A Thousand Yesteryears Read Online Free PDF Page A

division at the courthouse. We had a bad situation there several years back. I’m not sure if Rosie told you about the bomb blast.”
    She had. A suicidal ex-convict had forced his way inside with a shotgun and a homemade explosive device. Despite attempts at negotiation, the bomber had leveled the entire first floor, killing three and injuring six others. After hearing about it, Eve had called her aunt to make sure she was safe.
    “Another tragedy in a town plagued by them,”Aunt Rosie had said. “ Fools around here are saying it’s the curse of Cornstalk come to blight us again.”
    “I saw it on the news when it happened,” Eve told Ryan. At the time, she’d wondered if it was in some way connected to the Mothman. She didn’t believe in the curse of Cornstalk, an Indian chief who’d been murdered in the days preceding the American Revolution. Local legend said he’d cursed the town with his dying breath. You couldn’t grow up in Point Pleasant without having the shadow of that legend leech into every event that took place.
    “Sarah wasn’t hurt, was she?” Cold fear gripped her stomach as she thought of her childhood friend.
    “No, she wasn’t working then, but we lost a lot of good people. Strange how things keep happening in this town.” He raised a hand in farewell. “Stay in touch, Eve. Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
    She stayed at the door, closing it only after he’d driven off in his police cruiser. The emptiness of the house settled over her with a marked hush, and she wondered how Aunt Rosie had managed living there on her own for so many years. Then again, like the hotel, the house was part of Parrish history.
    * * * *
    A loud bang woke her from a sound sleep.
    Eve sat bolt upright in bed, panic spiking through her chest. The unfamiliar surroundings made her inhale sharply until she remembered where she was. Wind rattled the rafters, sending creaks and groans through the old house. After a trip to the grocery store and a phone call to her mother, she’d spent the remainder of the day sorting through the mess the vandals had left. She’d concentrated on Aunt Rosie’s bedroom, wanting to clean up the violation as if the destruction had been a personal affront to her aunt. Dinner had been a can of soup heated on the stove, after which she’d taken a shower and collapsed into bed. Whether it was the emotional toll of returning home after fifteen years or the long hours she’d spent cleaning and disinfecting to erase every last trace of the vandals, she’d fallen asleep easily.
    A glance at the bedside clock told her it was after two in the morning. Another bang reverberated through the upstairs hallway.
    Easing from bed, she slipped on her robe and padded to the bedroom door. Hesitating, she wrapped her fingers around the doorknob, straining to hear. Her heart pumped a frenzied beat as she debated switching on a light. Part of her wanted to call the police. She feared the vandals may have returned, but knew she’d looked foolish if the noise turned out to be something trivial. Maybe a stray animal had found its way inside through the broken kitchen door.
    Bang. Bang. Bang.
    The noise came again, steady and in sync, like someone pounding on a wall.
    Not an animal.
    Whatever the cause, it originated in Aunt Rosie’s room. Deciding she had no choice but to investigate, Eve eased open the door and crept down the darkened hall to her aunt’s bedroom. As she neared, the sound stopped, then started again. The frantic flutter of her heart had her gulping down fear as she peered into the room. By then, her eyesight had grown accustomed to the dark, allowing her to pick out shapes easily. A full moon splashed pale light through the rear window, sketching elaborate shadows on the ceiling and floor. One separated from the rest, moved, then fell back into place.
    Bang. Bang.
    Relieved, Eve released a pent-up breath. Just a loose shutter caught in the wind. She crossed to the window and opened