The Diary of Jonathan Harker

 

 

I bid you welcome to my diary pages. The Jonathan Harker journal is a collection of short stories, ghost tales and day to day experiences. Of course nothing is what it seems here in the ghostly world of Jonathan Harker, but amongst the strange and bizarre there are lighter moments which I shall write and share. Here is my latest entry and a visit to the doctor.

 

Regular visitors to these diary pages will recall previous entries about the characters that live around this village in the Pendle hills. Well, I bring to you a new resident Doctor Roland Nord. I may have mentioned in that twitter tweety thing about Bleak House recently bought, just up the lane. Well, we have a Doctor in the house.

He seems something of a gothic horror aficionado; the invite was to share an evening in his study discussing gothic horror and the odd ghost story. It was just the two of us, sharing the late night evening in the Doctors study set for the occasion. All shadowy and Victorian decor and quite an impressive atmosphere it conjured.

I could never get the conversation around to him telling me something of his former life and a Doctor of what.

As the evening drew on and the food and drink settled to bring such a comfort and contentment I kept drifting in and out of reverie and got the distinct feeling of sitting in an old fashioned gentleman’s club. More so with the Doctor sitting in club chair cupping the brandy glass and gently swirling the drink with a slight sway of his hand. At times, we sat silent and emptied our minds, which is the best way to describe the feeling. Then the Doctor wanted to read from a book, a little entertainment for his guest on such a dark and windy night.

A little way into the reading, I had noticed something from the corner of my eye. It was a distraction and it felt rude to turn away from the Doctors reading of John Polidori The Vampyre.

I managed a slight turn of the head to ponder the words read aloud while looking into the shadows of the room. There was another club chair, which I had not noticed before. I turned back to look at the Doctor, he was staring at me. I am sorry, please, carry on I said. The Doctor returned his attention to the page, peering through his half moon spectacles and adjusting them slightly to correct the vision.

Then at the back of his chair another. What was it with this place, I am seeing club chairs appear in the shadows high backed and slightly turned so as not to reveal the sitter. The Doctors words read out more from the book and his reading became faster responding to the tension building in the story. Did I just see something then, corner of my eye? What was it; it appeared to be some dark shadowy form leaning around the chair over to my left. It pulled back, there another, this time to the right of me, two more chairs, two more figures. I jumped at the Doctors abrupt shutting of the book. What a story Jonathan. Yes, I replied not sure if to drop my guard. I fear, said the Doctor, I must let you go, we are into the witching hour and I think we should be safely out of harms way. What an odd statement I thought, but pleased to get out of the place. I thanked my host and as soon as clear of Bleak House gave it arms and legs down that hill.

 

The good Doctor read from a novel written by John Polidori.

The short story is called The Vampyre, published about 78 years before Bram Stoker's Dracula.

I must say I was surprised that the story was written well before Bram Stoker wrote Dracula. One to add to my collection. I really do like the writing style of these old books especially made all the better with the Doctor reading it out loud in his study. It all adds to the creepiness, wonderful.

Link The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre (Oxford World's Classics)