Introduction

Sadly, one of my favorite stories has been taken down. Charles Delaware Troll wrote a terrific Dark Shadows Fan Fiction story and posted it up on a Hometown AOL site. Luckily, I read and saved the story. This story will be reposted here for your enjoyment.

Introduction:

I tried my best to accurately reproduce the style & structure of episodes, including the intercutting between scenes, the rotation of cast members and plot strands from day to day, Friday cliffhangers, dialogue in the style of the given characters, etc. Just imagine the music and I hope it will feel like the real thing, dated and all. The only difference, I guess, is the pacing of the plot, which moves a little bit faster than the 1795 flashback (which was already fast by DS standards).

If you are familiar with Sam Hall's TV Guide article musing on the future of the DS characters, you may recognize some elements in my story. But honestly, there are some elements of Hall's article that, I think, would NEVER have been done if the show had stayed on the air. I don't think they would have killed off Roger, nor do I think that any of the globetrotting Hall describes would have taken place. Another major difference (mistake, I feel) is that Hall has Barnabas still a vampire upon his return from 1840, when we know he came back human, his curse lifted. Certainly the fans, myself included, find evil Barnabas battling his inner demons much more fun, so a human Barnabas presents many plot opportunities to bring back his darker side.

What I've tried to do in my version is preserve the actual day-to-day feel of the show, as well as present a very feasable example of what might actually have been done storywise if the show had not been cancelled and Frid decided to play Barnabas again. I've read a lot of fan material on the kinds of plots fans would have wanted to see happen next, and assuming that similar letters would have found their way to Curtis & Co. back in '71, I'll be following many of those ideas rather than the Hall article.

So, sit back. Pour yourself some tea, or perhaps a claret cup. Take a journey through what might have been another year's worth of the show! There's even a new ending to the series that I hope satisfies better than the ending of the 1841PT story, or even the "sudden" ending of the regular story before they switched to 1841PT. Enjoy!