Subj: Designing Shadows Part Twelve
Date: 1/19/01 4:08:56 PM Central Standard Time
From: N.E. Collins

Mary Jo came down the stairway of the foyer of the great house in a hurry. She saw no one around so she went into the drawing room and when she spied the decanter of brandy she quickly helped herself. Voices began to be discernable from a near distance, but she was well into her second glass of the liquid amber goodness so she didn't really hear them. "Do you think it's safe to come out now?" It was Suzanne Sugarbaker's voice making the query from a hallway to the study off from the main foyer.

"I don't know, Suzanne, but let me tell you...when I see that Mrs. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard again,..."

"IF we see her again." Dr. Hoffman interrupted. Julia Sugarbaker continued annoyed with the doctor.

"As I was saying, WHEN I see that woman again I am gonna give her a PIECE of MY mind! Having us to decorate this house with ALL these strange and unexplainable things going on? The VERY idea!"

Anthony quipped in. "Oh, I can explain what's going on, no problem there. This place is HAUNTED!"

"Oh, Anthony!" Julia rolled her eyes. "There are NO SUCH THINGS as ghosts!"

"Julia! How can you say that when we JUST saw what we just SAW?" The ghost of Carl Collins gave Suzanne another pinch on the butt and she screamed and then everybody else screamed.

"SUZANNE! Would you please STOP doing that!" Julia said authoritatively.

"I can't help it, Julia! Somethin' keeps biting me on the behind. I thought it was that cat, but this time it felt...different. Not so much a bite. More like a PINCH!" The little huddled crew looked about themselves nervously.

"Anthony! Go out there and see if everything's alright and then see if you can open the front door, and when you do THAT let us know, so we can get the HELL out of HERE, Ok?" Suzanne asked for help like someone else would read off a grocery list to a servant.

Anthony was not interested in taking on the assignment. "If you think that I am going out there to deal with GOD KNOWS WHAT all by myself then you are crazier than I already thought you were, Suzanne!" His voice rose to loud protest.

Charlene Stilfied still dressed in the garb from the past poked her head cautiously through the doorway that lead from the kitchen under the stairs. She took a bite from the ham sandwich she had just prepared for herself. She had been taking refuge in the pantry where she had made a snack for herself and the rest of the workmen who were hiding there as well. Curiousity had gotten the better of her and she ventured on into the foyer and began to poke around. She stopped to admire the magnificent portrait of Joshua Collins on her right and then she ran her finger along the dusty table top that lay on her left. The portrait of Barnabas Collins caught her eye and she moved towards it to make a closer examination. There was something about the way the portrait seem to look right at her. It held her spellbound.

"WHAT 'CHA DOIN'?" Asked a very drunk Mary Jo. Charlene whirled around in surprise and then she saw a sight that brought a blood curdling shriek from her. The ghost of Quentin Collins was right behind her friend, Mary Jo, and he was just about to wrap his two hands around her pretty little neck!

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.