Mealtime on the Orient Express

"So how far are you going?" asked Dr. Henry Jekyll as he sat at one of the middle tables in the dining car with his colleague Professor John Griffin and three other people whom he had recently met.

"I don't know yet," replied Lucy Westenra, the most attractive of his recent acquaintances. "How far do you want me to go?"

"No, I mean, how far are you going on this journey?" asked Jekyll. "Are you getting off in Vienna?"

"Gee, I certainly hope so," said Lucy with a slight smile on her lips.

"Or are you getting off in Budapest?" asked Jekyll.

"Actually, we're on our way to Transylvania," said Lucy's friend Mina, eager to prevent Lucy from making yet another bad joke.

"Transylvania, huh?" asked Professor John Griffin. "That's a weird destination. That place is supposed to be filled with all sorts of strange creatures."

"Oh, really?" asked Mina. "Like what?"

"Like werewolves, for example," said Griffin.

"Werewolves?" asked Mina.

The lanky dark-haired gentleman sitting next to Jekyll and Griffin just grinned and pointed out the nearest window. "There, wolves."

"Very funny, Talbot," said Griffin. "If I had known you were going to make jokes like that, I never would have let you sit with us."

"Oh, leave the poor dear alone, Johnny," said Lucy. "Lawrence's jokes aren't that bad."

"You're one to talk," muttered Griffin.

"What was that?" asked Lucy.

"Uh, nothing," said Griffin. "Anyway, all this talk about werewolves is probably just superstitious nonsense left over from the Middle Ages. After all, if werewolves were around in this day and age, modern-day science would have ferreted them out ages ago."

"Oh really?" asked Talbot. "You're that sure about that?"

"Of course I am," said Griffin. "After all, science is uncovering the solution to age-old mysteries every day. It's just a matter of time before it exposes these werewolf rumors as the stuff and nonsense they really are."

"So you really don't believe that a man can turn into a wild beast?" asked Talbot as he stared at Dr. Jekyll.

"Of course not," said Griffin. "If such a man existed, I'm quite sure that my colleague Dr. Jekyll and I would be quite aware of it."

"What about the other rumors that circulate about Transylvania?" asked Talbot. "The vampires. The ENF demons. The --"

"Wait a minute!" cried Mina. "What's an ENF demon?"

"It's a demon that steals women's clothes and forces them to go naked," said Griffin. "An old myth which undoubtedly has a perfectly rational explanation that has nothing to do with demons."

"And yet you're traveling in that direction because you're not hoping to see hordes of naked women running by the side of the train?" asked Talbot.

"Actually Dr. Jekyll and I are on our way to a scientific conference in Istanbul," said Griffin. "And quite frankly, we're not planning to make any side-trips into Transylvania."

"Istanbul?" asked Lucy. "Not Constantinople?"

"Yes, not Constantinople," said Griffin with an air of impatience. "Istanbul hasn't been Constantinople for centuries. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some air."

Lucy watched the Professor leave the dining car and said, "Well, he didn't have to leave in a huff."

"Hey, that just means more wine for us," said Talbot, reaching for a bottle so that he could refill his glass.

Just then a young man with golden hair and blue eyes walked up to the recently vacated place at Lucy's table and asked, "Does anyone mind if I sit here?"

"Why not?" asked Lucy. "You're certainly easy enough on the eyes. But where are my manners? I'm Lucy Westenra, this gentleman over here is Doctor Henry Jekyll, this lady next to me is my good friend Mina Murray, and Lawrence Talbot, of course, is the very handsome gentleman sitting next to you. Not that you have anything to complain about in the looks department, Mr. -- er -- I didn't catch your name."

The golden-haired man took Lucy's hand and kissed it.

Then he smiled and said, "My name is Gray. Dorian Gray."