🧛‍♂️ Dracula – Chapter 10 (Adapted)

Title: A New Target

Now that Lucy had been laid to rest, Van Helsing and his friends knew that Count Dracula was still alive—and dangerous. He had already taken one victim, and they feared he would take more.

Van Helsing spoke to Jonathan and Mina.

“We must be brave. Dracula is in London. He hides by day and walks by night. We must find him and stop him.”

Jonathan remembered the castle in Transylvania. His face went pale as he said:

“I know him. I was his prisoner. I saw him crawl down the castle wall like a lizard.”

Mina hugged him. She was proud of how strong he had become. But Van Helsing noticed something else—Mina looked tired. Her skin was pale, and her eyes had dark circles beneath them.

He looked at Jonathan.

“Has Mina been sleeping well?”
“Not really,” he replied. “She wakes up with bad dreams.”

Van Helsing began to worry. Lucy had also started with strange dreams before she became ill. He asked Mina to write everything in her journal—her dreams, thoughts, and feelings. Mina agreed.

Meanwhile, Van Helsing and the others searched London for Dracula. They visited graveyards, dark alleys, and even the docks, looking for signs of him.

Then, something terrible happened.

One night, Mina was alone in her room. A mist entered through the window. She couldn’t move or speak. She saw a tall, pale figure in black leaning over her. It was Dracula.

Mina later wrote:

“I felt cold, as if my blood was turning to ice. He pressed his lips to my neck. I could not stop him. I could not scream.”

Jonathan, sleeping in the next room, did not hear anything. When he found Mina the next morning, she was weak and pale.

Van Helsing arrived and examined her. He found two small wounds on her neck—the same as Lucy had.

“He has started with her,” Van Helsing said sadly. “We must act quickly.”

They gave Mina garlic and hung a crucifix above her bed. Van Helsing also placed mirrors and sacred objects around the room to protect her.

Then they planned their next move.

Van Helsing believed that Dracula had brought boxes of earth from Transylvania—boxes filled with his native soil. These were his hiding places during the day.

“If we find and destroy his boxes, he will have no place to rest. Then we can destroy him,” he said.

The group split up. Jonathan and Dr. Seward searched the docks. Arthur and Quincey Morris went to investigate old houses Dracula might be using.

Mina stayed behind, growing weaker each night. But she still helped, typing notes and keeping their records in order.

Van Helsing looked at her with admiration.

“You are brave, Miss Mina. Stronger than many men.”

But he knew they were running out of time.

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📘 Glossary

Word	Meaning
Laid to rest	Buried after death
Brave	Showing courage
Pale	Having little color in the face
Mist	Light fog or steam
Sacred	Related to religion or protection
Crucifix	A Christian cross with Jesus on it
Soil	Earth or dirt
Admiration	Respect and approval

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. Why did Van Helsing believe Dracula was still in London?

2. What symptoms did Mina begin to show?

3. What happened to Mina one night while she was alone?

4. How did Van Helsing try to protect Mina afterward?

5. What did Van Helsing say about the boxes of soil?

6. How did Mina continue to help the group?

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✅ Answers

1. Because strange things were happening and people were still in danger.

2. She became pale, weak, and had strange dreams.

3. Dracula visited her, drank her blood, and she couldn’t move or scream.

4. He used garlic, a crucifix, mirrors, and sacred objects.

5. Dracula used them as places to hide during the day; destroying them would leave him vulnerable.

6. She typed notes, organized journals, and stayed involved despite being weak.