by Mae Clair
Bang. Bang.
Relieved, Eve released a pent-up breath. Just a loose shutter caught in the wind. She crossed to the window and opened it wide, a light breeze beading goose bumps down her arm. Feeling for the shutter, she pushed it in place, uncertain if the effort would secure it temporarily. It would have to do for the night. Tomorrow, she’d add it to the list of items she intended to broach with Caden. At least whoever had vandalized the house hadn’t returned for a second round.
As she closed the window and stepped back from the curtains, her gaze was drawn by movement in the rear yard where her aunt’s property ceded to a tree line. If not for the bright wash of moonlight, she might have missed it entirely. A shadow broke from the others, then flowed into the trees. A shadow that had been standing, watching the house. One that had likely seen her in the window.
Eve swallowed hard.
A shadow shaped like a man.
Meet the Author
Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. A member of Thriller Writer’s International, she loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical.
Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery, suspense, and a hint of romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail, and cats.
Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at MaeClair.net.
Afterword
It’s hard to believe that after two years of research and writing, this series has come to a close. I’m truly grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read the books and, most especially, for leaving reviews on Amazon. Reviews are paramount in helping a writer achieve success and all are greatly appreciated.
Because the series is a mix of history, folklore and fiction, I’ve been asked by multiple readers to share how much is research and how much I created. Sadly, the Silver Bridge catastrophe is historic fact, as is the downturn in economics for Point Pleasant after Bruce Mechanical (the fictitious name I used in the series) closed up shop.
The town did experience a UFO Flap in 1966-67 and Men in Black, driving shiny black Cadillacs—most looking like they’d come straight off the showroom floor—descended on the streets. Plain panel vans (which I used in A Cold Tomorrow) were also spotted on rural roads with technicians working on lines, possibly to tap into phone discussions. Many who had seen and reported UFO activity were warned silent.
Indrid Cold is probably as deeply ingrained in Point Pleasant folklore as the Mothman. He is also known as “the grinning man” and was first reported by resident Woodrow Derenberger who encountered him in November of 1966. Cold supposedly hailed from the planet Lanulous and was in contact with Derenberger multiple times. Googling Indrid Cold will return a host of information as well as an interview with Derenberger who later wrote a book about his encounters. I gave Cold my own spin by making him the “oracle” in the igloo my characters visit. I also connected him to the Mothman and Lach Evening through my own twist with fiction. Evening has no basis in folklore and is my own creation.
As for the igloo and the oracle, I picked that up on a visit to Point Pleasant when speaking to one of the local residents. He told me “if you go into the igloo and ask a question, you might get an answer.” That was all the prompting I needed to embellish the thought with an alien being.
The information I supplied on the TNT is accurate and historical. It was once a Government Superfund Site and George Washington did survey the area prior to the start of the Revolutionary War. There are suggestions he saw more than a few things he couldn’t explain.
Numerous beliefs can be found about the TNT—from ley lines to thin spots and an Indian Burial Grounds—at one point or another I heard (or read) them all.
In writing this series, I made two trips to Point Pleasant, read any historical information I could find, and sat through numerous documentaries and videos on the Mothman. I owe a debt of gratitude to the late author, John Keel, for his bestseller The Mothman Prophecies. It inspired me to dig deeper into the legends of Point Pleasant by reviewing eye witness accounts, scouring through newspaper articles and tracking down books on the area. In leaving Point Pleasant behind, I feel like I am leaving a place I have come to know well.
The information contained on Chief Cornstalk is true, although there is nothing other than folklore to support his curse on the town of Point Pleasant. He was a great leader who met an unfortunate fate while trying to serve the common good. You can find a wealth of information about him online, and by visiting Fort Randolph and Tu-Endie-Wei State Park in Point Pleasant. While there, I also suggest a visit to the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center.
I hope you have enjoyed this series, and I thank you for journeying with me… and the Mothman.
Mae Clair
February 2017