I was very angry. It was like Dr. Van Helsing hit Lucy in the face. I hit the table hard with my hand. I stood up and looked at him.
"Dr. Van Helsing, are you crazy?" I asked.
He looked at me with a sad face. He was very calm. This helped me feel better. He said that the truth was worse than being crazy. He did not want to hurt me. He reminded me that I once saved his life. He was my friend.
"I wanted to be gentle," he said. "I know you loved Lucy. You do not believe me now. It is hard to believe such a sad thing about her. Tonight, I will show you the truth. Will you come with me?"
I did not know what to say. I did not want to see the proof. But I had to know. Dr. Van Helsing saw my doubt. He said that if he was wrong, I would feel better. If he was right, we had to know.
"First, we will go to the hospital," he said. "A child is there. My friend Dr. Vincent is the doctor. We will look at the child. Then we will go to the tomb (a stone room where dead people are kept) where Lucy lies."
My heart felt heavy. I knew this would be a difficult night. We left the room quickly. It was late afternoon.
We found the child at the hospital. The child was awake and felt better. Dr. Vincent showed us the child’s throat. There were two small punctures (small holes made by something sharp). They looked exactly like the holes on Lucy’s throat.
Dr. Vincent did not know what caused them. He thought maybe a rat or a bat bit the child. He said many bats live in London. He said a dangerous bat might have escaped from the zoo.
"The children are not afraid," Dr. Vincent said. "They play a game about a 'beautiful lady.' This child wanted to play with the 'beautiful lady' today."
Dr. Van Helsing was worried. He told Dr. Vincent to watch the child carefully. He said the child must stay inside at night. Dr. Vincent promised to keep the child for a week.
We left the hospital after the sun went down. It was dark outside. Dr. Van Helsing said we had time. We went to eat dinner at a place called "Jack Straw’s Castle." There were many people there. At ten o'clock, we started walking.
The night was very dark. We walked to the churchyard. We climbed over the wall. We found the Westenra tomb. Dr. Van Helsing used a key to open the door. We went inside.
The tomb was a sad place. There were old, dead flowers everywhere. There were spiders and dust. Everything was dirty and brown. It felt very lonely.
Dr. Van Helsing began to work. He looked at the names on the coffins. He found Lucy’s coffin. Then he took a tool from his bag.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I am going to open the coffin," he said. "You must see the truth."
He removed the screws. He lifted the lid. Under the wood, there was a layer of lead. I tried to stop him. I felt like we were hurting the dead. But he did not stop. He used a small saw to cut the lead. He bent the metal back. He held a candle over the hole.
I looked inside. The coffin was empty.
I was shocked. But Dr. Van Helsing was not surprised. He asked me if I was satisfied now.
"The coffin is empty," I said. "But maybe someone stole the body."
The Professor sighed. He said we needed more proof. We put the lid back on the coffin. We left the tomb and locked the door. He told me to watch one side of the churchyard. He went to the other side.
I waited behind a tree. It was very cold. I heard a clock strike twelve, then one, then two. I was tired and sleepy. Suddenly, I saw something white. It moved between the trees. Then I saw a dark shape. It was the Professor. He ran toward the white thing.
I followed them. I tripped over graves in the dark. I saw a white figure near the tomb. Then it disappeared. I heard a noise and found the Professor. He was holding a small child in his arms.
"Are you satisfied now?" he asked.
"No," I said. "A child is here. But who brought it? Is the child hurt?"
We left the churchyard. We went into some trees and looked at the child. The child’s throat was perfect. There were no marks.
"We were just in time," the Professor said.
We did not want to go to the police. They would ask too many questions. We walked to the park. We heard a policeman walking. We put the child on the path. We watched from the dark. The policeman found the child. Then we went home in a cab (a car pulled by horses that you pay to use).
27 September.—I could not sleep. Dr. Van Helsing came to see me at noon. He wanted to go back to the tomb. We waited until the churchyard was empty. At two o’clock, we went back.
I felt bad about our work. It felt wrong to open a grave again. But I followed the Professor. He opened the tomb and we went inside. The sun was shining into the room. We looked at Lucy’s coffin again.
I was very surprised. Lucy was there! She looked beautiful. Her lips were very red. Her cheeks were pink. She did not look dead.
"Is this a trick?" I asked.
The Professor pulled back her lips. He showed me her teeth. They were very long and sharp.
"See," he said. "She uses these teeth to bite children. Do you believe me now, John?"
I still did not want to believe it. I said that maybe someone put her back in the coffin last night.
"She has been dead for a week," the Professor said. "Dead people do not look like this."
He looked at Lucy’s face. He said she was a vampire (a monster that drinks the blood of living people). He called her the Un-Dead (a dead person who moves and acts like they are alive). He said she was bitten by a vampire while she was sleep-walking.
"I must kill her while she sleeps," he said.
I felt cold. But if she was a monster, we had to stop her.
"How will you do it?" I asked.
"I will cut off her head," he said. "I will fill her mouth with garlic. Then I will drive a stake (a long, sharp piece of wood) through her body."
I hated the idea of hurting Lucy’s body. But I also felt afraid of her. Dr. Van Helsing thought for a moment. He decided to wait. He wanted Arthur to see her first.
"Arthur loved her," the Professor said. "If we kill her now, he will think we murdered her. He must see the truth. Then he will understand."
We locked the tomb and left. We drove back to the city.
Note from Van Helsing to Dr. Seward.
"27 September.
Friend John,
I am writing this in case I die. I am going to the churchyard alone tonight. I want to keep Lucy inside the tomb. I will use garlic (a strong-smelling plant) and a crucifix (a cross with a figure of Jesus on it). These things will stop her.
I am not afraid of Lucy. But I am afraid of the other one. The Great Vampire is strong and smart. He can call wolves to help him. If he comes tonight, I will fight him.
If I do not return, take these papers. Read the diaries. Find the Great Vampire. Cut off his head and burn his heart. Then the world will be safe.
Goodbye,
VAN HELSING."
DR. SEWARD’S DIARY.
28 September.—I slept well. This morning, I do not believe the Professor's stories. They sound impossible. Maybe Dr. Van Helsing is going crazy. I will watch him carefully.
29 September, morning.—Last night, Arthur and Quincey Morris came to see the Professor. Dr. Van Helsing talked to Arthur.
"I want you to come with me tonight," the Professor said. "There is a duty we must do. You were surprised by my letter?"
"Yes," Arthur said. "I am very confused."
"Me too," Quincey said.
The Professor was very serious. He asked for their permission to act. He said they might be angry later, but they must trust him.
"I trust you," Quincey said. "I know you are an honest man."
Arthur was more careful. He said he would help if the work was honorable. The Professor promised it was.
"We must go to the churchyard," the Professor said. "We must go to Lucy’s tomb."
Arthur was shocked. "Where Lucy is buried?" he asked.
"Yes," the Professor said. "We must open the coffin."
Arthur was very angry. "No!" he cried. "That is a terrible thing to do to her grave."
"My friend," the Professor said. "If we do not do this, her soul is in danger."
Arthur stood up. He was very white.
"Miss Lucy is dead," the Professor said. "But she might be Un-Dead."
Arthur did not understand. "Was she buried alive?" he asked.
"No," the Professor said. "But I must ask you a hard question. May I cut off her head?"
"No!" Arthur shouted. "Why do you want to hurt her? Are you mad?"
Dr. Van Helsing stood up. He was very stern. "I have a duty to the living and the dead," he said. "Please, just come and look. If you do not agree after you see her, I will stop. I am doing this to save you from sorrow."
The Professor told Arthur that he also gave his blood to Lucy. He loved her too. He worked many days and nights to save her.
Arthur felt sad. He took the old man's hand.
"It is hard to hear this," Arthur said. "I do not understand. But I will go with you."