1 October, 5 a. m.—I went with the group to the house. I felt good. Mina Harker looked very strong and healthy. I am happy because she stayed home. This business is very dangerous. Mina Harker did a great job. She used her brain and her energy to help us. She put the whole story together. Now her work is finished. The men will do the rest of the work.
We all felt strange after we saw Mr. Renfield. We went back to the office and stayed silent. Then Mr. Quincey Morris spoke to Dr. John Seward. He said, "Jack, that man is very sane (able to think in a normal and sensible way). He had a serious purpose. We did not give him a chance to speak." Lord Godalming and I were silent.
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing spoke too. He said he almost let Mr. Renfield go. But he said we cannot take any chances. Dr. John Seward agreed. He did not trust Mr. Renfield. Mr. Renfield was connected to Count Dracula. Mr. Renfield prayed for a cat. Then he tried to bite Dr. John Seward’s neck. Mr. Renfield called Count Dracula his "lord and master." He wanted to help the Count. The Count has animals and people to help him. We did our best. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing put his hand on Dr. John Seward’s shoulder. He said, "We are doing our duty."
Lord Godalming returned to the room. He had a small silver whistle (a small metal tube that makes a loud, high sound). He said the old house has many rats. The whistle could help. We walked to the house. We stayed in the shadows of the trees. There was a lot of moonlight.
We arrived at the porch. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing opened his bag. He gave us different things to protect us. Count Dracula is very strong. He has the strength of twenty men. We must not let him touch us. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing gave me a crucifix (a cross with a figure of Jesus on it). He told me to keep it near my heart.
He gave me a wreath of garlic (a plant with a strong smell that keeps vampires away). I put the flowers around my neck. I also took a revolver (a small gun) and a knife. He gave us small electric lamps. Then he gave us a Sacred Wafer (special holy bread from the church). We each had these things.
Dr. John Seward took some skeleton keys (special keys that can open many different locks). He was very good with his hands. He opened the big door. It made a loud noise. We felt afraid. We remembered the tomb of Lucy Westenra. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing went in first. He said a prayer. We closed the door behind us. We did not want people on the road to see our lights.
The house was full of dust. The dust was very thick on the floor. I saw marks of boots in the dust. There were many spider webs in the corners. I led the group to the chapel (a small church inside a large house). We found the key and opened the door.
A terrible smell came out. It was a smell of death and old blood. It was the most horrible smell in the world. We did not stop. We had a very important job. We counted the boxes of earth. There were only twenty-nine boxes. Before, there were fifty. Twenty-one boxes were gone.
I looked into the dark passage. For a moment, I saw a face. I saw red eyes and a white face. It was Count Dracula. But then the face disappeared. Lord Godalming said it was only a shadow. Suddenly, Mr. Quincey Morris stepped back. He saw many small, bright lights. They were the eyes of thousands of rats. The rats were everywhere.
Lord Godalming opened a big door. He blew his silver whistle. Three small dogs ran to the house. They were terriers (small, brave dogs that hunt rats). At first, the dogs were afraid. But Lord Godalming picked up one dog. He put it on the floor inside.
The dog began to hunt the rats. The other dogs helped him. The rats ran away quickly. The dogs killed some rats. Then the room was empty. We felt much better now. The evil feeling went away. The air felt clean. We searched the rest of the house. We only found dust. The dogs were happy.
The sun began to rise. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing locked the door. He was happy. He said we were successful. We knew how many boxes were missing. He was glad Mina Harker was not there. He said the animals follow the Count. But the animals are also afraid of our dogs. He said this was like a game of chess. We were playing for human souls.
The house was silent when we got back. I went tiptoe into our room. Mina Harker was asleep. She breathed softly. But she looked very pale. I was happy she did not see the terrible things. I decided to keep our work a secret from her. I did not want to frighten her. I slept on the sofa. I did not want to wake her.
1 October, later.—I woke up late. I had to call Mina Harker three times before she woke up. She looked at me with terror. She was very tired. We now know that twenty-one boxes are gone. I will look for the man who moved them. His name is Thomas Snelling.
Dr. Seward’s Diary
1 October.—At noon, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing came to my room. He was very happy. He wanted to visit Mr. Renfield. I was busy, so he went alone. I told him to be careful. Mr. Renfield is a strange lunatic.
Later, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing came back. He looked disappointed. Mr. Renfield did not want to talk. Mr. Renfield called him an "old fool." He said bad things about Dutch people. Mr. Renfield sat in the corner and said nothing. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing went to talk to Mina Harker.
Mina Harker’s Journal
1 October.—Jonathan Harker is keeping secrets from me. He did not tell me about his visit to the house. I am very sad. I cried this morning. I know Jonathan loves me. He wants to protect me. But I feel lonely.
I remember last night. I heard the dogs. I heard Mr. Renfield praying and shouting. Then it was silent. I looked out the window. I saw a thin white mist. The mist moved across the grass. It moved toward the house.
I went back to bed. I felt very heavy and tired. I could not move my arms or legs. I saw the mist come into the room. It came through the door. It looked like a thick cloud. I saw two red eyes in the mist. They looked like the eyes of Count Dracula. I saw a white face near me. Then everything became black.
The next day, I felt very weak. I asked Dr. John Seward for a draught (a liquid medicine to help someone sleep). He gave it to me. I felt afraid. I did not want to lose the power to wake up. But then I fell asleep.