"Wow, that certainly isn't friendly." said Snide
"You're right on that. Let's go back to the stable. We can't snoop around with their big party going on, anyway. Maybe in a few days we can come back." said Blithe
Angie and Mimi
Angie has been traveling with Timor Evermore for three months now. She is a world class surfer and can easily keep up with Timor. They are now at his parent's home in Massachusetts and it is the morning of the Halloween party. Timor's mother Robin is going through a walk- in closet full of costumes. She is looking for a specific gown that she thinks will fit Angie perfectly. Angie is looking through feathered Mardi gras masks. She thinks some of them are exquisite.
"Here you go, Angie. I found the gown." said Robin. She pulls out a gold and rose brocade gown. It is beautiful. Angie quickly tries it on and it fits.
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Evermore! It is beautiful. Oh, here is a mask and tiara that matches!" said Angie
Angie feels good about her costume for tonight's masquerade. She is also, from a very wealthy family. They live in the San Francisco area of California. This is not her first lavish party but she has never been to a masquerade ball.
The decorations at the Halloween party are spectacular. Angie is having a wonderful time with Timor and his friends. As the evening goes on she notices that the crowd of people seems to be thinning out. She wonders where they have gone. Earlier, Timor wanted to have a cigarette privately because his parents didn't know he smoked. He takes her to a strange underground tunnel area connected to the house. She wonders why it is there and where it goes to. Timor tells her he will explain it all later. She can't wait.
For the last hour, Angie has been watching some magicians on the outdoor stage. But she is also watching people go inside the mansion. She wonders what they are going in to see. Timor has been very attentive and he is standing now next to her with another glass of punch. He hands it to her and she thanks him. She asks Timor if they can go in the mansion to see where all the people are going. He smiles and says they will be going in soon.
Around midnight most of the guests have come down to the ceremony room in the deepest section of Grayson Manor. Like most of the old mansions on the Hill, there is a ceremony room. They are all talking amongst themselves. No longer are the guests donning their masks or festive apparel but now all are in their black hooded cloaks. Halloween is one of their most important holidays in their occult belief system. They believe it is a night that the spirit realm and their world are very close. A night that is naturally electrically charged with supernatural power. You can feel the excitement in the air.
Tonight there will be two sacrifices to the Dark Lord because it is a special holiday. They all hope he will appear. The chant begins and the Mother Goddess Fire Song is in the middle of the magic circle. Her hands are lifted to the ceiling and she speaks words they cannot understand. She wears a gold crescent moon headdress and a white transparent robe. Mimi and Angie are both strapped to stone tables. They have been drugged and are unconscious. Originally Mimi was to be in the mind control program, but the doctors were unable to program her. They thought perhaps her strong Christian beliefs were interfering. So, now here she is strapped to one of the stone tables.
On the other table is Angie, beautifully dressed in her princess costume, now unconscious. Angie had been targeted months ago and it had been Timor's job to bring her to this holiday ceremony. She is from an old bloodline family but has repeatedly rebelled against their teachings. So, her parents have put her forward for sacrifice. They are present now, at this ceremony. Timor is much like his father, Jack and has little regard for human life except his own. He has been a faithful servant of the Dark Lord since childhood.
All the families on the Hill are in attendance. They stand in black cloaks holding black candles and chant in the ancient tongue, a language they had all learned as children. The gold throne is in place but empty.
Two beasts appear in the circle with Star Song. One looks like a giant werewolf and the other is tall and hairless like a huge frog standing upright with razor sharp teeth and claws. They are growling. Star Song has her eyes shut and is still chanting. She does not seem concerned about their presence.
Xander and Sheriff Gibbs both in black cloaks step forward. They both have large jeweled ceremonial daggers with their individual family crests embossed on the handles. Their eyes have turned black as coal and the air is thick with evil. Each man is in front of a stone table. They lift their daggers in unison, ready to plunge them into the girls. At that moment, two of God's angels, Yair and Doron appear with swords drawn. The demons present scream and flee. The Father, Yahovah has heard Mimi's prayers for help. Doron waves his sword and Xander drops his knife and starts screaming, he can't see. The entire coven has at that moment been struck blind. They all panic and start screaming profanities.
Doron and Yair pick up the girls and disappear. They reappear in front of Old Blithe's cottage and lay the girls down gently on the porch, just as Snide and Blithe come walking around the corner. They see the girls and run to their aid. The commotion wakes up Nonie and she runs outside to Blithes cottage to see what is going on. She is immediately at her sister's side crying and shaking Mimi to wake her. She can't believe her eyes. The ambulance is called and the police, but they are unable to locate Sheriff Gibbs.
Once the girls are revived at the hospital, they don't remember much. All Mimi remembers is Xander showing her his wine cellar and then waking up in a hospital room. She tells them she was tortured by doctors or at least, they were dressed like doctors. She knows it was Christmas Eve when she was shown the wine cellar.
Angie could only remember the party and drinking punch with Timor. She also, remembers watching some magicians on stage.
The guests from the party are all questioned by the local deputies. When Sheriff Gibbs finally shows up, he promises to leave no stone unturned.
Nonie calls Navy Intelligence and informs them of all she knows. They send investigators who team up with the local authorities. They search the tunnel system and the labs. They take fingerprints and remove boxes and boxes of evidence. The only fingerprints that they can identify are the girls, Nonie and Angie's. But the girls can't remember being in the tunnels. The authorities hope they will remember details as time passes.
Many of the mansions are boarded up in the weeks that follow and a lot of the families on the Hill leave the states to live abroad; all scattering like rats on a sinking ship. None of them want to live under the scrutiny now focused on them by the people in town or the police.
So, as the months passed the girls went back to their lives and Blacknest, Massachusetts settles back to the sleepy little town it has always been. Dilly is still on her front porch spinning and the Angel Watch is still ever present.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Table of Contents
Cast of Characters 5
Prologue 7
Meet Dilly 8
Dilly and the Hill People 9
Blacknest Manor 10
Dilly's Prayer Group 11
The Ceremony 12
Xander and Blacknest Academy 13
Dottie's Hair Salon 14
Sheriff Gibbs 15
Caverns and Tunnels 16
The Lab 17
The Creative Writing Assignment 18
Dilly in her garden 20
Dilly and Emily at the Barbecue House 22
Meet Mercy May 23
Mercy goes to Purlee Pentecostal Church 25
Elise 27
Zara 28
Supper at Blacknest 29
Faith Tabernacle Church 31
Pastor Bud's Sermon 33
Dilly and Emily after church 35
Activity at the Nest 36
Faith Tabernacle Food Pantry 38
Yair and Deidre 40
Mercy May 41
Berry picking with the Tully sisters 42
Silas 45
Colin McNeil 46
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br /> Keelie 48
Sam Grayson 49
Old Blithe 51
Dottie at Home 53
Sewing Bee at Faith Tabernacle Church 54
The fundraiser meeting at the church 55
Bud and Meg 57
Maize 59
Gus 61
Deidre 62
Jack Evermore 64
Joe and Jeb 66
The girls leave on the jet 67
Snide 68
Yarrow 70
Chili Cook off prep. 71
The Chili Cook off 72
Leeboy 74
Lizzie 76
Baron 77
Bart Moore 79
Celeste and Bart 80
Silas on the road 82
Carrie and Roy 84
Doron and Calev 86
Purlee Pentecostal Church 88
Old Ferrall 90
Gator Fry 92
Lotus picking day 94
Lygari and Anna 95
Blithe cooking 96
The Pendulum 97
Frank 98
Chicky 99
Bud and Meg's trip 100
The Cheating Vegan 102
Nonie 103
Dilly and her cats 105
Maize and Nonie 106
Lily in Ireland 108
Belinda 109
Dilly spinning 111
Nonie gives notice 112
Old Moses 113
Elise has a plan 114
Mimi 115
Pastor Amos 116
Maize and Otis 117
Vivey 118
Blithe and Snide 119
Snide picks up Zara 120
Fires 121
Carrie teaches 122
Leeboy looks for Stookie 123
Halloween prayer vigil 124
Snide and Blithe go snooping 125
Angie and Mimi 127
Angel Watch at Blacknest: A Supernatural Mystery Page 15