Mid-August, and the city was still pretending summer would last forever. I started the day indoors, which is unusual for me, and finished it in direct sunlight in front of a cathedral. Nothing happened to me.😈 That is more or less the entire story, and I refuse to apologise for how little drama it contains.

The tavern

Perekrestok mirov (Intersection of worlds) is a bar on Kirochnaya street, and it is the kind of place where nobody asks why the girl at the counter has fangs. Shields on the walls, bottles on the shelves, and light from a few lamps that were chosen for atmosphere rather than usefulness. A place where magical beings can drink in peace, which is rarer than you would think.🖤

I took a seat at the bar and ordered something red. The bartender did not blink. The people behind me did not stare. For about an hour I was simply a customer, and I was magnificent about it.😌

I was waiting for someone, by the way. You, presumably. You were late, and I stayed anyway, which you should take as a compliment, because I do not make a habit of it.😏

A short look around the bar, in case you wondered where I spend my afternoons.

Out into the light

Then I went outside, onto Kirochnaya street, where the daylight hit immediately and the illusion of being a normal regular at a normal bar ended. Cars, strollers, a person walking a dog that was visibly confused by me.🐾 Nobody screamed. A few people slowed down, which is the closest thing to a compliment this city offers.

Tauride garden

Tauride garden in August is thick with leaves and other people’s afternoons. I found a bench, then another bench, then a railing over the canal where the water was so still it looked painted on. Ducks. Someone filming the ducks. Someone filming the person filming the ducks, possibly me.🤭

The sun was on my face for most of this and I did not turn to ash, which I consider a solid result for a vampire in a frilly dress.☀️ Somewhere a saint sighed and went back to work.

The slow waltz version of the same afternoon.

Smolny garden

From Tauride I carried on towards the garden at Smolny, where the fountain throws water straight up and the paths empty out as the evening gets closer. I stood by the fountain for a while and let the spray land on my sleeves. Cold water, warm afternoon. A very good combination.💧

Somewhere around here, just before the cathedral, I saw a group of guys with cool motorcycles doing something. Apparently they were doing a photoshoot for some biker cloghing? They asked me to pose with them for a bit. I did. I looked wonderful, obviously. I never saw the photographs, and I have made my peace with that.✌️

Smolny Cathedral

Then the cathedral, blue and white and enormous, with gold domes and a bell that looks heavier than the buildings around it. Crosses on every dome. I stood in front of the whole thing and let it do its worst. Nothing. Not a twitch. Not a burn. Extremely disappointing for everyone who expected a show.😤

I have outlived cathedrals older than this one and I will outlive this one too. The gold domes are tacky anyway.

The light went gold, the sky stayed bright, and the street finally quieted down. Summer in this city is short and slightly unreal, and I intend to spend the last of it outdoors, being a bad vampire and a very good doll.🖤

Episode 26: Vampire daywalk

Youtube:

Self-hosted: