Hello again, Aral Stein Story Club members.

I'm Ivy, your ghostly host and keeper of those strange and spooky tales from the hidden

vault of R. L. Stein. Today is another chilling tale. This blood-curdling tale, story club

members, might make you sleep with the window locked in the shade pulled down.

It's one I call the night stalker.

The glass vial stood on the kitchen counter. Within it was a soil so dark it was almost black.

What's so special about this, Dad? Lucy Seward asked.

It's just a vial full of dirt.

It's not just any dirt, Lucy.

It's genuine earth from Dracula's castle.

Sure, Dad. Lucy rolled her eyes.

Lucy might just be 10 years old,

and she might have fallen for lots of stuff in the past,

but there was no way she was going to believe there was a real Dracula's castle.

Dracula was just a movie character with a long black

cape, slick black hair, and plastic fangs. Oh, and don't forget the fake blood dripping down

from his mouth. Lucy's dad had just returned from a work trip. He sold software to different companies

all over the world. He usually came back from places with really cool presents, like fantastic silk slippers from Japan or a cool purse from Italy.

He'd just come back from the Romanian city of Bucharest, and, disappointingly, all he'd brought her was this vial of dirt.

She shouldn't be too surprised, though.

When Lucy's dad wasn't working, he was always going for hikes and collecting rocks and stuff.

He had lots of vials of dirt and

...