🧛‍♂️ Dracula – Chapter 11 (Adapted)

Title: Hunting the Count

Van Helsing and his team continued their mission: to find all of Dracula’s boxes of earth—his safe places—and destroy them. They believed this would weaken him and make it possible to end his evil forever.

Jonathan, Arthur, Dr. Seward, and Quincey searched every location Dracula had visited. In one house near the Thames River, they found several of the boxes. Some were empty, but others still held dirt. They placed holy wafers in them so Dracula could not return.

Van Helsing stayed with Mina, who was now very weak. Her face was white, her lips red, and the wounds on her neck deeper. She had dreams of a dark fog entering her room and of hearing Dracula’s voice. Still, she helped with the group’s work—writing, organizing notes, and encouraging the men.

One day, Van Helsing gathered them together.

“Dracula is planning to escape. He knows we are closing in.”

“Where would he go?” asked Arthur.

“Back to Transylvania,” said Jonathan. “To his castle.”

Van Helsing nodded.

“We must stop him before he leaves England.”

Then something terrible happened. Mina cried out in the night. The men ran to her room and found her lying in bed, her face pale and wet with tears. In the dark corner stood Count Dracula, his red eyes glowing.

Dracula hissed at them, his lips stained with blood. Jonathan rushed forward, but the Count disappeared into a cloud of mist.

Van Helsing ran to Mina. Her nightdress was soaked with blood. But this time, the marks were not only on her neck—there was also a small wound on her chest.

“He made her drink his blood,” Van Helsing said in horror. “Now their minds are connected.”

Mina began to cry.

“Am I becoming one of them?”

“No,” Van Helsing said firmly. “We still have time.”

They quickly put protections around the house—garlic, holy water, crucifixes. Mina was given sacred items to keep with her at all times.

But now there was a new idea: if Mina and Dracula were mentally linked, perhaps they could use this to track him.

Van Helsing spoke to Mina.

“If you concentrate, can you see where he is?”

Mina closed her eyes. After a long pause, she said:

“He is on a ship. I feel the sea. I smell salt in the air. He is going home…”

“Then we must follow!” shouted Jonathan.

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📘 Glossary

Word	Meaning
Wafer	A small piece of holy bread used in church
Thames River	A river in London
Encouraging	Giving support and confidence
Escape	To run away
Nightdress	A dress worn for sleeping
Sacred	Religious or holy
Mentally linked	Connected by the mind or thoughts

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What did the group do to Dracula’s boxes?

2. How was Mina feeling during this chapter?

3. What did Dracula do to Mina during the night?

4. Why was Van Helsing so worried after the attack?

5. How did they plan to use Mina’s condition to help?

6. Where was Dracula going?

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✅ Answers

1. They placed holy wafers inside the boxes to make them unusable.

2. She was weak but still tried to help the others.

3. He made her drink his blood and bit her again.

4. Because Dracula and Mina were now mentally connected.

5. They planned to track Dracula using Mina’s mental link.

6. Back to Transylvania, on a ship