Read from the beginning Ringo’s Story A shaft of moonlight from the high window mingled with the candlelight and draped the walls in shadows while lacquering our faces in amber. Ringo sat up in the bed and pulled a blanket over his bare shoulders, strangely...
Read from the beginning The room was cloaked in shadows when we opened the door. Our journey back across Ohio, north into Michigan, all the way up to a Chippewa Reservation on the Canadian border, had taken the entire day, even at the speeds that a prize-winning...
Read from the beginning In a single motion I reached my hand into Dimity’s bag, pulled out her gun and marched toward Lorenzo, lifting the barrel toward his face. His rough treatment of Dimity that first day in the barn, his extorted seizure of the new brew Ringo and...
Read from the beginning Just as I had never believed in ghosts, monsters or the bogeyman, neither had I ever believed in guardian angels. That was all the stuff of folktales for little children and old ladies. Ringo and me, we were men of the world—at least I aspired...
Read from the beginning I awoke to breakfast smells wafting in from the kitchen, sauteed onions and garlic, fried potatoes, and smoked meats. Outside there were a surprising number of mushrooms that popped up overnight as if they had somehow noticed our visit and...
Read from the beginning The letter fell from my hand onto the floor. I gazed at the ceiling for a moment in a state of mild shock. I was already dealing with the enigma of the blue bottle in which the message came with the Saragossa insignia painted on the side. It...
Read from the beginning I was at my home back in Ohio where the backyard was lush with new springtime grass and wildflowers. Water still dripped from the tender shoots and tree leaves following a brisk morning downpour. A mild sun was breaking through the blue...
Read from the beginning We were both out of our minds, electrified by the ghostly vision we’d just seen, and for several minutes we clung to each other on the floor, struggling to find our heads. Dimity shook it off faster than I did. Soon she was grabbing me firmly...
Read from the beginning We went again to the stretch of road where our destination supposedly lay but the entrance to Ringo’s secret hideaway remained an enigma. We drove back and forth again, just like last night, seeing only a wall of impenetrable forest. Even...
Read from the beginning Whatever it was the lady put in my tea the previous night, in addition to being some kind of truth serum that made me babble like a spring magpie, it also induced a deeply fulfilling sleep. I was utterly refreshed and alert, but I was late. The...
