Carmilla

Carmilla is a gothic novella by Josepeh Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 26 years. It is the story of a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein (Carmilla is an anagram of Mircalla). Laura, the teenage protagonist, lives with her father in a castle amid an extensive forest in Styria. When she was six, Laura had a vision of a beautiful visitor in her bedchamber. She later claims to have been punctured in her breast, although no wound was found. Twelve years later, a carriage accident outside Laura's home unexpectedly brings a girl of her age into the family's care, because her mysterious mother informs Laura's father that her journey is urgent and cannot be delayed. She arranges to leave her daughter with Laura and her father and promises to come back for her daughter in a few months. Carmilla, the girl who had the accident, and Laura grow to be very close friends. At the same time, strange things start happening in the castle.