Dracula Episode: September 29th

Cryptic Canticles presents Dracula

Episode Synopsis: Arthur and Quincey meet with Seward and Van Helsing in complete confusion as to why they had been summoned. At once, Van Helsing asks that the two men assent to committing themselves to Van Helsing's wishes, intent unknown. Quincey agrees immediately, but Arthur is more wary. He reluctantly agrees to hear what the professor has in mind. Before Van Helsing can go too far into the details, Arthur is enraged, condemning Van Helsing's intent on the desecration of the grave of the woman he loves. Van Helsing, however, swears that he must do what he will for the honor of Lucy, and the others reluctantly assent to see his evidence and then decide for themselves. Once inside the tomb, Van Helsing opens the coffin and peels back the leaden flange to reveal the empty coffin. Quincey questions Van Helsing's involvement in the removal of her body, but Van Helsing confirms with Seward that the body had been gone two nights ago, but present the preceding day. He asks the others to step outside and guard the tomb. The gentlemen take up spots where they can watch the tomb, and Van Helsing produces a piece of holy Eucharist, which he mixes with a putty, and uses to fill in the gap in between the door of the tomb and the doorframe. After some time, the group is alerted to the presence of a white-clad figure approaching. Cold and hard, and clutching an unconscious child to its breast is none other than the form of Lucy Westenra. Once her eyes touch the men, she snarls like an animal and tosses the child to the ground. She approaches Arthur and entraps him under a sort of seductive spell, but Van Helsing interjects with a crucifix which he uses to ward her away. Lucy tries to regain entrance to the safety of her tomb, but is confounded by the putty that Van Helsing used to seal the door. As he keeps her trapped between the door and the crucifix, Van Helsing again asks Arthur for permission to carry out his ghastly procedure, and Arthur assents. Van Helsing removes a chunk of the putty from the crevice, and all are amazed when Lucy's body slides through the small slice in between the closed door and the doorframe. Van Helsing replaces the putty to the crevice to keep Lucy trapped inside, and the party agrees to meet the following day at twelve noon. The following afternoon, Arthur, Van Helsing, Seward, and Quincey meet and travel to the cemetery. Once the mourners had departed and the gates had been locked, the men enter the tomb and open the coffin as before. They gaze with hate at the Undead body of Lucy, and Van Helsing sets out an array of ghastly tools. He states that once the procedure has concluded, Lucy will be purified, and that it should be Arthur, her lover, who performs the deed that saves her soul. Arthur does not falter as he pounds the long wooden stake through Lucy's heart, his friends empowering him with prayers. Once Lucy's body lay still again, all rejoice to see her reduced to her old self, worn with the care of her illness, and filled with peace. Arthur bids her goodbye, and he and Quincey exit the tomb leaving Seward and Van Helsing to remove Lucy's head and fill her mouth with garlic. Once outside the tomb, Arthur praises Van Helsing for his devotion to Lucy, proclaiming himself at Van Helsing's service. Van Helsing explains that they are still at the beginning of a perilous journey to eradicate the evil that killed poor Lucy. The men, now believers, pledge themselves to the task. Van Helsing receives a telegram that Mina is coming to join him, but he has to leave for Amsterdam, so he asks Seward to intercept her, giving him all the diary entries of Jonathan and Mina. Seward meets Mina at the train station and takes her back to his home at the asylum, whereupon Mina asks Seward to conference with her. In Seward's study, Mina sees Seward's phonograph diary, and after some coaxing, convinces him to let her listen to it. Mina explains that she must finish transcribing his diary to add to the collective pool of knowledge so that the other men might learn from his observations as well, so they can all set to catch the Count. Jonathan Harker travels to London to begin tracking down the fifty boxes of earth that the Count had sent from his home castle in Bistritz. Jonathan receives aid from Samuel Billington, and has the number of boxes confirmed by the harbormaster. Jonathan is able to procure the confidence of the dock workers by buying them a round of drinks.

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