Blood Donor

“Some say,” he went on, after a moment, “that when homo sapiens and the ape branched from a common ancestor, there was a third strain which was so despised by both that it was driven unto obscurity. (116)

            This excerpt comes from short story Share Alike by Jerome Bixby and Joe Dean. Having survived a horrible sea accident two men become stranded at sea. After a couple of nights pass Craig, a Merchant Marine, begins to suspect that there is something unusual about his fellow shipmate. Craig has yet to see the other man eat and that combined with the fact that he is feeling weaker by the day drives him to the conclusion that Eric Hofmanstahal is a vampire. Eric confirms Craig’s suspicions and this causes him to pass out. When Craig awakens he begins to come to terms with his current situation and the two men form a mutually beneficially relationship. Now more comfortable with one another they begin to chat and Craig asks Eric how he became a vampire.

 One of Eric’s explanations of the origin of vampires is very interesting and would not normally be considered when discussing mythical creatures such as vampires. Usually we relate the conception of vampires to some sort of black magic or religious being, such as the devil, who has malicious intentions towards the human population. However in Eric’s explanation this is not the case. These particular creatures of the night simply evolved like every other organism on this planet not to hurt us, but because they are good at surviving. This puts a thought-provoking spin on the story because we no longer view Eric as an evil creature, but just as another being trying to endure. Also we must consider that this story was published in 1953, a time when evolution was quite controversial. Even today this topic is still debated in educational establishments throughout the country.    

Q: Did the authors of Share Alike intentionally compare evolution to the other make believe origins of vampires?

--Jonathan Virdell