One story tells how an orphan girl tries to warn the people of her town of an impending plague, portrayed as a ghost that loomed over the town. ... In 1890, when his romance novel The Snake's Pass was published, he was already making notes for a novel with a vampire theme. ...

• Word Count: 2122
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Wilson goes on to note that the word "vampire" seems to have originated either from the Turkish word for "witch", the Greek word which means "to drink", or is possibly a combination of several Slavic terms, including upir ("witch"), wempti ("to drink"), and pirati ("to blow") (577-78). ... Shortly after, hauntings began to occur, and an outbreak of the plague spread through the village. ...

• Word Count: 2902
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School