Subj: THE BOX CONCLUSION
Date: 7/7/00 9:12:47 PM Central Daylight Time
From: N.E. Collins

Quentin Collins sat and listened to his favorite song as he sipped and guzzled by turns his early evening brandy. He lay back his head in sinful reverie as he streched out on the luxurious chaise lounge that sat in his quarters. His thoughts would have been easy to read had anyone been there to see the sensual leer on his pouting lips. A sound as of the beating of the wings of an injured bird caught his attention and he came up quickly out of his respite. He turned in a sort of alarm at the abrupt noise. It seemed to come from over there in the corner by the window where the curtain was drawn. Over there in the corner where the box lay.

He waited a heartheat or two and the noise did not come again, but then! There it was again, and it was more frantic than before! He jumped up and staggered toward the corner of the room. He braced himself against the corner of the lid of the box and threw back the curtains! And there trapped in some branches near the window was a gull!

He laughed out loud as he shook his head and wondered to himself how ridiculous it was for him to have been scared of a silly little noise. He slowly rose from the box and shaking his head in continued disbelif he grabbed up the decanter of brandy and made for his bedchamber. Behind him the noise of broken wings fluttering came again, but this time he did not bother to turn and see. If he had he would have seen that the gull was no longer a victim of the branches outside. The sound had come from inside the box.

***********************************************************************

The tall beautiful auburn haired woman was noticeably nervous as Quentin assured her that everything would be just fine. "Jenny, believe me, the family is over the initial shock of our marriage! And now they are all waiting down in the music room to hear you sing. They have even invited some of the local dignitaries! They are ready to welcome you into the bosom of the Collins' family!"

Jenny shook her head as she spoke. "Quentin, I don't know. That sister of yours does not like me. Not even a little! Your grandmother seems amused and I cannot help but think she is laughing at me!"

"No, dear," said Quentin. "She is laughing at me. She cannot believe that any ONE woman has captured my rougish heart as you have my love!" He made to encircle her with his arms, but she pulled aside and checked herself in the mirror. "Perhaps, you had better go on without me, husband. I need a moment to prepare myself properly." Quentin assented knowing that when this perfomance was over he would be privy to a private viewing.

Almost as soon as the door closed behind Quentin, Jenny heard a sound like a broken wing of an injured bird flottering. Or was it like a captured bird bumping into an obstacle? She stopped still and listened carefully. The sound repeated itself over there in the corner. She stepped over to the corner and looked behind the box that was in place there, and she heard it again. It was something that was in the box that was making that strange noise. She got down on her knees and without a moments hesitation she opened the lid of the box.

A small pinkish shape with tiny wings like a moth flew up and out of the box and landed on her busom. She was aware that this creature was hope itself and that she must be careful and never lose it or she would be lost all the days of her life. She lovingly laid the creature down on the window ledge to get a better look at it when another less attractive insect flew out of the box and STUNG her!

It was madness and it's malady was slow but deliberate and it's sting was always sure. Jenny felt she could not breath for that moment and she thoughtlessly opened the window in front of her and leaned down on the edge of the box as she took in several deep refreshing breaths.

Hope flew out the window. And madness remained.

THE END

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.