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“Dr. Seward, may I ask a favour? I want to see your patient, Mr. Renfield.
Do let me see him. What you have said of him in your diary interests me so
much!"
She looked so appealing and so pretty that I could not refuse her, and there
was no possible reason why I should, so I took her with me. When I went into
the room, I told the man that a lady would like to see him, to which he simply
answered, "Why?"
"She is going through the house, and wants to see every one in it," I
answered.
"Oh, very well," he said, "let her come in, by all means, but just wait a
minute till I tidy up the place."
His method of tidying was peculiar, he simply swallowed all the flies and
spiders in the boxes before I could stop him. It was quite evident that he feared,
or was jealous of, some interference. When he had got through his disgusting
task, he said cheerfully, "Let the lady come in," and sat down on the edge of his
bed with his head down, but with his eyelids raised so that he could see her as
she entered.”
― Dracula
Do let me see him. What you have said of him in your diary interests me so
much!"
She looked so appealing and so pretty that I could not refuse her, and there
was no possible reason why I should, so I took her with me. When I went into
the room, I told the man that a lady would like to see him, to which he simply
answered, "Why?"
"She is going through the house, and wants to see every one in it," I
answered.
"Oh, very well," he said, "let her come in, by all means, but just wait a
minute till I tidy up the place."
His method of tidying was peculiar, he simply swallowed all the flies and
spiders in the boxes before I could stop him. It was quite evident that he feared,
or was jealous of, some interference. When he had got through his disgusting
task, he said cheerfully, "Let the lady come in," and sat down on the edge of his
bed with his head down, but with his eyelids raised so that he could see her as
she entered.”
― Dracula
“It was not guilt that froze me. I had taught myself never to feel guilt It was not a ghastly sense of loss that froze me. I had taught myself to covet nothing. It was not a loathing of death that froze me. I had taught myself to think of death as a friend. It was not heartbroken rage against injustice that froze me. I had taught myself that a human being might as well took for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair. It was not the thought that I was so unloved that froze me. I had taught myself to do without love. It was not the thought that God was cruel that froze me. I had taught myself never to expect anything from Him. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction. What had made me move through so many dead and pointless years was curiosity. Now even that had flickered out”
―
―
“Tricia loved New York because loving New York was a good career move. It
was a good retail move, a good cuisine move, not a good taxi move or a great
quality of pavement move, but definitely a career move that ranked amongst
the highest and the best. Tricia was a TV anchor person, and New York
was where most of the world’s TV was anchored. Tricia’s TV anchoring had
been done exclusively in Britain up to that point: regional news, then breakfast
news, early evening news. She would have been called, if the language allowed,
a rapidly rising anchor, but... hey, this is television, what does it matter? She
was a rapidly rising anchor. She had what it took: great hair, a profound
understand- ing of strategic lip gloss, the intelligence to understand the world
and a tiny secret interior deadness which meant she didn’t care. Everybody
has their moment of great opportunity in life. If you happen to miss the one
you care about, then everything else in life becomes eerily easy.
Tricia had only ever missed one opportunity. These days it didn’t even make
her tremble quite so much as it used to to think about it. She guessed it was
that bit of her that had gone dead.”
― Mostly Harmless
was a good retail move, a good cuisine move, not a good taxi move or a great
quality of pavement move, but definitely a career move that ranked amongst
the highest and the best. Tricia was a TV anchor person, and New York
was where most of the world’s TV was anchored. Tricia’s TV anchoring had
been done exclusively in Britain up to that point: regional news, then breakfast
news, early evening news. She would have been called, if the language allowed,
a rapidly rising anchor, but... hey, this is television, what does it matter? She
was a rapidly rising anchor. She had what it took: great hair, a profound
understand- ing of strategic lip gloss, the intelligence to understand the world
and a tiny secret interior deadness which meant she didn’t care. Everybody
has their moment of great opportunity in life. If you happen to miss the one
you care about, then everything else in life becomes eerily easy.
Tricia had only ever missed one opportunity. These days it didn’t even make
her tremble quite so much as it used to to think about it. She guessed it was
that bit of her that had gone dead.”
― Mostly Harmless
“The first step was to restore confidence, so I asked him, speaking pretty loud so that he would hear me through his closed ears, "Would you like some sugar to get your flies around again?"
He seemed to wake up all at once, and shook his head. With a laugh he replied, "Not much! Flies are poor things, after all!" After a pause he added, "But I don't want their souls buzzing round me, all the same."
"Or spiders?" I went on.
"Blow spiders! What's the use of spiders? There isn't anything in them to eat or…" He stopped suddenly as though reminded of a forbidden topic.
"So, so!" I thought to myself, "this is the second time he has suddenly stopped at the word 'drink'. What does it mean?"
Renfield seemed himself aware of having made a lapse, for he hurried on, as though to distract my attention from it, "I don't take any stock at all in such matters. 'Rats and mice and such small deer,' as Shakespeare has it, 'chicken feed of the larder' they might be called. I'm past all that sort of nonsense. You might as well ask a man to eat molecules with a pair of chopsticks, as to try to interest me about the less carnivora, when I know of what is before me."
"I see," I said. "You want big things that you can make your teeth meet in? How would you like to breakfast on an elephant?"
"What ridiculous nonsense you are talking?" He was getting too wide awake, so I thought I would press him hard.
"I wonder," I said reflectively, "what an elephant's soul is like!"
The effect I desired was obtained, for he at once fell from his high-horse and became a child again.
"I don't want an elephant's soul, or any soul at all!" he said. For a few moments he sat despondently. Suddenly he jumped to his feet, with his eyes blazing and all the signs of intense cerebral excitement. "To hell with you and your souls!" he shouted. "Why do you plague me about souls? Haven't I got enough to worry, and pain, to distract me already, without thinking of souls?"
He looked so hostile that I thought he was in for another homicidal fit, so I blew my whistle.”
― Dracula
He seemed to wake up all at once, and shook his head. With a laugh he replied, "Not much! Flies are poor things, after all!" After a pause he added, "But I don't want their souls buzzing round me, all the same."
"Or spiders?" I went on.
"Blow spiders! What's the use of spiders? There isn't anything in them to eat or…" He stopped suddenly as though reminded of a forbidden topic.
"So, so!" I thought to myself, "this is the second time he has suddenly stopped at the word 'drink'. What does it mean?"
Renfield seemed himself aware of having made a lapse, for he hurried on, as though to distract my attention from it, "I don't take any stock at all in such matters. 'Rats and mice and such small deer,' as Shakespeare has it, 'chicken feed of the larder' they might be called. I'm past all that sort of nonsense. You might as well ask a man to eat molecules with a pair of chopsticks, as to try to interest me about the less carnivora, when I know of what is before me."
"I see," I said. "You want big things that you can make your teeth meet in? How would you like to breakfast on an elephant?"
"What ridiculous nonsense you are talking?" He was getting too wide awake, so I thought I would press him hard.
"I wonder," I said reflectively, "what an elephant's soul is like!"
The effect I desired was obtained, for he at once fell from his high-horse and became a child again.
"I don't want an elephant's soul, or any soul at all!" he said. For a few moments he sat despondently. Suddenly he jumped to his feet, with his eyes blazing and all the signs of intense cerebral excitement. "To hell with you and your souls!" he shouted. "Why do you plague me about souls? Haven't I got enough to worry, and pain, to distract me already, without thinking of souls?"
He looked so hostile that I thought he was in for another homicidal fit, so I blew my whistle.”
― Dracula
“The vampire live on, and cannot die by mere passing of the time,
he can flourish when that he can fatten on the blood of the living. Even more,
we have seen amongst us that he can even grow younger, that his vital faculties
grow strenuous, and seem as though they refresh themselves when his special
pabulum is plenty.
"But he cannot flourish without this diet, he eat not as others. Even friend
Jonathan, who lived with him for weeks, did never see him eat, never! He
throws no shadow, he make in the mirror no reflect, as again Jonathan observe.
He has the strength of many of his hand, witness again Jonathan when he shut
the door against the wolves, and when he help him from the diligence too. He
can transform himself to wolf, as we gather from the ship arrival in Whitby,
when he tear open the dog, he can be as bat, as Madam Mina saw him on the
window at Whitby, and as friend John saw him fly from this so near house, and
as my friend Quincey saw him at the window of Miss Lucy.
"He can come in mist which he create, that noble ship's captain proved him
of this, but, from what we know, the distance he can make this mist is limited,
and it can only be round himself.
"He come on moonlight rays as elemental dust, as again Jonathan saw
those sisters in the castle of Dracula. He become so small, we ourselves saw
Miss Lucy, ere she was at peace, slip through a hairbreadth space at the tomb
door. He can, when once he find his way, come out from anything or into
anything, no matter how close it be bound or even fused up with fire, solder
you call it. He can see in the dark, no small power this, in a world which is one
half shut from the light. Ah, but hear me through.
"He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay, he is even more
prisoner than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go
where he lists, he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws,
why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some
one of the household who bid him to come, though afterwards he can come as
he please. His power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the
day.
"Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the
place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact
sunrise or sunset. These things we are told, and in this record of ours we have
proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can do as he will within his limit, when
he have his earth-home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the place unhallowed,
as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby, still at other
time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only
pass running water at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things
which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as
for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now
when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place
far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of,
lest in our seeking we may need them.”
― Dracula
he can flourish when that he can fatten on the blood of the living. Even more,
we have seen amongst us that he can even grow younger, that his vital faculties
grow strenuous, and seem as though they refresh themselves when his special
pabulum is plenty.
"But he cannot flourish without this diet, he eat not as others. Even friend
Jonathan, who lived with him for weeks, did never see him eat, never! He
throws no shadow, he make in the mirror no reflect, as again Jonathan observe.
He has the strength of many of his hand, witness again Jonathan when he shut
the door against the wolves, and when he help him from the diligence too. He
can transform himself to wolf, as we gather from the ship arrival in Whitby,
when he tear open the dog, he can be as bat, as Madam Mina saw him on the
window at Whitby, and as friend John saw him fly from this so near house, and
as my friend Quincey saw him at the window of Miss Lucy.
"He can come in mist which he create, that noble ship's captain proved him
of this, but, from what we know, the distance he can make this mist is limited,
and it can only be round himself.
"He come on moonlight rays as elemental dust, as again Jonathan saw
those sisters in the castle of Dracula. He become so small, we ourselves saw
Miss Lucy, ere she was at peace, slip through a hairbreadth space at the tomb
door. He can, when once he find his way, come out from anything or into
anything, no matter how close it be bound or even fused up with fire, solder
you call it. He can see in the dark, no small power this, in a world which is one
half shut from the light. Ah, but hear me through.
"He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay, he is even more
prisoner than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go
where he lists, he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws,
why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some
one of the household who bid him to come, though afterwards he can come as
he please. His power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the
day.
"Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the
place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact
sunrise or sunset. These things we are told, and in this record of ours we have
proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can do as he will within his limit, when
he have his earth-home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the place unhallowed,
as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby, still at other
time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only
pass running water at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things
which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as
for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now
when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place
far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of,
lest in our seeking we may need them.”
― Dracula
Joe’s 2025 Year in Books
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