Village of Shadyside 1900. Staring into the yellow candle glow, she set down her pen

“That’s how it began. That’s how it all began more than two hundred years ago,” Nora Goode said.

Staring into the yellow candle glow, she set down her pen. Her slender hand ached from writing.

How long have I been here? she wondered, allowing her eyes to trail down the melting wax on the side of the candle.

How long have I been seated at this narrow table, writing the story of my ancestors?

The candle flickered, reminding her of the fire. Once again she saw the burning mansion. Once again she heard the anguished screams of her loved ones trapped inside the blaze.

How did I escape? Nora wondered, staring intently into the flame.

I don’t remember.

How did I get here?

Someone brought me here. Someone found me. Someone found me on the lawn, staring into the fire, watching the mansion burn.

Someone helped me away from there and brought me to this room.

And now I must write it all down. I must tell the whole story. I must explain about the two families and the curse that has followed us through the decades.

Nora picked up the pen. With a trembling hand she straightened up the stack of papers on the small table.

She leaned toward the smooth yellow candle flame.

I must finish the story before the night is ended, she thought.

So little time.

Susannah and Martha Goode burned in 1692. Now my story picks up eighteen years later.

Benjamin and Matthew Fier are once again successful farmers. Matthew’s wife, Constance, has given him a daughter, Mary.

Benjamin’s son, Edward, is a grown man. He never married Anne Ward, but he has married Rebecca, a woman from a nearby village. They have a son named Ezra.

So much to tell. So much to tell …

Taking a deep breath, Nora bent over the table. A few seconds later her pen scratched against the paper as she resumed her dark tale.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20