Linda and Shana had to find answers to what was happening to their town. Young girls were disappearing and never heard from again. Strange shadows were stalking them in the evenings. What was going on?
They followed Main Street until it ended at the sheriff’s office. A narrow dirt road led the rest of the way from town. It ran past the bed and breakfast and the huge isolated mansion, before it curved farther inland to join the bustling highway.
The sun was perched low in the sky, making everything around them appear hazy. In the distance, Linda caught a quick glimpse of the bed and breakfast with its purple gingerbread trim. Then the building seemed to be floating in the air. Linda had to blink her eyes several times to clear her vision so that she could see the pretty house with its wide porch. She was afraid that she was beginning to lose touch with reality.
They turned off the road to walk up the path leading up to the front door. Nothing seemed to grow anywhere near the house: only sand and pebbles. They climbed the stairs and walked right in, since the door was standing wide open. Taking time for her eyes to adjust to the dark room, she noticed Abe Halloway sitting alone at the front desk, looking up at them. His wife, Anna, was standing nearby, dusting the dainty furniture with a feather duster.
Abe came around from the desk to stand before them. Anna stopped dusting to stand beside him. They looked like they’d just stepped out of the American Gothic painting of the overalls-clad farmers—they just needed a pitchfork between the two of them. She didn’t understand why Abe always dressed in overalls, while Anna wore dresses from another century.
They were both smiling now, so Linda walked over to greet them with a huge smile plastered on her face. “Hi! We were just taking a walk and realized that we haven’t visited this house in a long time. We never see either of you in town anymore.”
They didn’t answer, but just watched her. Linda decided to attempt a different approach—it might not be as tactful, but what the hell; they were in real trouble. “Something bad is going on in town. People are disappearing and are even getting killed. Not only are we afraid, but so are the fishermen and their families. Have you heard anything about the weird goings-on in town?”
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