Day 22156

I think a lot about vampires. Just about every time I walk into a store.

If you haven't guessed, I can be a pretty keen observer with a vivid imagination. This is where vampires at grocery stores comes in. As a kid, I was big into movie monsters. And when I say movie monsters, I mean the old black and white 1930s and 1940s monsters that were shown on television to fill the late-night hours, or a Saturday afternoon.

Being the kind of kid I was, I studied everything I could get my hands on about monsters and how they originated. I read the Dracula and Frankenstein novels. I say this to say that I was well-versed in the rules of monsterdom.

Such as that Dracula could not be seen in mirrors. Even as a small kid, this bothered me because I knew it was nearly impossible for a corporeal being to not be reflected in a mirror. Unless it's dark, which tells us what? Anyone? Anyone? Yes, that our vision is determined by light and its reflections.

Knowing this, I started wondering about the sensors on automatic doors. If a vampire could not see his reflection in a mirror, then the sensor at the supermarket would not "see" him either.

And if that's the case, Mr. Vampire would always leave a public restroom unflushed and unwashed.

So that's a funny bit that has been floating around in my head for about 20 years. I've yet to use it in a story or book, but I'll use it one day.