Calmness pervades over the great estate of Collinwood, its residents,
unaware of the evils that lie in wait for them. For they are unaware that an
ancient enemy has returned to fulfill a centuries old curse. In doing so, he
will revive, yet another dreadful enemy who has worked only evil to bring
even more terror to those who live there.
The possessed Trevor Halliburton returned to the office carrying a small
paper sack. He went around the desk and sat in the chair. From the sack he
removed three candles and arranged them on the desk. He reached into the
sack again and withdrew a box of matches.
He then looked troubled as if something just wasn't right. Looking at
himself, he arose with a look of irritation and threw off the suit jacket
and yanked the necktie from around his neck, tossing them on the sofa. He
then slowly lit the candles. He stood behind the desk and raised his hands
palms down. Closing his eyes, he begins to speak. "From the dark
netherworld I seek one. I seek one native to this world. I call from the
flames, an aide who will guide me in a world I do not know. I call you to
come forth now. Appear to me now. Appear!" A mist appears on the opposite
side of the desk, growing larger and larger until it takes human shape.
Judah watched with keen interest to see who would appear. The mist begins to
slowly subside. Across the desk, he saw a face that looked strangely
familiar, but not quite. Standing across the desk from him, fully
materialized now stood the form of Nicholas Blair.
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Nicholas Blair stood across the desk with an evil smirk. He looked around
the room and stopped to read the diplomas, awards, and certificates on the
wall of the office. "So, a lawyer has summoned ME. What's the matter lawyer?
Got a case too difficult to win by conventional means? Maybe you don't know
who I am. Winning court cases is beneath my talents." The possessed Trevor
Halliburton looked at Blair with a snarl. "Enough of your insolence! I can
just as easily return you to the flames from whence I summoned you!" Zachary
growled. "Nicholas Blair displayed a haughty grin and replied," Now you just
might find that a bit more difficult than you think, lawyer." Blair was
self assured as he faced Judah. "You fool; it is YOU who do not know who I
am! I merely inhabit the body of the lawyer. It is Judah Zachary who has
recalled you from the torments of the netherworld." Blair was taken aback.
His eyes grew wide. "Judah Zachary? Yes, every practitioner of the craft has
heard of you. But you were from the 17th century! How did you come to be
here in the 20th century?" he said in awe. "I have come to fulfill the curse
I pronounced when I still walked this earth. You are here to aid me in my
task." Judah said snarling still. "You were born and lived in this time. I
am a stranger to this world. You will see that I am not revealed as my true
self. The world has changed in so many ways that I do not know. I must not
reveal myself by what these people would deem as odd behavior. The woman who
is employed by this man whose body I inhabit is already suspicious. I shall
have to do away with her to preserve this disguise." Nicholas nodded side to
side in disagreement and said, "Now that is the one thing you must NOT do.
You cannot just go killing people right and left in this century. That would
draw even more suspicion to you!" Zachary grew angry and retorted, "The
woman MUST die. I have not been able to convince her I am the lawyer,
Halliburton!" Nicholas chided Judah Zachary, nodding his head side to side
as if he could not believe how the simple solution evaded Zachary so easily.
"Judah, you have repressed the lawyer too deeply. He knows you have absolute
control over him. When the secretary returns in the morning, you simply need
to let him surface. He will speak in 20th century style, and give her a
reasonable explanation for his odd behavior. Your problem will be solved.
Let him surface now. Let me speak with him." Judah leaned back in the chair
and closed his eyes momentarily. The cruel vicious demeanor faded and was
replaced with a frightened look as Halliburton came to the forefront. He
looked at Nicholas with fear. Nicholas looked him in the eyes and said, "You
realize we are in total control and that you have no will of your own don't
you?" Halliburton nodded sheepishly. "You also realize that the very moment
you try to betray Judah Zachary, you will be completely and utterly banished
from your own body and that when he leaves it, he will leave behind an empty
corpse do you not?" Nicholas continued. "Yes", Halliburton replied. Nicholas
sported an evil grin. "Now Trevor, you and I are about to become old
friends. I take it you have an empty office here?" he said. Halliburton
nodded and replied," Yes. I used to have a partner, but he opened his own
practice in Augusta last year." Nicholas nodded approvingly and added," In
the morning you will give your secretary a rational explanation for the
behavior she witnessed. You will then inform her that an old law school
friend is joining you as a partner. That way my presence here will not seem
suspicious to her. You will introduce me as Nick Bentine. Is that all very
clear, Trevor?" Halliburton nodded and replied, "Yes." Nicholas grinned and
replied, "Very good Mr. Halliburton, very good" (dramatic tones rise then
fade)
Three knocks were heard on the door as Professor Stokes looked up from the
book he was reading. The monocle dropped from his eye as he rose to answer
the door. Upon opening it he saw Barnabas and Julia standing in the doorway.
"Good evening, Professor Stokes, may we come in?" Barnabas said as he
reached to remove the Inverness cape. "Certainly, Do come in Mr. Collins,
Good evening to you Dr Hoffman!" he said cheerfully. "Let me pour you each a
sherry! It is far more enjoyable when shared"
They nodded approval as he walked to get them each a drink. "So what brings
you both out this evening, a social call?" he continued. Barnabas stood
before the fireplace and replied, "Well, not exactly Professor" Stokes
grinned with his mischievous grin and said, "No, of course not. You always
have some reason when you pay a call on me. You really must come by sometime
when there no ulterior motives to bring you. Or am I that terrible a host?"
Barnabas eyes dropped in a kind of embarrassment realizing that Stokes was
correct in his assessment, then as he took the drink from Stokes, he
replied," Actually the reason we came was research. Julia and I are going
through the family histories. Elizabeth Stoddard mentioned that you too were
looking through the volumes. We were curious to know if we might all share
our findings." Stokes again grinned. "Yes, a good idea. You will be very
interested to know that your own lineage I find remarkable, Mr. Collins!"
Barnabas feared what Stokes might mean by this. "Really, From all accounts I've
been able to find, a line of dullards they all seemed to be." He said as he
waited for Stokes to elaborate. "First and foremost, I find that your
ancestors seem to be very, very enamored of your name! It seems that since
the original Barnabas Collins went to England in 1796, a relative of the
English Collins family, by the name of Barnabas Collins has returned to this
country in almost every generation. I find that rather remarkable, don't you
Mr. Collins?" Barnabas eyes grew wide and his mouth parted slightly as he
groped for a reasonable explanation. (Three dramatic notes sound)
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Barnabas Collins grasped for how he could respond to Stokes. "Not really all that remarkable at all, Professor. If you remember you were involved in both of the instances you must have found. When I retuned to 1840 I used my own name as if it were an ancestor's name. I did the same when you helped me return to 1897 using the I Ching. So, as you see, Professor, there is a reasonable explanation in both instances. Perhaps I should have been more original and chosen a different name to use in those time periods. If I had known the impact it would have had on history, I suppose I would have." He said confidently. Stokes placed a finger to his lip in deep contemplation. Then he replied, "Interesting you mention that. If you recall, when Miss Winters made her journey to 1795, she took this very volume with her" he said picking up the book he was reading when they arrived. "When she returned, the book stayed behind. A few months later, Eve in the persona of Danielle Roget managed to transcend time and return to 1796. She brought the book back to torment Miss Winters with according to her own account to me. My ancestor, Ben Stokes memoirs bear that out. He wrote that Joshua Collins had sent him out to destroy a mysterious book, and that he was sidetracked when Danielle Roget held the book in safekeeping for him while he ran an errand for her. He says both she and the book vanished without a trace. As I read the accounts from 1897 I see a vague mention of a mysterious volume of the family history that surfaced during that time. I was with you in the basement of the old house when you used the I Ching to return to that time. You had no such volume with you. How did it appear during that time?" Stokes looked perplexed as he paced the room. "Even more perplexing is the phenomenon that seems consistent with each time period. In 1796, 1840, and 1897, are a rash of animal attacks primarily on women. I don't understand it, but there is some connection. If I could only find out what it is." Barnabas turned away so Stokes could not see the horror in his face. Then he quickly said, "That is definitely a mystery, and I remember the reports each time. I suppose it is part of whatever curse Judah Zachary placed on this family, but he is what we wanted to discuss with you, Professor. I understand that you borrowed the volume from that time. Have you learned anything that could shed some light on him? I am convinced that he is now acting his treachery here in our own time. We must find out more about him." Stokes nodded in the negative and replied, "There is surprisingly little mentioned about him. Simply a hurried accounting of the fact that he was tried and condemned and that he went to his execution swearing vengeance." Barnabas looked very troubled. "The family's insistence of rewriting history went back even that far. We must find some account of him that will shed some light on him. We MUST!"
Judah Zachary now paced the office of Trevor Halliburton, now back in full
control of the lawyer's body. "I must conceive a plan to destroy my enemies.
I have waited so long for this moment. I will not rest until I see them all
dead!" Nicholas Blair sat in the visitors chair with his forefingers
steepled in front of his lips. "You never have said just who these enemies
are, Judah." With a look of total hatred on his face, he said, "My mission
is to destroy all who bear the Collins name." Nicholas registered
recognition and replied, "Ah yes, The Collins family!" Judah turned in
surprise. "You are familiar with them?" he asked. "Oh indeed I am. I am well
known among them. They know me and some even know of my unique gifts. I dare
not be seen in public or they will be alerted that something is going to
happen. I am not accustomed to hiding in shadows." Judah returned to the
chair behind the desk and sat down. "You will tell me all that you know and
all that happened in your dealings with them. I must know!" Nicholas
remembered back to the first time he encountered the Collins family. "The
Master called upon me one night. A witch from the 18th century besought aid
to be brought to this century to continue a curse of her own on a member of
the Collins family. A young governess for the Collins family managed to go
back in time to the era where she was. She learned that Miss Winters was
from this time and that she too knew a Barnabas Collins in this time. So she
struck a bargain that if I would help her come to this century, she would be
my willing servant. But she was rebellious every opportunity she got to
interfere with my plans. I stripped her of her powers and cursed her to walk
the nights as a vampire. Her name was Angelique"
Judah registered surprise. "I have heard that name before. YES! I heard
Barnabas Collins call Miranda by that name. Right before he returned to this
time. My revenge upon her is complete. I too stripped her of her powers and
incited a maniac named Trask to execute her in her mortal state. She can
trouble neither of us again." Nicholas looked at Judah in total amazement.
"You mean that Angelique was the Miranda Duvall that convicted you? All this
time I thought she was born in Martinique in the 18th century. But of
course. It would have been foolish of her let her true identity be known
while continuing to practice the craft. She would have been executed by her
own kind if it were known the traitor that she was. I find it amusing that
yet another Trask was her final executioner. Very ironic. Very ironic
indeed."
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Barnabas and Julia entered the old house. Barnabas was extremely troubled. He looked at Julia with great concern. "What will I do, Julia? Stokes is on the verge of discovering my secret." Julia looked extremely worried. "You don't plan to kill him do you, Barnabas? Please don't! You must not kill him!" Barnabas turned to her and replied. "No Julia, I won't kill him. I have shed enough innocent blood. I don't have it in me to kill any longer. That instinct was part of the monster I once was. Stokes has been a good friend and a valuable aide to us many times. I couldn't live with myself if I did harm to him. If there was only a way to make him forget." Julia frowned and said, "There's no way I could hypnotize him, Barnabas. He would know immediately what I was trying to do. Oh Barnabas, what will we do? What will we do! (Three dramatic notes sound.)