Subj:Beneath the Dark Shadows Part Three
Date: 9/15/00 6:21:27 AM Central Daylight Time
From: N.E. Collins

THIS PART MAY CONTAIN ELEMENTS WHICH SOME READERS MAY FIND OBJECTIONABLE.
N.E.Collins

"If you could just tilt your head slightly downward, and relax your smile, but don't lose it altogether." Sam Evans gave directions to Betty Hanscomb as she sat for her portrait. This was the first time Sam had ever had a living model, and to think that he had persuaded the girl of his dreams into being the first! Well, it was just a dream come true for the young man. Here before him was, in his opinion, the ideal woman. Untouched and Madonna-like. If he only knew the thoughts that Betty threw around in her own mind. Thoughts of events that had taken place just last week at Roger Collins' 13th birthday party.

The party had been held on the very docks of Collinsport. It was a social event of the season quite frankly. Jamison Collins had not wanted a lot of noisy, troublesome children parading about his home on the hill, so instead he had turned his son's entry into manhood into a local circus for the masses. There were fish fries and mouthwatering oysters galore. There was more food than a Thanksgiving feast and the people were higher in spirits than a Christmas morning could provide. Everyone was there and the day's festivities were topped off with a contest. A scavanger hunt was proposed and laid down amongst them all with a prize of cold hard cash to the winners.

Lots were drawn to see who the searching couples would be and Betty Hanscomb had drawn to be partnered with Roger Collins himself. Roger liked Betty well enough. He wasn't as ga-ga over her as Sam Evans, but his good friend Burke Devlin sure was, and he even tried to get Roger to let him be Betty's partner. He chided the heir apparent by saying, "C'mon, Roge, it's not like you know what to do with a girl like her. Give her ta me. Let a man show you how to treat a girl right!" Roger took this teasing good-naturedly and responded, "Burke, today I am a man, and a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." They both laughed as Betty and Elizabeth stood close by, but in ignorance of their rough talk.

Elizabeth had wanted to be partners with her best friend, Betty, and she was moaning about this untoward arrangement. "Oh, Betty, this is just too sad. You being forcibly coupled with my little monster of a brother! Why you and I would have so much more fun and I am sure we could win if we worked together." Betty was taking it all very well. She didn't seem mind the arrangement at all. Betty was only halfway listening to her friend as she gave little Roger Collins a good looking over. He was rather mature for his age, but then all the Collins' men were from generations back. It was in their blood to appear older than they were. And Roger was no exception. He seemed to be more a young man of sixteen. He was athletic and had a nice build and an even tan that he had acquired from many hours of outdoor activities. He was quite the ladies man among his own age group, but in such a small town as this, it was a well known fact that he had never pressed his advantage.

"Betty, could you please keep your mouth closed when you smile? A toothy grin is fine for a snapshot, but what I'm looking for here is a serene closed mouth grin." Betty was drawn back to the present moment as Sam made this request. Her thoughts of Roger Collins had elicited such a thrill that she had quite forgotten where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. "I'm sorry Sam. Of course, I will watch it." She took an evening breath and resumed her statue-like pose for the young artist. Her thoughts returned to the scavanger hunt, but this time her features would not betray her.

The scanvanger list was an odd collection of things readily available and things quite impossible to obtain. In such a case where something could not be procured it was allowable by the rules that a substitute could be provided in it's place as long as there was some sort of a connection between the two items. A similarity was all that was required. Betty and Roger were doing pretty well and Roger was really doing most of the work when it started to rain. Hard. The only shelter close at hand was the lighthouse where Old Satch was on duty and lived. The two young people walked right into the structure without even knocking. Roger's father practically owned it so why should he bother with the formality of knocking?

They found Old Satch dozing, asleep at the switch as was his wont. Well, as there were no scheduled ships out that day there was no need to wake the old man. So the two of them tipptoed around his sleeping form and made their way upstairs to the great light of the building. There at the top they could see for many miles all around and there were telescopes set up so they could look even further. Roger was like a kid in a candy store with all these devices, and it was all too true what Burke had said to him earlier: You wouldn't know what to do with a girl like that. It was the furthest thing from his mind, but his mind was not the only one in play.

Betty Hanscomb walked the perimeter of the lighting structure. She gazed far and wide and didn't spy a single living thing. No animal, vegetable or other human being was within her field of vision. And if she couldn't see anyone else than no one else could see her. Could see them. She moved like a cat upon the young boy and whispered mischeviously in his ear as he looked out to the sea in the telescope, "I have a present for you, Roger Collins. A very special gift that I can only ever give to one person one time." The hair on the back of Roger's neck stood straight up and he unbelievingly faced Betty Hanscomb who was all but licking her lips! Without words the two of them did the dirty deed right there on the floor on a blanket that was nearby.

When they had finished there was still no words between them. The rain had stopped and Roger got himself together and left first. He wasn't being rude, no, more likely he was a bit scared. He wasn't frightened, but he was unsettled nonetheless. Betty didn't mind. She smiled to herself as she thought, "It isn't like I've done anything really wrong. After all, he is just a boy. How much harm could come of a mere boy? It would be different if he had been a grown man." She got her things together and followed the boy, all the time believing that they had done the deed in plain sight and no one had seen it.

No one except the dark figure under the pylons of the nearby dock. The dark figure with the black umbrella standing there in the dark shadows of the pylons. The dark figure of Nora Collins. Aunt Nora had seen it all.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.