When I heard from Arthur the terrible news of Lucy's strange illness, I went to her immediately. I could see that she was very ill. She lay in bed all day and did not move. She was as white as a ghost and she was very thin. When night came, she was afraid to sleep, and in the morning, on her neck there were two strange little wounds.

I did not know what was wrong with Lucy. She was losing blood. But how? Was it through these two little wounds in her neck?

I decided to send for my old teacher Professor Van Helsing from Holland. Perhaps he could help.

"She can have my blood!" cried Arthur. "All of it -- to the last drop!"

Van Helsing was right. With Arthur's blood in her, Lucy began to get better immediately. But before he left, Van Helsing did one more thing. He brought some flowers with a very strong smell, and he put a circle of them round Lucy's neck. "My dear," he said, "these are garlic flowers. Do not take them from your neck tonight, and do not open your window."

He came immediately, and when he saw how ill Lucy was, he said, "We must give her blood at once."

Van Helsing had to return to Holland for a few days and before he left, he told us: "You must watch Lucy every night, and be sure that she wears the garlic flowers."

Lucy's mother was ill herself -- her heart was not strong -- and Arthur had to go back home because his father was dying. So for a week I watched over Lucy myself at night, and sometimes, when I sat by her bed, I heard strange noises at the window. Perhaps it was a tree, or the wind, I thought.

I was working at my hospital during the day, and after a week I was very tired, so one night I did not go to Lucy's house. I needed to sleep, and I knew that Lucy's mother and the servants were there. Also, Van Helsing sent new garlic flowers every day, for Lucy to wear at night.

I did not wait for breakfast, but hurried to the house immediately. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Just then Van Helsing arrived.

The next morning at the hospital I had a note from Van Helsing. "Watch Lucy carefully tonight," he wrote. "I shall be with you tomorrow." But that was now today! The note was too late!

It was dark in the kitchen, but we could see the bodies of the four servants on the floor. They were not dead, but asleep. "Someone put something in their drinks," said Van Helsing. "Come! We must find Lucy. If we are not too late!"

We ran up to Lucy's room, and stopped outside it. With white faces and shaking hands, we opened the door softly and went into the room.

We knocked again, but there was still no answer. We went round to the back of the house and Van Helsing broke the kitchen window and we went in.

How can I describe what we saw? The bodies of two women -- Lucy and her mother -- lay on the bed. The faces of both women were white, and on the mother's face there was a look of terrible fear. In her hand she held the flowers from Lucy's neck, and on the floor there was glass from the broken window.

Van Helsing looked down at the two women. "The poor mother is dead," he said. "But for Lucy it is not too late! Go and wake the servants!"

"What happened?" he cried. "Did you not get my note? Quick! Perhaps we are already too late!"

I ran downstairs to wake them. "Put her in a hot bath," Van Helsing said.

When Arthur and I came back, Lucy opened her lovely eyes. "Oh, Arthur," she said softly. "Kiss me, my love."

When Van Helsing came back up to me at six o'clock, Arthur was still asleep downstairs. Van Helsing went over to Lucy and looked at her. "The wounds on her neck have gone," he said. "She will soon be dead. Bring Arthur."

After a time, Lucy began to show some life, and they took her and put her in a warm bed. From time to time she slept, but she did not fight to stay alive. She could not eat anything, and she was very weak. We sent for Arthur, and when he came, he was very unhappy. His father was now dead, and he could see that Lucy was very, very ill. One of us sat with Lucy all the time, and that night Arthur and Van Helsing slept in the sitting-room, while I watched over Lucy.

He moved his head nearer to her, but Van Helsing pulled him back. "No!" he cried. For a minute, Lucy's face was hard and angry. She opened her mouth, and her teeth looked very long and sharp. Then her eyes closed and she slept. Soon she woke again, took Van Helsing's hand and said softly, "My true friend." And then, quietly, Lucy died.

"She's gone," said Van Helsing, and Arthur put his head in his hands and cried.

Later, I went back into Lucy's room, and Van Helsing and I looked down together at her beautiful face.

Van Helsing read these stories, and he brought the paper round to me. "What do you think of that?" he asked.

"Poor girl," I said. "It is the end."

"No," he replied. "This is only the beginning."

Some days later there were strange stories in the newspapers, stories about young children who went out at night and did not go home until the next morning. And when they did go home, they talked about a "beautiful lady". All these children had drops of blood and two little wounds on their necks.

Then Van Helsing explained. At first I could not believe it, and we talked for a long time. At last I said, "Are you saying that poor Lucy was killed by a vampire, and that now the vampire is taking blood from these children too?"

"I don't know," I said. "These two little wounds sound like poor Lucy's wounds, but how can that be?"

"No," Van Helsing replied. "You haven't understood. The vampire which is taking blood from these children is… Lucy herself."

We waited all night. I was cold and afraid, and angry with myself and with Van Helsing. Then, suddenly, something white moved in the trees near the tomb. We went nearer, and we found a little child on the ground, by the tomb. Van Helsing held it out to me, and I looked at its neck. "There are no wounds on the child's neck," I said.

"Then come with me," he said. "And I will show you."

I was very angry. "That's not true!" I cried.

For me, it was a terrible surprise, but Van Helsing only shook his head. "Now we must wait outside," he said.

So that night he took me to Lucy's tomb. He had the key and we went inside. I was very afraid. In the dark, with the dead flowers lying on Lucy's coffin, the tomb was a terrible place. Slowly, Van Helsing began to open the coffin. Then he turned to me, and said, "Look."

I came nearer and looked. The coffin was empty.

"No," Van Helsing replied. "We are just in time."

The next day, Van Helsing and I went back into the tomb again and opened the lid of the coffin. This time Lucy's body lay there. She died more than a week ago -- but she did not look dead. Her mouth was red and her face was more beautiful than ever. Then Van Helsing pulled back her mouth and showed me her long, sharp teeth.

It was just before midnight when we got to the churchyard. The night was dark, but now and then, a little moonlight came through the clouds. Van Helsing opened the door of the tomb and we all went in.

Arthur was very unhappy, and also angry. He could not believe that Lucy was now one of the Un-Dead, but in the end he agreed to come with us to the tomb.

Slowly, Van Helsing opened the coffin. Arthur's face was white when he moved nearer. We all looked down. The coffin was empty!

"Now, Jack," he said to me, "you were with me yesterday afternoon. Was Miss Lucy's body in that coffin then?"

"Now do you believe me?" he said. "Lucy is now one of the Un-Dead, and with these teeth she will soon kill one of these poor little children. We must stop her before she does." He stopped for a minute and thought. "But we must send for Arthur. He, too, must see -- and believe this."

"It was," I replied.

It was good to be outside again, away from the dark, smelly tomb. We stood and waited in silence. Then, through the trees, we saw something white. It was moving nearer to us. Its face was white, its mouth was red, and drops of blood fell from it. Suddenly it saw us and stopped. It gave us a Look of terrible anger, and Arthur gave a little cry. "It's Lucy!"

For a minute, no one spoke. Then Van Helsing said, "Now we must go outside and wait."

"Now, Arthur, my friend," Van Helsing said, "do you understand?"

She smiled. "Oh, Arthur, come to me. Leave those others, and come to me, my love," she said sweetly.

Arthur took his hands from his face and opened his arms to her. She was moving nearer to him when Van Helsing ran between them, and held out his little gold cross. Lucy stopped and stood back from it. Then, with a look of terrible anger on her face, she went to the tomb and through the door. The door was closed, but she went through it!

The next day, Arthur, Van Helsing, and I went back to the tomb. Van Helsing had a bag with him, and when we were in the tomb, he again opened Lucy's coffin. The body lay there, horribly beautiful. Arthur was white and he was shaking. "Is this really Lucy?" he asked.

Arthur put his face in his hands and cried, "I do! Oh, I do!"

He took from his bag a long piece of wood and a hammer. Arthur and I stood silent and watched. Then Van Helsing said to Arthur, "You loved Lucy. You must bring her back to us. You must take this piece of wood in your left hand, and the hammer in your right hand. Then you must drive the wood through Lucy's heart. It isn't easy for you, but it will soon be done. Can you do this for her?"

"It is, and it is not. But wait, and you will see the real Lucy again," Van Helsing replied.

The body turned from side to side and a horrible scream came from the open red mouth. Arthur did not stop. Harder and harder he hit the wood with the hammer, until, at last, the body stopped moving and lay quiet.

"I can," Arthur replied strongly.

"Now, my friends," Van Helsing said, "we have only just begun. We must find the vampire that killed Miss Lucy. It will be difficult and dangerous. Will you help me?"

"Yes," we said. "We will."

His face was very pale, but he held the piece of wood over Lucy's heart. and brought the hammer down hard.

The hammer fell from Arthur's hand, and he stood there, white and shaking. Van Helsing went over to him. "And now you may kiss her," he said. "See! The vampire is dead, and the real Lucy has come back."

It was true. Lucy's face was pale and still, but it was now quiet and restful. Arthur kissed her softly on the mouth, and then Van Helsing closed the coffin again, this time, for ever.