Restoration needed to be done. They hopped into the 1959 Cadillac Hearse, driving back to the Catholic Church.

Back at the rectory, each one of them dumped the vampire’s ashes into the Holy Water. It bubbled and sizzled, turning crimson.

“Undead Fiends recommends we let the soup simmer for twenty-four hours before serving it to those who’ve been petrified,” dictated Mort. “Violation of these instructions may cause the restoration to happen too fast, resulting in needless pain. We should get some sleep before tomorrow afternoon.”

            It wasn’t hard to drift off to sleep in the church pews. Morning came and went the next day. In the late afternoon, they woke.

For a second, they were washed with fear, then remembered their heroic deeds, and felt relief for the first time that week.

 “It looks light Vampire’s Delight is finished,” announced Mort enthusiastically.

“I’m not sure you gave the anti-petrifaction potion the right name. It should be called Vampire’s Blight,” retorted Charlie with a grin.

“I don’t care what you call it as long as the potion restores my mother,” whispered Mathew with apprehension.

Mort ladled Vampire’s Blight into a cup and the boys followed him to the baptismal. Mrs. Bailey stood where they left her. “I’ll serve her,” offered Mathew. “After all, she’s my mother.” He gently poured it to her lips. Slowly, they saw her cheeks redden. In five minutes she woke from her petrified slumber, her regular self once again.

“I saw the strangest thing walking up the street. It had frightening features. Wait; where am I?” Mrs. Bailey recognized her son and the antique dealer. “Am I going to be baptized?” she asked. “There…there…I think Mathew should explain what happened.” Her son recounted the story and for the first time in over a year she was proud of him.

“Many others still need to be treated. Charlie and I will restore the Boy Scouts, Mr. and Mrs. Mulberry, and Father Mendel. Mrs. Bailey, you can take Mathew and revive the lighthouse keeper and his wife. I haven’t heard from Hank. He’s probably down by the creek with Frank. They’ll need the Vampire’s Blight.”

At the end of the day the entire town was restored. Within a week, everything returned to normal. Mort went back to his curiosity shop, pondering whether to fix his display window. In the last week, he made more sales than in the past ten years. The folks in Washaway Bay and strangers from neighboring towns enjoyed his story about the night of the vampire, offering lots of money for his mirrors smashed by Drake.