THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC by Shari Osborne e-mail c/o Pat Morton - [Setting: A moonlit night in the swamp; a small cabin on stilts at the water's edge. Zoom in on the cabin. The interior- no furniture, ruined lace curtains billowing in a night's breeze hang from the single room's windows. The room is dimly aglow from several candles. In the center of the room, a boy and a girl sit-- facing each other, holding hands-- in the center of a chalk-drawn pentagram. They are young; thirteen, fourteen. There is a striking similarity between them; both have very dark hair and very green eyes. At the moment, these eyes are focused on each other. They reach out and take the other's hands.] "I am the East and the North; the Fire and the Water," Lilith intones gravely, although a smile plays at the corners of her rosebud lips. "I am the West, the South; the Air, the Earth," Taylor answers. His own expression is a contradictory mix of amusement and intensity as he stares into his cousin's eyes, so like his own. "Let She Who Has No Name send us one to attend. We humbly ask this favor, calling upon our blood as our birthright, and offer up this love we share--" she pauses to allow her smile its freedom. "-- in tribute to Her...to nourish Her... " Suddenly, there is a howling wind from without-- whipping the shabby curtains, blowing their hair wildly about their pale faces-- and all the candles are extinguished in an instant. [The focus remains on the pair, so that the guest cannot be seen. They are standing, bathed in the luminescence of the moon, facing what has come. There is no pleasure, no anticipated delight, on their faces. The girl appears both fearful and angry at once. ] "You called?" drawls the unexpected guest, in a tone of taunting amusement. "Lucas." [The focus remains on the pair; Lucas Buck seen only through their eyes] "You're surprised, Lilith? Hey there, Taylor... your mama know you're out here with her?" [a short, derisive laugh] "What to do? Blood's gonna call to blood, and Devereuxs are gonna mate with their cousins... " "Get out," Taylor says in a low growl. "Where's your manners, Devereux... gone the way of your morals? Maybe I ought to teach you a little respect." "I'm not afraid of you." But his voice has no conviction. "You should be." And the boy is suddenly propelled back against the wall. Lilith starts frantically murmuring invocations. "Mumbo-jumbo, darlin'. But I can teach you... things... " [The scene fades out to the "American Gothic" opening.] * * * [Setting II: Trinity. A taxi pulls up to the boarding house... ] "Cute little fella." Caleb stood between Lucas Buck and Deputy Ben, examining a lizard in a jar. "He's a newt. Miss Coomb's lettin' me keep him for the weekend." Buck, leaning against his cruiser, smiled down at his son. Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a pair of long, feminine legs emerging from the cab pulled curbside. The legs soon revealed their lovely owner-- a young woman who would have looked more natural stepping out onto L.A.'s Rodeo Drive than downtown Trinity. Her designer suit, with its short skirt length, was a dazzling white that fit her well-defined curves perfectly. Almost as striking was her dark hair, styled into a French roll... with a curious white-blond streak. Stooping slightly to pick up the only piece of luggage- an ancient-looking carpetbag, her white-framed sunshades slipped down her delicately pointed nose. Half-way through the motion of pushing the glasses back up, she froze. Although her frozen gaze was not in his direction, Buck smiled to himself. After several moments, while the driver took the bag up the steps, she regained her posture, and--a little hesitantly--followed; never looking behind her to the man who murmured, "Well, hell... " Matthew Crower sat beside her on the stairs, finishing his examination of her shoeless foot. He smiled. "... a little ice, a little heat, perhaps an Ace bandage for a couple of days... instead of a 6-month cast. You were lucky." "No, I was clumsy," she said with a smile of her own. Matthew picked up the partner-in-crime, 1/2 of the high-heeled pair. "I suspect the designer never tried to negotiate a flight of stairs in his lovely creation. There should be a hazard warning on them. Dr. Matthew Crower," he introduced, putting the shoe down to take her hand. "Lilith. Lilith Devereux." And she stuffed the heels into her purse with the careless disdain of a used kleenex. When she rose, grabbing the banister for support, Matthew slipped his arms expertly around her, and helped her the rest of the way up. "You're from Trinity, then?" "It was a long time ago... and my home was the swamp outside of town." She smiled at the way his naturally-arched brows straightened out in concentration. Lilith was struck by his handsomeness, which she thought a strange melding of delicacy and intensity. The intensity was centered in his eyes. If eyes were indeed windows to the soul, she thought, then Matthew Crower's soul was weighted down with its own particular sadness. and this powerfully compelling. Antha looked into the large, dark orbs and her heart ached empathetically. Matthew watched as the beautiful woman went about the business of lighting a candle, and marveled at his fascination. He was trying to reconcile the image of her against a swamp backdrop. It was easier to picture Miss Devereux in a spring meadow... daylight. No, he couldn't believe it was possible she'd grown up in the mysterious treacheries of a bayou-land perpetually in twilight. Sitting down the glowing candle, Lilith met his intense gaze and smiled. "But it's true," she said; unpretentiously reading his thoughts. "A swamp possesses its own insidious beauty, Dr. Crower. Of course, it can be ugly..." Lilith moved about the room with a slow preoccupation. "My home was ugly. My family-- " (sighing) "could be ugly, too. Tell me, Doctor, do you believe there is a disease made up entirely of poverty and ignorance? I think there is... and it has its own special miasma... a swamp gas that clings to you... " "If I believed that, then I believe you are immune to its contagion." A pensive look softened her already soft-faced beauty. A moment later, she favored Matthew with her dazzling smile made up of small, white teeth and well-defined lips. "You're from Boston, aren't you?" Matthew smiled. "Massachusetts seems a long time ago, as well, Miss Devereux." Looking at her, he had the uncanny sensation that he could smell New England... the fresh, salt air, the faint scent of pine, maple sugar... "... and cranberries," Lilith finished; seemingly oblivious to Matthew's reaction to her mind-reading. "I've been living in Duxbury for sometime now." "I know it. 'The Cranberry Capital of New England'," he added, with his delight brightening the depths of his dark eyes. "How odd... it's as if I can smell the cranberry bogs... their ripeness heavy on the cool breeze..." Now Lilith glided to stand before him. A moment before their lips touched, she softly said, "Taste them, Matthew... " The old grandfather clock in the hallway struck the eleventh hour. Lilith, closing the door softly behind her, paused there for a moment; a trace of a smile curling her flushed lips. Pulling the sheer cotton night-wrap more closely about her naked form beneath, she moved down the hallway. She stood in the open doorway of Caleb's room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his much-worn train-print pajamas making him seem somehow lonely, while there was about his still form a restlessness. Her back against the doorjamb, she asked, "Trouble sleeping?" "Yes, Ma'm." "Someone is in the habit of reading you bedtime stories." "Yes, Ma'm. Gail-- my cousin-- was reading 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, before she got called away on an assignment," he said, nodding to the book on the nightstand. "I like bein' read to better than readin' to myself. I don't have to concentrate so much then. I can just enjoy the story." "What if I tell you a story? I think you'll like it." Caleb's affirmative response was to crawl into the bedcovers and smile. Lilith pulled a chair bedside. "My story is about a girl who was sometimes like Tom Sawyer. She loved to sit on the bank and fish, and she liked to sit in her treehouse and read. She had an adventurous soul; but she was too timid to carry out her notions most of the time." Smiling almost slyly, Caleb asked, "Was that girl you?" "Oh, no. Her name was Judith." "My mama's name was Judith-- hey... " Lilith nodded. "We were best friends, once upon a time. I guess we were a lot like Tom and Huckleberry. I looked up to her, Caleb. She had a lot of nice things... but she was a nice person, too." Caleb was virtually vibrating with excitement. Lilith gently pushed him back down. "Now you lie still and I'll tell you about how nice she was and how very, very special. Do you know... if you hear something right before you go to sleep, your mind can sometimes be tricked into thinking you experienced whatever is was you heard." His face seemed lit from within suddenly. "I'd like that. " "Now... before I begin," (slipping off a necklace that her gown had hidden and handed it to Caleb), "you take this. Hold it against your heart-- yes, like that. It was your mama's... and it's very special... " A sudden gust of wind blew the fallen leaves across the sidewalk; their rustling rushing forcing Lilith's eyes open. She'd been sitting in the old wicker chaise lounge with her eyes closed, but not asleep. Then she saw him. It was as if he'd materialized out of the darkness. His boots were strangely soundless as he stepped up and onto the house's verandah. It took a long moment-- one that increased Lilith's anxiety twofold--before Lucas turned his full gaze on her. "I believe you called... again." "No." "The Prodigal returns... but alone? This is interesting." "Shouldn't you be haunting someone's dreams?" "I've always liked your sense of drama, Miss Lilith... or is it comedy? Boston, Salem, witch trials. Do you weep for your Sisters? Do their tormented spirits give you some-- perverse-- comfort? I can see the two of you-- you and Cousin Taylor... draping yourselves in black and walking over their unhallowed graves with your actors' tears. I have seen you. Seen some other adventures, too. But then, we've kept in touch over the years, haven't we? In the dead of night, in the depths of your dreams--call it Radar Love, huh?" "I don't dream anymore." "And you're a liar. Taylor may not; doped-out on the opium he mixes with his little glass of milk before beddy-bye. But I can still come to you in the witchin' hour... when I've a mind." "I hate you, Lucas. I hate you for what you've done to Taylor... for what you did to Louise." "Oh, that. The boy's got her eyes, don't he?" Lucas said in a casually conversant tone; his single arched brow conveying the taunt. "Caleb's got more than his mother's eyes. You won't make him into the monster you are. " "And you won't get a live birth out of your cousin's loins." Lucas smiled with satisfaction at the impact of his words. The fire went out of her eyes; from glowing emeralds to pond-water dull. Rising, he came to stand behind her. His hands moving down her arms, Lucas leaned close. Inhaling deeply: "What's that scent you're wearing? Hmmm... eau de Dr. Strangelove? Tryin' to break the Devereux curse with our vapid Matthew Crower?" Lucas made a soft sound of derision. "Really, Lilith. When you gonna stop loadin' your gun with blanks? What you want-- what you need-- is some real firepower.." "God! Get away from me... " "What's this? Calling on Him now? You've gone eclectic." Lilith squirmed out of his grasp and leapt from the chair. Suddenly, she was several feet away; her hand on the screen door. Smiling, Lucas shook his head. "That's an old parlour trick. I'd have expected better of you... a ripening with age, as it goes. But don't get me wrong; you're lookin' good, Lilith, yessirree..." With a suddenness more surprising than hers, Lucas reached out and caught hold of her. Maneuvering her until his back was firmly against the door, barring her access, he had Lilith's arm twisted painfully behind her back, and her body pressed to his. "Jus' like ol' times, huh? I mean, that Dream Lover stuff's all well 'n' good; but in the flesh is much better. No-- " he said; shaking his head and putting his other hand over her mouth, "-- don't spoil the moment with that abracadabra manure. Now stop strugglin', darlin'... I'm here to attend... " "Sheriff!" Lucas turned in the direction of the shout. The moment was all Lilith needed. The move was quicker than eyes could see. She was inside. The bolt clicked into place and Lucas' annoyance had an edge of amusement as he turned away from the door and acknowledged her trick. "I'll give you that one... " he murmured under his breath, "but the next one's mine." Caleb and Matt looked up at the same time, each with a poised spoon over their bowls of cereal, when Lilith entered the kitchen. Again. she was in white-- a chemise elegant in its simplicity. Matt's eyes glanced down at her feet; this time in casual flats, and smiled as his eyes met hers. The distracted look she'd worn on her way down dissolved in his gaze. Her hand touched his arm and the affection that came into her eyes softened their greenness. When she caught sight of the familiar chain with its oddly-worked cross around Caleb's neck, her smile took on its radiance. "You was right-- about that feelin' as if I'd been there with her," Caleb said. "It was a good story, too." Matt had reached up to lay his hand over the one she had resting on his shoulder. "Join us?" "I-- can't. I've got to take care of some-- urgent-- business. But, if you haven't a date for dinner, Doctor... " "What do you think, Caleb? Is Miss Devereux asking me out?" "I reckon," he answered; looking from one to the other and smiling. "Come by the hospital later, then?" Her answer was a singular smile. When she was gone, and the last of her perfume had left the room, Caleb said, "I think she's sweet on you, Dr. Matt." "Do you?" The rhetorical question caused them both to smile. * * * [A return to the swamp. The old stilted cabin is nothing more than a ruined shadow now. Lilith walks idly around it; looking as out-of-place as Dr. Crower had imagined her. The focus is on her muddied white shoes as she wanders about. They stop near a grave; one of several in a wildly overgrown patch where the water has encroached, and even now seems to be reaching for the closest mound. Lilith, bending low, reads the burned inscription on the rotting wood of the crude cross marker. "Antha Devereux, b- 1899, d- 1963."] "You wicked ol' hag... " Lilith murmured; then, yanking out the marker from the soft ground, she flung it into the bayou. Wiping away a tear of anger, she extracted a small, woven bag from her purse. When she'd loosened its strings, she poured its powdery contents into her cupped hand, then began purposefully sprinkling it upon the burial ground as her lips softly murmured incantations. She'd only just finished when a gentleman in a business suit stepped cautiously toward her. Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, he gave a little sigh and reached out to shake Lilith's hand. "Miss Devereux? Whew, I hadn't realized how far off the road this place was! Thank heaven for 4-wheel drive, huh? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, at last. How's your cous-- your husband?" "Not well, Mr. Nash." "I'm sorry to hear that his condition hasn't improved. But-- er, you do have the Power of Attorney with you?" Before Lilith could take the paper completely out of her purse, he held up his hand. "No, no... that won't be necessary. I know it's all in order. I just wanted to be sure. It's a delicate matter-- this business; but I know Counselor Grainger is a straight-up fella. After we spoke on the phone, I tied up all the loose ends here. We're ready to proceed... if you're sure... ?" "Yes," she answered; letting her gaze sweep the graveyard once more. "You're certain, Mr. Nash, that we can trust the men? I mean, this wretched piece of land gets filled in and leveled and the development goes ahead... with no one getting bit by the sensation bug? I don't want anything embarrassing finding its way to the news... " "Oh, no. These boys have been paid well enough to insure their silence. Besides, I know them personally... you understand? And the Developer? He sure aint gonna rattle his own cage. Yes, indeed, Miss Devereux, this land is gonna go quietly... unless... " and he winked at her, "the dead rise up and shoot their mouths off." "They won't now," Lilith finished; tossing the scrap of bag into the water, and turning from the attorney's puzzled gaze. When, after a few steps, her foot became mired, Nash hurried over to help. In the end, she simply stepped out of the stuck shoe. "Let me get them for you-- " he began as he leaned down to attempt a save. But Lilith stopped him. "No. They're dirty. Leave them here with the rest of the filth... " * * * [Some days later; the swamp again. The scene looks considerably different. Sunlight bathes the rapidly clearing land. The dozers and other heavy equipment are shutting down for the day. Sheriff Buck saunters into their midst; waving to one, exchanging a greeting with another. Nash, his shirtsleeves rolled up is walking away when Buck calls out.] "Hey there, Judge." "Not yet, Sheriff," he said, shaking his hand, "There's still the run-off." "It's a done deal." Nash snorted a chuckle. "You sound like you have some inside scoop." "I might." Buck replied; enjoying the attorney's expression. "So what's going on here? Disney gonna build another theme park?" "Nah. An upscale retreat... a developer from Charleston." "Uh-huh. On Devereux land." Nash fidgeted and mopped at his perspiring brow. "Not anymore. What we have here is a legal sell." "'Legal'? Now, it's not that I'm doubtin' you, Judge; but I am a little surprised. I mean, this has been Devereux land since before they fired on Ft. Sumter. Those Devereuxs were mighty stubborn. Hell, I heard tell they'd eat dirt before they'd sell one square foot." "Times change; folks change," the attorney said with a shrug that was somehow not as casual as he'd intended. Buck, however, looked coolly casual as he'd looked about. Almost offhandedly, he mused aloud, "Wasn't there a family graveyard hereabouts?" Nash cleared his throat, in spite of his effort to ignore the thickening within. "I-- uh, don't believe so. You know, zoning restrictions being what they are-- " "What are they?" "Now, Sheriff, folks can't go around burying their dead in their backyard... " "I reckon that's so," Lucas said with deceptive acceptance. "Of course, developing over some ol' family plot... that would be illegal, too. Right, Judge?" "Yes... " Lucas smiled. "And if someone were fool enough to accept a little rush-it-through, hush-it-up money... why, it could be downright embarrassin' if things got public. Hey, I better let you get along. Don't you have a big fund-raiser tonight? Maybe I'll drop by... " Nash staggered a little with the Sheriff's friendly pat on the back. He stared hard at Lucas Buck, but the Sheriff was smiling enigmatically. When the attorney had taken a nervous leave, and the site was all but deserted, Lucas started to make his own way back. His foot stepped on something. Bending down, he extracted a woman's shoe from its shallow grave. "Left somethin' behind, Cinderella." * * * [The boarding house. Lilith and Caleb are sitting on the back porch steps.] "It's magic?" "Well... yes." Caleb seemed to have reached some conclusion; slipping the necklace back inside his shirt and smiling up at Lilith. "Now, Caleb, I want you to listen carefully... " "Yes, mam?" "Don't let-- things-- whisper into your ears. Only bad things whisper." "I think I know what you mean. Merlie speaks to me loud 'n' clear... and she's an angel... " "Your sister?" "Uh-huh. You'd like her." "I'm sure I would. Don't ever shut her out, Caleb." "Why would I do that?" "Maybe because he doesn't want you keeping her close." "You mean Lucas Buck." Lilith's answer was a sigh; then she pointed at the unseen necklace. "When your mama gave it to me, she said it was blessed. I believe it is. I didn't wear it for a long time after I left Trinity. I don't know why exactly; maybe I thought it would make me miss her too much. But when I did, I felt-- different. The different was a good feeling, Caleb. It helped me to turn from the shadows and look at sunlight more often." She smiled. "I've not always been good; but Judith made me want to be. I'm a better person because of your mama. I don't look at shadows much anymore, and I don't listen to whispers. " "I'm glad you came, Miss Devereux. And I'm glad you gave me what you did. I mean, the story about Mama... and her necklace." "Think of it as a talisman." "A what?" "A talisman. When something-- or someone-- is trying to make you feel bad things... you hold it tightly." (Sighing) "I came back to Trinity to bury the dead... and honor your mama's life, although I didn't understand how exactly, until I met you, Caleb." Suddenly, Lilith turned; and seeing Matt approach, she could do nothing to stop the smile that came to her lips. Nor could he deny what he was feeling... Matthew Crower was falling in love. * * * [Evening. The boarding house steps. Caleb's on his way up; idly passing a worn-out baseball from one hand to the gloved other. Lucas catches up with him.] "Hey, there, Slugger." "Hey," Caleb returned; his serene expression melting into a near-frown. "Caught the game. Some fine plays out there, son." "Yes, sir." Lucas, taking the ball from Caleb, tossed it up in the air, and caught it without a glance... as if the ball had a homing device. "But one play puzzled me. Do you know which one I'm talkin' about?" "Yes, sir." This time his shoulders drooped a little. "That was a mighty unfortunate pitch. Like you were givin' him a present.." Looking down, Caleb sighed with the weight of the memory. "Tommy hadn't hit a ball all season... and his step-dad was always hollerin' things to him, hurtful things. He's in my class. And he writes the best stories-- always. He won the big writing contest, too; but his parents didn't come to the awards ceremony. Tommy was real hurt... on account of he's real good at that stuff and-- "Well, it was just a game," he finished. Lucas put his hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Sports ain't for the weak-hearted. You'd have done him a favor to strike him out . That's right... it'll be easier on Tommy Ray to leave baseball with a clear vision. But now... don't you see? He'll have all this false hope, and he's just in for more disappointment. You understand what I'm sayin', don't you, Caleb?" When he hesitated, something caught Lucas' eye. Pulling out the necklace, he shook his head. "What's this, son?" Defensively, Caleb jerked it free and stuffed it back inside his shirt. "It's my talisman." "A talisman. It's a necklace, Caleb. I wouldn't set myself up for bein' called a sissy." "It aint sissy... even if it were a necklace. Ben's brother sure wasn't no sissy, an' he wears a necklace." "Dog tags, son, dog tags." "And Mr. O'Gorman, the butcher, wears a necklace. No one's gonna call him a sissy. Why, he's the meanest sonova-- " "Yes, well, I'm only suggestin' your little keepsake might do better in a box." Caleb's face took on a stubborn set. "It belonged to my Mama-- you remember her-- and Miss Devereux gave it to me. I like wearin' it." "Uh-huh. And Miss Devereux told you it was a-- what? A talisman? Now, son... I'd be careful around her." "Why?" "Let's just say there's been talk about her-- her family-- for years. There was always strange goin's on down there in the swamp where the Devereuxs lived. Now think about it: what kind of folks would live there anyway? Choose your company carefully, boy." "Goodnight, sir," Caleb said with a curiously pointed courtesy. Taking the remainder steps briskly, the door soon closed behind him. Lucas stared after his son. * * * [A bedroom of the boarding house. Moonlight from the open window casts a luminescent glow over the couple sleeping together, side by side. Matthew, sleeping peacefully, has one arm over Lilith, whose sleep is not untroubled.] Taylor... ! "The fox followed the vixen," Lucas' voice said. "Let him go!" the younger Lilith demanded; moving quickly to untie her cousin from the tree where he was bound and gagged. "Come here, darlin'. Loose those knots and I'll have to hurt you... and him. Oh, I know... you've got that martyr streak; but you want to martyr Taylor, too? No? There's my girl... " [Focus on Taylor as he struggles futilely. Unseen, the encounter continues.] "Are you a real witch, Lilith? You know... all real witches have the devil's mark-- "Now, don't be shy. Why, we're almost as relate-able as you and ol' Taylor there. My, my... but your skin is so cool to my touch... " No! Deep in her nightmare, Lilith turns and slips from Matthew's touch. Suddenly, she sits up-- her breath coming out as gasps-- and rises quickly from the bed. [Behind the boarding house. Lilith is running toward the back thicket. Slipping to her knees beside a neglected birdbath, she splashes water on her face. In the moonlight, a shadow falls over her.] "You always did like midnight strolls." Lilith heart is pounding so hard, she's certain he can hear it's desperation. "Leave this dream." "Are you sure it's a dream?" Lilith sat back on her legs; Lucas' gaze drawn to the splashed water soaking the front of her gown. "You are a fetchin' sight, tonight." "Why won't you leave us alone?" "You-- and cousin Taylor-- requested the pleasure of my company." "No. No. It was a mistake... a terrible, terrible mistake. And long ago, Lucas. Why must you go on tormenting us? Isn't it enough--aren't you satisfied with what you've done to Taylor? He's dying... " "Oh, he's got a few more good opium dreams left to him. But, here we are, alone is this lovely-- if a little melodramatic--setting... so let's talk about us . To answer your question... no, I'm not satisfied. I'm puzzled. You cast your spells, then run from them. Hell, take tonight... "Running out on our good Dr. Strangelove. I almost feel sorry for him. 'Come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly.' The poor bastard thinks he's in love with you; totally unsuspectin' of the magic bein' forced on him. But I know you, Lilith. I know your tricks, your little treats. You're good, darlin'... I'll give you that. Did you think you could slip on by me? Givin' that necklace to Caleb, fillin' his head with nonsense. Tryin' to bury the already buried. Makin' things 'right'. Well, your little do-goodies aint gonna change who-- what-- you are. You better face it... and embrace it... " Coming to stand near her, Lucas reached down and taking her arms, placed them around his legs. Lilith stared up at him for a long moment; then removed her arms with disgust. "I'm not afraid of you." Lucas sighed; seeming to muse. "Now, that's familiar. But you have it all wrong, darlin'... I don't want your fear. I want your respect. It shouldn't be difficult for you... considerin' how easily you gave your--respect-- to the Doc." Lilith closed her eyes. Her lips moving in a silent litany, a cold wind blew into the thicket. Lucas scowled. "Prolong the inevitable, then," he said in a low growl. "Sleep the sleep of the dead, dreamless and hopeless. I'll have my due... " [Sunrise. Matthew and Lilith awaken. ] Propping up on his elbow to better see her, Matthew smiled. "I dreamt you left my side... that you were gone." "Don't dream anymore," her voice softly pleaded. * * * [Days later. The hospital, the emergency room. Dr. Crower is busy supervising the sudden influx of casualties from the construction sight outside of town.] "It wuz a long fuse!" a worker with burn marks over his body and blackening his clothes was protesting. Dr. Crower looked from the still smoking body on the gurney to the fretful worker. "I'm tellin' you, it shouldn't have happened, Doc! Jim and me been workin' together for a long time. I ain't never seen nuthin' like it. Jus' touched the lighter to it, and blam! Is he gonna make it?" Dr. Crower gave the man a consoling pat; then gestured that the fallen worker be readied for immediate surgery. He turned his attention to others. One man was having his hand cleaned in preparation for a cast, another was twitching in pain as antiseptic was applied to various wounds, still another--wearing an eye patch--was having his bleeding head wrapped. A scream broke over the emergency room cacophony, followed by a long moan. A nurse rushed over to Dr. Crower. "He heard his leg was going to be amputated... " "Tell the anesthesiologist to get him under!" Matthew barked. Raking his fingers through his disheveled hair, he looked about with frustration and bewilderment. The last patient attended, Dr. Crower let the surgery doors swing shut behind him. Almost collapsing in a chair, he leaned back against the wall wearily. "A hard day at the sawbones factory?" Matthew's jaw clenched before he sat up and acknowledged the Sheriff. Lucas swung a chair between his legs and positioned himself in a direct ray of sun coming in from the empty room's only window. Perched over the chair's back, he regarded the doctor with a mixture of intensity and amusement. "You've been to the sight." "Uh-huh. An impressive holocaust." "I don't know how to-- accept-- this. We've had minor casualties for the last few days from the site... and now, this. It's as if the development was jinxed... " "Or cursed," Lucas said pointedly. Matthew looked at him with some annoyance. "It's been a long day, Lucas. I'm not in the mood to run through your hoops." "You are lookin' a little grey around the gills. I'd say you've been burnin' the candle at both ends... and one of those ends-- and a fine end it is-- belongs to Miss Devereux." Matthew blinked; and the eyes that then looked out were over-bright. Your audacity is as boundless as it's disgusting. Now, it you'll excuse me... " He was almost to the exit door when Lucas said, "She's a witch." "What?" Matthew had turned to stare. "Oh, yes. A cauldron stirrin', spell spinnin' witch. An' don't tell me you aren't a believer; growin' up a stone's throw from Coven Central Salem." Matthew exhaled a little snort of derision. "I'm not going to listen to this nonsense." "You better. Lilith Devereux comes from a long line of witches. Hell, the Devereuxs have been doin' the hocus-pocus down in their swamp for as long as Trinity's had her name. Ask anyone from here that's more than a generation old, an' see if they don't make the sign against evil at the mention of Devereux. "But Time's taken a toll on 'em. They've been dyin' off for years...probably somethin' to do with their tradition of marryin' their first cousins. Yep, the ol' gene pool's 'bout dried up. Lilith and Taylor are the last. Looks like for all their planting, there's a barren field... "You didn't know she was married?" Matthew sagged against the wall. "Must've slipped her mind. Let me tell you something else about your Juliet, Romeo... she sold the family land to pay for Cousin Taylor's opium habit. It was a fast deal that's barely this side of legal. See, the Devereux land's always been tied in familial knots. It would take a long time to unravel it... and her cousin-- her husband-- ain't got that much time. So we have an eager-beaver developer from Charleston who couldn't give a rat's ass about some ol' family cemetery... "But the dead... the Devereux dead... aren't happy about havin' their bones ground in with the cement and becomin' a resort pool. I reckon they're gonna keep this hospital busy for a spell." Lucas, brushing past Matthew, turned back for a moment. "'Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered' can be hazardous to your health, Doc." [Twilight at the boarding house. Matthew sits in one of the porch chairs, deep in thought; not hearing Lilith's approach from behind.] Smiling to herself, Lilith steps up behind Matthew and wraps her arms around him, bending to let her lips brush against his head. Stiffening, he untangled himself from her arms to stalk over to the porch railing. Her smile gone, Lilith moved to stand beside him. "What is it?" she softly asked. "You're married." After a long pause, Matthew turned to her. "Your own cousin?" Dropping her gaze, Lilith sighed. "Yes." "Even in Trinity, it wouldn't be legal. But then, legalities aren't important to you, are they? Is it true... that you let them plow under a graveyard... of your own family?" "Yes." Matthew stared with increasing incredulity while she kept her head lowered. "To pay for your-- husband's-- drug addiction... " Slowly, she raised tear-filled eyes to his. "He's dying," she said in a voice little more than a strained whisper. "I-- couldn't bear to see him suffering. Anything-- I would do anything to make his pain less. There's so little time left... you're a doctor, you know what-- " "How could you... sleep with me?" "Oh, Matthew... " "When you're married, when you-- " "Love him? Please... please let me try to explain. Taylor and I grew up together... we were like brother and sister-- " "Dear God... " "If only you could understand what my family was like... what we've been for more than a century. It was our way-- to marry our own. You can't possibly imagine-- " (breaking off with a sigh), "The swamp was our world... like an island cut off from everyone else. Taylor's mother-- she was one of the few outsiders that came into the family. She thought of herself as a prisoner, and she was very unhappy. She retreated into a world even more isolated than the one she lived in. Liquor, drugs... she went crazy in the end. Her ways-- her suicide-- took their toll on him. As if he didn't have enough trouble... " She shook her head. Then sadness morphed into anger on her face. "It was Lucas Buck, wasn't it? And you listened... " "It wasn't as if I had a choice." Her anger subsiding as suddenly as it had come, she laid her hand atop Matthew's on the rail. "What's between us, Matthew, is-- " "A glamour... a deceptive unreality purportedly used in the practice of witchcraft." Lilith looked as if he'd struck her. Blinking back new tears, she said, "no"; then hurried down the porch steps to the street. With a weariness of spirit as well as body, Matthew turned and went inside. [The swamp. A storm's warning appearing in the night sky. Lucas is wondering over the cleared site; a smile that could be satisfaction on his face.] "Lucas Buck." Turning, he came face to face with Lilith; her pale face unnaturally luminescent in the flashes of lightning. "Bowing to the inevitable, uh, Darlin'? I thought you might be here tonight. Storms always did incite-- or is it excite-- your passion." Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her long and hard. When she made no effort to resist, he pulled back to regard her. "No struggle? Hmmm... I think I like it." "You don't have Caleb; and you won't get Matthew." "Don't bother with the Kassandra stuff. Witch you are; but you Devereuxs never were any good at prophecy. Else your granny wouldn't have let Armand marry that Titusville gal... and she'd have sent her boy far away from you. He may not have amounted to much as a warlock, but he wouldn't be a dope-headed love-slave. Is it any wonder his punch is sadly lacking in potency? You've consumed all he had... like a vampire, Lilith. "And now you've set your fangs into Crower." "Jealousy dulls your edge, Lucas." "Oh, my edge is sharp enough, Darlin'," he warned; kissing her throat and pressing her body to his. When it seemed as if she'd surrendered, she suddenly pulled back and slapped him hard. Lucas staggered slightly; then, glaring at her, backhanded Lilith hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground. Slowly, she raised up, and noted the few drops of blood from her lip on the earth. She smiled. "Thank you, Lucas. All I needed was for you to spill my blood on the very spot where Taylor and I mistakenly summoned you... " "What the Hell-- " "Now the dead are deaf and blind to you. Did you think I didn't know it was you who disturbed the rest I gave them? You made them hurt all those workers, cause all those accidents. Your evil breathed some wretched half-life into my people. It was your intention to shut the development down so this place live on in darkness. You needed the Devereux darkness... to cast its shadow on Trinity. Well, it's over. Soon, I'll be the last... and you won't have a Devereux font from which to quench your impossible thirst. You're the vampire, Lucas. But the blood that has always drawn you dies with me." Slipping to his knees beside her, Lucas suddenly grasped her about the throat. "You know, I've never seen the sense in prolongin' the inevitable, Darlin'. If you're set on dyin'... " "So you'll... kill me... just like you did Merlyn," Lilith managed to gasp out. "No, I gave her a swift end... " [Later. Lucas is prowling the site; growing more and more agitated with the gentle silence that prevails.] "Damn that bitch." Stalking back to where he'd left the body, Lucas looks from the spot where she had lain, to the lazy lapping of the water's edge nearby. His expression went from agitated bewilderment to a slow smile. "Well. I reckon you're a gator's dinner now." * * * [A sunny day in front of the boarding house. Matthew Crower is examining Caleb's necklace. He smiles. Lucas, strolling by, frowns a little. A long, black sedan comes to a stop curbside; catching their combined attentions. The driver, a man whose hair is as black as his pale skin is white, gets out and comes around to the passenger side. The man's obvious ill health is momentarily improved as he smiles at Lucas.] "Good to see you again, Lucas," came his simple greeting. The sheriff's forced smile was slow to come. "Taylor." Then the stranger opened the sedan's door with a certain gallant panache. Turning, Lucas stared in dawning astonishment as a white cat-- sleek and well-groomed-- dashed down the boarding house steps and leapt into the car. "I've missed you, Sweet Puss," the stranger said as he closed the door. Without another word or glance, he again took the driver's seat, and the car moved away. Impulsively, Caleb waved at the disappearing car; then looked up at Dr. Crower and smiled. "I'm going to miss Miss Devereux." "Me, too," he responded with another smile and a ruffling of Caleb's hair. Neither paid any attention to Lucas Buck who remained where he stood; his look enigmatic. * * *