by Joe Stanley

The sheer vastness of the world was awe-inspiring. I looked out across plains whose distance I could not guess. There golden grasses swayed and shimmered in the wind. Their radiance was a magnificent contrast to the ever-deepening gloom which fell like an eternal twilight beneath the ancient forests which replaced them. This I pondered with a curious fascination, the duality built into our world.

For a time, the landscapes were mostly devoid of any signs of mankind, save for a lonely homestead, so distant as to seem unreal. Gradually, these became more frequent and heavy pounding from the coachman drew my head from the window.

He said nothing but pointed to a dense cluster of buildings nestled near the side of low, round hills. I could see in his face the relief of the ending of our journey and though I still held a few childish reservations, I was likewise pleased. You see, a stagecoach ride of any length across natural terrain leaves one eager to stretch the legs, which is to say nothing of the eagerness to remove one’s seat from such a bumpy conveyance.

The fringe of the village was taken up by numerous small farms, and those who toiled stopped briefly to eye the coach as it passed. Some waved, doubtlessly at the coachman, but others stood for only a moment before turning back to their work.

The heart of the village was a circular cobblestone road with dirt lanes radiating out like the strands of a spider’s web. The buildings of the main thoroughfare were more impressive than I had envisioned and as the coach slowed to a stop, I saw that the house that was to be mine was among the finest, second only to the great house on the hill above, and very close to the mayor’s mansion which the coachman pointed out to me.

A few passersby had stopped on the other side of the road, gathering in small groups. But I had no time to truly greet them, as three people came forth from the house. These were to be my staff. They were a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Graybill, and their charming daughter, Bernice. He was the groundskeeper and handyman, she was the cook and housekeeper. The daughter both assisted her mother in these duties and had served as a secretary from the previous physician. Our introductions were brief and the ladies excused themselves to prepare some refreshments. The men and I quickly unloaded the few belongings and the equipment I had.

The house was to be my office. The reception room was immediately to the right. On the left were three small examination rooms, well-tended and stocked. Further back was a laboratory which doubled as a small pharmacy. An office awaited behind the secretary’s station and I was quite pleased with this work space. Upstairs was my living quarters with a choice of bedrooms, a fine library or parlor, and a dining room which I confess was too large to feel anything but lonely.

As I toured the house, I saw that the crowd had grown much larger. But before I could step outside to greet them, an open coach drew up and from this issued forth the most influential people in the village. These were Mayor James Stillwell, a short, round and toad-like man of some years with his sharp (and much younger) wife by his side. Following closely was a hulking man, Sheriff Daniel Booker, and a wizened man who might have been sculpted from frozen iron, this being the village’s Reverend Arthur Black.

I greeted them and offered the letter Dr. Stockman had written on my behalf. This the mayor laughed away insisting the only way to get to know someone was over a nice dinner. And in this way invited me to join them one evening after I had settled in comfortably. I knew that I stood among the village’s elite and that I was to take such a place among them (presuming I passed their inspection).

I found this flattering, naturally, but my impression of them was one of a cautious restraint, suggesting that many secrets were held among their collective. While this struck me as ominous, I could, however, see clearly that they were rather eager to share at least some of these with me.

next part

back to previous episode

back to list of stories