Subj: Strangers on a Train chapter six
Date: 12/11/00 10:54:48 PM Central Standard Time
From: Melissa
The Fifth Reading or "Out of My Mind", or "Once in a Lifetime"
Barnabas Collins stepped out of the taxi and paid the driver, he looked up at he large house. It looked like all the pictures he had ever seen of it. This was his first time in the United States; he had come on business, and to pick up something for his sister's wedding. So he decided that it was a good time to visit the American branch of the Collins family.
Barnabas and his sister were the last members of the English branch. Neither of them had ever met any of their American cousins.
He thought of Evelyn and his daughter Andrea, Evelyn had left him a few months after Andrea was born. That was almost a year ago. He was expecting a call from her. They talked about trying to make things work out between them, and he would do anything to get her back. Their separation had nothing to do with infidelity; they just needed some time away from each other.
Barnabas walked up to the front door and knocked. The door was opened and a middle aged woman looked out. "Yes?" she asked.
"I'd like to see Mrs. Stoddard. If you'd be so kind."
"Mrs. Stoddard?"
"This is Collinwood isn't it?" Barnabas asked. He was beginning to wonder why this woman was acting so strangely.
"Yes" she replied in a voice of amazement.
"And the mistress is Mrs. Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard, is she not?" he asked.
"Yes," the woman said again.
"Then perhaps you'd do me the curtsey to inform Mrs. Stoddard that her cousin is calling and wishes to pay his respects."
The woman's demeanor changed, "Cousin?"
"Yes, her cousin from England," he said beginning to feel a bit annoyed.
"From England. Oh please come in," the woman said letting him into the house. She took his hat and coat and set them on the table.
"I'd be delighted. Thank you."
"Oh-uh would you like to wait in the drawing room?" she asked.
"Here would be fine."
"Oh. . . well I'll. . . I'll let Mrs. Stoddard know that you're here."
She walked up the stairs and just as she was about to disappear through a door Barnabas called out, "Oh Madam, if you would, you may tell her that it is Barnabas Collins."
He looked around the entryway, and saw several portraits hanging on the walls. He turned around and found looked at himself in a gold encrusted mirror. He moved to the left and for a moment he thought he was staring into another mirror.
The man in the portrait was his double, except that he was dressed in clothes from the 1700's, he saw the ring on the man's finger, he looked at his own, they were the same. He thought he had the only one in the world. No wonder why the old woman was surprised to see him at the door, she probably thought he was a ghost.
"Cousin Barnabas?" a voice said from the top of the stairs. He turned to see a beautiful woman about the same age as the woman who answered the door, perhaps younger.
"Your our cousin from England, I had no idea you resembled our ancestor Barnabas."
"Neither did I, that is until today."
She walked to him and said, "I'm so glad to finally meet you. Your father never really wrote to us."
"I'm sorry he didn't we might have met sooner."
"Come and met the rest of the family," Elizabeth said leading him into the drawing room.
Inside there was a man, a couple years older than himself, he was pouring a brandy.
There were two girls, both in their twenties, the blonde was looking at a fashion magazine, while the brunette was reading a book.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to met David, my brother's son, until tomorrow, he isn't feeling well today."
The man with the brandy came over and held out his hand, "You must be Barnabas, I'm Roger, Liz's brother."
"It's a pleasure to met you," Barnabas replied.
"Can I get you a brandy?"
"Yes thank you."
"Barnabas this is my daughter Carolyn," Liz said as Roger handed Barnabas the drink.
"Hello Cousin Barnabas," she said warmly. "Your from England, I'm going there in June, I didn't know we had family there. I thought we were the only Collins left."
"Well it's just my sister myself and my wife and child now. My sister is getting married in June. I think it would be wonderful if you'd join us."
"Thank you Cousin Barnabas, I'd like that very much," Carolyn said.
"Barnabas this is Victoria Winters, she's David's governess, but she has become part of the family."
Victoria blushed and took Barnabas' hand. "I can't believe how much you look like your ancestor in the portrait. I always wondered what that man was like. You can see so much in his eyes."
"I saw that too. Do you think my eyes are the same?" he asked her.
"Yes they are," Victoria said.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Hours later Elizabeth walked Barnabas to his room. It hadn't taken them long to convince him to stay.
"Here it is, I hope you have a good night. If you need anything just call," she said.
"Thank you Elizabeth."
"Sleep as long as you like. It's been a long evening. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night Elizabeth," Barnabas said.
"Good night," she said.
He called Evelyn she wasn't home so he left her the number, and asked her to call me back.
He began to dream as soon as he fell asleep. He was walking outside. He looked behind him and saw Collinwood; he turned back to the path and followed it further into the woods. When he came to a clearing he found himself in front of an old house.
He moved closer to get a better look. It was the Old House as the family called it. The windows were cracked, and most of them were boarded up. He tried the door it was open, he walked inside. It was dark, but he could see that it was dusty and run down, it looked like no one had been here in years. Suddenly the door slammed shut, he turned and tried it, but it wouldn't open. He turned back, and was shocked by what he saw. The room had changed, from the dusty broken down room, was now a warm inviting house, as it must have looked when it was lived in years ago.
Then he noticed a faint perfume in the air. It was a soft delicate smell that was so familiar, he searched him mind for what it was, and then it came to him. Jasmine.
He should have known it right away. He had smelled that everyday on his honeymoon eight years ago. The smell reminded him of Evelyn. He felt as if he to find where the scent was coming from. He climbed the stairs and followed the perfume to the second floor.
He stopped in front of a door and opened it. The room was a lady's bedroom; the scent was strong now. He stepped inside, then he saw her.
"You've come at last," she said in a soft voice, she spoke with an accent that he recognized as French. She was on the bed, and was dressed in a pale violet dressing gown. One side hung off revealing a naked shoulder. Her hair was dark and silky. It hung around her shoulders.
"I've been waiting so long for you. What kept you?" she asked.
"I don't. . . "
"Come to me, I do not care. You're here now," she interrupted. She sat up on her knees, and held out her arms, he moved to her, he felt so helpless. When he was by her side she flung her arms around him.
"Oh Barnabas. I thought I'd never hold you again. Kiss me," she whispered.
He kissed her, and she responded with several soft deliciously intoxicating kisses.
He was at a loss for words. Who was this bewitching creature?
"I thought you had forgotten me, and your promise."
"My promise," he questioned.
"Yes, that you'd return and come for me, so that we could be together forever." The girl pulled him down onto the bed and held him close. "Take me with you. Never leave me again," she whispered in his ear, "I've been so lonely." She licked his ear lightly.
He saw her untie the dressing gown revealing to him that she was wearing nothing. She smiled and whispered something in French; her hands went to his buckle.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Barnabas woke up with a start; he could still feel the girl's soft kisses and caresses all over his body. He throbbed painfully; he wanted to feel her again.
"Who was she," he wondered out loud.
Victoria Winters listened from the other side of the door, she smiled she had heard everything, she made her way quietly back to her room.
When he woke up the next morning, he dressed quickly and made his way downstairs.
"Good morning Mr. Collins, did you sleep well," asked Victoria as they passed each other on the stairs.
"Yes, but I did have a strange dream, I was going to ask Elizabeth about it."
"I had strange dreams when I first came here. Did the dream take place in the old deserted house?"
"Yes," he said.
"And was there a young woman about my age?"
"Yes, do you know who she is?" he asked surprised.
"Yes, she's Josette duPrès. She was to marry your namesake, she has come to me in my dreams, she is always searching for someone, perhaps it is you."
"Thank you Miss Winters, you've been very helpful."
Victoria smiled and hurried up to her bedroom, she locked the door behind her. Jasmine filled the air, she looked into the mirror, and Josette looked back at her. She smiled and nodded. Had anyone been in the room they wouldn't have heard the young woman in the mirror say, "You have done well Victoria."
Josette disappeared, and the jasmine faded away.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"Here's a picture of Josette duPrès Barnabas," Elizabeth said handing him the large book of the Collins family history. "Is that who you saw in your dream?"
"Yes that's the same girl."
"You don't think you saw her portrait before?"
"No I saw it today for the first time. What happened to her?"
"Well she came from Martinique to marry Barnabas, and several days before the wedding Barnabas fell ill, he disappeared and soon after that his father, Joshua Collins said that he went to England, never to return. But several people claimed that they saw him. Josette fell ill; it was like she was being drained of blood. Then one night her aunt went to check on her, and found her dead," Elizabeth finished.
"Know no knew what happened?" Barnabas asked.
"It's still a mystery that will never be solved. There have been legends but it's just gossip nothing to believe."
"I've never come across anything about the original Barnabas in England," Barnabas said.
"Well another book says that Barnabas died, but they thought it was the plague, so that's why his father told the story about Barnabas going to England."
"Were there other deaths, that would support the plague theory?"
"I believe so."
"Thank you Elizabeth. If you don't mind I think I'd like to go look at the Old House."
"Of course you may. Would you like come company?"
"No thank you, I don't mind going on my own. If my wife calls call my cell phone, and I'll come back."
"Of course," Elizabeth said.
Barnabas took his hat and coat and went to the door, "Are you sure you want to go by yourself?"
"Yes, thank you, I won't be there long."
Victoria watched from the window of the schoolroom, as Barnabas made his way through the woods to the Old House.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The house looked the same; it was like he was still dreaming. Barnabas looked through one of the broken windows; it looked like no one had set foot in there in a hundred years. He felt like he did in his dream, like he had no will of his own, he had to go inside, there was a power that he couldn't resist.
After he went inside, just like in his dream the door closed behind him, but when he looked back to the rooms, nothing changed. He made his way up the stairs to the bedroom he had been in.
When he was at the door, the faint scent of jasmine greeted him. It was so intoxicating, he reached for the doorknob, but as he touched it, the door opened on it's own.
"Come to me Barnabas, I thought you wouldn't come," Josette said. She was standing in the center of the room. Dressed in the same violet dressing gown that was so shear that he could see that she was naked. It fell loosely off her shoulders.
As she walked towards him, it fell off of her and onto the floor. When she was before him, she raised a hand and touched his cheek.
"Your finally here, I've waited so long. If it hadn't been for Victoria I might have never known you had come back." Josette wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "We'll never be separated now, and we'll be together forever."
Barnabas forgot everything about his old life, he forgot about Evelyn, about Andrea, and Sarah. He never wanted to leave the arms of this woman.
She led him to the bed, and undressed him, never leaving a spot untouched.
This kind of passion was new to him, when he was completely undress before her; she sucked in her breath, and pulled to the bed. She moved on top of him and kissed him softly on the mouth, as her hands moved down his body. Her mouth moved slowly to his neck. She kissed a throbbing vein, then quickly bit at it.
Barnabas jerked forward, he wrapped his arms around her as he cried out in pain, but the pain stopped quickly, and what he felt now was beyond anything he could ever describe. He cried her name over and over again.
When she was done biting she kissed the spot once again. Barnabas lay underneath her unsure of what was supposed to happen next, he felt like it was his first time. All that he did know was that he needed her badly, she looked down at him, and she smiled and kissed him deeply.
"Are you ready?" she whispered.
"Yes," he breathed.
"This is the only way that we can ever be together forever, do you want that?"
"Oh God yes," he managed.
She moved her hand to a breast and with one of her nails she cut her chest, and stream of blood ran down her breast, she moved it to his mouth.
Barnabas sucked deeply and moaned.
After awhile she pulled herself away. She ran a hand over her breast and the cut disappeared. "You are as I am," she whispered.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
They made love through out the night. Their cries echoing throughout the house. Barnabas felt as if he could make love to her forever.
Before the sun rose she led him to her hiding place, where she hid from the sun, and from people who would destroy her.
They lay in her coffin, dreaming peacefully of their life together.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"No, we've had no word from him," Elizabeth said to Evelyn, "I've called his cell phone but no one answers. We've got people searching for him now. I'll call you as soon as we find something."
Elizabeth hung up the phone; Victoria sat on the sofa. "I don't understand, how could he just disappear?"
"Maybe he decided to go home," Victoria suggested.
"Why wouldn't he tell anyone, and why would he leave all his things behind?" Elizabeth asked.
Roger and Sheriff Patterson entered the drawing room; "Did you find anything?" Elizabeth asked.
"There was no sign of him in The Old House, it looked like he had never even set foot in the place, except we found this," Roger said holding out Barnabas' cell phone.
Barnabas Collins had disappeared; it was like he had vanished off the face of the earth. The Collins family called Evelyn and his sister and told them that his cell phone was found.
A private detective was hired, but nothing came of it.
Months had past and there was still no word from or about Barnabas Collins.
Stranger still is, that several people have he found dead with the blood drained from their bodies, with strange marks on their necks.
Maggie Evans was the only victim to survive the so-called attacks, but she was greatly changed after them. People rarely saw her; she quit her job at the Collinsport Diner.
Things were never the same in Collinsport again. Some people swear that Barnabas Collins is still there, there have been several reports of sightings, he is always with a beautiful dark haired woman.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Barnabas stared at the cards, "I am going to visit my family in Collinsport Maine," he said softly.
The other passengers looked at him. Each on to the readings had some truth in them.
"What is the last card," Barnabas asked.
Dr. Schrek turned the card over. Death.
"We've all had the same future," Burke said.
"How is it possible for all of us to have the same future," Angèlique asked. "Is this is our near future?"
Dr. Schrek nodded.
"What about you?" Julia asked. "You're the only one who hasn't done it, what does the near future hold for you?"
Dr. Schrek laid out five cards and flipped them over. The last card was also the death card.
"It's the train," Barnabas exclaimed.
"He's right," Peter said. "We're going to crash, that's why we all have death in our future."
Angèlique looked out the window, the train speed increased suddenly. "Look how fast we're going," she cried.
Peter stood up and went for the lever that would stop the train.
Burke and Barnabas pulled him away, "What do you want to do kill us all?" Burke asked.
The train went into a tunnel and the lights went out. Panic went threw the car. They held on to anything they could, Angèlique cried softly. Peter was mumbling, "I'd die the way the cards said I would than this."
The lights came back on and the train came out of the tunnel. The passengers looked around.
The Julia said, "He's gone."
"Who?" Barnabas asked.
"Dr. Schrek."
They all looked to where he had been sitting, and sure enough the seat was empty. The train pulled to a stop.
"We made it," Peter said with a sigh of relief.
"Are we at the station?" Angèliuqe asked.
"It looks like we're at one," Burke said.
They all stepped out. The station was deserted.
"Where are we?" asked Julia.
Barnabas found a sign. "We're in Collinsport," he said numbly.
They all looked at each other.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Dr. Schrek made his way up the hill to the large house. As he made his way be began to take off his old man disguise. He had done it, and it was so simple too.
Nicholas Blair laughed the old man disguise had worked so well. His master would be pleased. If it hadn't been for that stupid doorway that could take you through time he created, then the Collins family would have been destroyed already.
The five strangers had gone through that doorway as friends but came out as strangers only to meet again. They would never escape the terrors that were their destiny.
Nicholas Blair laughed again; they wouldn't escape this time.
The end