Play@YSDC

During the next several days, life at Collinwood goes back to normal, more or less, although there is some concern over the loss of employees to Burke's competing enterprise. When he's not on the phone, making business deals all over the globe, Burke can usually be found at the inn's diner, grabbing a cup of coffee and maybe a doughnut, or at the Blue Whale with a whiskey and maybe some of Collinsport's famous lobster and clam chowder. Given the small size of the town, inevitably he runs into just about everyone he knows, whether its trying to get more information out of Sam Evans over more than a few drinks, or even chatting to David, when he's allowed to accompany his cousin Carolyn on shopping trips. (She's more than glad to have Burke watch the boy for a while, and David thinks watching Carolyn shop for "girl stuff" is boring.)

He often asks Maggie out, and has dated Carolyn a few times, apparently seeing nothing wrong with stringing along more than one woman at a time. He even has the nerve to ask Victoria for a date, maybe to catch a romantic movie like the musical Camelot at the only theater in town. (His own taste seems to run to things like the new James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.)

One morning, while Victoria is at the diner, chatting with Maggie, a woman walks in, dressed as if she has been traveling. It's obvious that she bears a strong resemblance to the figure in Sam Evans' painting.

"Hold that thought," Maggie says to Vix, and shows the newcomer to a table, trying not to stare. "What can I get you?" she asks. "Today's special is fish, like every day's." When delivering whatever the woman orders, she'll add, "So what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Victoria had politely turned down Burke, using the excuse that Maggie is her friend and that it wouldn't be right, though she's uncomfortable anywhere near him. When the woman enters, Victoria wonders if she had actually modeled for the painting.

"Oh, anything at all will be fine," the woman says, vaguely. There is, in fact, something dreamy or distracted about her manner, as if she's always thinking about something else. After a longer pause than one might expect, she responds to Maggie's friendly question with "Oh. Yes. I used to live here." Another pause, then, with slightly more animation, "My son. Yes. My son lives here. I've come to see him."

"Anyone I know?" Maggie asks. "I know almost everyone. Not many places people gather, you know?"

"I'm fairly new here myself," Victoria says. "I'm Victoria Winters. I'm the new governess for David Collins."

In response to these friendly greetings, the woman answers, "Collins. Yes, I'm Laura Collins. David. Yes, David is my son. My dear son. I haven't seen him for so long. Does he talk about me, I wonder." After leisurely finishing her meal, without much interest, she rises, says, "I must go to him," and begins to leave.

"Er, there's something I want to show you," Maggie blurts out. "It's not here, it's back at my place, if you're ok waiting till I get off." [Maggie means the painting of course, and will show it to Laura if she agrees to stay]

"Oh, yes, David has spoken of you," says Victoria to Laura. "He misses you very much, and he knew you would come for him. He's truly a delight. Why don't I go with you back to the house?"

"Certainly," she says to both women. "I have plenty of time. Lots and lots of time." She waits patiently, seemingly lost in a world of her own, until Maggie's shift ends.

At the Evans home, it appears that Sam only vaguely knows Laura from years ago; certainly not well enough to paint her so accurately the way she looks now. Examining the painting, she says "Flames. The flames are so beautiful." Pointing at the oddly empty part of the canvas, she adds "That will be filled in soon."

Eventually, the three women arrive at Collinwood (Maggie no doubt very curious as to how Roger will react to the return of his estranged wife.) Their reunion proves to be a polite, if not affectionate one. Roger assumes that Laura will want to see David right away, of course, but first she wants to sit by the great fireplace, staring into the roaring flames.

"You always did love a good fire," Roger remarks in a friendly manner. "Never understood why you'd want to move to Arizona, where there's rarely an excuse for one."

Informed that his mother has arrived, David rushes into her arms. The reunion is a tender one.

"Do you remember the story I used to tell you?" she asks.

"Sure," David replies. "The big, beautiful bird."

"Yes. The bird. Can you see her, there in the fire? Look, David, and you'll see all sorts of wonderful things there."

While this is going on, a messenger arrives with a telegram for Roger. He reads it, looks at Laura, then crumbles it up and tosses it in the wastebasket.

"Someone's idea of a joke," he mutters.

If Maggie gets a chance to fish the telegram out without anyone seeing, she'll give it a go.

"Is the bird a phoenix, by any chance?" asks Victoria. "That's the bird that rises from its own ashes, so it would make sense to see one in a fire. And Phoenix just happens to be the capital of Arizona," she adds. Like any good governess, she knows her geography.

SunlessNick wrote: If Maggie gets a chance to fish the telegram out without anyone seeing, she'll give it a go.

Despite taking all possible precautions, Roger just happens to step back into the room when Maggie reaches in to the wastebasket.

"May I ask exactly what you are doing, Miss Evans?" he asks, with one raised eyebrow.

Mr. Handy wrote: "Is the bird a phoenix, by any chance?" asks Victoria. "That's the bird that rises from its own ashes, so it would make sense to see one in a fire. And Phoenix just happens to be the capital of Arizona," she adds. Like any good governess, she knows her geography.

Never removing her gaze from the fire, Laura replies "Yes. The Phoenix. Such a wonderful story. Never dying, always rising again from the flames, reborn. Isn't that a lovely tale, David?"

David snuggles closer into his mother's arms.

Pouring himself another brandy while he waits for Maggie to respond, Roger says to Laura "I wasn't expecting you. You should have called or written. Is there any particular reason for this unannounced visit?"

"I've come for David."

Victoria notices Laura's seeming obsession with fire. She wonders what will happen to her if Laura takes David away. Will Laura hire her to come with them, or will she be out of a job?

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:"May I ask exactly what you are doing, Miss Evans?" he asks, with one raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I needed something to scribble on, and I didn't want to bother you. Not with the reunion happening."

"I see. Well, carry on."

Having not noticed what exactly Maggie took out of the wastebasket, Roger continues to converse with wife and child. The gist of their conversation seems to be that Laura will occupy the Rose Cottage, a small but comfortable house on the estate, until such time as David is able to make what is a very important decision. Roger does not want to stand between mother and son, but David has spent much of his life at Collinwood. He will be allowed to spend much of his time, when not occupied with schoolwork, at the Rose Cottage, to see how he gets along with his mother after all this time.

Meanwhile, Maggie is able to sneak a peek at the telegram,

Maggie initially dismisses the telegram, assuming it must be a mistake of some kind. Once she's back at home and sees the newly completed picture painted by Sam, she gets a more uneasy feeling and calls Victoria. "Vix, there's something I need to tell you. That telegram Mr Collins got. I had a look at it, and it said that Laura died in a fire. And, well. She's been gone a long time. What if this isn't really her?"

"But everyone recognized her," says Victoria. "What if, somehow, it is her? What if she did die in a fire - or seemed to have - and then rose from the ashes like the Phoenix?"

Life goes on much as usual while the two young women contemplate this mystery. Word that Laura Collins --or her look alike? -- is back in town reaches Burke Devlin, who is seen entering the Rose Cottage once in a while. David also spends a great deal of time there. He seems to find it quite comfortable, complaining that "the big mansion is too darn cold." At other times, he has to be retrieved from the Old House, despite multiple warnings to stay out. On one such occasion, Victoria overhears him say "What should I do, Josette? Gee, I sure wish you could talk."

Mr. Handy wrote:"But everyone recognized her," says Victoria. "What if, somehow, it is her? What if she did die in a fire - or seemed to have - and then rose from the ashes like the Phoenix?"

"Daddy finished the painting. I guess it's not much of a surprise that it's David he added. But I don't think he's ever seen David Collins. He doesn't know where he chose that face from." [She refrains from mentioning the drinking] "Something really creepy is going on here."

"I can talk," Victoria tells David. "Maybe I can help you decide what to do. What are your choices?"

Startled, David quickly turns away from gazing at the painting over the old fireplace.

"Uh, I wasn't talkin' to nobody. I don't know nothin' about no choices." His grammar isn't usually this bad.

Instead of being dragged away from the old house, as normal, he dashes past Victoria and heads for the Rose Cottage.

Victoria follows David to the Rose Cottage.

Maggie keeps taking care of Sam as best she can. Knowing that Burke is visiting Laura, one time when he's in the diner, she asks him out of the blue how Laura is doing,

Mr. Handy wrote: Victoria follows David to the Rose Cottage.

She sees him rushes into the cottage and slam the door shut behind himself.

SunlessNick wrote: Maggie keeps taking care of Sam as best she can. Knowing that Burke is visiting Laura, one time when he's in the diner, she asks him out of the blue how Laura is doing,

Burke sighs. "She was always kind of an oddball. You know, sort of a beatnik. Really interested in astrology and all that stuff. But now she's even more of a kook. I keep trying to ask her what she remembers about . . . well, about what happened a long time ago. But she just keeps saying she's a different person now, and doesn't want to talk about it. I have to admit that she's a real good mother, though. David means the world to her."

"She was nice when I met her. Better than the rest of them."

Victoria approaches the cottage door, wondering if she can hear anything going on within.

Victoria,You can hear Laura saying "Don't be afraid, David. See how warm and friendly and beautiful it is? That's it. Come closer. Closer."

SunlessNick wrote:
"She was nice when I met her. Better than the rest of them."

"Yeah, I guess so. David's an OK kid. I can't blame him for being a little odd, living in that gloomy old mansion with no other kids around. I see him in town once in a while, looking at comic books or baseball cards. Buy him a malt, talk about the Red Sox. But the rest of the Collins think they're royalty. You know what they say around here. 'The Astors talk only to the Collins, and the Collins talk only to God.'" He chuckles a bit and sips his coffee.

Unknown to him, Carolyn Stoddard has just walked in and overheard his last statement. She flips her long blonde hair back fiercely.

"I didn't know you thought so highly of us, Mister Devlin." She ignores Burke's mumbled apologies and talks to Maggie.

"I just came by to see if you wanted to come over tomorrow night. We're going to have a séance. It's Laura's idea. She believes in all that hocus pocus stuff. I figure it's going to be pretty boring, so I thought I'd invite some folks over and have some giggles. Bring a date, if you like."

Maggie feels slightly guilty getting this invite right after her comment (especially since Burke was answering her when Carolyn overheard him). But a seance sounds petty cool, so she says yes.

Concerned for David's safety lest Laura have him get too close to the fire, Victoria looks in the window.

Fortunately, there is enough of a gap in the curtains for Victoria to see David and Laura, huddled closely together near a roaring blaze in the fireplace. They don't seem to be near enough to it to be in any danger, but they're much closer than they need to be in mild weather, as if it were freezing outside.

SunlessNick wrote:
Maggie feels slightly guilty getting this invite right after her comment (especially since Burke was answering her when Carolyn overheard him). But a séance sounds petty cool, so she says yes.

After Carolyn leaves, Burke says "Guess I'm, what-ya-call-it, persona non grata around these parts. But I'd like to keep my eye on what's going up at Collinwood. She said you could bring a date. Mind if I tag along? Besides," he adds with a smile, "it should be fun to hold hands in the dark."

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:After Carolyn leaves, Burke says "Guess I'm, what-ya-call-it, persona non grata around these parts. But I'd like to keep my eye on what's going up at Collinwood. She said you could bring a date. Mind if I tag along? Besides," he adds with a smile, "it should be fun to hold hands in the dark."

"Sure," Maggie says before she can think better of it.

Relieved that David seems to be okay, Victoria returns to the house.

Things return to more or less normal at Collinwood. The séance, at Laura's urging, takes place at midnight, so David is, one hopes, sound asleep. A large round dining table is brought into the drawing room, to accommodate all present. There's Roger, who dismisses this all as so much nonsense, but has been persuaded to join in by his niece, who knows how to wrap him around her little finger. Next to him is his sister Elizabeth, not quite so skeptical but not terribly interested either. To her side is her daughter Carolyn, and next to her is her boyfriend Joe. (There are bits of conversation that suggest their relationship is on and off at this point, given his decision to work for Burke Devlin.) Speaking of Burke, he arrives with Maggie, and is allowed to join in with some grumbling from Roger. Laura arrives and sits on the other side of her husband. Victoria and Maggie may arrange themselves as they see fit. "Just as long as you put me between any two of the lovely ladies," Burke remarks. The lights are dimmed, and Laura lights a single candle in the middle of the table, staring at it for quite a while.

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here like fools?" Roger says.

"We must join hands and wait," Laura replies.

Everyone does so. Nothing happens for some time, then a very soft, barely detectable voice, apparently that of a little girl, is heard, coming from no particular part of the room.

london bridge is falling down
falling down
falling down
london bridge is falling down
my fair lady

Maggie sits by Burke happily enough, which he may regret when her hand tightens convulsively at the sound of the voice.

Victoria sits on Maggie's other side. She looks around at the others when she hears the voice, wondering if someone is trying ventriloquism.

Victoria,[dice]0[/dice]you can tell that the voice is not coming from anywhere near any of the people in the room. There is no precise source. Listening carefully, it seems to move around all over the room, in no particular pattern.

Maggie,[dice]1[/dice]you can tell that the voice is not coming from anywhere near any of the people in the room. There is no precise source. Listening carefully, it seems to move around all over the room, in no particular pattern.

Laura closes her eyes. Her forehead wrinkles, as if she is concentrating very hard, but she does not say anything.

The voice continues.

take the key and lock her up
lock her up
lock her up
take the key and lock her up
my fair lady

Immediately thereafter, a sound as of something made of wood rolling on the floor echoes through the darkened room.

"Do not break the circle," Laura warns. "Keep your hands touching."

Victoria does as she's told, following the voice with her eyes.

"Who's saying this?" Maggie blurts out.

What happens next is witnessed only by Carolyn and Joe. This shared experience, by the way, seems to bring them closer together again, at least for a while.

"It was crazy," Joe says later. "I thought you were all pulling some kind of joke on a poor working stiff like me. But then I saw that Carolyn was just as shocked as I was. First Roger spoke, but in this voice like a little girl. It didn't sound like him at all."

"I deny that any such thing happened," Roger interjects at this point in the story, pouring himself a brandy. "Since none of the rest of us have any memory of this ridiculous event, I suggest that you two are suffering from a peculiar form of folie à deux."

"Whatever. Anyway, I swear you said the word 'Sarah.' If it had been just that, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. But then your sister spoke the same way."

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything.

"She looked right at you, Vicki, and asked 'Where is David? He has been very naughty. He must apologize, or I shan't play with him anymore.' It gave me the creeps."

"What was even worse," Carolyn says, "was what happened to Burke. He laughed, the way a young girl would. Sent a chill up and down my spine. I'm glad he's not here right now, or I'd still feel spooked around him."

"Then it was your turn, Maggie," Joe continues. "You started singing, in that same voice. You know, that thing about London Bridge and lock her up and all that?"

"But what happened to Victoria was really weird," Carolyn goes on. "It only lasted a fraction of a second, but I swear she wasn't there anymore. Instead, there was some other woman instead, dressed in these old-fashioned clothes. Like I say, it only lasted for the blink of an eye, but I know what I saw. Then she was back again, and none of you remember what happened."

"The the candle blew out, and we got up and turned on the lights. Nothing else happened that night."

The day after the séance, an article in the Collinsport Star reports the collapse of a bridge over the bay. Fortunately, it happened at a time when nobody was crossing it, so there were no injuries.

Victoria,That night you have a vivid nightmare of being hung. You could feel the rope around your neck, the hood being placed around your head, the trapdoor opening beneath your feet, falling through the opening, the intense pain of your neck being broken. You woke up sweating, heart racing, absolutely terrified, as if this had almost been real.

"You believe any of that?" Maggie asks Victoria once they're alone.

Next day she calls the house and asks to speak to Victoria - "Vix, have you heard about the bridge? The across the bay, it came down. No one was on it, thank God, but it's what they said I was singing about last night."

"I don't know what to believe," replies Victoria. "I didn't see what they did, but I had a weird nightmare afterwards."

"I did hear about the bridge," says Victoria when Maggie brings it up, "but I hadn't made the connection. That is strange. But how could anyone know the bridge would collapse - unless they caused it?"

"The deputies stop in at work sometimes. I'll chat one of them up and see what they're thinking happened."

"Yeah, good thinking," says Victoria. "I'm just glad nobody was hurt. Since that part of the song happened, will 'take the key and lock her up' happen too? Maybe they're going to arrest someone."

Casual conversation with the deputies -- everybody likes Maggie, so it's easy to get them to open up about the case -- reveals that an investigation showed that the collapse was due entirely to the aging of the bridge. There are no signs whatsoever of any tampering.

"Heads are gonna roll at the state Department of Transportation," one predicts. "Say, how about me taking you for a ride in the patrol car when you get off this afternoon to take a look at it? The wreck is quite a sight."

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, David, back to his schoolwork now that the presence of his mother nearby isn't such a novelty, keeps his eyes on his arithmetic homework while making a shy confession to Victoria.

"You know, you're not so bad, for a girl. Now that you know where I hide my comic books and stuff, how would you like to see a real good hideout? Nobody but me knows about it."

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:"Heads are gonna roll at the state Department of Transportation," one predicts. "Say, how about me taking you for a ride in the patrol car when you get off this afternoon to take a look at it? The wreck is quite a sight."

"Sounds good to me," Maggie says.

"Thank you," says Victoria. "I'd like that."

Maggie,The deputy takes you out to the site of the collapsed bridge. The sight of all that shattered concrete and twisted metal is both awe-inspiring and depressing. Folks are going to have to take a detour around the bay for quite a while. At some point during this tour of the wreck, the deputy casually remarks, "So, are you stuck on this Devlin guy, or has a poor working stiff still have a chance?"

Victoria,During a free moment, David takes you to the locked door that leads to the west wing of the mansion, which has been shut away for quite some time. He takes a key out of the pocket of his jeans. "Aunt Elizabeth doesn't know I've got a duplicate of this key," he explains. "I still haven't found another key for the locked room in the basement. Maybe some day." He unlocks the heavy door, which opens with a squeak. Beyond is a dim corridor, full of dust and cobwebs. He leads the way forward to another door. "Wait until you see this place," he says. "It's really cool." He unlocks this door with the same key. It's so dark inside that it's impossible to make out anything except the vague outlines of furniture. "Go ahead," David says. "Ladies first."

"A night out's a small price to pay for a favour," Maggie smiles (not really answering the question).

"Okay," says Victoria, stepping cautiously into the room and letting her eyes adjust to the dark.

Maggie,The deputy takes that as an encouraging sign, and makes sure to take his meal breaks at the diner from now on, chatting you up when he can. The next day, Carolyn and Joe come into the place, seeming a little upset. "You're Vicki's friend, right?" Carolyn says. "Have you heard from her lately? Nobody seems to know where she is." "I've been asking around," Joe adds. "I hope she's all right." "You folks wanna file a missing persons report?" the deputy asks. "Well, no, not yet," Carolyn answers. She seems a little reluctant to talk to the officer. "It hasn't been a full day yet. She'll probably turn up and make us all look like fools." "Me and some other guys have been searching in the forest at Collinwood," Joe says. "You have any ideas where else we could look, Maggie?"

Victoria,With a giggle, David slams the door shut behind you. You can hear the heavy key turning in the lock. Then, a little further away, the sound of the outer door being locked. It's now pitch dark in the room. The sound of running footsteps grows soft then fades away. The silence is broken by the same little girl's voice you heard during the séance. [i]take the key and lock her up lock her up lock her up take the key and lock her up my fair lady[/i]

"I haven't seen her either!" Maggie says to the news. "We... we found a secret passage in the house, and she had an accident there. Maybe it happened again? Can I come up and help look? Didn't you say she disappeared in the seance? There's... there's something else, I don't know if I should say it. Erm... " She looks round everyone, then makes her choice. "There's something fishy about Laura. I saw that telegram, the one that said she was dead. I know Mr Collins thought it was a bad gag, but what if she's not what she says she is? Vix didn't think she was on the level, and if she was right..."

(If anyone asks how she saw the telegram, she'll repeat the excuse she made at the time - she needed something to write on and fished some paper out of the bin, and it happened to be that).

(If anyone asks her why she said "what" instead of "who," she'll correct herself - she doesn't want to tell anyone that Victoria is thinking about supernatural beings).

"Very funny, David, now let me out!" calls Victoria, trying the door in vain. She had half-suspected he might try something like this, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. "There must be some other way out of here, maybe through the secret passages." She explores the room thoroughly, looking for another way out of it.

SunlessNick wrote: "I haven't seen her either!" Maggie says to the news. "We... we found a secret passage in the house, and she had an accident there. Maybe it happened again? Can I come up and help look? Didn't you say she disappeared in the seance? There's... there's something else, I don't know if I should say it. Erm... " She looks round everyone, then makes her choice. "There's something fishy about Laura. I saw that telegram, the one that said she was dead. I know Mr Collins thought it was a bad gag, but what if she's not what she says she is? Vix didn't think she was on the level, and if she was right..."

The deputy jumps up.

"This is serious. If somebody sent that telegram as a joke, it's a mighty sick one. I can run back to the station and get in contact with the Arizona authorities." He makes haste to do so, not even finishing his coffee and cruller.

Not even Carolyn knows about the secret passage, although she isn't terribly surprised, given the age of the mansion. It's not long until shift change, so she and Joe agree to wait at the diner until Maggie can walk home -- it's just a short distance from the diner -- and change out of her uniform. Then they'll run her up to the mansion so she can show them the passage.

While at home, Maggie finds her father in a gloomy mood. He's staring at the painting that looks like Laura and David. He's got a glass in his hand, but it turns out to be iced coffee. He's cold sober at the moment.

"I've got to destroy that damned thing," he says. "I don't know what's wrong with it, but it's not going to do anybody any good."

At Collinwood, Joe volunteers to explore the secret passage. He finds the way to David's room, which doesn't help find Vicki; David denies having seen her all day. He explores the path to the sea cave, without finding a trace of her. ("We better pray she didn't go that way," he'll say when he climbs back into the drawing room. "Plenty of folks have drowned in places like that. There are lots of rocks in the water, and the waves are unpredictable.") Last of all, he makes his way down the corridor that leads to the West Wing. The passage leads to a a dead end. There are indications that this was a sliding panel, like the entrance to the secret passage found in the drawing room. However, it has been covered up with boards, nailed to the panel. Joe makes his way back.

"It'll take some tools to break through the door to the West Wing," he says when he emerges, sweaty and covered with dirt and cobwebs. "I think I heard somebody talking behind the sealed panel, but it was very faint and I couldn't make out what was being said. It sounded more like a little kid than Vicki, but maybe that's because it sounded pretty far away."

Carolyn asks her mother if she has the keys to the West Wing. It turns out that they've been missing for several days.

"I didn't think anything of it, because nobody ever goes there now," she explains. "You don't think Miss Winters found a way into the West Wing, do you?"

"Looks like I go in the hard way, with your permission, Mrs. Stoddard. I'll grab some tools from the garage. Oh, by the way, I found this, near the passage to David's room."

He holds out the part that was removed from Roger's car, and a wrench that could have been used to loosen it.

Mr. Handy wrote:
"Very funny, David, now let me out!" calls Victoria, trying the door in vain. She had half-suspected he might try something like this, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. "There must be some other way out of here, maybe through the secret passages." She explores the room thoroughly, looking for another way out of it.

Moving carefully in complete darkness, Victoria is able to feel a small couch, heavy with dust, and a table, upon which stands what feels like an old-fashioned gramophone, complete with one of those turn-of-the-century disks, ready to be played. As far as she can tell, all the walls are as solid as the door. There doesn't seem to be much to do except shout for help and hope somebody can hear her.

The room seems to become illuminated with a very dim glow, as if her eyes are becoming used to the darkness. This proves, however, to be a misty, translucent figure, apparently a child dressed in a long white dress and a white cap.

"Dear me." The girlish voice emerges from somewhere near the figure. "I have not seen you for ever so long, Miss Winters. Shall we be having our lessons again? I fear that I have not kept up with my sums as well as I might."

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:"I've got to destroy that damned thing," he says. "I don't know what's wrong with it, but it's not going to do anybody any good."

"I'm sorry Daddy, I have to go out again," Maggie says. "Vix is missing and I need to help look for her. There's some food in the fridge." She hesitates, then adds, "That's a good idea. I think there's something up with Laura."

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:"Looks like I go in the hard way, with your permission, Mrs. Stoddard. I'll grab some tools from the garage. Oh, by the way, I found this, near the passage to David's room."

He holds out the part that was removed from Roger's car, and a wrench that could have been used to loosen it.

Maggie looks beseechingly at Mrs Stoddard when Joe makes his request. Her hand goes to her mouth when she sees the car part. She only just manages not to blurt out the idea that it could be David who sabotaged the car. Instead she thinks back to what Victoria had told her before. "Vix was looking for that. She wondered if it was Burke who messed with the car back then. But I never told him about the passage."

OOC:   Looking back, that last bit seems to be true, but I figure Maggie is assuming it rather than remembering for sure.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met yet," says Victoria, confused. "David's the only child I've taught so far. How do you know me? And how did you get in here? Did he lock you in here too?"

Mr. Handy wrote:
"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met yet," says Victoria, confused. "David's the only child I've taught so far. How do you know me? And how did you get in here? Did he lock you in here too?"

The childish voice lets out a laugh.

"You are pleased to be merry. Very well, I can play the fool also."

The blurry figure makes a move which suggests a curtsy.

"I shall be the Queen of Spain, Sarah the First, and you shall no longer be governess, but my lady-in-waiting."

By this time, Joe has managed to make his way through the secret passage into the West Wing.

"Vicki? Vicki? I swear I hear somebody."

"Oh, dear," says the girl's voice. "I must leave. You must tell David that he has been very wicked, and that he shall no longer be my friend if he does not behave."

With that, the glowing figure of light fades away, leaving only darkness.

By this time, Joe finds the locked room.

"Hang on, Vicki. I've got some tools to remove the hinges. You'll be free in a minute."

He is as good as his word. Victoria is brought back to the drawing room.

When he learns what David has done, Roger sends him to his room without supper.

"I swear I don't know what to do with that boy," he confesses. "Perhaps he'll be better off with his mother after all, despite all her eccentric beliefs. Anyway, a little time alone will give him a chance to think about it."

After all the excitement is over, Maggie returns home to discover that her father has wrapped bandages around his hands. He is also working on a bottle of Scotch.

"Hurt myself when I tried to tear up that damn painting. Burnt my hands, like there was some chemical on it or something. Should heal up after a few days. Can't do any work until it does."

While changing the bandages, Maggie notes that her father's hands are covered with blisters. As long as they're kept clean, it shouldn't get any worse. He has turned the painting to the wall, so he doesn't have to look at it.

Maggie gives Victoria a hug at seeing her back safe. If they manage a private moment before Maggie leaves, she says, "Joe found the wrench and stuff in the passages right outside David's room. What if he's the one who messed with the car? Be careful around him, Vix."


Back home she relates to Sam that Victoria is ok. She cooks a dinner that's easy to eat with injured hands, and makes sure he get to bed ok.

Then she takes the painting out back with a knife, and tries to cut the canvas apart.

"Thank you, Maggie," says Victoria, hugging her back. "I swear David seems like two different kids at times. There was also what looked like a little girl in old-fashioned clothes, but she was very blurry. She recognized me and knew me by name, and David too, though I've never seen her before. She said her name was Sarah."

SunlessNick wrote: Maggie gives Victoria a hug at seeing her back safe. If they manage a private moment before Maggie leaves, she says, "Joe found the wrench and stuff in the passages right outside David's room. What if he's the one who messed with the car? Be careful around him, Vix."


Back home she relates to Sam that Victoria is ok. She cooks a dinner that's easy to eat with injured hands, and makes sure he get to bed ok.

Then she takes the painting out back with a knife, and tries to cut the canvas apart.

As soon as the blade touches the canvas, the handle feels as if it is red hot. Maggie yelps with pain and drops the knife, which proves not to be warm at all. She has escaped serious injury, but her hand is going to be sore for a while.

Mr. Handy wrote: "Thank you, Maggie," says Victoria, hugging her back. "I swear David seems like two different kids at times. There was also what looked like a little girl in old-fashioned clothes, but she was very blurry. She recognized me and knew me by name, and David too, though I've never seen her before. She said her name was Sarah."

Some time later, idly flipping through a book relating the history of the Collins family, Victoria comes across a drawing that resembles the little girl, at least as far as she can tell from the vague image in the locked room. The caption reads Sarah Collins 1786-1796.

Next plan, do Sam and Maggie have a shed or something they can hide the cursed thing away in?

When the deputy next stops by the diner, she asks what happened with Laura's death report (though she's understanding if he can't tell her).

Victoria reads on with fascination to find out more about Sarah Collins. Could the girl I saw have been a ghost? she thinks. But how would she know me?

SunlessNick wrote: Next plan, do Sam and Maggie have a shed or something they can hide the cursed thing away in?

When the deputy next stops by the diner, she asks what happened with Laura's death report (though she's understanding if he can't tell her).

It is possible to hide the painting away in a storage shed, where it sits among half-empty cans of paint, rags, and so forth.

Trying to get on Maggie's good side, the deputy leans close to her over the counter.

"Don't let this get around, but the Arizona folks say that the body was positively identified as that of Laura Collins. Not that there was much to identify. Just ashes, mostly, and a few bits of bone. They had to go by dental records. Now I've got to go up to Collinwood and talk to whoever it is claiming to be Laura Collins. Might be some kind of crazy scam."

A few days go by. The woman claiming to be Laura Collins is cooperative with the Collinsport police, going so far as to agree to have her teeth examined by a dentist and compared with the records. They confirm her identity.

"I just don't get it," the deputy confesses over yet another cup of coffee and doughnut. "Phoenix must have goofed. Even if Laura Collins had a twin sister, like in some corny murder mystery, she wouldn't have the same dental records. And Roger Collins confirms it. 'Do you imagine,'" he goes on, doing a pretty good imitation of Roger's affected mid-Atlantic accent,"'that I do not recognize my own wife?' Made me feel like a real sap."

Mr. Handy wrote: Victoria reads on with fascination to find out more about Sarah Collins. Could the girl I saw have been a ghost? she thinks. But how would she know me?

The book relates that the death of Sarah Collins at such a tender age was due to an unknown illness, followed closely by the mysterious disappearance of her governess, whose name is lost to history. Family legend has it that the governess escaped Collinsport before she could be accused of sickening the child through witchcraft, but the author of the text dismisses this as fable. Stricken with grief, her brother Barnabas Collins, already disowned by his family for marrying a servant girl, name also unrecorded -- possibly deliberately, given the author's reticence to connect the Collins name with those of lower station -- left Collinsport and sailed to England, never to be heard from again.

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote:"I just don't get it," the deputy confesses over yet another cup of coffee and doughnut. "Phoenix must have goofed. Even if Laura Collins had a twin sister, like in some corny murder mystery, she wouldn't have the same dental records. And Roger Collins confirms it. 'Do you imagine,'" he goes on, doing a pretty good imitation of Roger's affected mid-Atlantic accent,"'that I do not recognize my own wife?' Made me feel like a real sap."

"My fault for bringing it up, I guess," Maggie says. "Not much of an apology I know, but this is on me," she adds, gesturing to the deputy's lunch.

Later, she calls Victoria. "Vix, can me meet up? There are some things I need to tell you, but not over the phone."
Assuming Victoria agrees, she launches into her recent news, "You were right about Laura. I'm not supposed to know, let alone tell you, so don't spread it around, but her body back in Phoenix was mostly burned up - they had to tell who she was by her teeth. But the Laura here, hers match as well. They figure the Phoenix police just got it wrong somehow. And that painting Daddy made. There's something up with it too. He tried to destroy it and it burned him - I tried to cut it up, and it burned me too, right through the knife - here, look at my palm. So... you're right." She tails off, as if unsure of what if anything the two girls should do about this.

"I found it hard to believe myself," says Victoria, "but I'm more inclined to now that I've seen an actual ghost: a little girl named Sarah Collins who lived in the late 18th century. I looked her up in the Collins family history. Poor girl died of an illness at ten years old. The strange thing is that she seemed to recognize me as her governess, and she knew my name. The history mentions a governess she had, though not by name."

The confidential talk between the two women is interrupted by a disturbing sight. Looking in the direction of the Rose Cottage, which lies at a moderate distance from the main house, there can seen a pillar of smoke rising. Somewhat closer, in the wooded land between the two structures, is the figure of a man, apparently trying to make his way through the tangled trees.

"Is that a fire?" Maggie exclaims.

"Well, there's smoke," says Victoria, "and where there's smoke...Look, there's a man in the trees!" She carefully heads outside to take a closer look.

Peering more closely, it can be seen that the man is Burke Devlin. He stumbles into a tree, then collapses on the ground. A bit further into the trees, there is movement, but it is impossible to tell what it is from this distance. The smoke, which had been rising straight up, curves downward, nearly obscuring the Rose Cottage from sight. It seems to glow from within.

"Burke!" Maggie yells. She take off running toward him.

Victoria runs with her, hoping she can help.

Barely conscious, Burke is able to raise his head slightly, cough several times, then whisper "Laura . . . David . . .inside . . ."

His clothing and face are covered with soot, and he smells strongly of smoke.

"We have to get them out!" cries Victoria, already running toward the fire.

OOC:   Making a morale check: Charisma 11, - 3 Cowardly Rolled 1D20: 5

Maggie freezes for a moment at the running at the fire, but she can't leave Victoria alone, and goes after her.

As they run to the smoldering Rose Cottage, the women see the smoke dissipate rapidly, as a strong wind lashes at the trees. This may prove to be a mixed blessing, as it clears the air, lessening the risk of smoke inhalation, but also fans the flames burning inside. Through an open window, over the roar of the fire, the voices of those within can be heard.

"Don't be afraid, David. Come to me. The fire is so beautiful. Come, and we'll together forever and ever."

"Mother . . . Mother . . ."

Skidding to a halt at the house, Maggie looks for a safe way in. Also, "DAVID! She's not your mother! You have to get out of there now!"

OOC:   Maggie believes that Laura's something supernatural by now, but "Not your mother" seems a more succinct thing to scream out.

"David, get out of there!" calls Victoria. "It's on fire!" She carefully tries the door, wrapping her hand in her handkerchief in case the knob is hot.

SunlessNick wrote:
Skidding to a halt at the house, Maggie looks for a safe way in. Also, "DAVID! She's not your mother! You have to get out of there now!"

Maggie's shocking statement draws David's attention. He turns to peer out the open window, but does not move away from the roaring fire just behind him. Laura can be seen through the dancing flames, just on the other side of the blaze from David.

"What do you mean?" David seems dazed, his words spoken slowly and calmly.

"Don't listen to her, David. I love you. Come to me, now."
A small burst of flame, like something shot out of a Roman candle, rushes out of the window, passing harmlessly past Maggie's head, although she can feel its heat. It fizzles and dies out when it hits the ground.

Besides the front door, which Victoria is attempting to testing, and the open window, near to which David is standing, there are closed windows on both the left and right sides of the Rose Cottage, and a back door.

Mr. Handy wrote: "David, get out of there!" calls Victoria. "It's on fire!" She carefully tries the door, wrapping her hand in her handkerchief in case the knob is hot.

In his dazed condition, David does not seem to hear Victoria at all, continuing instead to stare at Maggie with glassy eyes.

The handle of the front door is not warm. The fire, although of alarming size and fury, seems to be confined to one location inside the Rose Cottage, just beyond where David is standing near the open window, and just in front of Laura. The door is, however, locked from inside.

"You have to trust me, David. Come to the window, and I'll help you climb through. Your mother wouldn't want you to stay near a fire."

Victoria rushes around to the back door, hoping it isn't locked too.

SunlessNick wrote: "You have to trust me, David. Come to the window, and I'll help you climb through. Your mother wouldn't want you to stay near a fire."

David slowly approaches, as if he is moving through quicksand.

"LEAVE MY SON ALONE!"

As Laura screams at Maggie, another ball of fire comes rushing out of the house. This time it strikes Maggie in the middle of her torso, burning through her clothing.

Mr. Handy wrote:
Victoria rushes around to the back door, hoping it isn't locked too.

Opening the back door, you see Laura from behind, and can now tell that she is actually standing in the flames, somehow unharmed. She is currently shouting at Maggie, and does not see you enter.

Maggie screams as the fire touches her. She drops to the ground and if she can tries to roll and bat it out.

OOC:   The spoiler text said invalid dice code, so I don't know how much damage I've taken.

Victoria sneaks inside to get a hold of David and usher him out the back door while Laura is distracted.

OOC,I can see it. It's 4 damage.

OOC,Huh, so can I now.

Ok, Maggie's screaming big time trying to get her fire out.

Victoria tries to reach David, but finds it impossible to get past the roaring flames surrounding Laura. Sensing the intruder, Laura turns around to face her. She seems completely unaffected by the fire, although she should be seriously burned by now. Raising her hands in a threatening manner, eyes wide open, she screams "David is MINE!"

Meanwhile, outside the Rose Cottage, Maggie has managed to roll out the fire, but is badly hurt. Through the pain she can hear sense someone standing over her.

"Got to the mansion," Burke Devlin gasps. "Called firemen. On way. Got to get David and Laura out."

Obviously still suffering the effects of smoke inhalation, he half-runs, half-stumbles to the Rose Cottage. He puts his shoulder to the front door and bashes into it.
It's no use; the door is too solid. He tries to make his way through the open window.
It's too small for a grown man. Maybe if he can grab David and pull him out?
Just barely able to reach the boy and lift him out through the window, Burke places him safely on the ground. This draws Laura's attention away from Victoria. She screams without words.
Another fireball flies from the house, through the window, and lands on the ground. This times it lands on some old, dry twigs, starting a fire in the woods. After all this effort, Burke collapses. Sirens shriek nearby.

David lies on the ground, unconscious.

Maggie crawls over to David and Burke, to make sure they're still breathing. As loudly as she can manage, she screams, "Vix! He's outside. Get out of there! Get out!" If she can, she'll stagger to her feet and stagger round to the back door.

Victoria scrambles out the back door and runs around to the front.

Victoria finds Maggie with tears down her face, getting visibly more unsteady. "I'm hurt. We're all hurt. Burke called the fire department," she says weakly.

"You're going to be all right, Maggie," says Victoria, taking hold of her and treating her burns.

Victoria,Using Cure Light Wounds.

Victoria's ministrations, although unaided by any first aid equipment, do a remarkably fine job of easing Maggie's pain, and beginning the healing process. David is uninjured, although dazed, while Burke seems to be mostly suffering from exhaustion, with some small amount of smoke inhalation. The firefighters reach the Rose Cottage, and have the blaze under control in good time, since it seems to be confined to a small area. They provide the necessary medical care for the victims.

"Nobody inside, thank goodness," one of the firefighters reports, after examining the ruined interior of the cottage. "Just a big pile of ash in one spot. Big piece of furniture or something, I guess, although there's nothing left of it now. Must have been the source of the fire."

Noting that Victoria has escaped without injury, the fire chief says "You want to tell me exactly what happened here, Miss? I'll have to report this to the police if there's anything suspicious about the fire."

As if in harmony, David asks "What's going on? Where's my mother? What are all these firemen doing here?" He doesn't appear to remember anything about the fire.

"What do you mean no one inside?" Maggie says half deliriously. "There was... is David all right? Burke?" (When she's a bit more with it, she'll thank Vix for helping her).

"Burke was running from the cottage to get help," says Victoria. "He told us the Rose Cottage was on fire, and that David was still inside. We rushed over to get him out. The front door was locked, but I went around to the back door while Maggie tried to get him out through the window. Then Burke caught up with us and managed to pull David out of the cottage, but his mother was still inside. David's okay, but I...I don't think she got out."

The fire chief listens to Maggie and Victoria, and sends a couple of the firefighters back inside, now that it's safe, to check the interior again. Several minutes later, they return.

"Not a sign of anybody else," one says. "Not that I'm trying to be gruesome or anything, but once you've smelled burning human flesh, you'll never forget it. Not a trace of it inside."

"And that pile of ash," the other adds, "looks to be nearly pure carbon, at least as far as I can tell. That other woman must have escaped somehow. I'll put in a report with the cops."

As days go by, Maggie healing up nicely, it turns out that there is no sign of Laura anywhere near Collinsport.

"Took off on one of her unpredictable sojourns, I expect," Roger remarks, now that the shock of the fire is over.

David seems to have no memory whatsoever of Laura's recent visit. When discreetly asked about his mother, he says that she's in Arizona.

When fully recovered, Maggie discovers that the painting stored in the shed is gone, leaving only a small heap of ashes behind.