Ladies and Gentlemen!

                               Due to circumstances beyond our control, Video Theater of the Mind was unable to transmit Your Weekly Soap at its regularly scheduled time.  However, we can report that our faculties are now up and running and fully operational.  So without further adieu a do ado, we proudly present this week's broadcast of....


                                   Dreams of DArk Vermilion Shadows

                                                                       episode 2

                                                       WRITINGS ON THE WALLS


Mason DeGuerre

                          









      


        
          "Should I close the doors now, Mrs. Rollins?"
          "I suppose, Candida, seeing it's too dark to see anything."
          "It's been too dark to see anything for a long time now, ma'am.  Even before you've been standing here."
           "That's irrelevant!  Just remember, I need you to find my shoes that I threw out  into the woods in yet another pique of anger due to your relentless provocations before the morning dew ruins the insoles.  And I need them mended and properly shined for tomorrow evening's dinner party."
          "You have plenty of shoes just like them, ma'am, same exact color, same..."
          "It has to be them!  Don't ask me to explain.  You wouldn't understand."                   
          "No, ma'am."
          "Let's go in the study and have another look at that map you found in Mr.  DeGuerre's underwear drawer.  I've thought of something that might help..."
          "Help what? Find yourself in another spot of bother, dearest Beelezebeth?"
          "Mason!  Where did you come from?"
          "The front door.  Before that..."
          "I don't mean a recitation of your evening's degenerate carousing! I meant  how is it that while standing in the open doorway, looking into the cocooning darkness, we saw nothing but the ancient, twisted,seemingly tormented trees of Rollinwood Woods and now here you are behind us when a moment ago you weren't even in front of us."
         "And not even a whisper from those massive oak doors that creak like the dickens and throw my back out every time I open and close them, ma'am."                                                             

"What can I say?  I'm light on my feet and fleet of foot.  What is that interesting looking 

 

 sheet of parchment crumbled up in your girlishly delicate hand, dear cousin?"
             "Just something that fell out of an old book that I was about to toss into the fireplace.  And I am not your cousin!"
         "How fortuitous for me that you're not.  Otherwise I might be breaking the laws of several of your benighted states with the lust I hold for you in my heart."
          "There'll be no talk of moral turpitude in this house!  Come, Candida, let's finalize the menu for tomorrow's dinner party."
          "A party?  Am I invited?"
           "Well, I certainly didn't invite you to follow us into the study!  And please drop that phony accent!"
          "Which one?"
          "Both of them!  All of them!"
          "Got you confused too now, huh ma'am?"
          "I have never been confused in my life!"
           "Really, dearest Beelzebeth, you need to learn to control that infamous Rollins temper of yours."
            "It's a Doddard temper! Not a Rollins temper! You know full well I brought my own temper into this family when I married into it!"
           "As well as those girlishly soft looking feet."
           "Don't bring my feet into this!"
           "You know what they say, if a woman doesn't want a man to look at her feet..."
           "It was totally unplanned!  I suddenly and unfortunately found myself bereft of footwear."
            "Am I to actually believe that?  Coming from a woman known for her closets full of chassure au pieds?"
           "Is that French or Irish, ma'am?"
           "I have no idea!  It all comes out the same the way he mangles it."
           "Mr.  DeGuerre!  Boy, am I glad to find you!"
            "And just who invited you in here, Philly Gloomis?"

Phil Gloomis

            "Sorry, Mrs. Rollins, it's just I needed to talk to Mr. DeGuerre about something awful important."
            "Don't mind her, Philly, she's just been having an unusually stressful evening.  And please, it's Mason.  We've known each long enough now."
             "Sure, Mr...., I mean, Mason.  Anyway, I just... oh, hey, Mrs. Rollins, sure never knew you had such cute little tootsies, there."
            "Don't bring my tootsies into this!  And another thing..."
           "By the way, Candida, I almost forgot.  I believe these are
 yours?"
           "Thank you kindly Mr. DeGuerre."
           "Mason!  How did you get hold of Candida's panties?"
           "I found them in my underwear drawer when I went looking for something that seems to have gone missing."
          "Well, whatever that is I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with whatever I'm holding in my hand, so don't go getting any ideas!"
          "I wouldn't dream of it.  By the way, what are you holding in your hand?"
          "Never mind that!  Candida!  How on earth did your panties get in Mr. DeGuerre's underwear drawer?"
           "I think I can shed some light on that, there, Mrs.  Rollins."
           "You, Philly?  How on earth could you ever know something like that?"      
           "Well, ya see, I was walking past Mr. DeGuerre's room..."
           "It's all very simple, Mrs. Rollns, ma'am.  You see, I was standing on top of Mr. Deguerre's dresser..."
          "Why in the name of all that is holy would you be  standing on top of Mr. DeGuerre's dresser?"
          "I thought I saw a spot of soot or something behind the curtain up by the ceiling when I went in to change the bedding, so I climbed up on the dresser to wipe it off and when I was up there I realized I didn't have anything to wipe it off with so I figured I'd use my panties since they were going in the wash anyway..."
          "And they just accidentally fell in Mr. Deguerre's underwear drawer?"
          "No, ma'am, not then, anyway.  You see, when I pulled back the curtain, I saw it wasn't soot, it was some kind of writing."
         "Writing?  What kind of writing?  And why am I just hearing of this now?"
        "Well, I felt kind of funny telling you about it, on account of what it said, and it was on account of that I accidentally dropped my drawers."
        "How could something written on a wall make you drop your drawers into Mr. DeGuerre's underwear drawer?"
        "Well, I had the dresser drawers open to use as steps so I could climb on top of it and..."
        "Am I to believe you climbed up Mr. DeGuerre's drawers and when you were on top you dropped your panties?"
        "I could, how do you say, attest to that, Mrs. Rollins."
       "You, Philly?  How could you attest to that?"
        "Well, you see, Mr. DeGuerre..."
        "Never mind that!  Candida! What did the writing say?"
        "Well, I'm not sure I should say, ma'am, on account of some other writing I found on another wall the other day."
         "And what might that be?"
         "I think I can shed some light on that, there, Mrs. Rollins."
        "You, Philly? How on earth could you ever...  The  phone lines are up!  Whoever could it be?"

                                                             next week
                                                             episode 3
                                                                             
                                                  WHEN FATE CALLS