Chapter Two:
Duo's car chugged restlessly on into the daylight hours. He had
a perfect view of the sunrise, if he had cared to watch it. His
mind was else where, not quite a million miles away but possibly
a dimension away. That's kind of how he felt about Collinwood
Mansion. Like it was a gateway, a pathway from this world into
another dimension. He wondered if the wood the mansion used had
grown up in a secret glade or had five rings at the base.
And Heero Yuy was now at Collinwood. The idea frightened him but
then it also gave him a thrill of exhilaration. Nobody just
happens to go to Collinwood. One must be drawn to it, lured by
its terrible song. It had been years since Duo had heard that
song, had followed it.
He had come about the tales of Collinwood quite by accident. He
was traveling in the New England countryside collecting old
ghost stories, interviewing the old locals that, with a couple
of pies and a hot drink, would tell those stories. He had stacks
of notes stuffed in one box or another. But it was while on his
first trip that he had heard of the legend of Collinwood.
The word itself had sent a sliver of chill through him. It gave
him such a feeling of déja vu that he nearly didn't hear what
the old man he had been interviewing had said.
Apparently the old man had grown up in the shadows of Collinwood-
in the town of Collinsport. The old man told Duo stories of
Barnabas the Vampire, Relena the Witch, and several other
stories about werewolves and the New England Frankenstein. For
nearly 4 hours Duo had sat enraptured by the stories, barely
taking notes. Duo had hopped into his car and drove the whole
way to Collinsport without a second thought.
He had breezed into town and then left straight away for the
Collinwood mansion.
He never did make it. Not on that trip or any other. There were
forces that kept him away from the mansion itself but the whole
town was accessible to him. Many times when he was on vacation
and he couldn't stand looking at his apartment walls anymore
he'd drive up to Collinsport, sit back in the local watering
holes and listen to the strange tales. Not many, just a few,
ghost hunters or legend collectors (collectors of Folk tales- he
had an autographed copy of The Collinwood Collection by Bob
Issel) breezed through the small town so that Duo wouldn't be an
out-of-placed-thumb.
With Heero away at the mansion, hopefully Duo would be able to
keep a distant eye on him without Heero catching him at it. It
was unfortunate that he couldn't go to the mansion himself but
he was on friendly terms with Virginia Blake and he was sure he
could get her to talk about Heero and what he did at the
mansion.
* * * 10 years ago
This time Duo was going to make it. Come hell or high water Duo
Maxwell would see the infamous Collinwood mansion. For years he
had envied his friend Virginia, able to come and go at will.
Every time he tried to hitch a ride with her, the car would run
out of gas or would break down. His last trip he had brought the
top of the line mountain bike, which promptly blew a tire and
bent the rim so bad that it couldn't be fixed.
Duo had packed three different pairs of sneakers, a roll of duct
tape, an umbrella with *matching* poncho ("Thanks, Quatre."),
100 feet of rope, and the same length in bungee cord.
He had forgotten to pack a lunch but had nearly 2 pounds of
candy bars. The amount missing left a long trail, like
breadcrumbs, back to the town.
The countryside itself was quite distracting. He had decided to
follow the cliffs rather then go over the stone road out to the
mansion. The waves were an eerie call to him. The wind whistled
over the tops of trees, over the green fields. Duo, himself,
liked the camaraderie of beached sailors, brawling out lewd
lyrics at the top of their lungs, so drunk that the land itself
rolled like the sea.
The ocean looked nearly 5 stories down and the wind whistled
through the rocks and caverns of the seaside like a sirens song.
But the more Duo listened, the less and less it sounded like a
song and more like screaming. It sounded just like a woman
screaming for help.
Immediately Duo dropped his backpack and rushed towards the
sound of the woman's scream. It was coming from over the cliffs.
With not much thought, Duo leaned over the cliff side searching
for the source. Just over the edge, Duo could see a woman
trapped at the base of the cliff. She was hanging onto one of
the rocks jutting out of the sea. The waves crashed mercilessly
against the rock, nearly dislodging her every time.
"I'm coming to help," Duo screamed before starting down the
cliff side. He slid and crashed over the nearly vertical
terrain, so intent on helping the poor lady that no other
thoughts entered his head.
A particular wave crashed so heavily against the cliff side that
it nearly dislodged him from the cliff side.
He also lost sight of the woman whose grip had slipped from the
rock with the last wave. It seemed like an eternity before Duo
heard her scream again, this time farther out to sea on an even
smaller rock.
Within moments Duo scrambled to the base of the cliff, ignoring
the pounding waves, searching for a way to get out to the poor
woman. A vicious wave crashed into him, nearly sending him into
the side of the cliff. He heard the woman screaming piteously
and he turned towards her to see her reach out a bony hand
towards him.
A bony hand pinked and purpled with exposure. Sightless eyes
stared at him and a nearly lipless mouth let out a heart-
wrenching scream of terror. Her white, straw like hair hung in
clumps that twirled about her half submerged body, seemingly to
dance in the waves.
Duo was so shocked that he barely noticed the wave that crashed
him into the cliff side, sending him into darkness. His only
thought being that he may never see Collinwood.
* * *
10 years ago was the last time Duo had ever attempted to go out
to the mansion. His luck or maybe some weird curse kept them
forever separated. If Heero Yuy could have picked anywhere in
the world, Duo could and probably would follow, everywhere
except the Collinwood mansion.
It had been years after that incident that Duo finally worked up
the courage to go back to Collinsport. He had expected the
locals to laugh and ridicule him for his folly. Instead that
incident had left him more a part of the town then ever. He was
practically a local after the accident.
Maybe, if the need arose- though he hoped it wouldn't, he'd try
again to reach the old Collinwood mansion.
* * *
Heero Yuy stared deeply into the eyes of the painting of Relena
Peacecraft. They seemed to watch him with such sadness and
desperation, almost like she, herself, was torn from her love.
But then, he could just be projecting his feelings.
Of course, here in the mansion, he could pretend anything he
wanted. Here, he could be just a handy man who never heard of
Oz, the Preventers and Duo Maxwell. A vacation from reality. And
maybe Relena could be the mother he never knew, watching over
him. She looked like she would be a good mother, a kind, giving,
and gentle mother.
He tilted his head and looked closer at the lonely visage of
Relena. No, a wife, a betrothed would be better. Someone he
could settle down with and have the 3.5 kids and a dog. She
would be a regal wife, needing vibrant green hedges and antique
English roses. There would be parties on Saturday with
ladyfinger sandwiches and little bowls of iced custard.
"Heero, are you all right?" Virginia's voice interred into his
break from reality.
"I'm all right, ma'am. Just thinking..." He could run all he
wanted but no matter what, Duo existed and Oz existed and the
Preventers existed and he couldn't escape them but he could
forget about them for a while.
Virginia continued telling him about the house as she led him
through to the kitchen. Apparently he would be staying in the
old servants room, which was on the south side and caught lots
of sun in the day. There was also a great view of the land but
not much of the cliffs or the sea. That was fine with him, since
he didn't think he'd be spending much time in the room.
She showed him the summer kitchen, now pretty much a shed just
off of the main kitchen. The shed had many tools that he could
use for repairs.
The servant's room was through the main kitchen and up the
stairs, though when Heero saw the room it looked less like a
servant's room and more like an opulent palace. Two walls held
very tall windows with seats. Long brown curtains framed the
windows and were tied back with thick, heavy gilded ropes. They
were the first things to catch his eye but the large; nearly
walk in fireplace was the next.
It ran along part of the same wall. He suspected that it was
connected to the fireplace in the kitchen, sharing the same flu.
It did contain a hook with a small black kettle that could be
warmed for an evening tea, he suspected. On top of the mantel
were several sets of candleholders, the yellow tallowed candles
in various stages of use. If not for Virginia's little breath of
fright and her little step back, Heero wouldn't have assessed
anything a threat or out of place. Upon her reaction he quickly
scanned the room and noticed her cause of fright. On the mantel
top was a white, gleaming skull. He knew enough about bodies to
tell that it was a real human skull.
"I'm sorry," Virginia apologized, "I was not aware it had been
moved from the main dinning hall. I could move it back, if you
like." Virginia crossed the room quickly to stop in front of the
skull. Lightly she caressed the cranium, seemingly to dare
herself to pick up the skull.
The wind whistled loudly through the mansion, reminding Heero of
banshee wails of the Irish castles he'd visited in his travels.
"There's no need," Heero crossed the room and removed her hand
from the skull. "I'm not afraid. I'll move it back there later."
Curious, Heero inquired into whose it was.
"I'm not for certain, but it is said that one of the servant
girls loved working for the Peacecraft's family. She loved the
mansion so much that she asked that her head be severed from her
body and be placed within the home. The family was quite
amendable to her wishes but the other servants would often cast
the head out, trying to get rid of it. It is said that the skull
will scream and moan until it is returned to the house."
Virginia nervously left Heero to contemplate the skull while she
puttered around the room, moving to turn down the top sheet and
open drawers for his use. She was about to unpack his duffle
when Heero stopped contemplating throwing the skull out the
window to see if it actually would scream. Duo would be so
thrilled to get a skull that screamed. Maybe Heero could give it
to him as a very early Christmas present.
"I could do that later, ma'am. I'd like to see the rest of the
house, make a plan on what to tackle first. I think it's time
for lunch, anyway. I could give you a hand. I'll leave the
laundry for," Heero waved a hand in the direction of the skull,
a huge grin plastered on his face.
"Old Lucy, my mother used to call her Old Lucy," Virginia
blushed and covered her mouth.
"We'll leave Old Lucy to her room," Heero bowed deeply and
presented his arm. For some reason, he felt the need to be
silly. "And we'll go make lunch."
Duo's car chugged restlessly on into the daylight hours. He had
a perfect view of the sunrise, if he had cared to watch it. His
mind was else where, not quite a million miles away but possibly
a dimension away. That's kind of how he felt about Collinwood
Mansion. Like it was a gateway, a pathway from this world into
another dimension. He wondered if the wood the mansion used had
grown up in a secret glade or had five rings at the base.
And Heero Yuy was now at Collinwood. The idea frightened him but
then it also gave him a thrill of exhilaration. Nobody just
happens to go to Collinwood. One must be drawn to it, lured by
its terrible song. It had been years since Duo had heard that
song, had followed it.
He had come about the tales of Collinwood quite by accident. He
was traveling in the New England countryside collecting old
ghost stories, interviewing the old locals that, with a couple
of pies and a hot drink, would tell those stories. He had stacks
of notes stuffed in one box or another. But it was while on his
first trip that he had heard of the legend of Collinwood.
The word itself had sent a sliver of chill through him. It gave
him such a feeling of déja vu that he nearly didn't hear what
the old man he had been interviewing had said.
Apparently the old man had grown up in the shadows of Collinwood-
in the town of Collinsport. The old man told Duo stories of
Barnabas the Vampire, Relena the Witch, and several other
stories about werewolves and the New England Frankenstein. For
nearly 4 hours Duo had sat enraptured by the stories, barely
taking notes. Duo had hopped into his car and drove the whole
way to Collinsport without a second thought.
He had breezed into town and then left straight away for the
Collinwood mansion.
He never did make it. Not on that trip or any other. There were
forces that kept him away from the mansion itself but the whole
town was accessible to him. Many times when he was on vacation
and he couldn't stand looking at his apartment walls anymore
he'd drive up to Collinsport, sit back in the local watering
holes and listen to the strange tales. Not many, just a few,
ghost hunters or legend collectors (collectors of Folk tales- he
had an autographed copy of The Collinwood Collection by Bob
Issel) breezed through the small town so that Duo wouldn't be an
out-of-placed-thumb.
With Heero away at the mansion, hopefully Duo would be able to
keep a distant eye on him without Heero catching him at it. It
was unfortunate that he couldn't go to the mansion himself but
he was on friendly terms with Virginia Blake and he was sure he
could get her to talk about Heero and what he did at the
mansion.
* * * 10 years ago
This time Duo was going to make it. Come hell or high water Duo
Maxwell would see the infamous Collinwood mansion. For years he
had envied his friend Virginia, able to come and go at will.
Every time he tried to hitch a ride with her, the car would run
out of gas or would break down. His last trip he had brought the
top of the line mountain bike, which promptly blew a tire and
bent the rim so bad that it couldn't be fixed.
Duo had packed three different pairs of sneakers, a roll of duct
tape, an umbrella with *matching* poncho ("Thanks, Quatre."),
100 feet of rope, and the same length in bungee cord.
He had forgotten to pack a lunch but had nearly 2 pounds of
candy bars. The amount missing left a long trail, like
breadcrumbs, back to the town.
The countryside itself was quite distracting. He had decided to
follow the cliffs rather then go over the stone road out to the
mansion. The waves were an eerie call to him. The wind whistled
over the tops of trees, over the green fields. Duo, himself,
liked the camaraderie of beached sailors, brawling out lewd
lyrics at the top of their lungs, so drunk that the land itself
rolled like the sea.
The ocean looked nearly 5 stories down and the wind whistled
through the rocks and caverns of the seaside like a sirens song.
But the more Duo listened, the less and less it sounded like a
song and more like screaming. It sounded just like a woman
screaming for help.
Immediately Duo dropped his backpack and rushed towards the
sound of the woman's scream. It was coming from over the cliffs.
With not much thought, Duo leaned over the cliff side searching
for the source. Just over the edge, Duo could see a woman
trapped at the base of the cliff. She was hanging onto one of
the rocks jutting out of the sea. The waves crashed mercilessly
against the rock, nearly dislodging her every time.
"I'm coming to help," Duo screamed before starting down the
cliff side. He slid and crashed over the nearly vertical
terrain, so intent on helping the poor lady that no other
thoughts entered his head.
A particular wave crashed so heavily against the cliff side that
it nearly dislodged him from the cliff side.
He also lost sight of the woman whose grip had slipped from the
rock with the last wave. It seemed like an eternity before Duo
heard her scream again, this time farther out to sea on an even
smaller rock.
Within moments Duo scrambled to the base of the cliff, ignoring
the pounding waves, searching for a way to get out to the poor
woman. A vicious wave crashed into him, nearly sending him into
the side of the cliff. He heard the woman screaming piteously
and he turned towards her to see her reach out a bony hand
towards him.
A bony hand pinked and purpled with exposure. Sightless eyes
stared at him and a nearly lipless mouth let out a heart-
wrenching scream of terror. Her white, straw like hair hung in
clumps that twirled about her half submerged body, seemingly to
dance in the waves.
Duo was so shocked that he barely noticed the wave that crashed
him into the cliff side, sending him into darkness. His only
thought being that he may never see Collinwood.
* * *
10 years ago was the last time Duo had ever attempted to go out
to the mansion. His luck or maybe some weird curse kept them
forever separated. If Heero Yuy could have picked anywhere in
the world, Duo could and probably would follow, everywhere
except the Collinwood mansion.
It had been years after that incident that Duo finally worked up
the courage to go back to Collinsport. He had expected the
locals to laugh and ridicule him for his folly. Instead that
incident had left him more a part of the town then ever. He was
practically a local after the accident.
Maybe, if the need arose- though he hoped it wouldn't, he'd try
again to reach the old Collinwood mansion.
* * *
Heero Yuy stared deeply into the eyes of the painting of Relena
Peacecraft. They seemed to watch him with such sadness and
desperation, almost like she, herself, was torn from her love.
But then, he could just be projecting his feelings.
Of course, here in the mansion, he could pretend anything he
wanted. Here, he could be just a handy man who never heard of
Oz, the Preventers and Duo Maxwell. A vacation from reality. And
maybe Relena could be the mother he never knew, watching over
him. She looked like she would be a good mother, a kind, giving,
and gentle mother.
He tilted his head and looked closer at the lonely visage of
Relena. No, a wife, a betrothed would be better. Someone he
could settle down with and have the 3.5 kids and a dog. She
would be a regal wife, needing vibrant green hedges and antique
English roses. There would be parties on Saturday with
ladyfinger sandwiches and little bowls of iced custard.
"Heero, are you all right?" Virginia's voice interred into his
break from reality.
"I'm all right, ma'am. Just thinking..." He could run all he
wanted but no matter what, Duo existed and Oz existed and the
Preventers existed and he couldn't escape them but he could
forget about them for a while.
Virginia continued telling him about the house as she led him
through to the kitchen. Apparently he would be staying in the
old servants room, which was on the south side and caught lots
of sun in the day. There was also a great view of the land but
not much of the cliffs or the sea. That was fine with him, since
he didn't think he'd be spending much time in the room.
She showed him the summer kitchen, now pretty much a shed just
off of the main kitchen. The shed had many tools that he could
use for repairs.
The servant's room was through the main kitchen and up the
stairs, though when Heero saw the room it looked less like a
servant's room and more like an opulent palace. Two walls held
very tall windows with seats. Long brown curtains framed the
windows and were tied back with thick, heavy gilded ropes. They
were the first things to catch his eye but the large; nearly
walk in fireplace was the next.
It ran along part of the same wall. He suspected that it was
connected to the fireplace in the kitchen, sharing the same flu.
It did contain a hook with a small black kettle that could be
warmed for an evening tea, he suspected. On top of the mantel
were several sets of candleholders, the yellow tallowed candles
in various stages of use. If not for Virginia's little breath of
fright and her little step back, Heero wouldn't have assessed
anything a threat or out of place. Upon her reaction he quickly
scanned the room and noticed her cause of fright. On the mantel
top was a white, gleaming skull. He knew enough about bodies to
tell that it was a real human skull.
"I'm sorry," Virginia apologized, "I was not aware it had been
moved from the main dinning hall. I could move it back, if you
like." Virginia crossed the room quickly to stop in front of the
skull. Lightly she caressed the cranium, seemingly to dare
herself to pick up the skull.
The wind whistled loudly through the mansion, reminding Heero of
banshee wails of the Irish castles he'd visited in his travels.
"There's no need," Heero crossed the room and removed her hand
from the skull. "I'm not afraid. I'll move it back there later."
Curious, Heero inquired into whose it was.
"I'm not for certain, but it is said that one of the servant
girls loved working for the Peacecraft's family. She loved the
mansion so much that she asked that her head be severed from her
body and be placed within the home. The family was quite
amendable to her wishes but the other servants would often cast
the head out, trying to get rid of it. It is said that the skull
will scream and moan until it is returned to the house."
Virginia nervously left Heero to contemplate the skull while she
puttered around the room, moving to turn down the top sheet and
open drawers for his use. She was about to unpack his duffle
when Heero stopped contemplating throwing the skull out the
window to see if it actually would scream. Duo would be so
thrilled to get a skull that screamed. Maybe Heero could give it
to him as a very early Christmas present.
"I could do that later, ma'am. I'd like to see the rest of the
house, make a plan on what to tackle first. I think it's time
for lunch, anyway. I could give you a hand. I'll leave the
laundry for," Heero waved a hand in the direction of the skull,
a huge grin plastered on his face.
"Old Lucy, my mother used to call her Old Lucy," Virginia
blushed and covered her mouth.
"We'll leave Old Lucy to her room," Heero bowed deeply and
presented his arm. For some reason, he felt the need to be
silly. "And we'll go make lunch."