It was almost midnight. We climbed over the low wall of the churchyard. The night was dark, but the moon sometimes shone through the clouds. We walked close together. Dr. Van Helsing led the way. We came to the tomb. I looked at Arthur. He was very brave, but he was also very sad. Dr. Van Helsing unlocked the door. He went inside first. We followed him and he closed the door. He turned on his lantern. He pointed to the coffin.
Dr. Van Helsing looked at me. "Was Lucy’s body in this coffin yesterday?" he asked.
"Yes, it was," I answered.
The Professor looked at the other men. He took his screwdriver. He removed the lid of the coffin. Arthur was very pale. He was silent. We looked inside and we all jumped back.
The coffin was empty!
Nobody spoke for a long time. Then Quincey Morris spoke. "Professor, I trust you," Quincey Morris said. "But this is a great mystery. Did you move the body?"
"I did not touch her," Dr. Van Helsing said. "Two nights ago, Dr. Seward and I came here. The coffin was empty then. We waited and saw a white figure. The next day, we came back. Lucy was inside the coffin. Last night, I put garlic around the door. The garlic kept her inside. Today, I took the garlic away. Now the coffin is empty again. Please, wait with me outside. You will see something even stranger."
We went outside. Dr. Van Helsing locked the door. The air felt fresh and clean. It was better than the air inside the tomb. We saw the moonlight and the clouds. Arthur was silent. He tried to understand the mystery. Quincey Morris was brave. He waited quietly.
Dr. Van Helsing took something from his bag. It was a white cloth with thin, dry bread inside. Then he took out some white putty. He crushed the bread and mixed it into the putty. He made long, thin strips of this mixture. He put the strips in the cracks of the door. I asked him what he was doing.
"I am closing the tomb," Dr. Van Helsing said. "Now the Un-Dead (a dead person who acts like they are alive) cannot enter."
"Will that stuff stop her?" Quincey Morris asked.
"Yes," Dr. Van Helsing said.
Arthur asked what the bread was. Dr. Van Helsing took off his hat. "It is The Host (special holy bread used in a church ceremony)," he said. "It is very sacred."
We all felt very serious. We hid around the tomb. We waited in silence. The trees moved in the wind. Far away, we heard dogs barking. It was a scary night.
Suddenly, Dr. Van Helsing made a quiet sound. He pointed down the path. We saw a white figure. It was a woman with dark hair. She wore grave clothes (special white clothes for a dead person). She carried a small child. We could not see her face yet. The child made a small cry. We wanted to run forward. But Dr. Van Helsing held up his hand. He told us to wait.
The white figure moved closer. The moon shone on her face. My heart felt like ice. Arthur gasped. It was Lucy! But she was different. Her face was not kind anymore. She looked mean and cruel. Dr. Van Helsing stepped out. The four of us stood in front of the tomb door. Dr. Van Helsing turned on his lantern. The light hit Lucy’s face. Her lips were red with blood. The blood was on her chin and her white clothes.
We were horrified. Arthur almost fell down. I held his arm. Lucy saw us. She made a sound like an angry cat. Her eyes were full of a scary, red fire. I did not love her anymore. I hated this monster. Lucy smiled a cruel smile. She dropped the child on the ground. She did not care about the child. The child cried and moaned. Arthur groaned with pain.
Lucy walked toward Arthur. She opened her arms. She smiled at him. "Come to me, Arthur," she said. Her voice was sweet but evil. "Leave the others. Come to me. I am your wife. We can rest together."
Arthur seemed to be in a dream. He opened his arms to her. Lucy started to jump toward him. But Dr. Van Helsing ran forward. He held up a golden crucifix (a cross with a figure of Jesus on it). Lucy jumped back. Her face changed. She looked very angry. she ran toward the tomb door.
But she could not enter. The sacred putty on the door stopped her. She turned around. Her face was full of hate. Her eyes shone with hell-fire. Her mouth was open and red with blood. She looked like a devil.
Dr. Van Helsing looked at Arthur. "My friend," he said. "Should I continue my work?"
Arthur knelt on the ground. He hid his face in his hands. "Do what you must," Arthur said. "This is the most terrible thing in the world."
Dr. Van Helsing moved to the door. He removed a small piece of the sacred putty. Suddenly, the woman moved. She was like a ghost. She slipped through the tiny crack in the door. She went inside the tomb. We were all very relieved. Dr. Van Helsing put the putty back on the door.
He picked up the child. "Come, my friends," the Professor said. "We are finished for tonight. We will return tomorrow afternoon. After the funerals, the churchyard will be empty. Then we have more work to do. This child will be okay tomorrow. We will leave him for the police to find."
Dr. Van Helsing talked to Arthur. "You are suffering now," he said. "But tomorrow you will have peace. I will not ask you to forgive me yet."
Arthur and Quincey Morris came to my house. We were all very tired. We slept for a few hours.
29 September, night.—Before midnight, we went to meet the Professor. We all wore black clothes. We reached the churchyard at half-past one. The churchyard was empty and quiet. Dr. Van Helsing carried a long leather bag. It was very heavy.
We went to the tomb. Dr. Van Helsing unlocked the door and we went inside. He lit a lantern and two candles. He put the candles on other coffins. He opened the lid of Lucy’s coffin. Lucy lay there. She looked beautiful, but she also looked like a monster. She had long, sharp teeth and a red mouth. She was a devil’s version of Lucy.
Dr. Van Helsing took tools out of his bag. He took out a lamp and some metal tools. Then he took out a round stake (a long, sharp piece of wood). It was three feet long. One end was very sharp. He also took out a heavy hammer. Arthur and Quincey Morris were very afraid.
Dr. Van Helsing spoke to us. "I must tell you something," he said. "Vampires cannot die. They live for a long time. They bite people and make more vampires. Lucy has just started. She bites children now. But if she dies a true death, her soul will be free. She will become an angel again. It is a kind act to kill her body."
The Professor looked at us. "The man who loved her best should do this," he said. "He should send her soul to the stars. Who will do it?"
We all looked at Arthur. Arthur stepped forward. He was very pale and his hand shook. "I will do it," Arthur said. "Tell me what to do."
Dr. Van Helsing put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. "Brave boy," he said. "Take the stake in your left hand. Put the point over her heart. Take the hammer in your right hand. When we start the prayer, hit the stake hard."
Arthur took the tools. His hands stopped shaking. Dr. Van Helsing began to read from a prayer book (a book with religious prayers). Arthur put the stake on Lucy’s white skin. Then he hit it with all his strength.
The thing in the coffin moved wildly. She made a loud, terrible scream. Her body twisted and shook. Her sharp teeth hit together. Blood came out of her mouth. But Arthur did not stop. He hit the stake again and again. He drove the wood deep into her heart. Much blood came out. Arthur looked very strong and brave.
Then the body stopped moving. The task was finished.
Arthur dropped the hammer. He almost fell. We caught him. He was covered in sweat. He gasped for air. We looked into the coffin. We were all very surprised.
The monster was gone. Lucy lay in the coffin now. She looked like she did when she was alive. Her face was sweet and pure again. The look of hate was gone. She was finally at peace.
Dr. Van Helsing put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. "Arthur, do you forgive me now?" he asked.
Arthur took the Professor’s hand. He kissed it. "God bless you," Arthur said. "You gave her back her soul. You gave me peace." Arthur cried on the Professor’s shoulder.
"Now you may kiss her," Dr. Van Helsing said. "She is not a devil anymore. Her soul is with God."
Arthur kissed Lucy’s lips. Then Arthur and Quincey Morris left the tomb. Dr. Van Helsing and I stayed. We finished the work. We cut off Lucy’s head. We put garlic in her mouth. We closed the lead coffin and the wood lid. We locked the tomb. Dr. Van Helsing gave the key to Arthur.
Outside, the sun was shining. The birds were singing. We felt at peace.
Dr. Van Helsing spoke to us. "One part of our work is finished," he said. "But now we have a bigger task. We must find the person who did this to Lucy. We must destroy him. It will be a dangerous and difficult job. Will you help me?"
We all took his hand. We promised to help.
"In two nights, we will meet at Dr. Seward’s house," the Professor said. "I will bring two other people you do not know. I will tell you my plan. We must not stop until we win."