PROLOGUE

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A Long Time Ago

Everything that happened before the story I’m about to tell is usually rendered in ghost story format, light on scene and specifics, heavy on overarching claims and mystery. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it, but I’ll give it a try.

In the early nineteen hundreds, a dark shadow covered a small country town in rural America. At that time, a young married couple vanished mysteriously from their home.

The man’s name was George. The woman’s name was Maria.

Two years later, as suddenly as he left, George returned. He never told anyone where he had been or what he had done. But he began an odd study, all by himself.

As for Maria, his wife—she never returned.

That's how the story usually goes.

Next Chapter: A While Ago