1:59

audio drama character called Redracula.

2:04

Here's what you need to know. Redracula

2:06

takes the famous horror tale, breaks it

2:08

up chronologically, and sends the story

2:11

directly to your podcatcher as

2:13

it happens. Every time something

2:16

happens to the characters, Redracula

2:18

will publish an episode in as

2:19

close to real time as it happens.

2:22

It's a faithful, text-accurate

2:24

adaptation featuring a full cast

2:26

to tug on your heartstrings

2:29

found design to keep you on the edge of your seat.

2:31

And you're in luck, since the

2:33

back half of season two is still a few weeks

2:35

away. We're going to give you some Redracula

2:38

to re-opt to. Re-ay.

2:42

Now, you listen to that while I

2:44

notch on this sausage, and you'll be back to

2:46

the lead whale action with Seward Ventures, Evil

2:48

Potts, Candy Caramel, and the Fair

2:50

of Past and Future very soon. Until

2:53

then,

2:53

sink your ears into Redracula.

2:59

Content warning. This episode

3:02

references the racist pseudoscience of craniometry.

3:07

Jonathan Harker's journal,

3:08

Captain Shortened, The

3:11

Faith of May, The Good Form. The

3:15

gray of the morning has passed, and the sun

3:18

is high over the distant horizon, which

3:20

seems jagged. Whether

3:23

with trees or hills, I know not. For

3:26

it is so far off that big things and little

3:28

are mixed. I'm not

3:30

sleepy, and as I'm not to be called

3:33

till I awake, naturally I write

3:35

till sleep comes. There

3:39

are many odd things to put down, and

3:43

lest who reads them may fancy that I dine

3:45

too well before I left Bistritz, let

3:47

me put down my dinner exactly. I

3:50

dined on what they call Robber Steak.

3:53

Bits of bacon, onion, and

3:55

beef, seasoned with red pepper, and

3:58

strung up on sticks and roasted over the food. fire, in

4:00

the simple style of the London Cats' Meet. The

4:05

wine was golden mediac, which

4:07

produces a queer sting on the tongue,

4:10

which is, however, not disagreeable.

4:13

I had only a couple of glasses of this, and nothing

4:15

else. When I

4:17

got on the coach, the driver had not

4:20

taken his seat, and I saw him

4:22

talking with the landlady. They

4:24

were evidently talking of me, for every

4:27

now and then they looked at me, and some of the people

4:29

who were sitting on the bench outside the

4:31

door, which they called by a name

4:33

meaning word-bearer, came

4:35

and listened, and then looked at

4:37

me, most of them pittingly. I

4:41

could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer

4:44

words, for there were many nationalities

4:47

in the crowd.

4:48

So I quietly got my polyglot

4:51

dictionary from my bag and looked them out. I

4:54

must say they were not cheering to me, for

4:56

among them were Oratog,

4:59

Satan, Okor, El,

5:03

Stregoya, which, Veronlok,

5:07

and Bocoslak,

5:09

both of which mean the same thing, one

5:11

being Slovak and the other Servian for something

5:13

that is either werewolf or

5:16

vampire.

5:23

When we started, the

5:26

crowd round the indoor, which had by this time

5:28

swelled to a considerable size, all

5:31

made the sign of the cross and pointed

5:33

two fingers towards me.

5:36

With some difficulty I got a fellow passenger

5:38

to tell me what they meant. He

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would not answer at first, but

5:43

on learning that I was English he explained

5:45

that it was a charm or guard

5:47

against the evil eye.

5:59

kind-hearted and so sorrowful and so

6:02

sympathetic that I could not but be touched.

6:06

I shall never forget the last glimpse which I

6:08

had of the Inyard, and its crowd

6:10

of picturesque figures, all crossing

6:13

themselves as they stood round the wide

6:15

archway, with its background of rich

6:18

foliage of ollander and orange

6:20

trees in green tops clustered in the

6:22

centre of the

6:23

yard. Our driver,

6:26

whose wide linen drawers covered the whole

6:28

front of the box-eats, got sir, they

6:31

call them, cracked his big

6:33

whiff over his four small horses

6:35

which ran abreast, and set

6:37

off on our journey. We

6:43

soon lost sight and recollection of

6:45

ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene

6:47

as we drove along,

6:49

although had I known the language, or rather

6:52

languages which my fellow passengers were

6:54

speaking, I might not have

6:57

been able to throw them off so easily. Before

7:00

us lay a green sloping

7:03

land full of forests and woods, with

7:05

here and there steep hills crowned

7:08

with clumps of trees or with farmhouses,

7:11

the blank gable end to the road.

7:14

It was everywhere a bewildering

7:16

mass of fruit blossom, apple,

7:19

plum, pear, cherry,

7:21

and as we drove by I could see the green

7:23

grass under the trees spangled

7:26

with the fallen petals.

7:29

In and out amongst these green hills

7:32

of what they called the mittleland

7:34

ran the road,

7:36

losing itself as it swept round

7:38

the grassy curve or was

7:40

shut out by the straggling ends of pine

7:43

woods, which here and there ran down

7:45

the hillsides like tongues of flame.

7:49

The road was rugged, but still

7:51

we seemed to fly over it with a feverish

7:54

haste. I

7:56

could not understand then what the haste meant, but

7:58

the driver was evidently spent on losing no time

8:01

in reaching Borgau-Prunte. I

8:05

was told that this road is in summertime

8:08

excellent, but that it had not

8:10

yet been put in order after the winter snows.

8:14

In this respect it is different from the general

8:16

run of roads in the Carpathians, for

8:19

it is an old tradition that they are not to be

8:21

kept in too good order. Of

8:24

old the Hospidars would not

8:26

repair them lest the Turk should think

8:28

that they were preparing to bring in foreign troops,

8:30

and so hasten the war which was always really

8:33

at loading point. Beyond

8:35

the green swelling hills of the middle land

8:38

rose mighty slopes of forest up

8:40

to the lofty steeps of the Carpathians

8:42

themselves. Right

8:45

and left of us they towered, with

8:47

the afternoon sun falling full upon

8:50

them, and bringing out all the glorious colours

8:52

of this beautiful range, deep

8:54

blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks,

8:57

green and brown where grass and rock mingled,

9:00

and an endless perspective of jagged rock

9:02

and pointed crags, till

9:04

these were themselves lost in the distance,

9:07

where the snowy peaks rose

9:09

grandly. Here

9:12

and there seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through

9:15

which, as the sun began to sink, we

9:17

saw now and then the white gleam

9:20

of falling water. One

9:22

of my companions touched my arm, as

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we swept round the base of a hill and opened

9:26

up the lofty snow-covered peak

9:29

of a mountain, which seemed, as

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we wound on our serpentine way,

9:33

to be right before us. Look,

9:36

Isthen-Siketh, God's

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seat, and he crossed himself

9:41

reverently.

9:43

As we wound on our endless way, and

9:45

the sun sank lower and lower behind

9:47

us, the shadows of the evening

9:49

began to creep round us.

9:52

This was emphasised by the fact that

9:54

the snowy mountain-top still held

9:56

the sunset, and seemed to glow

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out with a delicate, quiet,

9:59

Here

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and there we passed Chex

10:03

and Slovaks, all in picturesque attire,

10:06

but I noticed that Goiter was painfully

10:08

prevalent.

10:10

By the roadside were many crosses, and

10:12

as we swept by, my companions all

10:15

crossed themselves.

10:16

Here and there was a peasant man or woman

10:18

kneeling before a shrine. We

10:21

did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed,

10:23

in the self-surrender of devotion, to have neither

10:25

eyes nor ears for the outer world. There

10:28

were many things new to me, for instance, harerics

10:31

in the trees. And here

10:33

and there, very beautiful masses of weeping

10:36

birch, their white

10:38

stem shining like silver through

10:40

the delicate green of the leaves. Now

10:43

and again we passed the lighter veg, the

10:46

ordinary Peasants' Cart, with its

10:48

long, snake-like vertebra calculated

10:50

to suit the inequalities of the rope.

10:53

From this were sure to be seated quite a group

10:56

of homecoming peasants, the

10:58

Chex with their whites, and the Slovaks

11:00

with their coloured sheepskins, the latter

11:02

carrying lance-fashion their long staves

11:04

with axe at end.

11:06

As the evening fell, it began

11:09

to get very cold, and the growing

11:11

twilight seemed to merge into one dark

11:13

mistiness the gloom of the trees, oak,

11:16

beech, and pine. Though

11:19

in the valleys which ran deep between the spurs

11:21

of the hills, as we ascended through the

11:23

pass, the dark fur stood

11:26

out here and there against the background of late-slying

11:29

snow.

11:30

Sometimes,

11:32

as the road was cut through the pine woods

11:34

that seemed in the darkness to be closing

11:36

down upon us, the masses

11:39

of grainess which here and there bestrewed

11:41

the trees produced a peculiarly

11:44

weird and solemn effect which

11:46

carried on the thoughts and grim fancies

11:49

engendered earlier in the evening.

11:51

In the falling sunset through into

11:53

strange relief that ghosts like clouds

11:56

which, amongst the Carpathians,

11:58

seemed to whine ceaselessly.

11:59

through the valley. Sometimes.

12:01

The hills were so steep that

12:03

despite our driver's haste, the horses

12:06

could only go slowly. I

12:08

wished to get down and walk up them as we do at home,

12:11

but the driver would not hear of it. No.

12:14

No, he said. You must not walk

12:16

here. The dogs are too

12:19

fierce. And then, he added, with

12:21

what he evidently meant for grim pleasantry,

12:25

he looked round to catch the approving smile of the rest.

12:29

You may have enough of such matters

12:32

before you go to sleep. The

12:35

only stop he would make was a moment's pause

12:38

to light his lamps. When it

12:40

grew dark, there seemed to be some

12:42

excitement amongst the passengers, and they

12:45

kept speaking to him one after the other,

12:47

as though urging him to furthest. He

12:51

lashed the horses unmercifully with his long

12:53

wisp, and with wild cries

12:55

of encouragement to urge them on to further

12:58

exertion.

13:01

Through the dark, I could see

13:03

a sort of patch of drained light

13:05

ahead of us, as though there were

13:07

a cleft in the hills.

13:10

The excitement of the passengers

13:12

grew greater. The crazy coats

13:14

rocked on its great leather springs and

13:17

swayed like a boat tossed on a stormy

13:19

sea. I had to hold on. The

13:23

road grew more level, and we appeared to fly

13:25

a lot. Then the mountain seemed

13:27

to come nearer to us on each side, and to frown

13:30

down upon us. We

13:32

were entering on the Borgo Pass.

13:36

One by one, several of the passengers

13:38

offered me gifts, which

13:40

they pressed upon me with an earnestness which

13:42

would take no denial. These

13:44

were certainly of an odd and

13:47

varied kind. But

13:49

each was given in simple good faith,

13:52

with a kindly word and a blessing,

13:55

and that strange mixture of fear-meaning

13:58

movements which I had seen outside the hotel.

14:01

the sign of the cross

14:03

and the guard against the evil eye.

14:07

Then, as we flew along, the

14:09

driver leaned forward, and on each side

14:11

the passengers, craning over the edges of the coach,

14:14

peered eagerly into the darkness. It

14:17

was evident that something very exciting

14:20

was either happening or expected,

14:23

but though I asked each passenger, no

14:25

one would give me the slightest

14:26

explanation. This

14:29

state of excitement kept on for some little

14:31

time,

14:32

and at last we saw before us the pass

14:34

opening out on the eastern side,

14:36

through a dark, rolling cloud

14:39

overhead,

14:40

and in the air the heavy, oppressive sense

14:42

of thunder.

14:44

It seemed as though the mountain range had separated

14:47

two atmospheres, and that now

14:49

we had got into the thunderous one.

14:52

I was now myself looking out for the conveyance

14:54

which was to take me to the coach. Each

14:57

moment I expected to see the glare

14:59

of lamps through the blackness, but

15:01

all was dark.

15:03

The only light was the flickering rays

15:05

of our own lamps, in which the

15:07

steam from our hard-driven horses rose

15:09

in a white cloud. We could

15:12

see now the sandy road lying white

15:14

before us, but there was on

15:16

it no sign of a vehicle. The

15:18

passengers drew back with a sigh of gladness

15:20

which seemed to mock my own disappointment. I

15:24

was already thinking what I had best do when the

15:26

driver, looking at his watch, said to the others something

15:28

which I could hardly hear. It

15:31

was spoken so quietly and so low at home,

15:33

I thought it was

15:34

an hour less than the time. Then

15:38

turning to me, he said in German, worse

15:40

than my own, There is no carriage

15:43

here. The hair is not expected

15:45

after all. You will now come on to Bucovina

15:49

and return tomorrow or the

15:51

next day. Better the next day.

15:53

Whilst he was speaking,

15:55

the horses began to neigh and snort

15:57

and plunge wildly, the-

15:59

The driver had to hold them up. Then,

16:02

amongst a chorus of squire-meats from the peasants

16:05

and a universal crossing of themselves,

16:08

a callech with four horses

16:10

drove up behind us, overtook us, and

16:13

drew up the sight of the couch. I

16:15

could see from the flash of our laps as

16:17

the rays fell on them, that the horses

16:19

were cold black and splendid.

16:23

They were driven by a tall man

16:26

with a long brown beard and a great

16:28

black hat, which seemed

16:31

to hide his face from us. I

16:33

could only see the gleam of a pair of very

16:35

bright eyes,

16:37

which seemed red in the lamplight

16:40

as he turned to us. He said to the

16:42

driver,

16:43

You are early tonight, my friend. The

16:45

man stammered in reply.

16:47

The English hoe was in

16:49

a hurry. To which the stranger replied,

16:52

That is why I suppose you wished him to go

16:54

home to Bukovina.

16:56

As he spoke, he smiled, and

16:58

the lamplight fell on a hard-looking

17:00

mouth with

17:01

very red lips and sharp-looking

17:04

teeth, as white as ivory.

17:07

One of my companions whispered to another

17:09

the line from Berger's L'onnaud, I

17:12

am not afraid of you now. for

17:14

the dead travel fast. The

17:17

strange driver evidently heard the words, for

17:19

he looked up with a gleaming smile. The

17:22

passenger turned his face away, at the same

17:24

time putting out his two fingers and crossing

17:27

himself. Give me the hair of luggage,

17:29

said the driver, and with exceeding

17:32

alacrity my bags were handed out and put

17:34

in the callech.

17:35

Then I descended from the side of the coach,

17:38

as the callech was close alongside, the

17:40

driver helping me with a hand which caught my

17:43

arm in a grip of steel. His

17:46

strength must have been prodigious.

17:49

Without a word,

17:50

he shook his reins, the horses turned,

17:53

and we swept into the darkness of the path.

17:56

As I looked back, I saw the steam from the horses

17:58

of the coach by the light. of the lamps, and

18:01

projected against it the figures of my late companions

18:04

crossing themselves. Then the

18:06

driver cracked his whip and called to his horses,

18:08

and off they swept on their way

18:10

to Bocovina. As they

18:13

sank into the darkness, I

18:15

felt a strange chill,

18:17

and a lonely feeling came over me.

18:22

A cloak was thrown over my shoulders and

18:24

a rug across my knees, and the driver

18:26

said in excellent German, The night

18:29

is chill, my hare, and my master

18:31

the Count bade me take all care of you. There

18:34

is a flask of slivovitz, the plum brandy

18:36

of the country, underneath the seat, if you should

18:38

require it.

18:39

I did not take any, but it

18:41

was a comfort to know it was there all the same. I

18:44

felt a little strangely, and not

18:47

a little

18:47

frightened. I think had

18:49

there been any alternative, I should have taken it, instead

18:52

of prosecuting that unknown night journey.

18:55

The carriage went at a hard pace straight along,

18:57

then we made a complete turn and went along another

19:00

straight road. It

19:01

seemed to me that we were simply going over

19:03

and over the same ground again, until

19:05

I took note of some salient

19:07

point and found that this was so. I

19:10

would have liked to have asked the driver what

19:12

this all meant, but

19:14

I really feared to do so,

19:16

for I thought that, placed as I was, any

19:19

protest would have had no effect

19:22

in case there had been an intention to delay.

19:26

By and by, however, as I was curious

19:28

to know how time was passing, I

19:30

struck a match, and by its flame

19:33

looked at my watch.

19:34

It was within a few minutes of midnight.

19:38

This gave me a sort of shock, for I suppose

19:40

the general superstition about midnight was increased

19:42

by my recent experiences.

19:45

I waited, with a sick

19:48

feeling of suspense.

19:53

A dog began to howl somewhere in a farmhouse

19:56

far down the road, a

19:58

long agonised whaler.

20:02

The sound was taken up by another dog,

20:04

and then another, and another, till, born

20:07

on the wind which now sighed softly

20:09

through the plain, a wailed howling

20:12

began, which seemed

20:14

to come from all over the country, as far

20:17

as the imagination could grasp it through the

20:19

gloom of the night. At

20:21

the first house, the horses began

20:23

to strain and reel, but

20:25

the driver spoke to them soothingly, and

20:27

they quieted now, shivered

20:29

and sweated as though after a run away from

20:32

sudden fright.

20:34

Then,

20:35

far off in the distance,

20:37

from the mountains on each side of us began

20:39

a louder and a sharper howling, that

20:43

of wolves, which affected

20:45

both the horses and myself in the same way, for

20:48

I was minded to jump from the callech and

20:50

run, while they reared again

20:52

and plunged madly so that the driver had to

20:54

use all his great strength to keep

20:57

them from bolting. In a few

20:59

minutes, my own ears

21:01

beat accustomed to the sound,

21:04

and the horses so far became quiet that the

21:06

driver was able to descend and

21:07

to feel before them.

21:10

He petted and smoothed them, and

21:12

whispered something in their ears, as I

21:15

have heard of horse-tamer's

21:17

doing, and with extraordinary effect,

21:20

for under his caresses they became

21:22

quite manageable again, though

21:24

they still trembled. The

21:27

driver again took his seat, and, shaking

21:29

his reins, started off at a great pace. This

21:33

time, after going to the far side of the pass,

21:35

he suddenly turned down a narrow roadway which

21:37

ran sharply to the right. Soon

21:40

we were hemmed in with trees, which in

21:42

places arched right over the roadway

21:44

till we passed as through a tunnel,

21:47

and again greats frowning rocks

21:49

guarded us boldly on either side.

21:52

Though we were in shelter, we could

21:55

hear the rising wind, for it moaned and

21:57

whistled through the rocks and

21:59

the branches of the forest.

21:59

the trees crashed together as we swept

22:02

along. It grew

22:04

colder and colder still,

22:07

and fine howdery snow began

22:09

to fall,

22:10

so that soon we and all around us

22:12

were covered with a white blanket. The

22:15

keen wind still carried the howling

22:17

of the dogs, though this grew fainter

22:20

as we went on our way. The baying

22:22

of the wolves sounded nearer and

22:24

nearer, as

22:25

though they were closing round us from every

22:27

side. I

22:29

grew dreadfully afraid,

22:31

and the horses shared my fear. The

22:34

driver, however, was not in the least disturbed.

22:37

He kept turning his head to left and right spurts.

22:41

I could

22:41

not see anything through the darkness.

22:44

Suddenly,

22:45

away on our left, I saw

22:47

a faint flickering blue flame.

22:50

The driver saw us at the same moment. He

22:53

at once chucked the horses, and jumping

22:55

to the ground, disappeared into the darkness.

22:56

I did not

22:58

know what to do, the less as the

23:01

howling of the wolves grew closer. But

23:04

while I wondered, the driver suddenly appeared

23:06

again, and without a word, took his

23:08

seat, and we resumed our journey.

23:12

I think I must have fallen asleep and kept

23:15

dreaming of the incident, for

23:17

it seemed to be repeated endlessly. And

23:20

though, looking back, it

23:22

is like a sort of awful

23:24

nightmare.

23:25

The flame appeared so

23:27

near the road that even in the darkness around

23:30

us, they could watch the driver's motion.

23:33

He went rapidly to where the blue flame arose.

23:36

It must have been very faint, for it did not

23:38

seem to elune the place around it at all, and

23:41

gathering a few stones, formed

23:43

them into some device. Once

23:47

there appeared a strange optical

23:49

effect.

23:49

When he stood

23:51

between me and the flame, he did not obstruct

23:54

it, for I could see its ghostly

23:56

flicker all the same. This

23:59

startled me.

24:01

As the effect was only in my momentary, I

24:04

took it in my eyes to see me streaming through

24:06

the darkness. Then, for

24:09

a time, there were no blue fleas,

24:11

and we sped onward through the gloom with the

24:13

howling of the walls around us, as

24:15

though they were following in a moving circle. At

24:18

last, there came a time when the driver went further

24:20

afield than he had yet gone,

24:22

and, during his absence, the

24:25

horses began to tremble worse than ever,

24:28

and the snorts and scream of fright.

24:31

I could not see any cause for it,

24:34

for the howling of the walls had ceased

24:36

altogether. But just then,

24:39

the moon,

24:40

sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind

24:42

the jagged crest of a beatling pine-clad

24:45

rock, and by its light I

24:47

saw around us a ring of

24:50

wolves, with white teeth

24:53

and lolling red tongues, with

24:55

long sinewy limbs and

24:57

shady hair. They

25:00

were a hundred times more terrible

25:02

in the grim silence which held them than

25:04

even when they had.

25:08

For myself, I felt

25:10

a sort of paralysis of fear. It

25:14

is only when a man feels himself face

25:16

to face with such horrors that

25:18

he can understand their truth. All

25:22

at once, the wolves began to howl

25:24

as though the moonlight had had some peculiar

25:26

effect on them. The horses jumped about

25:29

and reared, and looked up at the world, with

25:31

eyes that rolled in a way painful to

25:34

see. But the living

25:36

ring of terror encompassed them on every side,

25:38

and they had the force to

25:40

remain within it. The force had

25:41

a huge amount of code. It

25:44

seemed to me that the only chance was to try

25:46

and break out through the ring,

25:47

and a huge of the ropes were shouted, and

25:49

the meat of the streets of the colony.

25:51

Hoping the little horses were scared, the wolves were

25:53

from that side,

25:54

so as to get

25:59

Look here! How

26:02

he came there, I know not. But

26:04

I heard his voice raised in a tone

26:07

of imperious command. And

26:09

looking towards the sound, saw him

26:12

stand in the roadway.

26:13

As

26:15

he swept his long arms as though

26:17

brushing aside some implacable obstacle,

26:20

the wolves fell back and back

26:23

further still.

26:24

Just then, a heavy cloud

26:26

passed across the face of the moon so that we

26:29

were again in darkness. When

26:32

I could see again, the driver was climbing

26:34

into the caliph, and the wolves

26:36

had disappeared. This was all so

26:39

strange and uncanny that a

26:41

dreadful fear came upon me. And

26:45

I was afraid to speak or move.

26:49

The time seemed interminable

26:52

as we swept on our way, now

26:54

in almost complete darkness, for

26:58

the rolling clouds obscured the moon. We

27:02

kept on ascending, with occasional

27:04

periods of quick descent,

27:05

but in the lane always ascending.

27:08

Suddenly,

27:10

I became conscious of the fact that driver

27:11

was in the act of pulling up the horses in the

27:13

courtyard of the far-ruined

27:16

castle, from

27:17

whose tall black windows came

27:19

no ray of light,

27:21

and whose broken battlements showed a

27:23

jagged line against the moonlit sky.

27:27

I must have been asleep, for certainly

27:30

if I had been fully awake, I must have noticed

27:32

the approach of such a remarkable place. In

27:35

the gloom, the courtyard looked of

27:37

considerable size, and

27:39

as several dark ways led from it under

27:41

great round arches, it

27:43

perhaps seemed bigger than it really is. I

27:46

have not yet been able to see it by daylight.

27:50

When the caliph stopped, the

27:52

driver jumped down and held out his hand to

27:54

assist me to alight. Again,

27:57

I could not but notice his prodigious

27:59

strength.

28:01

His hand actually seemed like a steel

28:04

vice that could have crushed mine

28:06

if he had chosen. Then

28:09

he took out my traps and placed them on the ground

28:11

beside me, as I stood close to a

28:13

great door, old and studded

28:15

with large iron nails, and

28:17

set in a projecting doorway of massive

28:19

stone.

28:20

You could see, even in the dim light, that

28:23

the stone was massively carved,

28:25

but that the carving had been much

28:27

worn by time and weather. As

28:30

I stood, the driver jumped

28:33

again into his seat and shook the reins. The

28:36

horses started forward, and

28:38

trap and all disappeared down one

28:40

of the dark openings. I

28:43

stood in silence where I was,

28:46

for I did not know what to do.

28:49

Of bell or knocker there was no sign.

28:52

Through these frowning walls and dark

28:54

window openings, it was not likely

28:56

that my voice could penetrate.

28:58

The time I waited seemed endless,

29:01

and I felt doubt and fears

29:04

crowding upon me. What

29:08

sort of place had I come to? And

29:11

among what kind of people? What

29:14

sort of grim adventure was it on

29:16

which I had embarked? Was

29:18

this a customary incident in the life

29:21

of a solicitor's clerk sent out

29:22

to explain the purchase of a London estate to

29:25

a foreigner? A solicitor's

29:27

clerk? Meena would not

29:29

like that. Solicitor.

29:33

For, just before leaving London,

29:36

I

29:36

got word that my examination was successful,

29:38

and I am now a full-blown solicitor.

29:42

I began to rub my eyes

29:44

and

29:44

pinch myself to see if I were awake.

29:47

It all seemed like a horrible nightmare to me,

29:50

and I expected that I should suddenly awake

29:52

and find myself at home with the dawn struggling

29:55

in through the windows as I'd now and

29:57

again felt in the morning after a day of overwork.

30:01

But my flesh answered

30:03

the pinching test, and my

30:05

eyes were not to be deceived. I

30:08

was, indeed, awake,

30:10

and among the Carpathians. All

30:13

I could do now was to

30:15

be patient,

30:17

and to wait the coming of the morning.

30:22

Just as I had come to this conclusion, I

30:24

heard a heavy step approaching behind the

30:26

great door,

30:28

and saw through the chinks the gleam of

30:30

a coming light. Then

30:32

there was the sound of rattling chains and

30:34

the clanking of massive bolts. A

30:38

key was turned with the loud, grating

30:40

noise of long zits, and

30:42

the great door swung.

30:45

With it stood a tall,

30:48

old man, clean-shaven, save

30:50

for a long white moustache, and

30:52

clad in black from head to foot,

30:55

without a single speck of colour about

30:57

him anywhere.

30:59

He held in his hand an antique

31:01

silver lung,

31:02

in which the flame burnt without chimney

31:04

or globe of any kind, throwing long,

31:07

quivering shadows as it flickered in the draft

31:09

of the open door. The old man

31:11

motioned me in with his right hand with a courtly

31:14

gesture, saying in excellent

31:16

English but with a strange intonation,

31:19

Welcome to my house. Enter

31:22

freely, and of your own will.

31:24

He made no motion of stepping to meet me, but

31:27

stood like a statue, as though his gesture

31:29

of welcome had fixed him into stone.

31:33

The instant, however, that I had stepped over

31:35

the threshold, he moved impulsively

31:37

forward and holding out his hand grasped

31:40

nine with a strength which made me wince, an

31:43

effect that was not lessened by the fact that

31:45

it seemed as cold as ice. More

31:48

like the hand of a debt than a living

31:51

man.

31:52

Again he said, Welcome

31:54

to my house. Come freely,

31:57

go safely, and leave something of the habit

31:59

of the

31:59

The strength of the handshake

32:02

was so much akin to

32:03

that which I had noticed in the driver. On his

32:06

face I had not seen that for

32:08

a moment I doubted if it were not the same person

32:11

to whom I was speaking.

32:12

So to make sure I said,

32:15

interrogatively, that

32:17

Dracula,

32:19

he beat in a courtly way as

32:21

he replied,

32:23

I am Dracula and I bid you welcome,

32:25

Mr. Harker, to my house. Come

32:27

in. The night air

32:30

is chill, and you must need

32:32

to eat and rest. As he was speaking,

32:34

he put the lamp on a bracket on the wall, and

32:37

stepping out took my luggage. He

32:39

had carried it in before I could forestall him. I

32:42

protested, but he

32:43

insisted.

32:44

Nay, sir, you are my guest.

32:47

It is late, and my people are not available.

32:50

Let me see to your comfort myself. He

32:53

insisted on carrying my traps along the passage,

32:56

and then up a great winding stair, and

32:58

along another great passage, on whose stone

33:01

floor our steps

33:02

ran heavily.

33:04

At the end of this he threw open

33:06

a heavy door, and I rejoiced

33:08

to see within a well-lit

33:11

room in which a table was spread

33:13

for supper, and on whose

33:15

mighty hearth a great fire

33:17

of locks freshly replenished, flamed

33:20

and flared.

33:22

The counts halted.

33:23

Putting down my bags, closed the door,

33:25

and, crossing the room, opened another door,

33:27

which led into a small octagonal

33:30

room lit by a single lamp, and

33:32

seemingly without a window of any sort.

33:35

Passing through this,

33:36

he opened another door and motioned me to enter.

33:39

It was a welcomed sight,

33:42

for here was a great bedroom,

33:44

well-lighted and warmed with another log-fire,

33:47

also added to but lately, for

33:50

the top logs were fresh, which sent

33:52

a hollow roar up the wide chimney.

33:56

The Count himself left my luggage inside,

33:58

and withdrew, saying, before I was ready, he closed

34:00

the door.

34:01

You will need, after your journey, to refresh

34:03

yourself by making your toilet.

34:05

I trust you will find all you wish.

34:08

When you are ready, come into the other

34:10

room, where you will find your supper

34:12

prepared.

34:14

The light and warmth and the Count's courtier's

34:16

welcome seem to have dissipated all my doubts

34:19

and fears.

34:21

Having then reached my normal states, I

34:23

discovered that I was half famished with hunger,

34:25

so

34:26

making a hasty toilet, I

34:28

went into the other room. I found

34:30

supper already laid out.

34:32

My host, who stood on one side

34:34

of the great fireplace,

34:35

leaning against the stonework, made

34:38

a graceful wave of his hand

34:39

to the table, and said,

34:41

I pray you, be seated and sub

34:43

how you plead.

34:45

You will, I trust, excuse me, that I

34:47

do not join you, but I have dined already,

34:49

and I do not sub.

34:50

I handed to him the sealed letter, which

34:53

Mr. Hawkins had entrusted to me.

34:55

He opened it, and read it greatly.

34:58

Then with a

34:59

charming smile he handed it to me

35:01

to meet. One passage of it

35:03

at least gave me a thrill of pleasure. I

35:05

must regret that an attack of scouts,

35:08

from which malady I am a constant

35:10

sufferer, for there's absolutely any

35:12

travelling on my part for some time

35:15

to come. But I am happy

35:17

to say I can send a sufficient substitute,

35:20

one in whom I have every possible confidence.

35:23

He is a young man, full of energy

35:26

and talent in his own way, and of

35:28

a very faithful disposition.

35:30

He is discreet

35:31

and silent, and has grown

35:33

into manhood in my service. He

35:35

shall be ready to attend on you when you will

35:38

during his stay, and shall take your

35:40

instructions in all matters.

35:43

The Count himself came forward and

35:45

took off the cover of a dish, and

35:48

I fell to at once on an excellent

35:51

roast chicken. This with

35:53

some cheese and a salad and a bottle of

35:55

old tokai,

35:57

of which I had two glasses, was

35:59

my supper.

35:59

During the time I was eating

36:02

it, the Count asked me many questions

36:04

as to my journey, and I told him by

36:06

degrees all I had experienced. By

36:09

this time I had finished my supper, and

36:12

by my host's desire had drawn up

36:14

a chair by the fire, and begun to

36:16

smoke a cigar which offered me, at

36:18

the same time excusing himself that he

36:21

did not smoke.

36:22

I had now an opportunity of observing him,

36:25

and found him of a very marked physiognomy.

36:29

His face was a strong, a very

36:32

strong acolyte,

36:33

with high bridge of the thin nose

36:35

and peculiarly arched nostrils, with

36:39

lofty domed forehead and hair

36:41

growing scantily round the temples but

36:43

profusely elsewhere. His

36:46

eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting

36:48

over the nose, and with bushy

36:50

hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion.

36:55

The mouth,

36:56

so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache,

36:59

was fixed, and rather

37:01

cruel-looking, with

37:04

peculiarly sharp white

37:07

teeth.

37:09

These protruded over the lips,

37:12

whose remarkable ruddiness

37:14

showed astonishing vitality in a man of

37:16

his years. For

37:19

the rest, his ears

37:21

were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed. The

37:25

chin was broad and strong, and

37:28

the cheeks firm, though thin. The

37:31

general effect was one of

37:34

extraordinary pallor. Hitherto

37:37

I had noticed the backs of his hands as they lay on his knees

37:40

in the phylight,

37:41

and they had seemed rather white

37:43

and fine, but seeing

37:46

them now close to me,

37:48

I could not but notice that they were rather

37:50

coarse, broad with scott's fingers.

37:53

Strange

37:55

to say, there were hairs

37:58

in the centre of the palm. The

38:00

nails were long and fine and cut

38:02

to a sharp point. As

38:05

the camp leaned over me and his hands touched

38:08

mine, I could not repress

38:11

or shudder.

38:13

It may have been that his breath

38:15

was frank, but

38:18

a horrible feeling of nausea

38:21

came over me which I do

38:23

what I could. I

38:24

could not conceal.

38:27

A count,

38:28

evidently noticing it, drew back, and

38:30

with a grim sort of smile which showed more than

38:32

he had yet done, his protuberant teeth,

38:35

set himself down again on his own side

38:37

of the fireplace. We

38:39

were both silent for a while, and

38:42

as I looked towards the window, I saw the

38:44

first dim streak of the coming dawn.

38:48

It seemed as strange

38:49

stillness over everything.

38:53

But as I listened, I heard

38:56

as if from down below in the valley, the

38:59

howling of many wolves.

39:02

The camp's eyes gleamed and

39:04

he said, Listen to them. The

39:08

children of the night, what

39:11

music they make. Seeing,

39:15

I suppose, some expression in my

39:17

face strange to him, he added, Ah,

39:21

sir, you dwellers

39:23

in the city cannot enter into the feelings

39:26

of the hunter. Then he rose

39:28

and said, But you

39:30

must be tired.

39:32

Your bedroom is already, and

39:34

tomorrow you shall sleep as late as you will. I

39:38

have to be away till afternoon, so

39:41

sleep well and dream

39:43

well. With a courteous bow,

39:46

he opened for me himself the door to

39:48

the octagonal room, and I entered

39:50

my bedroom.

39:53

I am all in

39:55

a sea of wonders.

39:58

I doubt. I

40:00

fear, I think,

40:03

strange things which I dare

40:05

not confess to my own soul.

40:09

God keep me, if

40:12

only for the sake of those dear to me."

40:19

This episode featured Ben Galpin

40:22

as Jonathan Harker, Zivane Rass

40:24

as the Hungarian man and additional voices,

40:27

Mihaly Mette as the driver

40:30

and additional voices,

40:31

Mari Opinkaru as the

40:33

German-speaking traveler and additional voices,

40:36

with additional voices by Ioana

40:39

Deskeriti, Graham Rowett as

40:41

Peter Hawkins,

40:42

and Karim Kromtli as Dracula,

40:45

directed by Steven Ndrosano, dialogue

40:47

editing by Steven Ndrosano,

40:49

sound design by Tao Manier, produced

40:52

by Ella Watts and Pacific S. Obadiah,

40:55

with executive producers Steven Ndrosano,

40:58

Tao Manier, and Hannah Wright. A

41:00

bloody FM production.

41:08

The Sable and Falling Network,

41:11

where fiction producers flourish.

41:14

Jesus f***s. Get ready

41:16

for the miracle of MEGA,

41:19

a comedy podcast from the staff of

41:21

a fictional MEGA

41:22

church. And not only does he f***, but he's

41:24

the best at it. I'm Holly Lorentz. And

41:26

I'm Greg Hess.

41:27

Our characters, Holly and Gray, welcome a new guest

41:29

each week, played by some of the biggest names in comedy

41:31

and podcasting.

41:32

Like Scott Aucherman, Lauren Lapgis,

41:34

Paul Scheer, Jason Mandzukas, Cecily

41:36

Strong, and Duncan Trussell.

41:37

It's completely improvised and it's devilishly

41:40

funny.

41:40

There's a new episode every Sunday. Listen

41:42

and subscribe to MEGA, wherever you get

41:44

your podcasts.