JONATHAN HARKER´S DIARYCHAPTER ONE COUNT DRACULA
My story begins about seven years ago, in 1875. My name is Jonathan Harker, and I live and work in London. My
job is to buy and sell
houses for other people. One day a letter arrived for
me from a very rich man who lived in Transylvania. He wanted
to buy a house in England and he needed my
help. The man was Count Dracula, and I agreed to
help him.
I found a house for
him, and he asked me to take all the papers for it to Transylvania. I was
not very pleased about this. I was planning to get
married in the autumn, and I did not want to leave
my beautiful Mina.
“But you must go,
Jonathan,” She said. “ The
count is rich, and perhaps he will give more
later.”
So I agreed to go. I did no know
then of the terrible danger which waited for
me in Transylvania.
And so, on 4th May I arrived at the little
town called Bistritz. Transylvania was a strange
and beautiful country. There were mountains, trees and rivers everywhere. And
somewhere high in the mountains was the Count´s home, Castle Dracula. I had six hours to wait before the
coach came to take me there, so I went into a little hotel. Inside
it was warm and friendly.
The people there were all laughing and talking. “ Where are you
going?” they asked me. “To Castle Dracula,” I replied.
Suddenly, the room was silent and everyone turned to look
at me. I could not understand
why they all looked afraid. “Don’t go there,” Someone said.
“But I have to, “I answered. “It´s business.”
They began to talk again, but they were no longer laughing. Slowly,
the hotel keeper´s wife took the gold cross from her neck and
put it into my hand. “Take this will help you.”
When the coach arrived and got
into it, a crowd of people came to watch,
and I heard the word “vampire”.
The coach travelled
up into the mountains. Higher and higher it went, faster and
faster. The sun was bright, but above the trees there was snow on the mountains
tops. Then suddenly the sun went down behind the mountains and everywhere was dark. In the forest around us, the wolves were howling.
It was a terrible sound.
Suddenly the coach stopped.
A small carriage came
down the narrow road on the right. Four black horses were pulling
it, and the driver was dressed in black with a
black hat pulled down over his face.
“Where´s the Englishman?” he called. “I´ve come from
castle Dracula!
He looked strange, standing there in the moonlight,
and suddenly I was afraid. But it was too late. I could not go back now.
Soon we were on our way to Castle Dracula. The
mountains were all around us and the moon was behind black clouds. I could see
nothing- but I could still hear the wolves. The horses went faster and faster,
and the driver laughed wildly.
Suddenly the carriage stopped. I opened the door and
got out. At once the carriage drove away and I was alone in front of the dark,
silent castle. I stood there, looking up at it, and slowly, the big wooden door
opened. A tall man stood in front of me. His hair was white and he was dressed
in black from head to foot.
“Come in, Mr. Harker, “He said”. I am Count Dracula. “
He held out his hand and I took it. It was as cold as ice!.
I went into the castle and the Count carefully locked
the door behind me. He put the key into his pocket and turned to go upstairs. I
followed him, and we came to a room was a little table with food and drink on
it. The count asked me to sit down and eat, but he did not eat with me. Later,
we sat and talked by the fire. His English was very good, and
while we talked, I had time to look at him carefully. His face was very white,
his ears were like the ears of a cat, and his teeth were strong like the teeth
of an animal. There was hair on his hands and his fingers were very long. When
he touched me, I was afraid. It was nearly morning when I went to bed, and
outside, the wolves were still howling.
The next morning I found my breakfast on the little
table in front of the fire. Now that it was light, I could see that castle Dracula
was old and dirty. I saw no servants all that day.
The count did not come to breakfast, but there was
letter from him on the table.
“Go anywhere in the castle”, it said, “but some of the
rooms are locked. Do not try to go in to these rooms”.
When the count came back evening, he wanted to know
all about his new house in England.
“Well, “I began, “it´s a very big house, old and dark,
with a high wall round it. “There are trees everywhere. That´s why the house is
dark. It has a little church too. “And I showed him some pictures of it.
He was pleased about the church.” Ah”, he said, “so I
shall be near the dead”
