A Tale from the Hills

In a mountainous region of Southwestern Virginia where poverty and hardship were an everyday part of life, there lived a family with the last name of Hill. The Hill children grew up without the benefit of a mother, but under the very watchful eyes of a humble but somewhat roguish father. In spite of many hardships and almost impossible living conditions, most of the children grew up to be proud and respectable citizens of Washington County. That is all except one, and his name was William.William started life under the close scrutiny and support of his loving sister Alice, but after her death in a tragic accident, his life was changed forever. He became tortured by dreams of death and ghostly images which ultimately led to his running away from home at the tender age of twelve. Thus began a long and even more tragic journey of paranoia and mystery that ended when he was twenty-five.William's journey took him from rural Virginia, through the Carolinas and further South,...