my breath, I climbed faster. My
cloak tangled around my legs and I fell. Instinctively, I took a breath and coughed.
My eyes watered, and on hands and knees I climbed the stairs. The air grew
hotter. The inferno rose to claim me.
"Jonathan," I whispered, and as I looked at the now
glowing smoke, I thought I saw my sisters waiting for me. I smiled at them, lay
my head on my arm and closed my eyes. Death was coming. I could feel it a long
way off, but moving closer. I didn't care to struggle any more.
November 9. We are on the train, this
time heading west. Our little group is smaller. Only Dr. Seward, Jonathan and I
are traveling to England. Van Helsing chose to stay in the area and continue
his research on Dracula and vampirism. I understand his need to do this all
too well, for he knows that nothing is really settled. As for Arthur ...
Order, Mina!
Even in this private journal events should be recorded in order, particularly
now that the others have finished their
accounts of this terrible
adventure and this will be the only recording of its aftermath.
i woke in the courtyard of Dracula's castle with my head resting
on Jonathan's knees. He had been using snow to wipe the soot from my face. I
think the coldness of it shocked me into consciousness. My lungs were still
filled with smoke, and I coughed and gagged until I caught my breath. When I
did, I looked around me. The winds had diminished and a light snow fell, the
huge flakes softening the jagged stones of the walls, the pitted ground of the
courtyard. Whisps of smoke still rose from the open castle doors.
The fire must have died
before it reached the upper floors, no doubt because the passage had been made
of stone.
"Are
the others with you?" I asked when I was able.
I saw sorrow
in Jonathan's expression, heard the pain in his reply. "The others are
with Quincey. The gypsies shot him and he is
dying, I think. He lost a
great deal of blood. I could do nothing for him so I came to find you."
"Do the
others know I've come up here?"
"We
couldn't see anything in that storm. Don't you remember?"
"I do." But I wanted to be
certain, absolutely certain. "Van Helsing told me not to come here. He
said the walls themselves would tempt me. But . . ." I paused, loathing
the idea of telling him how I had been drawn here.” . . . But the storm came so
fast, I lost my way. The only thing I could see in the gale was the castle
wall above me. I knew there would be shelter here. And then ... Oh, Jonathan,
I had to see the place where they had lain and be certain they were truly gone.
You'll understand when Van Helsing and I tell you everything that happened to
us."
"Did
you find that place?" he asked in a low voice.
I wanted to
tell him about the bodies and Van Helsing's lie, but everyone had been so
concerned about me that I feared to do so.
"I found the coffins.
Then I burned their chamber, but the fire grew so fast."
He held me
tightly. I had never felt so thankful for his arms before. "When I brought
you outside and saw that the scar had
vanished from your forehead, I was so afraid. I though it was a
sign that you were dying," he whispered. "Now it's over. We can go home."
"The
others, we must go to them," I said.
"Not
yet. Rest awhile."
"Take
me to Quincey, please. I want to say good-bye. , ” Jonathan
helped me to stand, and I leaned heavily against him, fighting
the terrible dizziness as we
descended to the place where Van Helsing and the others tried with no real hope
to save Quincey's life.
Nothing could be done. As Jonathan
watched, I walked forward and knelt beside the brash American, making certain
that he saw my unblemished forehead. "Ah," he said and smiled and
let out one final breath. The vapor hung in the cold air then dissipated in
the frigid wind.
They unloaded the box that had held
Dracula, wrapped Quincey in some of the fur rugs and started back to Galati.
Arthur decided to book passage to America and take Quincey's body home. Van
Helsing
cloak tangled around my legs and I fell. Instinctively, I took a breath and coughed.
My eyes watered, and on hands and knees I climbed the stairs. The air grew
hotter. The inferno rose to claim me.
"Jonathan," I whispered, and as I looked at the now
glowing smoke, I thought I saw my sisters waiting for me. I smiled at them, lay
my head on my arm and closed my eyes. Death was coming. I could feel it a long
way off, but moving closer. I didn't care to struggle any more.
November 9. We are on the train, this
time heading west. Our little group is smaller. Only Dr. Seward, Jonathan and I
are traveling to England. Van Helsing chose to stay in the area and continue
his research on Dracula and vampirism. I understand his need to do this all
too well, for he knows that nothing is really settled. As for Arthur ...
Order, Mina!
Even in this private journal events should be recorded in order, particularly
now that the others have finished their
accounts of this terrible
adventure and this will be the only recording of its aftermath.
i woke in the courtyard of Dracula's castle with my head resting
on Jonathan's knees. He had been using snow to wipe the soot from my face. I
think the coldness of it shocked me into consciousness. My lungs were still
filled with smoke, and I coughed and gagged until I caught my breath. When I
did, I looked around me. The winds had diminished and a light snow fell, the
huge flakes softening the jagged stones of the walls, the pitted ground of the
courtyard. Whisps of smoke still rose from the open castle doors.
The fire must have died
before it reached the upper floors, no doubt because the passage had been made
of stone.
"Are
the others with you?" I asked when I was able.
I saw sorrow
in Jonathan's expression, heard the pain in his reply. "The others are
with Quincey. The gypsies shot him and he is
dying, I think. He lost a
great deal of blood. I could do nothing for him so I came to find you."
"Do the
others know I've come up here?"
"We
couldn't see anything in that storm. Don't you remember?"
"I do." But I wanted to be
certain, absolutely certain. "Van Helsing told me not to come here. He
said the walls themselves would tempt me. But . . ." I paused, loathing
the idea of telling him how I had been drawn here.” . . . But the storm came so
fast, I lost my way. The only thing I could see in the gale was the castle
wall above me. I knew there would be shelter here. And then ... Oh, Jonathan,
I had to see the place where they had lain and be certain they were truly gone.
You'll understand when Van Helsing and I tell you everything that happened to
us."
"Did
you find that place?" he asked in a low voice.
I wanted to
tell him about the bodies and Van Helsing's lie, but everyone had been so
concerned about me that I feared to do so.
"I found the coffins.
Then I burned their chamber, but the fire grew so fast."
He held me
tightly. I had never felt so thankful for his arms before. "When I brought
you outside and saw that the scar had
vanished from your forehead, I was so afraid. I though it was a
sign that you were dying," he whispered. "Now it's over. We can go home."
"The
others, we must go to them," I said.
"Not
yet. Rest awhile."
"Take
me to Quincey, please. I want to say good-bye. , ” Jonathan
helped me to stand, and I leaned heavily against him, fighting
the terrible dizziness as we
descended to the place where Van Helsing and the others tried with no real hope
to save Quincey's life.
Nothing could be done. As Jonathan
watched, I walked forward and knelt beside the brash American, making certain
that he saw my unblemished forehead. "Ah," he said and smiled and
let out one final breath. The vapor hung in the cold air then dissipated in
the frigid wind.
They unloaded the box that had held
Dracula, wrapped Quincey in some of the fur rugs and started back to Galati.
Arthur decided to book passage to America and take Quincey's body home. Van
Helsing
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