🧛 Dracula – Chapter 2: Strange Days in the Castle

Jonathan Harker’s Journal – May 5th
I spent my first full day in Castle Dracula, and already I feel like a prisoner.

The Count is kind and well-mannered. He speaks perfect English, though with a strange accent. We talk about business—he wants to buy a house in London—but something about him makes me nervous.

He never eats with me. In fact, I never see him eat or drink anything.

He only appears at night, never in the daylight.

Today, I woke early and explored the castle. The doors are locked. Every exit is barred. I can walk the halls and rooms—but I cannot leave.

The Count warned me, “Don’t sleep in any room except your own.”
Why would he say that?

May 7th
I noticed something odd. There are no mirrors in the castle.

I used a small mirror from my shaving kit. As I leaned over the sink, I saw my face—but not the Count’s. He stood directly behind me, but he had no reflection.

Startled, I turned around. He reached out and grabbed the mirror, throwing it to the ground.

“A broken mirror is bad luck,” he said calmly. But I saw anger in his eyes.

What kind of man casts no reflection?

Later, I noticed that his hands are covered in hair, and his nails are sharp—more like claws than fingers.

I’m beginning to fear him.

May 10th
Today, I looked out the window and saw something terrible. The Count was crawling down the wall of the castle, headfirst, like a spider.

No human could move like that.

I tried the doors again. Still locked. Still no way out.

I am trapped.

May 12th
At night, I hear strange noises. Whispers. Scratching sounds in the walls.

One night, I couldn’t sleep and wandered into another room—disobeying the Count’s warning.

I found a beautiful, empty bedroom. I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.

Then I heard a soft laugh.

Three women were standing at the end of the bed—pale, with red lips and glowing eyes.

One whispered, “He’s young and warm. Shall we kiss him?”

I couldn’t move. My body was frozen with fear.

As they leaned closer, I felt their cold breath on my neck.

Suddenly, the Count appeared. He was furious. “He belongs to me!” he shouted.

The women hissed and disappeared into the darkness.

The Count looked down at me. “You should not have left your room,” he said.

I’m certain now—he is not human.

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📖 Glossary

Word / Phrase	Meaning
Prisoner	Someone who cannot leave a place
Barred	Locked with metal bars
Reflection	The image seen in a mirror
Shaving kit	Small set of tools used for shaving
Claws	Sharp nails, like those of an animal
Hissed	Made a sharp "sss" sound, like a snake

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What makes Jonathan feel like a prisoner?

2. What strange things does he notice about the Count?

3. What happens with the mirror?

4. How does the Count move down the castle wall?

5. Who are the three women Jonathan sees?

6. How does the Count react when he finds them with Jonathan?

7. What is Jonathan now sure about?

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✅ Answers

1. All the doors are locked, and he cannot leave the castle.

2. The Count has no reflection, doesn’t eat, only appears at night, and crawls like a spider.

3. Jonathan sees no reflection of the Count; the Count becomes angry and breaks the mirror.

4. He crawls headfirst like a spider.

5. Three strange, vampire-like women.

6. He becomes angry and says Jonathan “belongs to him.”

7. That Count Dracula is not human