A DOCKLANDS TALE

By Emlyn Boyle 2012

Barnabas Collins lay on his stomach by the Liverpool dock edge, his eyes fixed on the rippling face of a young boy. Another face suddenly appeared - Barnabas scrambling up in fright. "Pardon Monsieur Barnabas," said a dark-haired girl backing away, "I did not mean to scare you. Your mother asked me to fetch you home."

Barnabas frowned briefly before a smile spread over his face. "You're…Angelique? One of our new servants."

"Yes," the girl said with a curtsy, "But please monsieur, you really must come home now or I will be in trouble."

"Oh there's no hurry," said Barnabas laying back down on his stomach, "And yes, you did scare me…I thought you were Peggy Nell."

Angelique frowned. "Who monsieur?"

Barnabas reached one hand down towards water, his fingers just about tipping the surface. "An old beggar woman who drowned here according to Father. But no one came to her aid, so she now haunts these waters. Waiting to drag others down with her..."

The boy suddenly screamed before he leapt up and laughed. "Oh Angelique, did I scare you?"

"No monsieur…but you should not jest about such things," said Angelique, the girl now staring at the water beyond. "There was once a hunter in my mother's village named Joseph LeRouge. And a great one he was too. So when something began to kill sheep near the woods, he boasted about catching it single-handed."

"Baaaaa," said Barnabas lying back down.

Angelique frowned. "So LeRouge went into the woods one night, armed with a pistol and bottle of wine. And next morning, came out half drained."

"So the oaf got drunk? Haha, not such a great hunter then."

"No monsieur, not the wine. LeRouge himself. Half-drained of blood…and babbling about something that looked dead, and yet was not. Something that danced amongst the trees before giving him a kiss."

Barnabas sat up, his face now pale. "And what…what happened after that."

"Oh, he lived for about a week and was later burnt to ashes. But no one went near the woods after that monsieur. And whatever walked there…still walks alone."

Barnabas leapt to his feet. "W-we must return home," he said moving away.

"Yes monsieur," said Angelique smirking, the girl then frowning at a ghostly face in the water before she too hurried off.

THE END