Subj: Future Imperfect 2
Date: 6/24/02 3:53:05 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Aesgaard

William was fumbling with his tie as he answered the door. Amanda turned her head toward him and gave him a peck on the cheek as she entered

"Hi !" She beamed with her two blue eyes. "Where are the little monsters ?" "I dunno." William grinned in jest as he fussed with his tie. She grinned at his exasperation and helped with it. There was a secret emotion to her lingering smile as she helped him. "You look great !" "Thanks." William tried to loosen her knot. "How are you doing ? What happened to that guy you were seeing ?" "Scott ?" Amanda looked away in embarrassment. "He didn't treat me the way I wanted. Not the way someone else once did...." She sneaked a lingering gaze back to William, but he was quickly distracted by Ally coming down the stairs in her black Chanel dress with her long brown hair up and her alabaster neck as graceful as a princess. Her breasts looked as if they were about to pop out the top of her dress and her long skirt moved with her.

"How do I look ?" She beamed and looked forward to the evening with adult talk and conversation. She had been looking forward to it all week.

"Too good for me." William added.

"Now, Amanda." Ally picked up her purse as she caught Amanda doing one of her tortured looks for William. "The girls are playing upstairs, there's food in the fridge and the Cooper's number next to the phone if there's a problem." "There won't be." "And keep them out of my study !" William added as he escorted Ally out the door.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Amanda watched the two parents head out the door. She briefly waved as they left in Ally's Lincoln Town car and turned inside and closed the front door. Hurrying up the stairs, she headed for the playroom and peeked inside. No rug rats here. She frowned curiously, peeked into their bedroom to see if they were watching William and Ally drive away then looked around.

"Where are you ?" She called out. "We are not playing this game ! Come on out !" She looked in William and Ally's bedroom and then the guest room.

Where were they ? She strolled down the back stairs to the kitchen and then back up to the second floor as she walked the length of the house.

"You are not scaring me !" She called out. "Like I said, we are not playing this game !!!" The lights went out and left her in complete darkness. She felt the wall for a switch and clicked it. No power. They were at the fuse box on the back porch or at least one of them.

"Georgia ! Elaine !" Amanda crept her way down the hall. "This has been fun, now let's stop it !" She heard a noise from over her head. At least one of them was in the attic playing "The Sounds of Halloween." It was a creepy gothic music with moans and groans and chains as Amanda rolled her eyes and felt for the door at the other end of the hall.

"Please, girls, don't do this......" She felt the doorknob in the darkness and opened it to the dark second flight of stairs. She looked up and felt a string grow taut as it pulled something at the top of the stairs.

Amanda's eyes widened as a rolling chair turned round at the top landing. She saw a dark figure in the moonlight of the garret windows with a skull for its face. It turned and dived on her in one movement.

As the neighbors heard her screams, everyone realized the Collins girls were being babysat again tonight.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.