CARMILLA (1871) – By Sheridan Le Fanu. Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues. I would have thought that the classic vampire story Carmilla would be too well known for me to have to cover it. I’m surprised at how many people I encounter who are not familiar with the original story, however, just some of the adaptations. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The vampire Carmilla is really the presumably long-dead Countess Mircalla Karnstein. She fell in love with Laura, the heroine of the story, when Laura was six, so she spared her. As the story begins Laura has turned eighteen, so Carmilla considers her ripe for seduction. The vampire plans to spend eternity with our teenage heroine, in the now-routine element of vampire tales.
A nice novelty is that Carmilla turns into a cat instead of a bat, but otherwise the 200 year-old vampress’ pursuit of Laura followed the usual pattern: “Sickness” strikes dead several girls in the Austrian town near the castle where Laura lives with her father. Eventually she herself begins to show lesser versions of the mysterious illness’ symptoms. Continue reading
Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues … 
EIGHT AND O – The top 2 teams in the rankings are a perfect 8-0 now. The number 1 team in the nation – the GARDEN CITY COLLEGE BRONCBUSTERS – thrashed their hosts the 12th ranked DODGE CITY COLLEGE CONQUISTADORS 36-7 ### And the number 2 ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE MATADORS won a 21-9 road game against the unranked PIMA COLLEGE AZTECS. 
AFTER BOTH PARTIES DREDGE THE SWAMP, THE 2024 RACE LOOKS LIKE THIS: 
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. The wall was where Humpty Dumpty had decided to sit. Humpty Dumpty could be found on the wall, sitting. Sitting was the activity Humpty Dumpty was engaging in and the wall was the place he had chosen to sit. Everyone agreed that the wall was where Humpty Dumpty was sitting. 
Remember how earlier this year the Austrian elections had to be scheduled for a “redo” because of VOTE FRAUD? Hillary “Bugsy” Clinton is terrified that her party’s vote fraud will be called out as well. (Their fraud cons are why they always oppose Voter I.D.)
THE BARENHAUTER 
