54

"We are not going to sleep in that house again until it is mended," she was saying as she trembled in her white sweater. "We are not going to sleep in that home again." We have decided not to continue sleeping in that home until it has been sufficiently restored. "Until everything is completed, Daddy says that we'll be residing in an apartment in Heron," the sentence continues.




"What d

"Please accept my sincere apologies, Merit. At this point in time, I do not feel that she is capable of dealing with it."




When Dennis heard her father's voice at the front door, she was aimlessly putting sugar into a cup of chamomile tea when she saw him enter the house. She didn't even bother to set the spoon down before getting to her feet. What she wasn't up for was spending even a single further minute in this kitchen; she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.




"Don't be concerned, Dad. I will be there as soon as I can."




Merit's face was pinched, her eyes were clouded, and her lips were set in a harsh line; she seemed to be in almost as bad of shape as she had the previous evening.




Dennis made a suggestion to her father that the two of them should just go for a drive together for a limited amount of time "Try having a conversation with one or more of the younger children. After all, you are the one who said that it does not constitute a danger, is that something that you are able to confirm?"




What was he going to say? Mr. McCullough looked down at his little daughter, who, with the strong chin she'd gotten from her father, met his gaze head-on. "Dad," she said, "I got it from you." He displayed both hands in the air. "What do you think you could say?"




"Now as we are coming closer to the hour of four, the clock reads: Be back before dark, "he urged.




Dennis said to Merit as they walked to Merit's car, "They want it both ways," and as soon as they were inside, both girls immediately locked their doors. Merit's vehicle was parked.

As Merit moved gears in the truck and remarked, "Your parents didn't believe you, either," she gave Dennis a glance that expressed a sad understanding. "Your parents didn't believe you, too."

"Oh, they believe everything I told them, with the notable exception of the specifics I emphasized as being most important. Who are they to behave in such an ignorant manner?"




A few while later, Merit let out a giggle "In order to have any chance of understanding the issue, you need to look at it from their point of view. They find one body that has no identifying signs on it other than those that were caused by the fall. These are the only marks on the body. They come to the conclusion that a malfunction at Virginia Electric was the reason of the power outage, which resulted in the lights in the neighborhood being turned off. They find it humorous whenever we react to their questions with comments that we know must have appeared odd to them. This makes them laugh. Who exactly is to blame?

a terrible being that has hands that are cold and clammy. How do we know?




Our dearly departed friend Elizabeth was able to communicate with us via the use of a Ouija board. Is it really a big surprise that they have some concerns about it?"




Dennis said as she pounded her fist against the door of the truck, "If they'd never seen something like that before!" Dennis was furious. "As if they'd never seen anything even somewhat similar to it before." "Having said that, they have



Are they under the impression that we made up the tale that dogs attacked people at the Snow Dance the year before? They assume that a dream was the cause of Elizabeth's death, but is this true?"




In answer, Merit spoke softly by saying, "They're already forgetting." "You were the one who made the prediction come true. The congregation of Fell's Church is overjoyed that life has returned to its regular state since they now have a greater sense of safety. Everyone gets the feeling that they have just woken up from a nightmare, and the very last thing any of them wants is to be dragged back in."




Dennis didn't really do anything else but shake her head.




"It is thus far easier to believe the account that a group of teenage girls were playing with a Ouija board at the time of the occurrence, and that when the lights went out, they were terrified and ran out of the room. And one of them got to the point where she was scared and confused to the point where she jumped right out the window."




Merit broke the silence when she said, "I truly wish Alaric was here," after a lengthy lull in the conversation.




If Dennis had reacted in the way that is normal for him, he would have jabbed her in the ribs and added, "So do I," in a tone that was intended to be sexually provocative.

Alaric was just twenty-two years old, but she felt he was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen despite the fact that he was getting on in years. She was only giving Merit's arm a forlorn grip at this point in the conversation "You are unable to communicate with him, are you not?

"




"InRussia ?




Even in this day and age, I have no clue where he is hiding out in Russia "Dennis bit her lip.

Merit was driving down Lee Street the next thing she knew, and they could see a crowd gathering in the parking lot of the high school. She stood up and sat down.




After the two of them had exchanged glances, Merit nodded as she made the comment, "We may as well." After the conversation, she was overheard muttering to herself, "Let's see whether they're any smarter than their parents."




Dennis could see shocked faces turning as the automobile creeped slowly into the parking lot. When she and Merit stepped out of the vehicle, people pushed aside, allowing a place for them to proceed to the center of the gathering in the middle of the parking lot.




Caroline was there, and you could see her shaking her auburn hair while resting her hands on her elbows. She gave the impression of being absorbed with something.