"Good afternoon, sir." "how can I help you, Miss?" "Haven't they come from The Sicomoros to pick me up?" "The Sicomoros?" "You're Miss Marta González, Don Emilio's niece, right?" "Yes, sir, hasn't my uncle come to pick me up?" "Yes." "He Was here at noon, but left When he heard about the landslide." "And, What time is he going to be back?" "No, I don't think he'll be back, Miss." "We thought We Wouldn't have trains until tomorrow, but as you can see, they've been stopping here since half an hour." "Isn't there anybody Who can take me to The Sicomoros?" "I'm afraid not, Miss." "People don't go out after sunset." "So, What should I do?" "You can only Wait until tomorrow." "Look, that man over there has the same problem." "Miss, don't ask any more questions, I've already tried everything." "But, my aunt is very sick, and I need to get to The Sicomoros tonight." "Yes, I also lied about my nephew's Baptism, but it didn't Work." "Come With me, this Will take a While, take a seat and relax." "Here, I'll help you." "You know, it seems that people here are terrified to leave their houses after sunset..." "I Wanted to Walk to the closest town, about three hours away from here, but that fat man over there Wouldn't let me." "Someone's coming." "What an ugly man." "Yes, he is not very attractive, you're right." "I've come to pick up that box." "Here's the ticket." "All right, it's all yours." "Isn't it a shame to have someone deliver soil from Hungary?" "Soil?" "What's Wrong With our soil?" "Whims of the rich." "It's for a man called Mr. Duval, Who's lived here for 10 years." "I think he's a little bit crazy, he's very odd, only goes out at night and Wears a black cape like that one." "Wait a minute, I have an idea." "Good afternoon, sir, sorry to bother you, but, can you give a ride to that lady?" "She's very pretty and she'd be good company on the road." "I'm not going into town." "She neither, she's going to The Sicomoros." "Where?" "To The Sicomoros." "All right." " Tell her to come here." " Thank you." "It's all settled." "He'll take you to The Sicomoros." "Hurry." "But, Where are you going?" "I'm going Where you're going." "Just go." "If you're going to The Sicomoros." "Then, I'm going to The Sicomoros." "Let's go, pal." "Just a moment, Wait." "I Want to see her one last time." "I can keep it, sir." "Rest in peace, beloved sister." "This is What she always Wanted, patrón, God Wants her to rest here for ever." "Thus Will be, The Sicomoros Will always belong to us." "Anselmo...!" "Read this." "What happened?" "You should get off here." "But, this is not The Sicomoros." "I take a detour here, you can continue on that road." "Take us there, We'll pay you Whatever you Want." "I can't..." "Get down, get down." "All right, all right." "Bastard, he could've taken us there." "Well, Where are We now?" "At the crossroad." "We need to follow that fence to The Sicomoros." "Is it far from here?" " Half an hour from here." " Half an hour?" "Miss, if We're going to Walk for half an hour, in this foggy and deserted place," "We'd better get to know each other, don't you think?" "My name is Enrique." "I'm Marta." "Nice to meet you." "Well, now I'll tell you some things about me." "I have a mole on my back, on this side." "I hate the countryside, because I think it's a place for cows, not for people, and I'm a commercial traveller." "I Work in a store, and they let me my uncle Emilio Wrote to me two days ago saying that I should come today, that I should be here no matter What." "Your ill aunt's husband?" "No, they're brothers, I have another aunt living in The Sicomoros, but none of them is married." "Hey, Miss, are you sure this is the right Way?" "This seems a bit long to me." "Sure, I know this place." "I hope my aunt isn't seriously ill." "She Was like a mother to me." "She raised me as a child." "Hey, Why didn't they get married?" "Are they too ugly?" "No, on the contrary, they Were very pretty When they Were young, now they're too old." "They just lived in the Hacienda by themselves and didn't go out." "I can imagine." "What about your uncle?" "My uncle Emilio is different." "He travelled all around the World for many years, he came to The Sicomoros two months ago." "I still remember the yard full of flowers, the bright hallways." "The cages With birds." "The fountain." "The most Wonderful memories from my childhood are in that bright yard..." "This is called the hanging tree, the road makes a turn here and soon We'll be at the front gate." "What are you looking at?" "I don't know, I couldn't tell." "I've been having a Weird feeling since he left us on the road." "What do you mean?" "I feel that someone has been following us." "I haven't seen anybody." "Me neither, but I felt something cold on my back." "What do you Want?" "I'm Marta, my uncle and aunts are Waiting for me." "Yes, Miss, I'll open right noW." "how are you, Anselmo?" "My child." "Let me help you, sir." "Why is everything so deserted?" "Miss, it has been like this for a long time." "It's hard to get people to Work in the Hacienda, no one Wants to Work in Sierra Negra anymore." "A lot of people have left the town." "That place is deserted." "It looks like a cemetery." "But, come on in, come in." "It's your niece, sir, and she's With a gentleman." "Martita!" "Uncle!" "My child..." "We thought you Were coming tomorrow." "Yes, I know." "Marta!" "Don't I get a hug?" "It's your aunt..." "Eloísa." "Don't you recognize me anymore?" "Is this the old aunt?" "Aunt!" "You look the same as When I left here." "It's been so long." "It's incredible, you look like a different person... and my aunt María Teresa, Where is she?" "She died yesterday..." "We've just buried her." "Come on, don't cry... it's no use." "Come on, let's go upstairs." "Excuse me, sir, can you get me my luggage?" "Your luggage?" " I'm leaving." " Why?" "I have to go." "Martita, the gentleman is leaving." "I'm sorry, I forgot about him!" "This gentleman Was kind enough to bring me here from the station..." "Why don't you stay, at least for tonight?" "Where are you going to go now?" "To a hotel." " A hotel?" " Yes." "No, We haven't had hotels in Sierra Negra for a long time now." "Where are you going to go?" "This is your home too, please, stay." "Come this Way." " Thank you." " Come in." "I'm so sorry to have come in such a painful time." "It's painful... yes, very much... although We should be happy for her death." "Why do you say that, aunt?" "You have no idea how much she suffered these last months, right, Emilio?" "Yes, in fact, only death could free her from the pain she Was suffering." "how did she die?" "She suffered a heart attack, but she had been disturbed for five years." "You mean insane?" "Yes, she experienced persecutory delusions." "What Were her fears?" "Vampires." "Vampires!" "Yes, things she heard from the people in the other town... they're extremely supersticious." "She Was convinced there Was a vampire somewhere in this house, stalking her to suck her blood, and at night, she suffered even more." "She Would lock herself up in her room and surround herself With all the crucifixes and mirrors in the house." "And, Why Would she do that?" "Nonsense, those are legends." "Yes, they say you can scare away vampires With crucifixes, and you can find them With mirrors." "Yes, I've heard something like that." "It's said they don't reflect on mirrors, right?" "Yes, that's What they say." "Well, excuse my niece." "She's very tired from the trip and I don't think she Wants to hear this." "You're right, aunt, let's go." "Excuse us." "Please, madam." "Do you collect old books?" "No, I don't understand a thing about that." "They've always been there." "They seem to be part of a file from an old mine in Sierra Negra." "Unfortunately, it's too late, right?" "Yes." "Doctor!" "I followed your instructions, no one knows Who I am, or Why I'm here." "Then, keep it that Way until you leave, I beg you." "It'd be very painful if they found out now the reason you are here." "Soil?" "And he Will come to life again, my brother, Count Karol Lavud, buried by his enemies," "Who put an end to his inmortality in this unworthy crypt." "This is soil from the cemeteries in the Woods of Baconia." "We Will take it to his grave in two moons." "Its hidden power Will revive him at the very minute of the one hundred anniversary of his death, and then We Will continue enjoying our lost happiness that We shared in other times." "And together, We Will impose in this county the power and the domain of the house of Lavud..." "Bring the horses, Jorge, We Will leave immediately." "Do you know that you are one of the owners of The Sicomoros?" "No, I didn't know it." "María Teresa gave you her part in her Will." "She Was so kind With me." "You are an owner of The Sicomoros, like Emilio and me." "But, The Sicomoros is not What it used to be." "There are people Who Want to buy it." "They Would pay good money." "But, Would you sell The Sicomoros?" "Yes, I Want to sell it." "But Emilio doesn't Want to." "According to the deed, We shall reach a majority of votes" "Within the owners to decide upon the sale." "Then, I'm the one making a decision?" "Yes." "Could We talk about this some other day, aunt?" "Everything has happened so quickly, that it seems like a nightmare." "Think it over, the house is a Wreck." "People don't Want to Work in the countryside anymore." "But, she is buried here..." "What's Wrong, aunt?" "Nothing, someone's coming..." "Be careful, there's a stranger in the house." "I know, don't lose sight of him." "He is a very important neighbor, he may have come to offer condolences." "You should meet him." "Excuse me With him, please, I'll meet him some other day..." "I'm exhausted, and I don't feel like talking to anybody." "All right, I'll take care of him." "Have a good night." "You too, aunt." "Mr. Duval, he's a neighbor." "Duval, Duval..." "Oh, I know." "You are the importer of soil from Hungary." "What are you saying?" "He is just exaggerating." "He may have seen a box With soil that I picked up at the station." "He might think I receive them all the time." "That's just a sample." "If that's a sample, I can't imagine What a Whole order Would be." "I don't understand." "It's an old tradition." "Don't tell me it's soil from a cemetery." "No, nothing like that." "I'll use it to plant roses from the Woods of Baconia." "The tradition says you should use soil from their origin, that's Why I brought it." "What Was that?" "A book fell from the bookshelf." "But, how?" "No one touched it." "It must have slipped..." "This is a very interesting book." "It's a manuscript and it's over a 100 years old." "They are all from the same time." "Minutes on the murder of Count Karol de Lavud, founder of The Sicomoros, native of Baconia, in the reign of Hungary..." "Well, What a coincidence!" "This guy is a relative of yours." "Yes, that's What it seems." "I bet that Lavud is the same that's buried in the crypt." "It might Well be." "Well, according to this book, he has been buried for more than 100 years." "Of course, his headstone is the oldest in the cemetery." "Poor man, he must be all ashes by now." "The gentleman's room is ready." "Thank you, María." "If you'll excuse me, I'll go to my room." "Can I take this book With me?" "I'd like to leaf through it." "Of course." "Thank you..." "Nice to meet you, Mr. Duval." "Good night." "show him his room, María." "This Way, please." "Would you show me the Way, please?" " Certainly." " Thank you." "What's your name?" "María." " María, nice name." " And your last name?" "Santoyo, sir." "Interesting fellow." "Why is he here?" "I don't know." "I think he is a commercial traveller." "He came along With Martita from the station." "I think she doesn't know him either." "He'll leave tomorrow." "But, is she already here?" "Yes, but she Won't come down now." "She's very tired." "Have you told her that I Want to buy The Sicomoros?" "Don't get too excited, Mr. Duval." "Martita has a special affection for this Hacienda and Will probably agree With me on the idea of not selling it." "It'll be a shame if she rejects my offer." "A real shame." "This is your room, sir." "Thank you." "Have a good night." "No, don't go, María." "I Want to talk With you." "Tell me, Who helped the lady that died?" "A servant, sir." "Those nervous attacks she Was having lately, did she have them at a certain time or at any time of the day?" "No, sir, she only had them at night." "My late patrona didn't have nervous attacks, nor Was she crazy." "Well, they Were superstitions then." "No, sir, they Weren't." "They Weren't beliefs either, these Were real things." "Don't tell me a vampire Was stalking her." "Vampires exist, believe it or not." "Have you seen one?" "God forbids it... but my grandfather Was killed by one 100 years ago, in the tunnel of a mine." "Several people died during that time, all of them from bleeding neck Wounds." "Nobody Wanted to Work in the mine anymore." "It's all ruins now." "two fellows from town killed him afterwards." "They killed him?" "The only Way you can kill a vampire, because there's no knife or gunshot that can kill them." "Then, how do you get rid of them?" "By sticking them a Wood stake in their chest While they are sleeping." "And, you are afraid of a vampire that died 100 years ago?" "No, sir, that one is buried in the crypt." "This is a different one." "Nobody has seen him yet, but the same things are happening." "They've already found dead bodies by the roads, all of them With marks on their necks, and Without a trace of blood." "Nobody Wants to go out at night, and even the animals in the mountain have run to other mountains." "That's nonsense." "Don't make fun of What people from the countryside tell you." "Vampires exist." "They sleep in the day and go out at night looking for young people's blood, that's the only thing they eat." "May God protect you, so that they don't kill you nor make you a vampire." "If they bite you twice, then you Wouldn't grow old and Would live like the souls in the purgartory in eternal inmortality." "Let the Virgen del Socorro take care of you over the night, sir." "Good night." "Receive my condolences once again." "Sleep, sleep." "That I ask the night," "While I take care of you..." "You'll catch a cold." "Cry, keep crying." "Come on, keep crying." "Don't Worry about me." "Tears make Women more pretty, don't believe it's not true, those are lies made up by beauty experts." "Besides, crying is healthy... didn't you know?" "Listen to this." "I cry every day at breakfast, from 7:00 to 9:00." "It's the best time to cry." "Try it." "Try it and you'll see." "You and your jokes." "Besides, the scenery is not that romantic so as to stay awake and come here to see it." "Please relax and enjoy What you have here." "Do What I do." "I'm reading a crime story." "That's a crime, look." "This is What is left from What it used to be the nicest place in the World." "Finding the place like this has shocked me like my aunt's death." "We could say that this is the skeleton of What you had here before, right?" "Well, What's there to be surprised then?" "Look... nothing has changed, it's just that you used to see it more beautiful." "That's all." "For example... you're very pretty... it's true." "now I'm looking at you, and you seem even prettier, but What if suddenly your flesh Were gone and I Were left alone With your skeleton?" "I'd run so fast that in a second" "I'd reach the station With the administrator... the fat guy, remember?" "You have such ideas!" "Everybody says so." "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." "You should dream to see things the Way you Want." "It's the best recipe for happiness." "Maybe." "What do you mean?" "It's very true." "Dreaming is the most important thing." "Try it." "how?" "By going to sleep right noW." "Go and get some sleep." "tomorrow you'll see things differently." "Thank you..." "Good night." "Lock your door from inside." "Why?" "Because I'm a sleepwalker." "He's a Doctor." "Someone brought him secretly." "Don't Worry." "There's no reason for him to be in The Sicomoros." "He came here to see sick people and she's already buried since nightfall." "Don't trust anybody, Master." "He said he'll be leaving tomorrow, and if he lies and stays, then he'll die that very same night." "And, Marta?" "Marta!" "She'll be one of us." "The second time her blood gets into my body, she'll remain like that, for ever and ever." "She'll be thirsty of her own blood, searching for it uselessly night after night, in other bodies." "It's our fate." "Like you do it, like I do it, like We should all do it, because We're still in that strange bridge between the end of life and the beginning of death." "Good morning!" "Good morning." "Are you leaving already?" "Yes, there's a train leaving in half an hour and I don't Want to miss it..." "how do you feel?" "Did you sleep better?" "No, not so good." "I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep Well." "I Want to hear it, tell me." "I dreamt With a tall man in a tuxedo." "He had big eyes... and Was staring at me at the foot of my bed..." "He almost kissed me, but I fainted and I don't remember anything else." "That explains it." "now you'r aiting for him to come out from behind that door to kiss you." "No." "No?" "Then, Why Were you staring at the door?" "If you knew What's behind that door." "I have no idea." "That Was my room When I Was a child." "When I left, my aunt promised me to keep it as it Was until I came back." "And now that I'm here, I don't have the courage to go in." "But, Why not?" " Come on, let's go in." " No!" "I prefer to do What you told me last night, dream about it." "I heard my first lullaby in there." "My aunt made it up for me." "She Would only sing it When We Were there alone." "It Was our secret." "It Went like this: "Sleep, sleep," ""that I ask the night," "While I take care of you... "" "That's a nice song, but I've heard it before." "You Were singing it last night." "That's impossible." "It's the first time I sing it." "I'm pretty sure I've heard it before." "Someone sang it here last night." "I'm telling you that's impossible." "Only my aunt and I knew it, and she's dead now." "Unless you heard it While someone sang it from the other World." "Yes, sure, from the other World." "No one sings from the other World." "You know, What happens is that I hear very Weird things." "I don't have a good ear for music, or..." "Come With me." "Let's go and take a look at your beautiful room, eh?" "Please, don't do it." "It looks as if it had been closed for a thousand years, eh?" "It's full of dust, cobwebs..." "There's a little doll in a cradle, is it yours?" "Yes." "Well, Why don't you go and take a look?" "You'll have to do it one day." "Come on, come in." "Go ahead." "She's in there, she's in there." "I saw her." "Who?" "My aunt!" "What happened?" "My aunt!" "What happened, my child?" "What's Wrong?" "My aunt is in there, in that room." "She's dressed in black and has a crucifix in her chest." "But, What are you saying?" "Her hair's loose." "Take here somewhere else." "Give her something to calm her down." "Come With me, my child, calm down." "What are you doing, Doctor?" "Just checking, but I didn't find anything." "I think that your niece is seeing things." "Forget it, Doctor." "She described my sister exactly the Way she Was When We buried her last night." "That can't be possible." "I'm telling you." "Are you being serious?" "Well, I'm leaving now." "No, no, no, Doctor." "Don't go." "I'm begging you." "Go see her, she's very nervous." "Stay With her, at least until she calms down." "Look, Don Emilio." "Let's clear things up now." "You brought me to this Hacienda to diagnose if your sister, Who said she Was seeing vampires, Was crazy or not." "Right?" "Well, now your poor sister is dead, but this lady sees her," "Walking on the corridors, like I see you now here." "I beg you, Doctor." "All right, Don Emilio, but only for a few hours, because I'm leaving at 8:00 to catch the 8:30 train." "And I'll be very happy once I leave..." "Where's your niece?" "In her room." "Let's go." "Come on, fix your makeup." "Stop thinking about that." "It's just your imagination." "You heard What the gentleman said." "You've been thinking about it all afternoon." "Forget about it." "It's no use." "Dead people never come back." "Hurry, Martita, Mr. Duval Will be here in a minute." "Yes, aunt." "And you, go and fix everything." "Yes, madam." "Make yourself pretty, Martita." "Mr. Duval is very anxious to meet you." "He Wants to buy The Sicomoros." "And he's coming here to see you." "I'll look for some jewellery." "Wear this, Mr. Duval Will be here in a minute." "Marta has just discovered me With a mirror." "What should I do?" "The ring." "Good evening, Mr. Duval, come on in, come in." "Good evening, thank you." "Come in." "Marta Will be here in a minute." "Good evening." "You'll have to excuse me, but I'm leaving." "Mr. Duval, how are you?" "Don Emilio, excuse me, but I have to go." "how come you are leaving so soon?" "Yes, I'll barely make it to the next train." "Here's your book." "Thank you very much." "Here's my niece, Mr. Duval." "how's the sick lady?" "Something horrible just happened." " What happened?" " I'll tell you later." "Here's Mr. Duval, Martita." "Very pretty." "Nice to meet you, Miss." "You're really beatiful." "Well, I'm leaving now." "Please, don't go." "I'm in a hurry." "At least you'll have time to enjoy a drink With us." "Well, if it's only one, it Will be a pleasure." "Yes, only one, and of the best Wine." "Thank you." "Mr. Duval, you should read this book." "It's very interesting." "Is it?" "Yes." "It's the story of this relative of yours that lived here many years ago." "They killed him With a stake in his heart." " Why?" " Because he Was a vampire." "Your drinks, gentlemen." "Is that What the book says?" "Yes, that's What it says." "And you, Martita?" "No, thank you." "Come on, Marta." "Drink it." "It'll be good for you." " Cheers!" " Cheers!" "Is the Writer someone respectable?" "Well, there's no Writer." "They're just copies of the stories told by many neighbors" "When they prosecuted the men Who killed him." "And..." "Who buried him in the crypt?" "All the people from here, they did that so they Wouldn't have more vampires around." "Those Were their beliefs." "According to the legend, if the vampire doesn't rest alone Where he's killed, then, later on, another vampire from the same family Will come for revenge, to make sure that the one buried doesn't have neighbors around his tomb." "He has to be there all alone!" "But, do you believe in vampires?" "Who?" "Me?" "No, please." "Not at all." "Excuse me." "Go away, Anselmo!" "Marta, Marta!" "What's Wrong?" "Martita, What's Wrong?" "Don Emilio, my briefcase." "Get me my briefcase." "What's Wrong?" "I regret that this situation With my niece should ruin this lovely evening, Mr. Duval." "Don't Worry, Miss, I'll come some other day." "Anselmo, show Mr. Duval to the gate." "Good evening." "My briefcase is inside my luggage, give it to me." "What could be Wrong, Doctor?" "What's Wrong With her?" "What's Wrong, Doctor?" "She's dead!" "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." "Amen." "She moved, patrón." "What did you say?" "She moved, patrón." "I saw it With my oWn eyes." "She moved her little finger." "That's impossible." "Anselmo never lies, sir." "She'll Wake up in her tomb if she's buried like this." "She has pinpoint pupils." "My briefcase, please." "She's breathing!" "Take all this away from here." "Don Emilio, let's take her to her bed, I'll inject her With coramina." "Be careful." "She'll Wake up normally once she gets stabilized." "Are the symptons for this condition always the same?" "Yes, almost always." "My sister!" "She had the same symptons that Marta had." "She Was sitting there and then suddenly she stood up." "Do you think she Woke up in her coffin?" "Calm down!" "Even if it Were true, it's too late." "It's never too late!" "Come With me." "I Want you to see her." "Come With me, Doctor." "I'd go crazy if I had to Wait here." "Come With us, Anselmo." "I need you." "Go With them." "It's empty!" "how do you explain this?" "I don't know, patrón." "Tell him, Anselmo." "There's no reason to keep the secret anymore." "But, What are you talking about?" "About this." "We found it in the scapular." ""I'm not dead." "Get me out of here, and take me to the tunnel behind the cross. "" "We did it, sir." "We hid her there." "Open it, for God's sake!" "Open it." "Who is it?" "María Teresa, he's a Doctor, a friend." "You've brought a Doctor to see if your sister is insane, right?" " No." " No, no, you don't believe me!" "It's not enough for you to see What they did to me." "They Wanted to kill me by murdering me Without leaving a trace." "That's Why they gave me those dammed powders." "That Way I'd Wake up in my tomb and die from suffocation!" "And from the horror of being inside a coffin!" "But, I figured that out soon enough." "None of their stuff is a secret to me." "I've heard them talk through the tunnels." "One day, they discovered me, and Wanted to kill me!" "They're vampires, both of them." "The bastard has come to unbury that one... the one in the crypt." "The only Way to finish With them is by killing them in their sleep." "Sticking a Wood stake in their chest!" "Do What I say, before it's too late." "I'm not crazy!" "I'm not crazy!" "I'm scared!" "I'm not crazy!" "If she feels better here, she'd better stay." "We'll come for her tomorrow." "now you understand, Doctor, Why I asked you to come secretly." "If she's not crazy, then What she says is true." "Karol Count de Duval January 18, 1840" "They are from the same family." "Who?" "Duval and Count Lavud." "Use the mirror." "Duval!" "Marta is not here." "What?" "They took her through there, there must be an entrance here." "I'll get a lamp." "Don Emilio." "Patrón!" "What happened, Don Emilio?" " Patrón!" " What's Wrong..." "What's Wrong?" "Marta!" "Well, I'm leaving now." "But before, I Want to tell you something." "Do you think that...?" "...With all my heart." "Goodbye." "Your luggage!"