Dracula's Castle for sale: Your next family home?
Moving can be pretty scary for kids, but now that the owners of Dracula鈥檚 Castle in Transylvania have empowered their minions to seek offers on the property, parents all over the world over can say, 鈥淚t could be worse. We could be moving to聽.鈥�
Actually, my sons would have their possessions packed and at the door in a flash if we told them we were moving into Dracula鈥檚 old digs, or even his current residence, depending on your belief in the myth.
My youngest son聽Quin, 10, discovered some old Dracula films via YouTube, and then tried to convince me to let him watch Bram Stoker鈥檚 鈥淒racula鈥� when it ran on TV last week.
I declined, even when he tried to wheedle me with, 鈥淏ut Mina [Dracula鈥檚 crush] looks just like Pastor Sarah from church. How bad can it be?鈥澛�
In the case of the totally adult Stoker treatment, it could be very bad indeed. No sale.
So, now Quin鈥檚 on a Dracula spree.
This morning, when he performed his routine of racing me to the computer for first dibs at the news headlines, he opened a story for me to see. I groaned to see it was the news on 鈥渃astle for sale.鈥澛�
鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� I told Quin as he breathed down my neck like a hopeful little vampire while I read the news.
鈥淲e can get a loan,鈥� he countered.
I even tried to play the 鈥淵ou鈥檙e afraid of the dark鈥� card.
鈥淵ou always say we should face our fears,鈥� Quin responded.
His final salvo was, 鈥淏esides, everyone we know is always moving and we always aren鈥檛!鈥�
Because we live in Norfolk, Va., which has a large military population, families in our neighborhood are constantly moving away when duty calls.
Consequently, we are always saying good-bye to friends and then meeting the next wave of move-shocked kids and parents.
Quin was venting his frustration over the fact that my friend Amanda learned last Friday 鈥� with zero warning 鈥� that her husband is being transferred to Ramstein, Germany in the very near future for a three-year tour with the Navy.
Her kids and mine have grown up together and Quin likes her daughter Abby very much as a friend. While Amanda and the kids put a brave face on it, I realized that means a new home, school, and perhaps new monsters under the bed to dispel. There are lots of fears to face with a moving to a foreign country.
That鈥檚 why this story is for her and all the movers and shakers 鈥� kids quaking over invisible beasties in new houses.
J.K. Rowling鈥檚 character Harry Potter taught us that fears are always easier to face with a laugh. Any scary Boggart will shrink from being made a figure of fun and called 鈥楻iddikulus!鈥� 聽
For Amanda and all the military families, let鈥檚 laugh at the thought that no military housing could be as bad as Bran Castle.
In Dracula鈥檚 castle:
The dust bunnies have teeth.
Just oiling all the door hinges would take a month.
You have to bathe in a bat tub.
On the baseball team at school, everyone鈥檚 the batboy.
It could turn out to be a time-share with a vampire.
They only serve scream-of-tomato soup for dinner.
Your son could fall in love with the ghoul next door.
The heating bills take a serious bite out of the budget.
On the plus side, no traveling salesperson, or thief would darken your already dark and creepy door.
Also, I hear the villagers no longer carry a torch for the previous owner, so imagine how warmly they will greet you.
When you move again all the locals will say, 鈥淔angs for the memories.鈥�
See? You can find the good in any move.
