For Want of a Drink pt4

I adjust the new poster on the wall
"Drink Responsibly" it advised
A picture of a cheerful vampire
Holding a glass of maroon liquid

It's gotten to be almost as bad as the living
Vampires out of control drinking the undead
Undead Anonymous groups being organized
To help those of us who just can't get it under control

Makes me wish I hadn't done what I had done sometimes

Don't get me wrong
I wasn't the first of us to try drinking from the undead
But I was the first one to commercialize it
And for awhile it was pretty good

I set up a bar in San Francisco
It was kitschy and clean
With a distinct steampunk vibe
I was very proud of it

An antique bar with a long brass rail
Booze for the human patrons
And walkers for the vampires

Here's what you'd see if you walked in:
The huge bar
A large mirror in the center section behind it
On the left side were shelves of high end spirits
On the right were three brass racks
With restraints for human shapes
Formerly human shapes specifically
Some coppery looking tubes running up to them
Attached at the lower end to some taps

The staff would venture out to the uncontrolled areas
Early in the morning
When the walkers weren't at their fastest for some reason
And we'd capture about a dozen
Throw them in the van and make our way back to the bar

About noon
We'd take three of them
Clean them up with the hose and scrub brushes
Dress them in a black one piece
And put them into the restraints over the bar
And plumb them into the drink delivery system

When one would run dry during the evening
It had turned into quite the show
As we changed out for a fresh walker
With all the patrons chanting encouragement

At first though
Business had been slow
As vampires were a little tentative about trying it out
But as word spread
More and more came
Then other bars sprang up
Revitalizing the area

At least for a time
With humans and vampires laughing and drinking together

But things got out of hand
The government stepped in
Like they always do
Passing laws
Keeping fun in check

Now it's all regulated just like alcohol
It's not much fun anymore
But it's a living
I reflect as I polish the bar with a towel

All for want of a drink