My story begins about seven years ago, in 1875. My name is Jonathan Harker, and I live and work in London. My job is to buy and sell houses for other people. One day a letter arrived for me from a very rich man who lived in Transylvania. He wanted to buy a house in England and he needed my help. The man was Count Dracula, and I agreed to help him.

I found a house for him, and he asked me to take all the papers for it to Transylvania. I was not very pleased about this. I was planning to get married in the autumn, and I did not want to leave my beautiful Mina.

"But you must go, Jonathan," she said. "The Count is rich, and perhaps he will give you more work later."

So I agreed to go. I did not know then of the terrible danger which waited for me in Transylvania.

And so, on 4th May I arrived at a little town called Bistritz. Transylvania was a strange and beautiful country. There were mountains, trees and rivers everywhere. And somewhere high in the mountains was the Count's home, Castle Dracula. I had six hours to wait before the coach came to take me there, so I went into a little hotel. Inside the hotel it was warm and friendly. The people there were all laughing and talking. "Where are you going?" they asked me.

"To Castle Dracula," I replied.

Suddenly the room was silent and everyone turned to look at me. I could not understand why they all looked afraid.

"Don't go there," someone said.

"But I have to," I answered. "It's business."

They began to talk again, but they were no longer laughing. Slowly, the hotel keeper's wife took the gold cross from her neck and put it into my hand. "Take this," she said. "There is danger at Castle Dracula. Perhaps this will help you."

When the coach arrived and I got into it, a crowd of people came to watch, and I heard the word "vampire".

The coach travelled up into the mountains. Higher and higher it went, faster and faster. The sun was bright, but above the trees there was snow on the mountain tops. Then suddenly. the sun went down behind the mountains and everywhere was dark. In the forest around us, the wolves were howling. It was a terrible sound.

Suddenly the coach stopped. A small carriage came down the narrow road on the right. Four black horses were pulling it, and the driver was dressed in black, with a black hat pulled down over his face.

"Where's the Englishman?" he called. "I've come from Castle Dracula!"

He looked strange, standing there in the moonlight, and suddenly I was afraid. But it was too late. I could not go back now.

Soon we were on our way to Castle Dracula. The mountains were all around us and the moon was behind black clouds. I could see nothing -- but I could still hear the wolves. The horses went faster and faster, and the driver laughed wildly.

Suddenly the carriage stopped. I opened the door and got out. At once the carriage drove away and I was alone in front of the dark, silent castle. I stood there, looking up at it, and slowly, the big wooden door opened. A tall man stood in front of me. His hair was white and he was dressed in black from head to foot.

"Come in, Mr Harker," he said. "I am Count Dracula." He held out his hand and I took it. It was as cold as ice!

I went into the castle and the Count carefully locked the door behind me. He put the key into his pocket and turned to go upstairs. I followed him, and we came to a room where a wood fire burned brightly. In front of it there was a little table with food and drink on it. The Count asked me to sit down and eat, but he did not eat with me. Later, we sat and talked by the fire. His English was very good, and while we talked, I had time to look at him carefully. His face was very white, his ears were like the ears of a cat, and his teeth were strong like the teeth of an animal. There was hair on his hands and his fingers were very long. When he touched me, I was afraid.

It was nearly morning when I went to bed, and outside, the wolves were still howling.

The next morning I found my breakfast on the little table in front of the fire. Now that it was light, I could see that Castle Dracula was old and dirty. I saw no servants all that day.

The Count did not come to breakfast, but there was a letter from him on the table.

"Go anywhere in the castle," it said, "but some of the rooms are locked. Do not try to go into these rooms."

When the Count came back in the evening, he wanted to know all about his new house in England.

"Well," I began, "it's a very big house, old and dark, with a high wall all round it. There are trees everywhere. That's why the house is dark. It has a little church too." And I showed him some pictures of it.

He was pleased about the church. "Ah," he said, "so I shall be near the dead."

We talked for a long time and once I fell asleep. I woke up suddenly and found the Count's face near me. The smell which came from him was terrible. It was the smell of death.

"You're tired," the Count said. "Go to bed now." And when he smiled, his face was the face of a wolf.

Our business was now finished. The Count had all the papers for his new house, and there was nothing to keep me in Transylvania or in Castle Dracula, but the Count did not want me to leave. I was alone with him in the castle, but I never saw him in the daytime. I only saw him at night when he came and sat with me. We always talked until the morning and he asked me many questions about England. "I have plans to go there myself soon," he said. "Tell me about sending things to England by ship." So we talked about ships and the sea, and I thought about Mina, and her friend Lucy. Lucy and her mother were staying by the sea, and Mina was planning to visit them there some time. Stupidly, I told the Count about them.

There was no mirror in my bedroom, but I had one with me, a present from Mina. One morning I was standing in front of it and I was shaving. Suddenly a hand touched me and a voice said, "Good morning." The Count was standing next to me. He was standing next to me, but I could not see him in the mirror!

My hand shook and I cut myself. Blood began to run down my face and I saw that Count Dracula was watching it hungrily. Suddenly he put out his hand. He had a wild look in his eyes, and I was afraid. But his hand touched the gold cross at my neck and his face changed. He took the mirror from me, went to the window, and a minute later the mirror was lying in a thousand pieces far below. He did not speak, but left the room quickly. And I stood there, and asked myself why I could not see this man in the mirror.

I went over to the window and looked out. I was high above the ground. Many of the doors in the castle were locked. Suddenly, I understood. I was a prisoner!