Sunset.

Trees and houses are visible only as shadowy silhouettes against the fading oranges of autumn dusk. Chill October air wraps itself around you, carrying with it the crisp odors of wood-smoke and decay.

You walk quickly past the dark and silent houses as a flurry of dry leaves crackle & swirl about your feet. Nearby an ancient cemetery lies carpeted with a thick blanket of scarlet & gold, its timeworn stones jutting from the earth like graying and broken teeth.
Turning onto your own street, you see an inviting yellow glow coming from the windows of your home. Suddenly you are startled by the whisper of wings just above your head ~ a large black bat darts by before vanishing into the shadows of the road ahead. Your heart races for a moment, then laughing quietly to yourself you continue on.

As you approach your home, you are surprised to notice that the door is open ~ You then realize that there are no longer any lights coming from within! From the darkness of the doorway there suddenly appears an oddly pale man dressed in a long black coat. The stranger's lips glisten darkly in the fading light. You open your mouth to ask who he is, but before you can utter a word, he is gone! Within the house all is silent.

Overhead the whisper of bat-wings fades once more into the deepening night…

The afternoon sun stained the world scarlet as William walked up the gravel-covered lane towards the small family cemetery. He came to the wrought-iron gate fashioned so long ago by his own grandfather, and looked beyond it at the spot where Ruth, the child he remembered as so full of life's boundless energy, lay cold beneath the soil. William sat on the granite step at the foot of the graveyard wall and wept...

Lost in his grief, William was startled from his reverie by a touch like that of a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see that the sky had grown black as pitch while he sat motionless upon the cold stone threshold of the burial ground. Before him stood a pale form, tall and slender, cloaked in hazy whiteness as though the very mists from the earth were spun into cloth.

"Father..." The misty figure breathed the words as if from a great distance.

William reached out a hand towards the shape. His voice quavered as he spoke. "Ruth?"

The figure extended one insubstantial hand towards William, touching his outstretched fingertips. The sensation was cold, and William became fearful that this apparition was not the daughter he had loved. Again came the distant plea, "Father... I'm so cold...hold me father, ...I can't seem to get warm..." The specter reached for him…

...Sunrise found Isaac gathered with a small group of family and friends at the grave of Rachel Burton. Two hired men were in the process of unearthing Rachel's coffin from the cold & frosty ground. By the time the box was pulled free of the earth, the assembled group was chilled to the marrow by the late winter damp. A close family friend, Selectman Timothy Mead, had agreed to preside at the exhumation, allowing Isaac to be minimally involved in the act.

The casket, once opened, revealed a bloated corpse, barely recognizable as Rachel Burton. "Gorged on the blood of its victim! Look! See the stains about the mouth!" Hulda's aged aunt pointed accusingly at the still figure in the box.

Clearly hoping to end the grisly affair as expediently as possible, Selectman Mead spoke up. "It is confirmed then." Clearing his throat and speaking in a firm voice he continued, "Having duly concluded that the life of Mrs. Hulda Burton is jeopardized by unnatural attentions cast upon her by the former wife of Captain Isaac Burton, it is judged that the aforementioned abomination be destroyed in the prescribed manner."

A sizable crowd had gathered at the blacksmith's forge to witness the finale of the bizarre event. The heart, liver and lungs of Rachel Burton had been removed, and were now cast into the searing coals of the forge. The stench that rose from the burning organs was almost overwhelming, and several onlookers later reported seeing the apparition of a terrible beast writhing in the greasy column of black smoke which billowed from the coals...