Chapter Five
The Beautiful Lady
Dr. Seward’s story continued
After the funeral for Lucy and her mother, there were odd newspaper articles about children in the neighborhood. Several children had gone missing all night and when they returned home, they talked about a “Beautiful Lady”.1 The police dismissed these stories as children just repeating the excuses of others.
1 Several children had gone missing all night and when they returned home, they talked about a “Beautiful Lady.”
One afternoon, Van Helsing came to my office and thrust last night’s “Westminster Gazette” into my hand.
“What do you think of that?” he asked as he stood back and folded his arms.2
2 “What do you think of that?” he asked as he stood back and folded his arms.
The article was about children being decoyed away at Hampstead. I reached a passage where it described small puncture wounds on their throats. An idea struck me, and I said, “Whatever it was that injured Lucy has injured them.”3
3 Whatever it was that injured Lucy has injured them.
“I am afraid it’s more serious than that,” Van Helsing said. “The wounds were made by Lucy herself!”
In sheer anger, I rose up and said, “Dr. Van Helsing, are you mad?”
He looked at me with a pained expression. “If only I were.” Then he held up a key. “This is the key to Lucy’s tomb. Come with me, and I will show you.”
Key Words
article (n): bài báo
neighborhood (n): vùng lân cận
missing (adj): mất tích
dismiss (v): gạt bỏ
repeat (v): lặp lại
excuse (n): lý do, lời giải thích
thrust (v): nhét vào, ấn vào
decoy away : dụ dỗ đi ra khỏi...
puncture (n): vết cắn
passage (n): đoạn (bài báo)
strike (v): ập đến, lóe lên
injure (v): làm bị thương
serious (adj): nghiêm trọng
sheer (adj): đau đớn
if only : giá như
hold up : giơ lên
That night, we entered the tomb where Lucy lay. But when Van Helsing moved the stone slab over her coffin, Lucy’s body was not there! We waited outside the tomb, and soon we saw a figure in white go inside. We followed the figure into the tomb, and once again, Van Helsing moved the stone slab.4 There lay Lucy, her face white, but with blood red lips! Indeed, a few spots of blood were on her chin! Van Helsing pulled her lip back, and I could see long, white teeth stained with blood.
4 We followed the figure into the tomb, and once again, Van Helsing moved the stone slab.
Quickly, we left the tomb. I was shaking as Van Helsing explained what had happened.5
5 I was shaking as Van Helsing explained what had happened.
“Lucy has become the victim of a vampire,” he said. “She is feeding off these poor children. Soon, she will be strong enough to kill them. She has become one of the undead. We must free her from this curse. But we will need her fiance, Arthur.”
The next day, we met with Arthur. At first, he reacted in much the same way I did, calling Van Helsing a raving lunatic.6 My long friendship with Arthur enabled me to calm him, and with Van Helsing, we persuaded him to visit Lucy’s tomb that night.
6 At first, he reacted in much the same way I did, calling Van Helsing a raving lunatic.
Based on the story, write down “T” if true or “F” if false.
a. Lucy was always in her tomb. ____
b. Van Helsing needs Arthur’s help to free Lucy of her curse. ____
c. Lucy is strong enough to kill the undead. ____
Key Words
slab (n): phiến (đá)
coffin (n): quan tài
spot (n): dấu vết
stain (v): nhuốm
victim (n): nạn nhân
feed off : ăn (thịt)
the undead (n): kẻ bất tử
free (v): giải thoát
curse (n): lời nguyền
react (v): phản ứng
raving (adj): mê sảng
lunatic (n): người mất trí
calm (v): trấn tĩnh
persuade (v): thuyết phục
As before, when we opened Lucy’s grave, her body was not there. We went outside to wait. Soon after, we saw Lucy arrive. She was carrying a child. When she saw us, she hissed like an angry cat and threw the child to the ground.7 Suddenly, she walked toward Arthur. She spoke in a soft voice that sounded loving but was hard underneath.
7 When she saw us, she hissed like an angry cat and threw the child to the ground.
“Come, my husband,” she said. “Leave them and come rest with me.”
Arthur began to move toward her, as if in a trance. I grabbed his arm and held him back. Van Helsing leapt forward and brandished his crucifix. Lucy shrank back. She went to the entrance of the tomb and passed through the closed door!
We followed her inside and found her laying in her grave, as if asleep. Van Helsing handed a hammer and wooden stake to Arthur.
“You must set her free,” Van Helsing said. “Drive this stake through her heart the second I begin praying.”8
8 Drive this stake through her heart the second I begin praying.
As Van Helsing started his prayer, Arthur pounded the stake with the hammer into Lucy’s chest. Tears were streaming down his face. Her body moved and struggled. Arthur hit the stake again, and Lucy’s body changed instantly. It became limp, and her face became peaceful. It was the real Lucy again, not the terrible monster she had become.9 At last, she was free.
9 It was the real Lucy again, not the terrible monster she had become.
Answer the question.
How did Lucy escape back into her tomb?
_________________________________
Key Words
soon after : không lâu sau
sound (v): nghe như là
underneath (n): bên dưới
brandish (v): giơ lên
entrance (n): lối vào
stake (n): cái cọc
set free : trả tự do
pound (v): nện, đóng
stream dow(n): chảy xuống
struggle (v): vùng vẫy, giãy giụa
instantly (adv): ngay tức khắc
limp (adj): mềm nhũn
Understanding the Story
People say that there was vampire named Lucy in real life. Let’s find out about a noble madam in Hungary who inspired Lucy’s character in Dracula.
A Terrible Vampire Lady
In Bram Stoker’s novel, Lucy turned into a beautiful vampire lady who preyed on little children. In real life, a noble woman in Hungary closely resembled this description. Her name was Elizabeth Bathory. She was born in 1560 to a very rich and powerful Hungarian family. She had long, black hair against smooth, pale skin. Unfortunately, Elizabeth fell in love with her own beauty.
It is said that one day, as Elizabeth was older, a servant girl pulled Elizabeth’s hair while brushing it. Elizabeth slapped the girl’s hand so hard that one of her rings caused the girl to bleed. When the blood touched Elizabeth’s skin, it made a red, youthful glow. Elizabeth was very interested in trying to stay young. She thought that by using blood, she could stay beautiful. So she and her servants began capturing young girls in the area. They would torture them, kill them, and take all of their blood. When peasants found the bloodless bodies outside the castle, rumors were started that Elizabeth was a vampire. Finally, the Prime Minister of Hungary, who was Elizabeth’s cousin, came to her castle. He found the dead bodies of young girls, and even some girls who were waiting to be killed.
Local legends say that her ghost still roams the Carpathian mountains near her castle.
terrible (adj): khủng khiếp, đáng sợ
prey on (v): săn tìm
resemble (v): giống với
pale (adj): nhợt nhạt, tái xanh
servant (n): người hầu
brush (v): chải (tóc)
slap (v): tát
bleed (v): chảy máu
youthful (adj): trẻ trung
glow (n): nước da hồng hào
capture (v): bắt
torture (v): hành hạ, tra tấn
peasant (n): người nông dân
bloodless (adj): không còn chút máu
punishment (n): sự trừng phạt
prisoner (n): tù nhân
ghost (n): hồn ma