a pain in the neck, I am going to show you what a pain in the neck is like…
(Black Armani poses in a fight ready position)
DS: Wait!!! Let’s not make a scene here. This is the finest Jazz club in the City of Light, we shall not destroy it. You said you like Jazz yourself!

Black Armani: You are right. (Glances at 77, softly) Besides a gentleman shall not fight in front of a lovely lady so to scare her! Let’s finish it somewhere else.
DS: Let’s go outside.
Black Armani: (Haughtily) Agreed!

DS: ( Gallantly) I am sorry, Mademoiselle 77. I must cut the interview short and take my leave. It’s nice meeting you. Now I have to finish my business with this gentleman here. Good-bye.

(Snowman walks toward the door, while Black Armani turns around to face a stunned 77 who is still holding the camcorder)
Black Armani: I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jin Ke.
77:  … Eh huh?
Jin Ke: Well, Mademoiselle 77. (Jin Ke picks up the red rose on the table, and presents it to 77) I just want to let you know, I am a lover, not a fighter! But one has to defend his honor. (He sweeps his right hand across his hair in a cool way, and grins)

77: (Blushes effusively)
Jin Ke: (Seductively, in deep voice) We will meet again! My fair lady! Good-bye.

(He walks out)
(A loud thud… 77 swoons again.)

3. (A year later) Some extra words by 77
So I started with an interview with Vampire Snowman, but ended up meeting the immortal Jin Ke. Things don’t always turn out the ways we have planned.

2 days after my interview with Dr. Snowman I ran into him again. I tried to say Hello, and was surprised that he did not say a word back to me. He did write me an e-mail afterwards, apologized, and told me that he had taken an oath of silence, that he would never talk to any reporters again, and that he would never talk more than 10 words to anyone. Talking too much, he said, could bring true sufferings. It made me wonder about the outcome of his duel with Jin Ke. 

Dr. Snowman did kindly arrange me interviews with his fellow residents at Dragon Shadows. I visited the beautiful village and talked to many of them. Sky, Chen Jun, Donny, Terry, Alan, Cat, Eddie, Tang Shan, Lone Seven, Nan Lan, Tsao Siu Yen etc… They were charming, dynamic, and a lot of fun to hang out with. They were indeed an league of extraordinary gentlemen. I was enamored of all of them.

The experience was enthralling. I heard many great stories and fun anecdotes, which made me jovial and happy.
No, I was not entirely jovial and happy. There was something missing in my heart.


Jin Ke was not there. Sky informed me that he was on a cruise to Caribbeans.
He said we would meet again, yet a year has gone by and I have not seen that beautiful face again.  Does he not know that I have longed for our next meeting? Does he not know that he had me at "we will meet again"? How can he be so cruel, breaking his promise?

Several months ago, I decided to commence writing about the life in the Village of Dragon Shadows.
But every time I write the name of Jin Ke, my heart beats faster.

There is one piece missing from my heart. He has taken it.
(The End)