"The Stockbridges were all buried in Eagle Hill cemetery, yes, as far as I know... I think they have a crypt there... The caretaker there could tell you more..."

Harry considers Daniel's words for a moment. "Any Stockbridges still livin' in Collinsport, or has th' entire line died out? Any folk distantly related t' them by marriage?"

"Hmmmm. What an interesting question. I... think there are no more Stockbridges here in Collinsport... There may be some still living in Boston, I believe... That's the sort of thing my mother would know more about... Local geneology is slightly more her field than mine..." Then, unable to restrain himself-- "...Did-- did you see someone approaching the old mansion...?"

Harry shakes her head. "No, I saw someone discover th' sign and th' gate. They opened th' gate and I saw th' mansion through th' trees." She connects the manse's location to its counterpart in 1966. Stockbridge Manor Apartments, she realizes. Never knew the origin of the name until now.

"Hmm... And this was door number 30, Enlightenment... --Did you see who it was that opened the gate? Or no? --Or you could, but it was no one you recognized...?"

Harry rubs her face with one hand. "Gallow. Reuben Gallow. Worked fer th' Constable as a deputy, huntin' down th' fella what attacked some woman and beat her somethin' savage. Caught th' fella eventually, but somehow he managed t' escape. Gallow's among th' folk gone missin'."

"...Do you think he went to the Stockbridge mansion...? ...Do you--" Daniel pauses. "Were the two of you... friends...?"

Harry shakes her head again. "Barely knew th' fella. Maybe spoke twice. Might've gone t' th' mansion in pursuit of a lead. Seems a place someone runnin' from th' law might hole up."

"Well, had you been close, I wouldn't have wanted to suggest this, but... Might Mr. Gallow... still be at the Stockbridge mansion...?" Daniel raises one eyebrow in a way that means if you see what I mean...?

Harry nods once. "My thought exactly. Might've run afoul of his prey, or fallen through a weak floorboard. Proper search'll have t' wait until daylight, though."

"Mm, yes, that's sensible... If something... unpleasant happened there... one wouldn't want something similar to happen to anyone else, as well..."

Harry grunts and frowns. "Enjoy a good mystery as much as th' next man but could do with fewer unpleasantries, myself." She gestures to the wands. "Seem t' recall East and West agree that three's a lucky number. Should I give 'em one last throw?"

"By all means, please do!"

Daniel's just pleased to have more data for his I Ching research...

Harry gathers the wands once more, and casts them on the tabletop with a clatter.

---

10:44, Today: Harriet MacLeod (aka 'Harry') rolled 49 using 1d64.  Consulting The I-Ching Yet Again.

"Hm, number 49: Revolution. A time in the cycle of human affairs when things are stirring up and the hint of dramatic change is in the air. The strength of the forces of change will always be in proportion to the urgency of the need being championed.

Revolutionary change ushers in a period when chaos arises from order. Although not all order is good, and not all chaos bad. Chaos is often an integral part of the way things change and develop... and this sign is about the courage to radically change and renew ourselves. If engaging in a negotiation, one should attempt to change the rules; if composing a piece of music, one should add the unexpected; if courting a woman, one should dare to be unconventional.

Combat between forces of dark and light are cyclical; as such, one can become aware of these cycles and master them through preparation. In periods of drought, even wild storms are preferable to just another sunny day."

10:55, Today: Harriet MacLeod (aka 'Harry') rolled 10 using 1d20.  Check Vs. WIS 14.

The door opens...

And Harry sees...

...The drawing room at Collinwood.

And in that drawing room... she sees the telephone.

A perfectly normal, natural black telephone, just like one might find anywhere in 1966.

Harry feels like... this is it-- that this 49th hexagram is could take her back to her own time, if she wanted... Like, if she just tried to move forward, into the room...

...But... what about the Professor?

...And Macintyre?

Should she really leave a werewolf running around loose in history...?

Harry is conflicted. Could care less about the Professor, Macintyre, and those native to this time, she thinks, save for one person: Isabella. There are monsters at large in Collinsport, and leaving would doom the girl to whatever ill end Fate had in store for her. Her concern for the girl — and a Collins, no less — surprises Harry. Could just kill her myself and be done with it, she thinks. Kill them all and go home. Why so sentimental all of a sudden? I've no desire to lead or protect anyone.

As Harry watches... Charity Collins walks in the room.

She's different, though. She's wearing her hair up, and looks more severe, somehow.

She walks to the telephone, and dials it. "...Yes, this is Charity Trask, of Trask Manor... Is this the Traskport Inn? Yes, well, I'm calling to--"

She turned, to look out the window, and stopped.

Her eyes have caught sight of Harry.

"...I'll call you back," she says, and hangs up.

Charity squints. "...Ms. MacLeod? Are... are you back? What happened during the séance? Where is Mr. Macintyre and the professor?" And then, with a note of pure greed in her voice that Harry had never heard from the old woman before: "...Did you learn the location of the wreck...?"

This is very wrong. Every bone in Harry's body says that yes, this IS the same 1966 she left... And yet, it's not. Maybe sending a werewolf back to 1795 has messed-up time more than one might have thought...

The old woman's words anger Harry. The souls of all Collinses rot as they mature, the voice had said. Harry gives Charity a derisive snort. Trasks too, it would seem. Damn the lot of them to Hell. She withdraws from the scene in the drawing room. Not giving you the satisfaction of answers. Not that I have any yet, but I will, and I'll bring back enough to teach you to be careful what you wish for. I'm no one's pawn, Charity Collins. No one's sacrificial lamb. I'll give both you and the voice cause to regret my involvement. Consider that a promise...

Harry comes out of the vision. She's back in 1795...

...But... for a moment... she wasn't.

...This could work again, with the right luck. Hexagram 49, the hexagram of change and revolution...

Daniel, meanwhile, looks delighted. "Do you know, you actually grew transparent for a few moments? I wondered if you were going to disappear completely-- to go somewhere else... or somewhen else...? The Professor didn't mention anything like that happening to me when I rolled this hexagram...!"

Harry gasps aloud as if she had been holding her breath. Can't let the boy know he's onto something. She grasps the table edge and pretends to steady herself. "Was wadin' just offshore at twilight. Undertow pulled my feet out from beneath me. Water over my head. Swallowed a lungful. Started t' drown. Felt th' world fadin' all around me, like I'd cease t' exist if I stopped fightin' my way t'ward air. Harry coughs repeatedly for emphasis. "Everythin' was goin' black but a piece of driftwood brushed me fingers, so I grabbed it and hauled on it fer dear life." She thumps the table legs against the floor. "Was this. Here. No idea how. You said it felt like bein' yer doom t' stay, that's what I'd have been. Doomed. Swept from dry land, never t' be seen again!"

---

17:16, Today: Harriet MacLeod (aka 'Harry') rolled 7 using 1d20.  Check Vs. CHA 13 to lie convincingly.

"How traumatic!" Daniel is still excited to learn more about what can happen when one uses the I Ching wands, but also he is now very sympathetic and kind. "How old were you? Is this something that happened to you once, a past memory? Or do you think it was from a past life-- or something else...?"

Harry shakes her head. "No sense of my age or whether 'twas past or future," she replies. "DIdn't feel like another life. No sense of panic, just dread that to remain meant being lost, forever forgotten."

Daniel nods. "Well! A sad note upon which to end the evening's experimentation, but I think it is for the best. Time, now, to reflect on what we have learned..." He pauses. "...Do you feel that you learned anything of value...? Er, overall...?"