Subj: Designing Shadows Part Four
Date: 12/10/00 5:38:56 AM Central Standard Time
From: N.E. Collins

The double doors of the front of Collinwood opened slowly inward. Liz stared into the darkness of the great house for a moment before she entered. She was followed by Suzanne and Julia Sugarbaker. As she fumbled for the nearest light switch she breathe a quiet sign of relief that the light came on without incident. Julia Hoffman came in with Mary Jo and Anthony. Liz continued on to the drawing room turning on lamps and opening the bay windows to let some fresh air into the stale room. The outside light of the early afternoon filtered hazily into the house and the darkness from which the family had fled seemed absent.

Julia was watchful for anything to go wrong. Mary Jo was going on about how very lovely this was and oh, look at that, Anthony, but Julia wasn't really listening. She nodded and smiled appreciatively at the woman's comments, but she was silently feeling the atmosphere of the house. And what she felt was...nothing, really. The blanket of fear that had wrapped itself around and over everything in Collinwood had apparently been lifted. The quiet of the gloom that had descended on them all in the night had evaporated like the fog from the nearby cliffs would with the rising of the morning sun. There was a normalcy, an ordinary calm that persisted no matter how the good doctor scrutinized for error.

Liz was relieved and even happy as she declared to them all, "Well, are we all here? Welcome. Welcome to my ancestral home. Collinwood." She made herself appear as though she were Carol Merril from the TV show, Let's Make a Deal, as she held her right arm up and parallel to the ground giving a dramatic sweep as her visitors took in the view. Julia Sugarbaker was first to speak. "It truly IS a magnificent old home. I hope that whatever it is that you want us to do will not in any way deter from the beauty of this fine old estate." The two women chuckled pleasantly and the rest of the companions went about their further inspection of the room. Julia Hoffman was still out in the foyer when she noticed that a member of the party was missing.

Without a word to anyone else she made her way back outside of the house. Her heart was beating so! She just KNEW that something horrible had happened to that other woman. To Charlene. "Where are you? Miss Stillfield?" She turned the corner and there she was gazing oddly up at a second story window. "Miss Stillfield! There you are. I was..." What was she to say? "I was just...looking for you. And...here you are!"

Charlene continued to look upwards as she spoke. "I thought ya'll said that nobody was here? I thought the rest of the family was over at that other place? That Old House, you called it?"

Julia felt a chill go through her. "Yes, that's right. The rest of the family is staying at the Old House. Why do you ask, Miss Stillfield?"

Charlene giggled and looked at the doctor. Now, Dr. Hoffman, really, you must call me Charlene." She smiled a big toothy grin and moved towards Julia. "Of course, I'll call you doctor if you want, and it might be easier since we already have another Julia. It could get kinda confusin' if we didn't." She laughed good naturedly and the two women began to move in the direction of the front doors.

Julia asked her next question nervously. "Miss Sti..., I'm sorry. Charlene...why did you ask about where the other family members were? Did you...see something that would make you think that anybody was here?"

Charlene got a puzzled look on her pretty face. "Y'know, it's funny, but for a minute there I cudda sworn I HAD seen SOMEbody, but now...it's funny."

Julia didn't understand. "What is?"

Charlene continued. "Well, I THOUGHT I saw a man. He was standing in the window that I was lookin' up at when you walked up, and just as you walked up, well, that's what's so funny. Y'see, he, well, he just vanished. Poof! Like he wasn't ever there. Oh, doctor, please, puh-leeze don't tell the others what I've told you. I will never hear the end of their teasing. Especially from Suzanne. Oh! She is terrible. Did I ever tell you about the time..." Charlene cozied up to Julia while she rattled on about something. Julia feigned interest as they made their way back to the others.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.