SCENE 3
Her student was distracted; she could tell, and it frustrated her. David had been doing so well lately, and she hated to see him backslide. But it was obvious to Victoria Winters that he wasn't listening to her.
She didn't understand it. Usually, David had a keen interest in anything to do with the supernatural. She had expected him to enjoy the lesson on ancient Egypt and its mythology. In fact, Vicki has specifically worked it up to appeal to him. But David seemed to be paying attention to everything except the lesson. Strange, she thought, the tales of the pharaohs, gods, mummies and secret tombs are the perfect fuel for David's vivid imagination. Why is he so distant?
Vicki finished her lecture, and decided it was time for a pop quiz. She hated to embarrass the boy like this, but maybe it would teach him to pay attention next time. "David, tell me the name of the area where the Egyptian pharaohs built their tombs."
The boy barely glanced at his teacher, but quickly answered, "The Valley of the Kings."
Vicki started to correct him, but stopped short as she realized he had given the right answer. She glanced at him with a modicum of suspicion, for she swore he hadn't been listening to her. Ever the teacher, Vicki followed up with another question. "In Egyptian mythology, what god is represented by a jackal-headed man?"
Again, the answer came swiftly. "Annubus." Again, correct.
Vicki asked more questions and every time David gave the right answer. She went to his desk. "David, I know you weren't paying attention to the lesson. How did you know the answers to those questions?"
The boy fidgeted in his seat under her eyes. But soon he realized she wasn't angry, just curious. Still, he hesitated to speak of it. It was several moments before he said quietly, "My mother used to tell me all those stories."
"She did?"
David nodded. "Isis and Osiris. Nefertiti and Ramses. Set and Ra." His eyes shone as he remembered. "But my favorite was the legend of the Phoenix."
Vicki shook her head slightly. "I've heard of the Phoenix, but I don't know the story. Why don't you tell it to me."
David's face took on a faraway look as he began to recite it from memory. "The Phoenix is a beautiful bird who lives in Paradise. Born to Ra, the great sun God, he was so dazzled by her beauty that he never wanted to be separated from her, even by death.
"So every 100 years, the Phoenix builds a nest at the top of the tallest tree and surrounds herself with exotic spices, flowers and incense gathered from every corner of Paradise. Then, when the nest is completed, on the longest day of the year, she sits and waits for her father to come.
"As the sun gets higher, the heat warms the nest, filling the air with a heavy perfume. When the sun reaches its peak, Ra comes, setting that nest aflame by his very presence.
"The bird could easily fly away, escaping the flames, but the Phoenix does not fly away. Instead, she fans the flames with her wings, making it grow higher and higher. Soon the entire nest is consumed in reds and yellows, the beautiful colors of fire. The nest and everything in it, including the Phoenix, is reduced to ashes.
"Yet Ra's gift was one of immortality. So from the ashes, the Phoenix rises again, to live another 100 years, when it will all happen again. Because of her love and trust in the sun God, the fire brings a new beginning, and from her own destruction, the Phoenix is reborn."
Vicki stood enthralled by the narrative. "That's a beautiful story, David. A fantastic parable about renewal, rebirth, and the transforming power of love and trust." She stopped, because she could tell by David's puzzled gaze that she had lost him.
A quick glance at the clock told her it was two-thirty. "Tell you what, David. Since you seem to know today's lesson better than I do, why don't we skip the rest of class and go for a walk outside?"
He stared at her, dumbfounded. "You mean it?" Anything that ended class early was welcomed. When Vicki nodded, he practically whooped with joy and raced for the door. Vicki followed close behind him, taking another glance at her watch, hoping she could get David to Widow's Hill by three.
SCENE 4
Willie saw Dr. Lang was working on the body - that thing he called "Adam" - as the handyman brought the first box into the laboratory. The doctor had received a shipment of small crates, and Willie was bringing them up from the entranceway. He suppressed an involuntary shudder at what Lang was doing.
He turned to go get another load when he heard Lang call, "Willie, come lend me a hand here."
Willie's eyes grew wide when he realized Lang wanted him to go near the body. Maybe even touch it. He just stood there, paralyzed with fear.
Eric hadn't even looked up when he originally called, but when Willie didn't come immediately, he shot a quick glance over his shoulder. "Come on, Willie, get over here."
Willie gulped and hesitantly moved toward the table. Standing at Lang's shoulder, he stuttered, "Wha-what do ya need?"
"Just hold this piece steady while I finish the final stitches," the doctor instructed.
A stricken look came over Willie's face, but Dr. Lang didn't notice; he was too intent on his work. Willie put out his hand blindly, until he felt the cold, pliant flesh under his fingers. A whimper escaped from his throat.
Lang looked up at the sound to see Willie's ashen complexion, his eyes squeezed tightly closed to avoid seeing the thing on the table. The doctor chuckled. "Surely after your long association with Barnabas Collins, you can't be as squeamish as all that, Willie."
"I ain't squeamish," he said defensively. "It's just that what you are doing - digging up bodies and putting this thing together - it's unnatural, it's ghoulish, and -" he strove for another adjective. "It ain't right. It just ain't right."
Lang shook his head dismissively. "The work I am doing," he explained, "is important scientifically." He went back to sewing on the body part. "Right or wrong is irrelevant."
He pulled the last couple of stitches. "Okay, that's it. I'm finished."
Willie took his hand back as if it had been bitten. Silently, he walked toward the door, intent on bringing up the rest of the boxes. But Lang stopped him again. "I hope your personal feelings about my project won't get in the way of your doing what needs to be done."
The veiled threat in Lang's voice was ignored by Willie, who simply replied, "It won't. If it was going to, I wouldn't have done what I already have."
"Good. Don't forget, it is very important to Barnabas Collins that my experiment succeeds."
"I know." In a rare moment of bravado, he added, "That's the only reason I'm doing this."
The remark failed to faze the doctor. "Why you do it doesn't concern me. Just so long as you do it."
