Chapter Five

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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.”

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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.

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“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.

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Answer the question.

How did Lucy escape back into her tomb?

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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.

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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