Episode 1414

Aired: Thursday November 25, 1971

Thayer David's voiceover: "For Harrison Collins, the strange and mysterious world of parallel time in the year 1897 has so far been only an entertaining journey. But on this night, as he helps the counterpart of the Quentin Collins who is his best friend in his own time, the passageway to his own world may have been stumbled upon as a search for a hidden will takes a strange turn..."

Quentin struggles to get into the empty room in normal 1897 time as Harrison watches. Quentin says "What's happened in here? Everything is gone! The room is dark and empty and some force is preventing me from getting inside." Harrison fibs "I've never seen anything like it." Quentin says there must be some way of entering the room. "But I don't understand this at all.... why would all the furniture in this room be gone?" Quentin turns to Harrison for a moment and says "Something very strange is happening in this house..." Harrison suddenly says "Quentin, look!" Quentin turns, and room is back to normal. He walks inside and looks around.

After the titles, Quentin is examining things in the parallel time room and sees that things are there as usual. He looks at Harrison and asks what just happened. Harrison says he simply saw the room suddenly appear as normal. "But that makes no sense," Quentin says. "Rooms just don't disappear and reappear again!" (Sigh...another person who has never seen Dark Shadows). Harrison turns away and says "There was a theory I read about long ago....a strange theory on time." Quentin asks "Time? What do you mean?" Harrison says "Maybe it's nothing, but I remember reading some scientist's theories that there could be other bands of time, other worlds nearly identical to our own, only visible during certain conditions." Quentin chuckles a little and says "Are you saying you think we just saw some sort of other world?" Harrison shrugs and says he has no other way to explain it. Quentin says he's certainly heard stranger things. "Perhaps my Uncle Roderick should hear about what you've read. He has interests in strange things. Tell me, in this material you read, is it possible for someone to travel into different worlds?" Harrison turns away again and says he's not sure. Quentin starts to wonder, and says "That would be strange, to go to another world like this one, only different. I wonder how different it would be? Or who would live there? If there's another Collinwood, I wonder if there's another Collins family living there" Quentin stops and humphs, adding "I sound like Stanford now, making up stories. We should keep looking for the will." Harrison agrees, adding "After all, you never know, there may be things in those other worlds better left undisturbed." Meanwhile downstairs, Gladstone arrives and finds Stokes in the drawing room. Gladstone says "I got your call. You said you had something, maybe." Stokes says "Maybe. I found something in a book I have on some ancient mythology. It sounded all too familiar once I had read it, and if I'm right, we are in much more danger than any of us anticipated." Gladstone doesn't like hearing this.

Gladstone asks Stokes what he means, and Stokes says "There is an ancient legend that goes back to the days of the Sumerians that unfortunately fits the pattern of your dead Mr. Daniels. These people believed in a parasitic spirit that could possess bodies and drain them of their life." Gladstone says "You don't really believe that Daniels was killed by some ancient spirit? None of that kind of thing exists!" Stokes snaps "You saw yourself, Mr. Gladstone, something in this very room that many people would deny exists. Now this spirit can take many forms, but its favorite is that of a beautiful young woman, since under such guise it can trick young men into its trap. I think we are dealing with such a spirit....a succubus." Gladstone asks "Succubus?" Stokes says "Yes. From the books I've studied and the way that Daniels was aged rapidly, we are dealing with a succubus. A spirit that derives its own immortality by devouring the very youth and energy of mortal men." Gladstone asks how you can fight a spirit. Stokes answers "I don't know. I need to do more research on that. That is why we are all in grave danger, because this spirit could be anyone in Collinsport, and it would be nearly impossible to tell who it is before you became a victim yourself." Gladstone thinks about this. Quentin and Harrison enter the room, and Quentin asks Stokes if he is busy. Stokes says he's finished with Gladstone, and Gladstone starts to head out. Quentin says "Uncle, Harrison and I have made a strange discovery in the east wing. We thought you might know more about it." Stokes says "This is certainly a house for strange things these past days, and I have an unhappy reality to deal with myself." Quentin says "Valery?" Stokes answers "You're quite perceptive, my nephew. Yes, Valery. I must talk to this Trask fellow for my own peace of mind. But before I go, tell me of this strange thing in the east wing."

Trask is in his office going over some papers when Stokes comes in. Trask asks him "to what do I owe the pleasure?" Stokes tells him to skip the formalities, and "I want to know and I want to know right now what your intentions for my only daughter are." Trask gets a little evasive, and then says that his intentions are "pure and honorable." Stokes says he has a hard time believing that, "especially considering how close you've always been to Alice Collins." Trask begins to deny it, but Stokes cuts him off, saying "Now, now, Mr. Trask. I may be old but I'm not stupid." Trask insists that he was only friends with Alice Collins, and that "I admit I never paid much attention to Valery until recently...and we discovered a mutual love for each other." Stokes says he can't prevent his daughter from "doing what's in her heart," but warns Trask that "If any harm or hurt comes to that girl, I will hold you responsible. And no matter how much money and power you attain, it will seem minuscule compared to what I will exact from you." Stokes leaves, and after a moment of thinking, Trask leaves his office.

In the woods, Alice is looking around nervously when Trask appears. She tells him that "it's dangerous for a woman to be out here alone these days." He answers that she's safe now, and that "our plans, it seems, need to be moved up." Alice asks why, and Trask answers that "Roderick is growing suspicious. We need to act now. All the paperwork on my end is done. All that is left is to...shall we say, clear the air?" Alice smiles. Back at Collinwood, Stokes is walking down the hallway to the parallel time room, but when he opens the doors, the room is normal and Harrison is sitting there. Stokes says "So, even though you saw this room supposedly revert to another world, you sit in here unafraid." Harrison answers that "People have been sitting in here for over a century without vanishing, I presume." Stokes nods and agrees, but adds "I wonder how one might travel to another world then... we should assume that if it is another timeline, it moves at the same pace as our own, which means that things in that world would be happening at the same time as ours, right in this room, without us ever noticing." Harrison says "The room was dark and empty. I doubt much is happening there." Stokes laughs and says "There are many other rooms in the house, dear boy." Meanwhile downstairs, the front door flies open and Alice comes in, angry. Trask follows, pleading with her "to understand." Alice yells at him to "stay away from me! I don't ever want to see you again!" Quentin comes out of the drawing room and asks what all the fighting is about. Alice points at Trask and says "That man.... is a cad! He is a blackguard of the worst sort!" Quentin looks at Trask and says "What is this about?" Trask says it's about jealousy, which Alice vehemently denies. Trask says "Ever since you've learned of my betrothal, you've been like this. Why can't you accept it and wish me happiness?" Alice begins to tear up and runs upstairs. Trask sighs and Quentin says "Well, I suppose I should pour you a drink to congratulate you on your upcoming wedding."