Tourist Trade

Tourist Trade

With a flourish, Constantin pointed to the castle overlooking the countryside. "Here is the home and final resting place of Vlad the Third, Prince of Wallachia!" He paused, watching the tourist's faces cloud with confusion.

"... also known a 'Vlad the Impaler' or 'The Son of the Dragon' ...," After a breath-long pause he delivered the punch line in a low voice "... which translates from Draculea in Romanian!"

He was rewarded with gasps and oooohs from the group as the name registered. They crowded forward to snap pictures with their digital cameras.

Such sheep, he thought. So easy to lead! He chuckled at his little inside joke.

Leading the group up to the main doors, he detailed the gruesome history of Vlad. Entering, he continued, "You'll notice there are no mirrors inside. This is NOT," he emphasized, "because he was a vampire which we all know are fictitious. History recounts he was horribly scarred during an assassination attempt and he forbade them."

A nice piece of fiction, he thought. He enjoyed creating the mythology that had kept him safe for ... Has it been 600 years? How the time has flown! He grinned again.

He had learned the art of survival over the years. Tourists were a source of money and if one occasionally went missing ... He let the thought trail off as he eyed one of his more portly guests that appeared to be alone.

"She'll do nicely," he muttered and walked over to her to offer a personal tour after sunset. Sheep! he thought but only a smile showed on his face.

Later that night, cleaning up after dinner, he thought I must visit America! In his mind, it was a magical place – home of the tastiest tourists and, of course, the invention that had changed his life - SPF100 sunscreen.

Notes

Word Count: 300 .

An entry for July 23 "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+]
Prompt: Write a story that includes the words or phrases: sunscreen, camera, tourist.

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise are all equally welcome. Please, however, keep any groans to yourself .

Ken