Dracula, Bram Stoker
Disclaimer. I dont own the situations or charachters in Dracula.
An alternate ending; from page 390
(Half way through the) MEMORANDUM BY ABRAHAM VAN HELSING
4th November; Madam Mina was wide awake, regardless of the gradually darkening sky. She refused to eat again, just sat in her holy circle by the fire, calming she was too ill to eat; I did not press the issue but now think that I should have. Just before we were to rest for the evening, the air around us grew much colder than before, I heard the horses off behind the trees start to panic in their sheltered quarter. I arose to tend to them, when a slight pressure at my sleeve stopped me, looking down to find Madame Mina's small pale hand gripping my shirt, her face turned away from me, watching a fog that was sweeping about the trees, just outside of our holy circle.
Madame Mina and I watched as the fog swirled queerly around the clearing we were in, shining delicately in the moonlight on the short occasions it stilled, keeping out of our circle. Mina suddenly turned her face towards mine, and asked in a peculiar voice,
"Dear Professor, do you hear them?" from her place on the snow I could clearly see her glazed over eyes, slightly parted red lips and the angry red scar marring her pale porcelain forehead. She turned her eyes back to the fog, still dancing around our small campfire.
"Madame Mina, what can you hear?" I asked her, but she didn't reply she didn't even look back at me, but she stood slowly, shuffling her feet in an odd way through the snow. Without facing me she said in the same voce as before, "your singing is beautiful."
"Who is singing Madame Mina?" I asked her again, and again she didn't respond, just shuffled forward in the snow some more. I turned my attention back to the dancing fog, and noticed it was sparkling a great deal more than the last time I had looked at it. The fog became three distinct figures, and slowly started to solidify. I then knew what we were facing on this most dire night. I recognised the three beautiful women from Jonathan's journal. Madame Mina made to take a further step forward but the holy circle stopped her from proceeding. She briefly looked at her feet in a moment of confusion and raised her top lip above her teeth in a way that reminded me of a snarling dog, though she made no sound.
"Madame Mina, do not step from the circle," I told her and she turned to me this time, something in her voice must have shown my fear for her, she smiled in a way that reminded me of the way Miss Westenra smiled at Lord Godalming the night we laid the poor soul to rest. This was not Madame Mina smiling at me, though her next words comforted my fears in a small way, as I knew it was indeed Madame Mina speaking to me.
"Professor, do not fear for me, for I could not be in less danger, it is for you that I worry," and the light from the fire caught the horrible brand on her forehead, reminding me that she was indeed correct, again.
"Professor," Madame Mina turned to me in her brief pause and smiled a sweet smile, "Would you be so kind to let me from this circle?" I hesitated not sure if Madame Mina would be safe if I let her out. She made the request of me again, only this time adding her desire to send the vampires away to keep me safe. I conceded this time, and wiped away a portion of the circle to create a path for poor, dear Madame Mina, oh if I had know the horrors waiting for us on the other side, because as Madame Mina stepped to the other side of out holy protection, I heard the beautiful women's voices calling to dear, dear Madame Mina. In an almost seductive tone the vampires were calling to Madame Mina, they said "come to us, our sister, come to us" all in unison beckoning her with their eyes. I saw it now, their terrible plan, but it was far too late. Madame Mina walked to the women with a voluptuous gait of which, I knew not was her own. The three vampires grabbed her arms, and embraced her like one would an old, dear friend. I then moved forward to try to save dear Madame Mina from the horribly damned women, but they had moved away faster than I could have a handle on what was happening. As I reached the women they started to turn into mist again, for that's what is was, an otherworldly sparkling mist, and Mina with the other three demons slithered away into the night. I followed as far as I was able in the dark, and then turned back to camp. I could not sleep from the worry of poor, poor Dear Madame Mina, who I fear now we will never know again, not as we have known her in life. I shall try to sleep now, though I greatly fear the dreams I will get of her fate, for as she was fading away she did look more like the damned than ever did I see her beautiful face, the scar standing out horribly, the eyes cold and steeled over, her teeth white, outsized and more pointed then ever, though there is still hope as they were not as keen as the Count's.
5th November; I awoke early this morning, hardly having slept at all the last terrible night. I am quite determined to find Madame Mina today, weather to save her poor soul from the curse she would be under, had the vampiric infection been completed last night, or to save the poor, scared lady from her horrible 'sisters', though I am confident that today she may even find me, and I will beg her forgiveness for allowing her to be taken so easily. I packed up what supplies I could, the horses I found dead where I had left them, and began to trek up the mountain towards the great castle Dracula, where I was to kill the ungodly monsters who took Madame Mina. I took the blacksmith hammer from the carriage and it proved useful, as though the doors were open I broke them off the hinges should they mysteriously lock as they did in Jonathan's bitter experience. By memory of his diary I found my way to the chapel, knowing of at least three graves to find, so I search, and I search and I find one of them. I found her, one of the vampire women in all her beauty asleep in her coffin, I imagine another man who set out to do such a grizzly task as mine would lay eyes on the beautiful woman, in all her voluptuous beauty, full of life and fear they were about to do murder, and so he delay, and delay and then the sun goes down and hypnotized, the man falls, weak to the vampire, as she goes to kiss him, the Vampire Fold has another damned soul to add to its ranks. But it was the thought of my poor dear Madame Mina that gave me the strength to do it. For even I, Van Helsing was moved by the beauteous woman lying in the aged tomb surrounded by the stench that Dracula's lairs often possess, compelled to delay just that second longer. I cut off the head and drove a wooden steak through her heart, she screeched, horrible ear splitting shrieks but the look off peace on her beautiful face gave me the knowledge of what I was doing was right, then her body turned to dust, as if it should have decayed away a long, long time ago. I wasn't able to find Madame Mina, I did find an empty coffin with no nameplate that I fear will become hers after tonight. Through the castle I searched for poor dear scared Mina to no avail, and had to return to the path we believed the Count to be on, for I think now that if we were to slay him, Madame Mina will be spared her horrible fate. It was late evening that I found a hollow to camp for that night. I set up the holy circle, knowing that two of the damned women were still free this night. I sat on top of the rise with a cigar watching the approaching storm when I saw them. A gypsy cart, pulled by four horses with a big, black box strapped to the back. Not far behind them, I could see two horse men, riding furiously, whom I assumed to be John and Lord Godalming, and two more, further behind but riding just as fast who would have been Jonathan and Mr. Morris. I only caught glimpses of the parties as the coming snowstorm was obscuring the view, but the setting sun was very obvious hanging in the sky. I feared that we would not be able to finish the Count before it dipped below the horizon. At this point I hid and waited silently, preparing to spring upon the gypsies before they can make their way past, closer to Castle Dracula.
MINA HARKERS JOURNAL
5th November, early morning; After I left the Professor, my sisters took me to the castle. The doors creaked open and they showed me to a room in one of the highest spires, I recognised it from Jonathan's diary, it was his room. I'm not sure why I went with my sisters, though they're not as bad as the men assume, and I know they will not harm me, which is a small condolence in this situation, I now have a semblance of my ordinary thought process back, though it seemed, in the forest that is, that my sisters told me what to do, were controlling me, though I dismiss that idea, for they will not harm me, we are family now. They talk much of when our Master comes back, and I fear the Count is who they speak of so affectionately. They tell me He will soothe all my fears of our future, for he is a great man. But in my doubt I think of my dear, dear Jonathan, and what the Count and his … his brides did to him. How I fear for my dear loving husband, and for myself. I can see the sun sinking, I can only hope they may destroy him in time.
Later: It is a relief that I have this journal, for without my Jonathan to speak to I have very little ways to express my thoughts. My sisters are asleep, all but one. Van Helsing killed my dear, dear sister. I knew her not long, though she understood what I was going through unlike the men could, they all did. The professor whom I had respected so much had murdered my dear sister, a sleeping woman, and who's to say that such a man would turn viciously on a woman he once was so fond of. The screams of dear Verona were horrible to hear. I know that perhaps I should not have, but I kept the tyrant Van Helsing away from my other dear sisters, they will be devastated when they learn the fate of dear Verona. The sun is almost down now; I will go arouse my sisters.
Marishka and Aleera took the news very badly, worse than even I, Marishka turned to me, her dark hair reflecting the red sunset violently, and said, with tears sliding down her beautiful cheeks "Verona was my sister, in blood, dear sister Mina, yours too now, and poor Lucy would be here with us as well had those monsters not murdered her, will you drink my blood, dearest Mina, will you join us fully, sister, and go after Van Helsing? That, that monster," here Aleera growled lowly, Marishka continued though, "who dare call himself a man, who murders woman in the name of…" Marishka made a choking noise, and changed what she was going to say, "In the name of their beliefs? A man who would give you such a horrible mark upon your brow, beautiful Mina, tell me dear sister what gave him the right?" she tenderly stroked my forehead here, I could feel the scar there burn slightly at the contact, and I accented to her request, she smiled a happy voluptuous smile at me, with a hint of underlying sadness for our dear, lost sister. Aleera came forward and took Marishka's delicate hand to her lips, and bit down, the bleeding wound was offered to me and I had to hesitate, thinking again of my dear Jonathan. Aleera must have sensed my hesitation, for she ran a thumb over my lips, saying "Dear Mina, dear good Mina, what we are is not something to be ashamed of, your dearest husband will want to join you when he see's the loving way we live, he loves you and will-" here she stopped talking, for I, convinced, began to drink my sweet sisters, sweet blood. After that, I remember little until after sunset, so I assumed I had gone to sleep. Aleera and Marishka told me they had helped our master escape a violent fight with cowardly men, our master was greatly outnumbered, they told me they had brought me a surprise, my sisters took me to a grand salon where a man was lying motionless on the floor, I stepped forward, but Aleera stopped me quickly, she smiled a devilish smile "I always get the first bite," and I realized that's indeed what I wanted. She showed me where to bite and how, and I did what she had instructed, though it was messy, I got my evening dress soaked in blood, and it was all over my lips and chin. Marishka smiled at me here, and leaned her face very close to mine, then licked from my chin to the corner of my mouth, cleaning the blood away. "Poor dear Mr. Morris," Aleera said, looking at the man, and what she said was true, dear Mr. Quincy Morris was lying on the floor, dead. Here I screamed, only to be embraced by Aleera, who calmed me enough to let me realise that Mr. Morris would have killed me otherwise, and I had to feed. The doors of the parlour banged open frightfully loud and my dear Jonathan was pushed through, followed by Lord Godalming, Dr Steward and Professor Van Helsing, The Count strode in last. Jonathan saw me first, and let loose an outraged cry, throwing his arms up in the air and falling to his knees, he started to sob.
"Where is Verona?" The count demanded, and I found myself compelled to answer with my sisters, "She is gone, she was destroyed in her sleep, Master," Count Dracula's face contorted into an ugly snarl, and he turned to Van Helsing, "Dear Mina, dear, dear Mina, kill the man who killed your sister," I was delighted that the Count had acknowledged me, and I moved forward at once to obey. Here Jonathan jumped forward,
"Mina," he said to me, eyes pleading, "Mina you wouldn't, dearest please," Aleera slapped him across tha face, faster than he could see; dazed he backed away, still on his knees. The next part happened very quickly, Lord Godalming threw a Kukri at me, missing me by very little but hitting dear Aleera right where her heart was, she crumpled to dust surrounded by her echoing cries of pain. Both Marishka and I leapt at Godalming, tearing and biting any part of his pathetic venerable body that we could, the flesh tore, bones broke. I remember Jonathan screaming out at me to stop; he called me a monster, screamed that he could never love me again. It was then that Dr. Steward, Van Helsing and Jonathan attempted to escape. Dr. Steward fired his gun at us, hitting dear Marishka in the knee, she fell down with a cry of pain and I turned to help her. Our master followed the men, but came back with only Dr. Steward; his head had been ripped off. Marishka recovered perfectly, and our dear Count has arranged for us to track down Van Helsing and Jonathan, he said that it would not do to have such horrible men amongst our world, men who murder women and leave their wives. I am told by dear Marishka that I am still myself, an idea that has worried me more than enough times. She reassures me all the time that I look like me, and think like I did when I was human, and even encouraged me to begin my Journal for my 'new life' as dear Dracula calls it, the sun is rising, I best rest until the next night...
LETTER ABRAHAM VAN HELSING M.D., ., ., ect, ect. TO JOHNATHAN HARKER
Jonathan, my old friend,
I know it has been scarcely seven months since you lost dear, dear Mina and our friends to those monsters in Transylvania, I hope this news does not upset you so much that your brain fever comes back, though the news I write now is grave. I have a patient, young, beautiful woman named Dana, she seems to be suffering in the same way dear young Lucy was. Although she said she had a dream, of two fair skinned women with dark hair, one was called Mina, and they bit her. Jonathan my dear friend, you must realise that these, demons, damned beasts of hell, are still affecting humanity, if we don't act, it is possible that no one else will, dear Jonathan did you not promise poor Madame Mina that you would let her soul rest with god if she were ever turned? We cannot let them spread their disease through humankind, what will the world be if these demons are let roam free. With their time and evilness they will end the world, our beautiful world would become a wasteland my old friend the duty of the humanity falls to us to destroy these beings once and for all, it is our job, as vampire hunters, to rid the world of such ungodly, sinful things, your duty as a loving husband, Jonathan to your wife to let her rest a peaceful eternity, not allow her to roam the world soulless, loveless and killing her friends! Jonathan, we are the only who know of this plague upon our race, on society, and so, my friend, God has intended it will be us who rid the world of such creatures, for it is only us with the knowledge of how to destroy the demons, nay faith, that they exist in our world at all! Jonathan, please send me your reply and yourself with the utmost haste to me, Jonathan the human race as we know it is at stake here, I plead gravely for your assistance in this terrible matter.
Abraham Van Helsing
LETTER JONATHAN HARKER TO ABRAHAM VAN HELSING M.D., ., ., ect, ect
Van Helsing,
It is not Mina you speak of, for my good, dear wife is dead to me now. As long as those monsters are alive I shall hunt them. I'm on my way to you now.
May god be with us,
Jonathan Harker