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That evening the Count did not stay and talk with me, but before he left the room, he turned to me and said, "My young friend, sleep only in this room or your bedroom. You must never fall asleep in any other room in the castle. You will be in danger if you do."

One evening the Count said, "You must write to your London office and tell Mr Hawkin that you'll be here for another month."

When I heard this, I went cold. Another month! But what could I do? I worked for Mr Hawkin, and the Count's business was important to him, so if the Count needed me, then I had to stay. I wrote my letter, but I knew that the Count planned to read it. I could not tell Mr Hawkin that I was a prisoner in Castle Dracula!

When he left, I went to my room, but I could not rest and began to walk round the castle. Many of the doors were locked, but I found one which was open. I pushed back the door and saw that there was a window in the room. It was a beautiful night and the mountains looked wonderful in the soft yellow light of the moon. Suddenly, something moved below me. It was the Count. Slowly, he came out of the window -- first those hands, like the hands of an animal, and then his head. He began to move down the wall, head first. With his black cloak around him, he looked like a horrible black bird -- and my blood ran cold. What was Count Dracula?

I was excited and afraid. I knew that I wanted those soft red mouths to touch me.

One of the women came nearer. Her strong white teeth touched my neck. I closed my eyes and waited. "Kiss me! Kiss me!" I thought.

Suddenly I felt that I was not alone. In the moonlight from the window I saw three beautiful young women. They were watching me, and talking quietly. "He is young and strong," one of them said.

"Yes. There are kisses for all of us," another answered.

Suddenly there was a cry of anger. It was the Count! He pulled the woman away from me, and her bright blue eyes turned red with a wild anger. I looked at the Count and his eyes were burning with all the fires of hell.

"Get off him!" he cried. "He's not for you! Stay away from him." A second later, the women were no longer there. They did not leave by the door, but they were no longer there!

I shivered, and sat down for a minute. The room was warm and friendly. I think that many years ago it was a room for the ladies of the castle, and I decided not to go back to my cold, dark room, but to sleep in this room. So I lay down and closed my eyes.

I remember no more of that night. When I woke, I was in bed in my room. My gold cross lay on the table next to me, bright in the morning sun.

How pleased I was when I heard this! But then the Count said, "Say that you are at Bistritz, and put June 29th on the letter."

I knew then that those women were vampires, and that they wanted my blood.

Two nights later, the Count came to me. "Write to Mina," he said. "Tell her that your work in Transylvania is finished and that you are coming home."

I shivered when he said this. I knew then that the Count planned to kill me on that day. What could I do? There was nothing. I could only wait and try to escape. But the Count took away all my other clothes and my travel papers, and he locked the door of my room.

A week or two later, I heard noises in the castle, the sound of men working. "Perhaps one of them will take a letter out of the castle for me," I thought.

But it was too late! It was already June 29th, and that evening from my window I saw the Count leave the castle, with my letter to Mina in his hand. He was going to post it! I knew that I must do something before it was too late.

Slowly I moved down the wall. Once or twice I almost fell, but at last I found myself in the Count's bedroom.

The room was empty. The Count was not there. I looked for the castle keys, but I could not find them. Over in one corner of the room there was some gold, and on the other side of the room there was a big wooden door. It was open and I saw that there were some stairs going down. I went down them, and I came to another door. This was open too, and I found myself in a room with a stone floor. Slowly, I looked around me. There were about fifty wooden boxes in the room. They were coffins, and they were full of earth. In one of them lay the Count! I could not say if he was dead or asleep. His eyes were open and looked cold and stony, but his face did not look like the face of a dead man. His lips were still very red, but he did not move. Slowly I went nearer. I thought perhaps that he had the castle keys on him. But when I looked at those cold, stony eyes, my blood ran cold. Afraid, I turned and ran back to the window. I did not stop to think until I was back in my room.

Vampires can only come out at night, so I knew that there was no danger during the day. The next morning I decided to visit the Count's room to see what I could find. To do this I had to get into it by the window. This was possible because his room was just below my bedroom, and there were little holes in the wall between the stones. I could put my feet in these, and I could use the heavy curtains from my window to hold onto. It was dangerous, but I had to try.

Morning came at last, and I was still alive. "I must escape," I thought. But first I had to get the keys.

I lay down on my bed, but I did not sleep very well. During the night I heard women's voices outside my door, and then the Count, saying, "Wait. Your time has not yet come. Tomorrow night -- you can have him then." The women laughed, a low, sweet sound, and I shook with fear.

That night the Count came to me again. "Tomorrow you will return to England," he said -- and I knew that tomorrow was the day of my death.

The Count was there, in his coffin, but he looked younger and his hair was no longer white. There was blood on his mouth, which ran down across his neck. My hands were shaking, but I had to touch him, to look for the keys. I felt all over his body, but they weren't there. Suddenly I wanted to kill Count Dracula. I took a workman's hammer, and began to bring it down hard on to that horrible, smiling face. But just then the head turned and the Count's burning eyes looked at me. His bloody mouth smiled more horribly than ever. I dropped the hammer and stood there, shaking. What could I do now?

Once again, I went down the wall and into the Count's room. I ran down the stairs, to the room with the coffins.

While I was writing these words in my diary, I decided what to do. I must try to escape. I shall try to get down the wall outside. The window is high above the ground, but I have to try. I shall take some of the gold with me -- if I escape, perhaps it will be helpful later.

Soon I saw from the window the heavy carts full of coffins, and the workmen drove away. I was alone in the castle with those terrible vampire women.

I turned to run back downstairs, to find this open door. But I was too late. A cold wind ran through the castle and, with a crash, the door at the top of the stairs closed and locked itself. I could not get back down the stairs.

If I die, it will be better than the death that waits for me here. Goodbye, Mina! Will I ever see you again?

Just then I heard the sound of voices. The workmen were coming back. I hurried back up the stairs to the Count's room. Below, I heard the noise of a key. The workmen were opening a door. So there was another door to the outside down there! I listened carefully, and heard the sound of hammers. They were getting the coffins ready for a journey -- perhaps to England! I remembered the Count's words about his plans to visit my country.