CHAPTER ELEVEN: His Wife and his Lover
"As I bent down to close the eyelids of Mrs. Johnson," the witch, Angelique, told Julia, "I had another vision. I saw Barnabas walking on a beach."
"At night?" Julia asked.
"Yes. It must be happening even as we speak, Julia."
"Do you know which beach? What did it look like?" Maggie piped in, "I've lived in Collinsport for years, and I can help!"
"It was long and thin and had very white sand." Angelique remembered.
"Where there rocks in the water and many plants?" Maggie asked.
"No," Angelique told her, "It was all sand, white sand. Yes! I could see Shipwreck Point across the bay! I remember clearly."
"It must be at Findley's Cove!" Maggie announced, "That's pretty far from here. He couldn't possibly be there now, especially walking."
"We can borrow Roger's car. Come'on, we don't have much time!" Julia turned to the young governess, "Maggie, this is too dangerous, you should stay here."
On the moonlit beach at Findley's Cove, the vampire Roxanne and her lover Barnabas lay on the sand, cold water rushing over their bodies in gentle waves. Roxanne's long chemise was soaked through with water and it clung to her body. Roxanne gently planted one last kiss on the bite wound she had inflicted on Barnabas's chest and then preceded to button up his soaking wet shirt. Barnabas's coat and tie lay a few feet back in the sand. Another wave of cold seawater hit the lovers. Roxanne helped Barnabas to his feet.
"You must go now, my love." Their wet bodies were still clinging to each other.
"When will I see you again?" Barnabas's voice was desperate and impassioned.
"I have something to deal with first. So do you. Make your peace with those around you, Barnabas, and then we shall leave."
"Leave! At last, I can finally escape this wretched place. And I'll be with you." Barnabas kissed her wet forehead and her curling red hair.
"Go now. You must."
"Where shall we meet again?"
"You will know when the time comes. Now go!" She kissed his mouth quickly and he departed into the dark nighttime forest. Roxanne ran her fingers through her mane of hair, a smile of intense joy on her face.
At that moment, an automobile was pulling up the dirt road, through the woods, down to the beach. Roxanne laughed as she saw it. What an odd invention! To think, here was a new world with so many delights and oddities to discover, one by one, with Barnabas at her side.
The auto stopped and two women got out. Roxanne recognized them both. One was Julia Hoffman, the doctor and friend of Barnabas, and the other was (Oh God, this cannot be!) Angelique Collins, the evil witch who had kept Roxanne and Barnabas apart in times gone by. Roxanne's heart seethed with rage.
"Where is Barnabas?" Angelique demanded.
"You witch! You wicked, wicked witch! You dare come here to keep Barnabas and I apart, now when we are so happy? You had me under your control once, it won't happen again." Roxanne snarled and hissed through her vampire fangs.
"Julia, get back in the car!" Angelique warned, and the doctor did as Angelique advised. Angelique moved forward, her open leather coat flapping in the wind, which was blowing harder and harder in great gusts of freezing cold air. Angelique spoke, her voice beginning to boom, "Innanna de déesse, à vous je prie! Prendre cette femme qui habite au delà de la vraie mort et m'aide à détruire son corps malpropre!" Angelique stretched forth her long arms to the sky.
Dark clouds moved across the night sky with unnatural speed. The wind was becoming a storm. Lightning flashed in the darkness, illuminating the night. Roxanne advanced toward Angelique. Roxanne opened her mouth wide, exposing the sharp fangs. Thunder sounded, like the cruel voice of the gods. Julia Hoffman stared at the two women on the beach through the window of Roger's car. Then, rain started to fall, great torrents of rain. The wind and rain were so fierce that Julia could barely see the outlines of Angelique and Roxanne.
Julia screamed as she saw a great shape hurtling toward the windshield of the car, she ducked down as far as she could as the object smashed against the glass, nearly shattering it. Julia peeked up, the rain was still pouring, but she saw that lying on the great cracked glass, was a figure wrapped in black leather.
"Angelique!" Julia shrieked, not knowing if her most powerful ally was dead or alive. Almost as soon as Julia spoke, the rain stopped. Julia had no time to ponder this, for as soon as the pouring rain had ceased, the leather-clad body began to burn. Terrified, Julia thrust open the door and threw herself out of the car, right into the freezing water of the bay. It was a good thing that Julia did so, for as she got up to look back at the car, she saw that the vehicle was consumed by fire. Julia took refuge in the cold water as the car exploded.
In the foyer of Collinwood, Roger Collins closed the door after the paramedics took away Sarah Johnson's body. Sadly, they had arrived too late to do anything else.
"Rather sad about Mrs. Johnson, especially with her niece visiting. Poor girl. She'll have to be told in the morning. What time is it, anyway?" Roger looked at the antique grandfather clock that stood next to the drawing room doors. "Past midnight. Ho, hum. I need a drink." He went into the drawing room for some sherry. As he opened the door, he saw Maggie Evans sitting by the dying fire, dressed only in her yellow bathrobe. Maggie was crying bitterly.
"Maggie, you should be properly dressed for the company. Lucky for you they left without coming in for a drink." Roger quipped, with his usual out of place, rather morbid humor.
"That was uncalled for!" Maggie said between sobs.
"Honestly, Maggie, it's not like you and Mrs. Johnson were that close!" Roger teased her mercilessly as he poured himself a drink.
"Get out!" Tears were streaming down the young governess's pretty face.
"I will not be told to come and go in my own house, Miss Evans." Roger said arrogantly.
"GET OUT!" Maggie screamed at the top of her voice.
Quite put off by Maggie's emotional behavior, Roger took his glass of sherry (taking the whole bottle as well) and left the room. As he entered the foyer, however, he was surprised to hear a loud banging on the door. Putting down the sherry, Roger went to answer it. Barnabas fell into the room, a total wreck, half delirious. Barnabas was wearing only a soaking wet, torn dress shirt and trousers soiled with wet sand.
"Well," Roger thought, "It isn't like cousin Barnabas to go out drinking and partying!"
Then, Roger noticed that there was blood on Barnabas's white shirt.
Outside Collinwood, hidden by trees and rising mist, the vampire Roxanne smiled with fanged teeth.
"As I bent down to close the eyelids of Mrs. Johnson," the witch, Angelique, told Julia, "I had another vision. I saw Barnabas walking on a beach."
"At night?" Julia asked.
"Yes. It must be happening even as we speak, Julia."
"Do you know which beach? What did it look like?" Maggie piped in, "I've lived in Collinsport for years, and I can help!"
"It was long and thin and had very white sand." Angelique remembered.
"Where there rocks in the water and many plants?" Maggie asked.
"No," Angelique told her, "It was all sand, white sand. Yes! I could see Shipwreck Point across the bay! I remember clearly."
"It must be at Findley's Cove!" Maggie announced, "That's pretty far from here. He couldn't possibly be there now, especially walking."
"We can borrow Roger's car. Come'on, we don't have much time!" Julia turned to the young governess, "Maggie, this is too dangerous, you should stay here."
On the moonlit beach at Findley's Cove, the vampire Roxanne and her lover Barnabas lay on the sand, cold water rushing over their bodies in gentle waves. Roxanne's long chemise was soaked through with water and it clung to her body. Roxanne gently planted one last kiss on the bite wound she had inflicted on Barnabas's chest and then preceded to button up his soaking wet shirt. Barnabas's coat and tie lay a few feet back in the sand. Another wave of cold seawater hit the lovers. Roxanne helped Barnabas to his feet.
"You must go now, my love." Their wet bodies were still clinging to each other.
"When will I see you again?" Barnabas's voice was desperate and impassioned.
"I have something to deal with first. So do you. Make your peace with those around you, Barnabas, and then we shall leave."
"Leave! At last, I can finally escape this wretched place. And I'll be with you." Barnabas kissed her wet forehead and her curling red hair.
"Go now. You must."
"Where shall we meet again?"
"You will know when the time comes. Now go!" She kissed his mouth quickly and he departed into the dark nighttime forest. Roxanne ran her fingers through her mane of hair, a smile of intense joy on her face.
At that moment, an automobile was pulling up the dirt road, through the woods, down to the beach. Roxanne laughed as she saw it. What an odd invention! To think, here was a new world with so many delights and oddities to discover, one by one, with Barnabas at her side.
The auto stopped and two women got out. Roxanne recognized them both. One was Julia Hoffman, the doctor and friend of Barnabas, and the other was (Oh God, this cannot be!) Angelique Collins, the evil witch who had kept Roxanne and Barnabas apart in times gone by. Roxanne's heart seethed with rage.
"Where is Barnabas?" Angelique demanded.
"You witch! You wicked, wicked witch! You dare come here to keep Barnabas and I apart, now when we are so happy? You had me under your control once, it won't happen again." Roxanne snarled and hissed through her vampire fangs.
"Julia, get back in the car!" Angelique warned, and the doctor did as Angelique advised. Angelique moved forward, her open leather coat flapping in the wind, which was blowing harder and harder in great gusts of freezing cold air. Angelique spoke, her voice beginning to boom, "Innanna de déesse, à vous je prie! Prendre cette femme qui habite au delà de la vraie mort et m'aide à détruire son corps malpropre!" Angelique stretched forth her long arms to the sky.
Dark clouds moved across the night sky with unnatural speed. The wind was becoming a storm. Lightning flashed in the darkness, illuminating the night. Roxanne advanced toward Angelique. Roxanne opened her mouth wide, exposing the sharp fangs. Thunder sounded, like the cruel voice of the gods. Julia Hoffman stared at the two women on the beach through the window of Roger's car. Then, rain started to fall, great torrents of rain. The wind and rain were so fierce that Julia could barely see the outlines of Angelique and Roxanne.
Julia screamed as she saw a great shape hurtling toward the windshield of the car, she ducked down as far as she could as the object smashed against the glass, nearly shattering it. Julia peeked up, the rain was still pouring, but she saw that lying on the great cracked glass, was a figure wrapped in black leather.
"Angelique!" Julia shrieked, not knowing if her most powerful ally was dead or alive. Almost as soon as Julia spoke, the rain stopped. Julia had no time to ponder this, for as soon as the pouring rain had ceased, the leather-clad body began to burn. Terrified, Julia thrust open the door and threw herself out of the car, right into the freezing water of the bay. It was a good thing that Julia did so, for as she got up to look back at the car, she saw that the vehicle was consumed by fire. Julia took refuge in the cold water as the car exploded.
In the foyer of Collinwood, Roger Collins closed the door after the paramedics took away Sarah Johnson's body. Sadly, they had arrived too late to do anything else.
"Rather sad about Mrs. Johnson, especially with her niece visiting. Poor girl. She'll have to be told in the morning. What time is it, anyway?" Roger looked at the antique grandfather clock that stood next to the drawing room doors. "Past midnight. Ho, hum. I need a drink." He went into the drawing room for some sherry. As he opened the door, he saw Maggie Evans sitting by the dying fire, dressed only in her yellow bathrobe. Maggie was crying bitterly.
"Maggie, you should be properly dressed for the company. Lucky for you they left without coming in for a drink." Roger quipped, with his usual out of place, rather morbid humor.
"That was uncalled for!" Maggie said between sobs.
"Honestly, Maggie, it's not like you and Mrs. Johnson were that close!" Roger teased her mercilessly as he poured himself a drink.
"Get out!" Tears were streaming down the young governess's pretty face.
"I will not be told to come and go in my own house, Miss Evans." Roger said arrogantly.
"GET OUT!" Maggie screamed at the top of her voice.
Quite put off by Maggie's emotional behavior, Roger took his glass of sherry (taking the whole bottle as well) and left the room. As he entered the foyer, however, he was surprised to hear a loud banging on the door. Putting down the sherry, Roger went to answer it. Barnabas fell into the room, a total wreck, half delirious. Barnabas was wearing only a soaking wet, torn dress shirt and trousers soiled with wet sand.
"Well," Roger thought, "It isn't like cousin Barnabas to go out drinking and partying!"
Then, Roger noticed that there was blood on Barnabas's white shirt.
Outside Collinwood, hidden by trees and rising mist, the vampire Roxanne smiled with fanged teeth.