Dracula's Guest

"Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker is a Gothic horror short story first published in 1914 after the author's death and often considered a deleted episode from his famous novel Dracula. The story follows an unnamed English traveler who ignores his coachman's warning and ventures into the countryside near Munich, Germany on Walpurgis Night, a night believed in European folklore to be filled with supernatural activity. As he travels through a deserted village and graveyard during a violent snowstorm, he discovers the tomb of Countess Dolingen, a vampire who seems to awaken from her grave. A lightning strike destroys the tomb and saves the traveler from danger, after which he collapses in the snow and is mysteriously protected by a large wolf until soldiers arrive to rescue him. The soldiers reveal that they were sent by Count Dracula, suggesting Dracula had been secretly watching over the traveler. The story creates a dark Gothic atmosphere with themes of supernatural fear, mystery, and the power of evil forces, and it serves as an eerie introduction to the world of Dracula.