Dracula Notes

“I’m not sure what is going on here.” I said to no one in particular but yet also to the driver and landlady together as they continuously made the sign of the cross when looking at me. “Why is everyone referring to me as Satan, with mention of Hell following declarations such as witch werewolf and or vampire? I am none of these things.”

They did not return my query but instead continued on with their native tongues along with the passers-by and crowd that was forming around the door to the Inn close by where we were. I simply looked to be on with this journey. Finally, those of us journeying together were all loaded up and we started out. It became a wild and bumpy ride as night drew on and we flew through the road with intense energy resonating from the passengers that wanted to pass through this darkened dark land without pause.      
Upon reaching the destination where I was to change drivers, despite the beauty of the land I had just seen, it was becoming slowly clear that it was possibly not me that they were necessarily referring to but that with whom I was going to see. 
We had arrived at the switching point earlier than the next driver and it was all too clear that my first driver was in no way content with waiting as he was talking of leaving the minute we pulled up. As if by some inhuman hearing ability, one only referred to animals having, the second driver appeared before the first driver could successfully depart.

“You are early to-night, my friend.” The man stammered in reply:—
“The English Herr was in a hurry,” to which the stranger replied:—
“That is why, I suppose, you wished him to go on to Bukovina. You cannot deceive me, my friend; I know too much, and my horses are swift.”
“Denn die Todten reiten schnell”— (“For the dead travel fast.”)

With that said and me successfully off the first coach that coach was but dust in the dark night. This told me something was incredibly strange about this new driver as he looked one shade less than dead with his bright eyes that caught red when the light bounced off of them. Though he was instructed to take care of me on this leg of my journey, it was an incredibly uneasy, oddly circling, somewhat confusing, and hauntingly dark last leg of my journey. Oh, how I couldn’t wait to simply be at my destination.   
I chose to do the section where he is in transit from one coach to another as it really solidifies the uneasy weird nature of what is about to take place in the book. Before this part of chapter one we are simply traveling, it is only at this point where it starts to become known where he is going and his naiveness about where he is going. While I understand the importance of the details, I believe that 19th-century literature went far beyond the necessary details to include many I find tedious. Therefore in my rewrite, I kept it short and sweet. (Though it can be noted that 21st-century literature is made for the short attention span, which most of us take into consideration when we write nowadays. Also, I have not read this entire book before so I am not sure if the little nuances of this beginning chapter are all elements for things further in the story.)

                                                               Works Cited:

• Stoker, Bram. Dracula [Ebook #345]. August 16, 2013.  www.gutenberg.org/files/345.