Whispers Of The Hollow

s of th

The Boy i

ll echoed in

ressed herself against the headboard, her skin c

was supposed t

what-had

t, she stayed fr

le

he distant tick-tick-tick of the grandfather

as just old wood settling, the ho

d, trying to

en-a w

omi

fter this time,

to look. Didn't want to see. But something inside her-

neath her weight. Step by step, she crept toward

he raised a hand..

es touched the wood,

house itself had bee

t wing rattled viol

ard, her pulse a wil

-sil

t open. No one

sil

she felt it-something watch

e house looked

ss the wooden floors. Naomi sat at the breakfast table in the dining room, a

l?" Evelyn asked w

ated. "Yeah

e whispers. Or the fact that Naomi had spent half the ni

a red pen against the paper. "I need supplies for the re

ut staying alone in the creaking, whi

and followed her mother

century. Cobblestone streets, quaint brick storefronts, and a

ng wood, laced with something Naomi cou

omi wandered toward a weathered old books

door jangled as s

od thick in the air. Rows of shelves stretched toward

e with no title, its leather cover smooth beneath he

Hollow:

wn, notes on strange disappearances, and whispers

e turned to a faded photo

e gown. Her face was blurred, the ink smudged with age, but N

a name was scrawled

r Blac

stomach

seen etched into the st

rned t

fr

nor in the photograp

an hers-his features sh

lliot Ha

t, her pulse roaring in he

even met Ell

d

nd her, and a gust of cold

ed-and the

ir was black as night, tousled in a way that looked both careless and d

ment, neither

shouldn't

there was an edge to it,

book against her

ser. "You're staying at

ned. "Ho

ed, almost like he was looking thr

Well, thanks for

if he wanted to say more bu

finally muttered before

eart pounding for reaso

he mist, a single thought

in the p

from dec

impos

awthorne looked