Scribner Horror Bundle: Four Horror Novels by Joshua Scribner (94 page)

“So what did you do after you noticed
this pattern, Kevin?”

“Well, I set out to understand it more
thoroughly, using the best research method I know. I went into the
town and started asking around. I hoped to find an old man who had
spent many years sitting on his porch observing it all, or some
town busy-body who had stumbled upon enough of other peoples’
business to help my cause. Better yet, in my case, the most helpful
kind of person you can find is sort of a town vagabond, someone who
roamed the town and knew a lot about people."

“Tommy Carmichael,” Jacob heard
himself say.

“Yeah, Tommy Carmichael would have
done just fine,” Kevin said, giving Jacob another strange look.
“Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to find anyone. It’s the
strangest thing.” Now Kevin looked dejected, buzzed and
dejected.

“So Kev, do you think anything will
ever come of your Nescata work?”

Kevin sighed, then said, “No, I don't.
The way I see it, there’s two respectable ways to go about proving
a pattern like this exists. The first, I have just told you about.
You go into the town and try to find the source of the pattern.
But, as I said, I have searched the town inside out, but still
haven’t found one iota of useful information. The second way is to
make predictions about the future, based on what has happened in
the past, and then sit and wait for the pattern to repeat itself.
You see, if it is truly a pattern, it will cycle again.”

“Then you got something. Are you going
to publish?”

“Not a chance, old Jake. Not a
chance.”

“Why not, if I may ask?”

“Because I would be setting myself up
to play the fool. I would use the past pattern to predict a future
that would never materialize. The esteemed members of my profession
would label me as a mystical buffoon.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You see, historical patterns have a
strange way of ending once they have been identified. It’s kind of
like the way legends seem to hide themselves. Once they’re exposed,
they take up and move into a remote location and take on a new
identity, leaving those who chased them with nothing but a few
stories that are eventually explained away as
coincidences.”

With that, Jacob thought he understood
why he had come here. “Legends must die once they are
identified.”

“What’s that, Jacob?”

“Oh, nothing, just talking to
myself.”

Kevin sighed again. He looked almost
ready to cry. “I know something occurred here. I feel it in my gut,
but I’ll never find enough evidence to be taken seriously by anyone
except the most avid readers of the tabloids. So I’ll just go on
teaching history to classes full of uninterested, blank faces. But
I’ll always know in my heart that I found something real, and for
me that’s enough.”

“Sounds safe,” Jacob said, but he
doubted Kevin had any idea how much he meant it.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Kevin replied.
“But thank you anyway. Most of the people here remember that I’m a
rambunctious twerp. Can’t get a one of them to stand around long
enough to hear my story.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Hard to compete
with golden boy over there,” Jacob said as he motioned over to the
large group of people around Tim Lester.

Kevin laughed and said, “Good talking
at you. I’m out of here.”

“Same to ya,” Jacob said as he watched
Kevin walk away.

Jacob walked over to the trophy case
with the pictures of all those Nescata grads that had been all
state. He looked at his own picture. There he was, wearing his old
uniform, holding his old helmet, completely oblivious to the fact
that it all ended with him. He walked out of the gymnasium and got
in his rented car. He could feel himself beginning to change
already. He knew he would soon be magic. He drove out of Nescata
and kept going until he reached the airport. He never
returned.

About the Author

Joshua Scribner is the author of 15
published novels and over 100 short stories. He currently lives in
Michigan with his wife and two daughters. Up to date information on
his work can be found at joshuascribner.com.