24 July. Whitby.
Lucy Westenra met me at the station. She looked very beautiful. We drove to a house in a place called the Crescent. This is a lovely town. A small river runs through a deep valley. The valley is very green.
I can see the old town from our house. The houses have red roofs. They look like they are piled on top of each other. High above the town, there is a ruin of Whitby Abbey (a very old church building that is partly broken). Long ago, people from another country attacked it.
Between the Abbey and the town, there is a church. There is a big graveyard (a place where dead people are buried) around the church. I think this is the best place in Whitby. You can see the harbour (a safe place for ships) and the sea from here.
There are many seats in the graveyard. People sit there all day and look at the view. I am sitting here now and writing in my journal. Three old men are sitting near me. They sit here and talk every day.
The harbour is below me. I can see a lighthouse (a tower with a strong light to help ships at sea). When the water is high, the harbour looks full. When the water goes out, I can see sand and rocks.
There is a loud bell on a buoy (a floating object in the sea) near the rocks. When the weather is bad, the bell rings. People here say that you can hear bells when a ship is lost. I want to ask one of the old men about this story.
The man is very old. His face has many lines. He says he is almost a hundred years old. He was a sailor a long time ago. He does not believe the stories about ghosts or bells.
The old man said, "Do not worry about those stories, miss. They are not true. People tell those stories to tourists. I do not like the stories in the newspapers either. They are full of lies."
I asked the old man about his life as a sailor. He started to speak, but then the clock struck six. He stood up slowly. He said he must go home for tea. His granddaughter does not like to wait.
The old man walked away down the steps. There are hundreds of steps from the church to the town. They are very old and beautiful. I will go home now too. Lucy Westenra and her mother are at home.
1 August.
I came to the graveyard with Lucy Westenra today. We talked to the old man again. His name is Mr. Swales. Two other old men sat with him. Mr. Swales likes to tell everyone what to think.
Lucy Westenra looked very pretty in her white dress. The old men liked her very much. They were very kind to her. Mr. Swales talked about the legends of Whitby again. He thinks they are all "fool-talk."
Mr. Swales said, "These stories about ghosts are only to scare children. They are lies. People even write lies on the tombstones (stones that show the names of dead people). Look at all these stones around us."
Mr. Swales pointed to the stones. He said, "The stones say 'Here lies the body.' But many of these people are not here. Their bodies are in the sea. They drowned a long time ago. The stones are empty."
I said, "Mr. Swales, you cannot be serious. Are the stones really wrong?"
Mr. Swales laughed. He told me to read one stone. It said a man named Edward Spencelagh was killed by pirates in 1854. Mr. Swales said the man’s body is not under the stone. He said the man’s bones are at the bottom of the sea.
Mr. Swales pointed to another stone near our seat. Lucy Westenra read it. The stone was for a man named George Canon. It said he was a good son. It said his mother was very sad when he died.
Mr. Swales laughed again. He said, "That is a big lie! George Canon killed himself. He hated his mother and she hated him. He died because he did not want her to get his money. The stone says he was a good man, but it is not true."
Lucy Westenra was very sad. She said, "Why did you tell us that? This is my favorite seat. Now I know I am sitting over a man who killed himself."
Mr. Swales said, "It will not hurt you, pretty girl. I sit here every day." Then the clock struck and Mr. Swales walked away. Lucy Westenra told me more about her plans to marry Arthur Holmwood. I felt a little sad because I have no news from Jonathan Harker.
The same day. Evening.
I am alone and I am very sad. There was no letter from Jonathan Harker today. I hope he is okay. It is nine o’clock. I can see the lights of the town.
I can hear sheep in the fields. I can hear music from the town. Everything is beautiful, but I am worried. I wonder where Jonathan Harker is now. I wish he was here with me.
Dr. Seward’s Diary.
5 June.
Renfield is a very interesting patient. He is very selfish and he has secrets. He also loves animals, but in a strange way. Now, he is catching flies. He has many flies in his room.
I told Renfield that he must get rid of the flies. He was not angry. He asked for three days to finish his work. I must watch him.
18 June.
Renfield is now catching spiders. He has several big spiders in a box. He feeds the flies to the spiders. There are fewer flies in his room now.
1 July.
Renfield has too many spiders now. I told him he must get rid of them. He looked sad, but he agreed.
While I was with him, a large fly flew into the room. Renfield caught the fly with his hand. He looked at it and then he put it in his mouth. He ate it!
I was very angry, but Renfield was calm. He said the fly was good food. He said the fly gave him life. Renfield writes many numbers in a small book. I think he is counting something.
8 July.
Renfield has a new pet. He caught a sparrow (a small, common bird). He is taming the bird. There are fewer spiders now because he feeds them to the bird.
19 July.
Renfield now has many sparrows. He has no more flies or spiders. He ran to me today. He acted like a dog. He asked me for a kitten.
Renfield said, "I want a little kitten. I want to play with it and feed it."
I did not want him to have a kitten. He will feed the sparrows to the kitten. I told him it was not possible. Renfield looked very angry. I think he is a dangerous man.
10 p.m.
I visited Renfield again. He was on his knees. He asked me again for a cat. I said no. Renfield sat in a corner and did not speak.
20 July.
I visited Renfield very early. He was catching flies again. I did not see his birds. I asked him where they were. He said they all flew away.
I saw some feathers on the floor. I saw a drop of blood on his pillow. I told the helper to watch Renfield closely today.
11 a.m.
The helper came to see me. He said Renfield was sick. Renfield vomited many feathers. I believe Renfield ate all his birds raw!
11 p.m.
I gave Renfield a strong medicine to help him sleep. I took his notebook. Now I understand him. Renfield wants to eat many lives to make his own life stronger.
Renfield gave flies to spiders. He gave spiders to birds. Then he wanted a cat to eat the birds. He is a zoophagous (life-eating) madman.
I think about my own life. I am sad because Lucy Westenra does not love me. I must work hard to forget my sadness.
Mina Murray’s Journal.
26 July.
I am worried about Lucy Westenra and Jonathan Harker. Yesterday, Mr. Hawkins sent me a letter from Jonathan Harker. It was a very short letter from Castle Dracula.
Jonathan Harker said he is coming home. But the letter was strange. It did not sound like him. I am very uneasy.
Lucy Westenra is sleepwalking (walking while she is asleep) again. Her mother is very worried. We decided to lock the bedroom door every night. Mrs. Westenra is afraid Lucy Westenra will fall off the cliffs.
Lucy Westenra is getting ready for her wedding in the autumn. Arthur Holmwood is coming to Whitby soon. His father is sick, so Arthur Holmwood must stay with him for now. Lucy Westenra wants to show Arthur Holmwood the view from the church.
27 July.
There is no news from Jonathan Harker. I want him to write to me. Lucy Westenra walks in her sleep every night. I wake up when she moves. I am becoming very tired and nervous.
3 August.
Another week passed. There is still no news from Jonathan Harker. I look at his last letter. The writing is Jonathan’s, but the words are strange.
Lucy Westenra does not walk much now. But she is acting strangely. She tries to open the door in her sleep. She looks for the key.
6 August.
Still no news. I am very afraid. I do not know where Jonathan Harker is. I can only pray to God.
The weather is very bad today. The fishermen say a storm is coming. The sky is grey and the sea is loud. The wind is very strong.
I saw old Mr. Swales today. He came to sit with me. He looked very different. He was very gentle and kind.
Mr. Swales said, "I am sorry for the things I said about the dead. I only said those things because I am old and afraid. I do not want to die, but I know my time is near."
I started to cry. Mr. Swales said, "Do not cry for me. Death is the only thing we can be sure of. I am ready."
Then Mr. Swales looked at the sea. He said, "Something is in the wind. I can smell death. It is coming." He said a prayer and then he walked away. I felt very upset.
A man from the coastguard (the group of people who watch the sea) came to talk to me. He used a spy-glass (a small telescope) to look at a ship.
The man said, "That is a Russian ship. It is moving in a very strange way. It does not have a good driver. The ship will have trouble in the storm."