DARK, SILENT AND DUSTY

Daisy closed the guestroom's door and walked to the kitchen, "We should have waited 'til tomorrow before to talk to Enos 'bout that night. I hope he isn't goin' to have nightmares because of our talk," she shook her head and she helped uncle Jesse to clear the table.

"We avoided this talk when Enos was in Hospital 'cause he was too weak, Daisy, and we can't avoid it forever," uncle Jesse rested his plate in the sink, then he turned round, staring at Daisy, "We don't want to hurt him, of course; we just want to protect him."

Bo nodded and opened the sink's tap, "Don't forget that whoever hurt Enos could decide to come back, killing him, and we have to stop it before it's too late. But we can't stop it if we don't know exactly what happened that night."

Luke took the washed dishes from Bo's hands, wiping them, dish after dish, "Only Enos can help us to understand what happened, so it's better he starts to remember it as soon as possible, though it's goin' to be painful." He shook his head and sighed, "His habit to go to Yellow Creek to watch the sky has changed our previous suppositions, and now everything is even more confused than before. We need his memory."

Bo closed the tap and wiped his hands, grinning, "Enos really surprised me. Insomnia? I have never thought of Enos having insomnia since this evening. For sure I didn't think of it when he fell asleep after we tied him to a chair and hung him on the door."

Daisy placed the last dish in the cupboard and punched Bo's shoulder, "Bo! Stop teasing Enos. There's nothing to laugh of, now!"

"I'm not laughing of Enos, and I'm not teasing him… uh, well, a tender and friendly teasing, anyway." Bo smiled sweetly, damping Daisy's irritation and showing her it was his attempt to ease their worrisome, "Did Enos ever talk to you 'bout this habit?"

Daisy sat at the kitchen's table, she looked at the ceiling and she intertwined her fingers: an old memory slowly surfaced to her mind.

FLASHBACK

"Hey Enos, why are you so nervous?" She walked to Enos playing her most sexy walk and her most skittish tone, her way to block him and to give Bo and Luke the time to succeed in their plan.

His hand already on the patrol car's door, Enos turned to her, "Police business, Daisy. I have to go, now. Sorry."

"You work too much, sugar," she reached him and she gently rested her right hand on his left shoulder. She bent her head toward her right shoulder and she let her hand slide on his chest, her voice more and more naughty, "You should have a break, from time to time. May I help you to relax, sugar? Just ask. What do you want me to do for you?" her right forefinger traced a circle on his chest, around his right nipple; when she felt him shivering under his shirt, she held back an amused laugh.

"If you only knew, Daisy," a whisper, then his voice turned nervous, "THE STARS! I mean… the sky! I like to watch the sky, at night, in order to relax. There's a beautiful place in Yellow Creek where you can watch the sky. I want to watch the sky… yeah… the sky," he had a brief laugh, Enos-style, and he finally had a deep sigh, relaxing.

Curiosity and surprise pushed away the character she created along the years in order to distract men, she came back to her genuine self and she stared at Enos, her voice now friendly and a genuine smile on her face, "Do you like to watch the sky, Enos?" She suddenly recalled her task and 'the sexy Daisy Duke' was still back, her sweet tone turning again into her coquettish one, "Are you inviting me to watch the sky with you, at night, Enos? Just me, you, and the starry sky above us, so romantic!" Her forefinger slid from his chest up to his neck and finally to his chin.

He opened his mouth wide and he blushed furiously, in his mind the image of him and Daisy in a romantic date at Yellow Creek, at night, just the starry sky above them.

Rosco's voice erupted from the C.B. "ENOS! YOU, DIPSTICK! That guy has escaped from prison! Hurry up or Boss will fire you!"

Daisy smiled, her task was over.

Enos opened the patrol car's door and get in, "Bye Daisy. Say hi to uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke," he started the engine and he drove away, his car speeding up and pulling down the near fence.

Looking at the car pulling down the fence, Daisy burst out laughing.

As usual after succeeding in her diverting play, Daisy felt a mix of contrasting emotions: vanity, funny and sense of guilty. In effect, when she used her charm on men, she had no sense of guilty except when Enos was involved: she couldn't help but feeling guilty in her taking advantage of someone so genuine and naïve, whereas other men didn't deserve her sense of guilty, especially when they looked at her as a prey. And year after year, that sense of guilty became stronger and stronger, pushing her to face the real meaning of it.

Daisy had a deep sigh, "He talked to me 'bout this habit, yeah. Long time ago, and just one time. I forgot 'bout it 'til now."

"Did he invite you to watch the sky with him? Enos is such a romantic guy," Bo grinned and looked at Luke, "I also like to invite girls to watch the sky with me."

Luke folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Watching the sky isn't your first goal, Bo."

Bo shrugged, "Neither of girls I date, I guess, since nobody ever regretted to come with me to a peaceful place, a perfect place for something else beside watching the sky. I think Enos is the only guy in Hazzard who invites a girl to – literally - watch the sky with him."

"BO!" Daisy stood up, "Enos has never invited me to watch the sky with him, literally…" she blushed, "… or not! He told me he liked to relax watching the sky, at night, in Yellow Creek." Recalling why and how Enos talked to her about it, the reason of her blushing changed from embarrass because of Bo's allusions to shame because of her old teasing attitude to Enos.

Uncle Jesse coughed and cleared his voice, smiling, then he turned serious, "It's time to go to sleep, now."

Luke nodded, "Tomorrow will be a long day. We're goin' to bring Enos to the town… and then to Yellow Creek. Everything can be helpful in order to wake his memory up."

Daisy shook her head, "Are you sure that…"

"Daisy, please, don't be so overprotective on him." Luke stared at her, his blue eyes into her green-hazel ones, "We care for Enos as much as you, and we don't want to hurt him. Don't worry."

Daisy folded her arms and looked at the floor, nodding and avoiding any further discussion. No, they didn't care for Enos as much as her, but probably they didn't know it: when she confessed her love to Enos, at the Hospital, only uncle Jesse was listening to her, while Bo and Luke have always heard words like "I have a genuine affection for Enos" and "I can't live without him, uncle Jesse, I can't stand the idea I won't see him ever again. Why am I realizing how much I need him just now?" from her, words meaning everything or nothing at all.

Only uncle Jesse knew her true feelings. She glanced at him and he answered her silent call for help; he came closer her and rested his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it and looking into her eyes, then he left the kitchen, heading to his bedroom.

The Dukes reached their bedrooms and the farm turned dark and silent.

Dark. Silent. Dusty.

Enos walked along the long and dark corridor, his right hand on the rough wall, his only way to not get lost; he couldn't see anything, so his hand on the wall was his only guide.

There was a soft light at the end of the corridor, a distant door with a soft light filtering from it.

Behind him just darkness, so he had to reach that door: if light filtered from the door, it meant someone was there.

The wooden floor creaked under his feet.

Dust. He stopped and rubbed his eyes with his left hand, his right hand still on the wall.

Step by step, he finally arrived in front of the door, some light filtering from it, but not enough light to win the darkness around him.

His heart was beating furiously in his chest while he wondered what was waiting for him at the other side of the door.

A voice, a woman' voice.

He slowly opened the door and the light blinded him; he covered his eyes with his right hand and he had a step back, taking refuge in the previous darkness.

The woman followed him in the darkness, she grabbed him and she buried her face against his chest. She sobbed and rubbed her face against his chest, her tears dampening his shirt, warm liquid from her eyes to his skin through his shirt.

He didn't like that feeling, it was scaring.

He freed himself from her grasp and he turned round, just darkness in front of him.

He tried to walk away but he fell face down.

Enos fell face down.

"Ouch" he rolled on his back and he opened his eyes, trying to get used to darkness.

The sudden light blinded him, so he protected his eyes with his right hand.

Where was that woman?

His heart was beating furiously in his chest while he tried to stand up and walk away from that… creature.

"Enos!" Luke knelt by his side, his hand sustaining Enos' nape, "Are you OK?"

"Stop crying," Enos looked at the room and at the faces around him, "you are scaring me." The Dukes' farm slowly formed around him, taking the place of the dark corridor, while Bo, Luke, uncle Jesse and Daisy took the place of the crying woman; reality took the place of his nightmare. "Ding dang, I had a nightmare. Sorry," he sat up and shook his head, "I was dreaming of a dark corridor and of a woman crying. It was scaring."

"Oh Enos," Daisy wrapped her arms around him and helped him to stand up.

"Please, turn the light off. It's blinding me," he sat on his bed and he covered his eyes with his right hand until the room turned dark.

In that darkness, he let Daisy and uncle Jesse help him to undress his shirt and trousers and to dress his pajamas, his weakness and confusion winning his innate modesty and shyness. He let them help him to slip under the blankets and he finally closed his eyes.