David Collins

// Wow. It looks exactly like the DS set!

The longer they sat there, the more anxious Davis was to get to the portrait. But he willed himself to be patient, like father would have expected of him, in the moment. 3/3

He continued:

“I can feel when she wants me to visit, or when she’s having… strong emotions. Usually, it’s to warn me.” At such times, the boy’s neck would shiver; if it was really bad, sometimes he even got tummy aches. But he hadn’t felt either sensation in well over two weeks. 2/3

”I used to see her every week,” David replied idly.

“Sometimes, I feel what she is feeling… not like Vicki, though.” He glanced at his cousin, who had such a deep connection with the ghost. Despite knowing her for less time. David wasn’t jealous. Well, maybe a little bit. 1/3

"We really wanted to see her today. Is that OK?" 2/2

"I'll have, uh... orange juice. Or lemonade."

Reluctantly, David sat down. Then he looked down at his wristwatch, which Burke had given him as a present. He looked a little silly, leaning over it then... "as long as we can still see Josette." He glanced at Vicki, then Barnabas. 1/2

I feel like Amy has a lot of opinions on this. She said I was an air sign, once... and something something water. I don't get it.

When Barnabas placed his hand on the mantelpiece, David's gaze was drawn--first to the black onyx ring on his cousin's finger, and then to the portrait of his namesake just above it. "𝘎𝘦𝘦. I guess you heard lotsa stories about HIM growing up, huh?" This was the closest David got to small talk. 2/2

David was silent for a moment. Then he replied, "of course... I'm sorry, cousin Barnabas." His arms were still crossed when he said it. At a look from Vicki, he let them fall to his sides. "It doesn't matter--really, it doesn't... I'm just glad to be here." The boy meant it. 1/2

At Vicki's comment, David crossed his arms... as if he were annoyed or trying to protect himself. "It's not my playground, it's my HOME... it 𝘸𝘢𝘴 my home, anyway," he griped. David didn't want to insult Barnabas to his face. They had a lot in common, like their love of Collinwood for example. 2/2

Startled, David's eyes widened... he wasn't used to being snuck up on. Usually, it was the other way around. Barnabas' tenor voice was resonant, but firm, and the glass chandelier above them seemed to vibrate the instant he spoke. 1/2

There's a good chance David Henesy will be joining us for our Dark Shadows Weekend at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY July 19/20! Sharon Smyth, Marie Wallace and maybe another surprise guest or two, schedules permitting . . . tickets available! lyndhurst.org/events/dark-...

YouTube video by John Murphy - Topic Graceful Ghost Rag

youtu.be/0TVDD6asUOg?...

David made a face. "He wasn't even at father's funeral. I guess he was too busy for that, too, huh?"

When he turned to look at Vicki, he knew he had taken things a step too far. David looked away, almost ashamed... and accidentally met someone else's eyes instead.

@barnabascollinsds.bsky.social

Episode 560 (567)

I hope you aren't getting too old for a Valentine from your mother! XOXO
@davidcollinsds.bsky.social

Oh. Thanks, mother… *he pockets it…* I’ll get you one next Valentine’s Day. I promise.

It wasn't that long ago, yet so much had changed. 4/4

David's gaze caught on the candles for a moment.

When Vicki's shoulder grazed his, he startled a bit. "Uh, sorry... anyway. I haven't seen 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘴 since that costume party," the one his parents had hosted. David grew quiet again. He didn't realize how much he'd come to cherish that memory. 3/4

David wiggled the doorknob erratically, then finally pushed the door open with his shoulder. It was just as he'd said--not a living soul was there. He looked around the foyer, almost religiously. Three blue candles were lit on a tall candelabra. 2/4

"Busy doing what?" David asked, as if it never occurred to him that other people had lives. "He's never around... cousin Barnabas, I mean." Whenever he asked the hired help, Willie Loomis, about his cousin's whereabouts the man just changed the topic. Eventually, David had stopped asking. 1/4

It might be time for me to give him a call.

"Wait here... Willie told me where to find the key." He used to just break in, but that was no longer an option now that his mother Laura was back in Collinwood. Aunt Elizabeth had been easier to get past. David ran to the back of the property, lifted a potted plant, and returned with the key. 4/4

There was no one who he could talk to about these things, though, so he kept his mouth shut. At least, until now...

David looked at Vicki. His cousin. That wasn't in the family tomes, either. He smiled. 3/4

Finally, the white beams of the Old House were in view.

"This is my favorite place," David admitted to @victoriawintersds.bsky.social. Not just because of Josette. History had taken place here; history that wasn't represented in the family tomes that David so often read, and he knew it. 2/4

It was a deceptively long walk from Seaview to the Old House. In fact, David found that it took him twice as long to get there when he was with Vicki than when he was by himself... not like it was her fault, David thought. He supposed grownups were used to getting around by car. 1/4

// My name is Lili and my handle was ‘metamorpher’, I was still in the pre-Barnabas eps at the time and once requested a Burke/Vicki gif from you! I think the 8tracks site went down a few years ago but could be wrong on that. My personal on here is @lyricalili (though I haven’t posted much, lol).

// Anyway, feel free to DM if you'd ever like to reconnect!

// Oh my god, hi zombiejosette. I used to liveblog DS on tumblr in the early 2010s. You were my first DS mutual... I was only 15 back then. I remember you were really kind to me! I hope you're doing well. Legit last week I googled 'zombiejosette 8tracks' to see if those were still up...