by Nancy Krulik
“I think they make it look this way for tourists,” I assure him.
“Velcome to Bran Castle.” I turn to see a tall man with dark, slicked-back hair standing behind us. He’s really pale—his face looks almost as white as the shirt under his red-and-black cape.
FROGBOTTOM FACT
Nearly 800,000 tourists visit Bran Castle each year.
“Master,” Mr. Sange says. “I have brought you fresh blood.”
Master? What a strange thing to call someone, even if you work for him.
Tony’s eyes open wide. “Fresh blood?”
“I meant new guests,” Mr. Sange corrects himself. “My English isn’t always so good.”
“I vant you to make yourselves at home,” the man in the red-and-black cape says with a thick accent. “The night is young. Our fun has just begun. I’m Mr. Liliac, and I vill be your host for the evening.”
Ms. Frogbottom smiles at him. “Pleased to meet you,” she says. “I’m Ms. Frogbottom. Thank you for allowing us to visit the castle after hours. It’s an honor to be the only guests in such a famous place.”
“I’m sure you vill enjoy yourselves,” Mr. Liliac replies. “Most of my guests vant to stay forever.”
Mr. Sange lets out a strange, cackling laugh.
Mr. Liliac turns to the groundskeeper. “Thank you for bringing me new victims,” he says.
“I think you mean ‘visitors,’ ” Ms. Frogbottom corrects him.
“Yes.” Mr. Liliac smiles at Ms. Frogbottom. “Of course.”
“It is my pleasure to serve you, master,” Mr. Sange tells Mr. Liliac. “But I must be on my way. The castle gardens won’t tend themselves.”
“Feel free to look around the room,” Mr. Liliac tells us as Mr. Sange leaves. “My home is your home.”
* * *
A while later Emma pulls me aside. “There’s something strange about Mr. Liliac,” she whispers. “I think he’s a real vampire.”
“He’s an actor, pretending to be mysterious,” I insist. “That way tourists feel like they’re having a real Transylvanian experience.”
Emma shakes her head. “He’s not acting.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, Emma. Taking a few acting classes doesn’t make you an expert.”
“It’s not that. Remember what I said about vampires not having any reflections? Mr. Liliac was standing right behind me when I was looking in the mirror. But I didn’t see him. It was like he wasn’t there. Except he was.”
I’m not sure what to say. Emma sometimes exaggerates things.
“And did you notice that Mr. Liliac is staying as far from Tony as possible?” Emma continues. “He pointed out that sword to Aiden, Oliver, and Olivia. And he told you and me about Queen Marie’s heart being buried near here. But Mr. Liliac hasn’t said a single word to Tony. I think he doesn’t want to get too close to that pouch of garlic.”
“None of that proves anything,” I insist. “Because there’s nothing to prove. There are no such things as vampires.”
Emma glares at me.
“Was Vlad close to his brother?” I hear Olivia asking Mr. Liliac.
“There vas a great deal of bad blood between them,” Mr. Liliac replies. “Their hatred vas famous in this neck of the woods. I vill tell you more about that on our tour of the castle.”
“Come, class!” announces Ms. Frogbottom. “Mr. Liliac is going to show us upstairs.”
We follow Mr. Liliac up a narrow stairway with only ropes to hold on to as we climb. The air is dusty, and other than a few candles on the wall, there’s barely any light. The old wooden stairs creak beneath our feet.
“Why would they build a staircase with no banister?” Olivia asks me.
“I have no idea,” I admit. “I’m just glad someone put ropes in for tourists like us.”
“Why were the steps so narrow?” Olivia asks.
I’m about to check my tablet for an answer, but before I can, Mr. Liliac stops at a room on the next floor. There are thick brown wooden beams on the ceiling, and a real bearskin rug on the floor. Shelves of books line one wall, and there are more paintings of men in velvet robes, as well as an old photograph of Queen Marie. There’s also an antique upright piano that looks like it hasn’t been played in years.
“Velcome to the library and music room,” Mr. Liliac tells us.
“Who played the piano?” Olivia asks him.
“Queen Marie, I believe,” Mr. Liliac replies.
He takes Ms. Frogbottom by the hand. “Come, there is a book I would like to show you.”
Emma looks down at the rug and frowns. “That poor bear!”
“Who do you think shot it?” Olivia asks. “One of the soldiers? Or a member of Queen Marie’s royal family?”
Olivia sure is full of questions today.
I walk over toward one of the bookshelves. That’s when I notice something strange about one of the portraits. The eyes seem to be following me around the room as I move.
Of course, that could be an optical illusion. The painter might have drawn the eyes in such a way that it fools you into thinking they are moving. But it sure does seem like those eyes really are changing direction.
Oddly enough, one eye is green, and the other is blue. It’s like Mr. Sange is behind that wall, spying on us.
But what reason would he have to do something like that?
“Check out the piano!” Oliver exclaims. “Hey, Olivia, you want to play ‘Heart and Soul’ on it with me? I’ll let you play the high notes.”
Olivia doesn’t answer.
Come to think of it, I haven’t heard her ask any questions in the past few minutes.
Probably because she’s not here anymore.
She’s disappeared.
7
“WHERE’S OLIVIA?” OLIVER ASKS nervously.
Ms. Frogbottom looks up from the book Mr. Liliac has been showing her. “What do you mean, ‘Where’s Olivia?’ ”
“She’s not here,” Oliver tells her. “She disappeared.”
“Don’t vorry,” Mr. Liliac tells him. “She couldn’t go far. No one leaves Bran Castle vithout my knowledge.”
Ms. Frogbottom looks at us. “What have I told you all about wandering away from the group?” she demands angrily.
“Why are you mad at us?” Emma asks her. “We didn’t wander away.”
That’s actually a very logical question. But Ms. Frogbottom doesn’t answer. Instead she calls to our missing classmate. “Olivia! Come out now!”
We stand there, waiting for Olivia to appear. But she doesn’t.
“I have to find her!” Oliver heads for the door.
“Oliver, stop!” Ms. Frogbottom orders.
“But she’s my sister.”
“We’ll all go together to look for Olivia,” Ms. Frogbottom says.
“Come,” Mr. Liliac urges. “Ve shall look in the necks room.”
“Did you hear Mr. Liliac say ‘necks’ instead of ‘next’?” Emma whispers to me.
“It’s just his accent,” I reply.
“If Olivia’s playing hide-and-seek, she’s won this round,” Aiden says.
“I don’t think she’s playing anything,” Emma tells him. “I think a vampire got her.”
Mr. Liliac opens a heavy wooden door that leads to a bedroom. We peer inside. Candlesticks have been placed all over, giving the room an eerie glow.
“I’m not going in there,” Tony says. “There are coffins.”
He’s right. There are two closed dark wooden coffins in the middle of the room.
“You don’t have to worry,” Emma tells him. “There won’t be any vampires inside those coffins. Vampires only sleep during the day. They emerge after dark.” She gives Mr. Liliac a look.
“Olivia, come out now!” Ms. Frogbottom calls in a stern voice.
Olivia doesn’t answer.
“Let’s try the next room,” Ms. Frogbottom says. “She’s not in here.”
Our teacher and Mr. Liliac head into the hallway thro
ugh the open door. We kids turn to follow into the hall. But before we can take even a single step—
“BOO!” Suddenly one of the coffin lids flies open, and someone pops out.
“AAAAAAAAAAH!” We all let out a shriek. Tony’s is the loudest.
“Hahahahahahaha! Gotcha!” Olivia cheers as she climbs out of the coffin. “Boy, you should have seen the looks on your faces. You were really scared.”
“That wasn’t funny,” Tony tells her.
“Sure it was,” Olivia says. “You thought it was funny, didn’t you, ’Liver?”
Oliver gives her a dirty look. “I told you never to call me that.”
“Ms. Frogbottom’s not going to think it was funny,” Tony says. “I bet she writes a note home to your parents.”
Now it’s Olivia’s turn to look scared. I don’t blame her. Who wants to bring a note home?
Aiden steps into the hallway and calls, “Ms. Frogbottom! We found Olivia!”
Ms. Frogbottom doesn’t answer. She’s not in the hallway anymore.
Now where did she go?
“He’s got Ms. Frogbottom!” Emma exclaims.
“Who does?” Aiden asks.
“The vampire,” Emma responds. “Mr. Liliac.”
“He’s not a vampire,” I insist.
“He is,” Emma argues. “I told you he had no reflection in the mirror.”
“It was just your imagination,” I tell her. “You have a great imagination.”
“I do,” Emma agrees. “But I didn’t imagine him talking about necks and blood.”
“It’s part of his act, to show off for tourists,” I insist.
“And he’s avoiding Tony and his garlic,” Emma adds.
“We’re all avoiding Tony and his garlic,” I remind her.
Tony stares at the ground and fiddles with the pouch around his neck.
“I’ll bet he hypnotized Ms. Frogbottom and dragged her to his lair.” Emma’s really on a roll now. “He’s going to bite her neck and turn her into a vampire.”
“That won’t happen,” I insist. “Vampire legends are fiction.”
“Do you have a better explanation?” Aiden asks me. “Because I can’t think of any other reason why Ms. Frogbottom would leave us here, all alone, without telling us she was going.”
Aiden’s got me there. It’s not like Ms. Frogbottom to just disappear on us. Unless she’s in some sort of trouble.
FROGBOTTOM FACT
There are fifty-seven rooms in Bran Castle.
8
“SHE’S NOT HERE,” EMMA SAYS as we race into another bedroom. It’s the sixth room we’ve tried, and there’s still no sign of our teacher.
I can see why Bram Stoker used this castle as the model for Dracula’s castle in his book. It’s frighteningly dark and damp inside. The candlelight creates creepy shadows on the walls. And as if all that weren’t bad enough, I hear mice scratching from inside the walls, trying to escape.
“Ms. Frogbottom could be hiding,” Tony suggests.
I look around the room. It’s lit only by a few small candles, but that’s enough light for me to see that there’s a small bed, a red-and-blue woven rug, a fireplace, and a small carved wooden dresser. There’s no place to hide.
“Maybe they went back downstairs,” Aiden tries.
I shake my head. “We would’ve heard them. Those wooden stairs are really creaky.”
“Maybe Mr. Liliac turned into a bat and flew her to his lair,” Emma suggests.
“For the last time, vampires aren’t real,” I insist. “And bats aren’t strong enough to carry a teacher.”
“Maybe they just disappeared into thin air,” Tony suggests. “It could happen.”
“Be serious. This is important!” Aiden says. He pushes Tony on the shoulder.
It’s just a small push, but Tony tips backward and whacks his shoulder on the wall surrounding the fireplace.
Whoosh! The wall swings open, taking the false fireplace with it.
There’s a stairway in there!
“Wow!” Oliver exclaims. “A secret passageway.”
“A lot of old castles had them,” I say.
“Do you think Mr. Liliac captured Ms. Frogbottom and took her up those stairs?” Emma asks me.
“I don’t know about captured. But I think it’s possible they could be up there.”
“Let’s go get her,” Aiden tells me.
“Oh no,” Tony argues. “You remember the last time we went through a tiny doorway like that? We got locked in a tomb of doom.”
“But she’s our teacher,” Aiden insists. “We have to find her.”
“Would you rather stay in Transylvania forever?” Olivia asks Tony. “Ms. Frogbottom had her backpack with her when she disappeared. And you know what’s in that pack….”
“The Magic Map,” Tony says.
FROGBOTTOM FACTS
The actual secret passageway in Bran Castle was originally built as an escape tunnel for soldiers in case of an attack. The passage ran from the first floor to the watchtower of the castle.
The passageway was such a secret that it was forgotten for hundreds of years. It was found in the 1920s when Queen Marie was renovating the castle.
Olivia nods. “Our ticket home.”
Tony sighs. “Fine. I’ll go. But I don’t like it.”
I don’t like it either. But we have no choice. I pull out my tablet and click on the flashlight app so we’re able to see in the darkness. We start walking up the stairs. They’re made of stone, which explains why they didn’t creak when Ms. Frogbottom took them.
If Ms. Frogbottom took these stairs. We still don’t know that for sure.
The stone walls on either side are so close together, they feel as though they’re closing in on us. I figure the people who originally climbed these stairs had to have gone single file. And hurried. No one would want to be in this hidden stairwell for very long. I sure don’t.
Finally we reach the top. We gather together tightly on the landing, and peer in through an open door.
Inside is a tiny room, lit only by candles and the moonlight streaming in through a single, small window. There’s an open coffin on the floor.
Mr. Liliac is standing in the middle of the room, holding a bell. Ms. Frogbottom is standing beside him. She doesn’t look scared at all. In fact, she’s smiling calmly. Almost too calmly. It’s like she’s in a trance.
“Vell, now ve shall see if you vill follow my commands,” Mr. Liliac says to Ms. Frogbottom. He rings a bell. And the next thing we know…
“Cluck. Cluck.”
Our teacher is clucking like a chicken. She has her hands under her armpits, and she’s flapping her bent arms like wings. She’s kicking her feet behind her and moving her head back and forth like she’s a bird pecking at seeds.
“I know that dance. It’s called the funky chicken,” Emma whispers. “My uncle Nate did it at my cousin Max’s bar mitzvah. But why is Ms. Frogbottom doing it now?”
FROGBOTTOM FACTS
A person who is hypnotized is put into a trance. This allows the hypnotist to make suggestions that can change that person’s behavior.
Some people are more easily hypnotized than others.
“I think he hypnotized her,” I answer. “Every time she hears that bell, she’ll do the dance.”
“Why would he want her to do that?” Emma asks me.
“It could be a test,” I say quietly. “To see if she can be hypnotized. Not everybody can be put under a hypnotic spell.”
“Ms. Frogbottom can,” Emma points out. “Look at her.”
“Cluck. Cluck.”
Emma’s right. Mr. Liliac has hypnotized our teacher—the same way vampires in books and movies hypnotize their victims.
Just the thought of Ms. Frogbottom as a victim makes me sad. And afraid.
“Ms. Frogbottom’s under Mr. Liliac’s control now,” Emma whispers. “It’s going to make it easier for him to bite her neck.”
I start to argue with
Emma about vampires, but I stop. Because I actually think she may be right.
At some point you have to accept what the evidence tells you. And right now the evidence is telling me that vampires are real, and Mr. Liliac is one of them.
Maybe I could find excuses for how he is always talking about blood and necks and why he’s staying far away from Tony. But he’s hypnotizing Ms. Frogbottom. It’s not like he’s doing that to show off for an audience. It’s just the two of them in there. And if what Emma said about him not having a reflection is actually true, then it all adds up to one thing.
Our teacher is in trouble. Because before the sun rises, that vampire is likely to get hungry. He’s probably going to want to go for a bite…
Of Ms. Frogbottom’s neck!
9
“WE HAVE TO SAVE OUR teacher!” Emma says.
We’re back in the entranceway of Bran Castle. Hopefully that’s far enough away from Mr. Liliac that he can’t overhear us talking about him—even with powerful bat hearing.
“How? He’s a vampire,” Tony asks Emma. “We’re just kids. That’s not a fair fight.”
“Vampires do have the superpowers of the undead,” Emma agrees.
“But there are ways to defeat a vampire, right?” Olivia asks.
Emma thinks for a minute. “To get rid of him once and for all we would have to put a stake through his heart.”
“Maybe we should go back to the café and get a steak then,” Aiden suggests. “Do we have to cook it first?”
I shake my head. “Not the kind of steak that’s meat,” I tell him. “The kind of stake that’s a knife.”
My friends stare at Emma and me.
“Are you crazy?” Tony asks me. “We can’t do that.”
“If you set a vampire on fire,” Emma continues, “that would get rid of him.”
“We can do that, either,” Tony insists.
He’s right, of course. “There has to be something less gruesome,” I say.
“I saw one movie where the vampire ate garlic and then began to disintegrate,” Emma tries.
