Prologue
Did you know that malls are haunted? It would have to be condemned first, but that’s just a technically. We’re not worried about those here. Not really. Who are we? That is a very good question. Who are we? For me to tell you that answer, we’ll need to go to the very beginning.
“Beginning of what?” You might ask.
That answer is simple. To the beginning of our story. When the mall was built and thrived for several months before it became condemned. That beginning. So, pull up a chair if you so desire and relax as I tell you this compelling story.
Let’s get something straight first. My name is Andover, but those in the Beyond call me Noble. Why? Because I was the first Living to enter the condemned mall that could actually interact with those there.They were in wonder that I could see, hear, and interact with them.
It was quite a shock to discover this gift of mine. Was I scared? What normal person wouldn’t be? But I wasn’t a normal person. I have been seeing spirits and creatures since I was a young boy.
You know when babies are born and they laugh and babble at what seems like nothing? It’s because they see people and things from the Beyond. Of course, as they grow older, that gift perishes and is lost forever. Why did my gift stay instead of perishing? That is a good question. I wish I had an answer for you. My grandmother think it’s because I grew closer to her as a child and just never grew out of it. WHich is possible I guess. That’s the answer I grew up believing, but little did I know then what the real the real answer was.
Anyways, back to the mall, the beginning of our story. It was built over the course of the spring on some questionable land. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that the land that the great Everett Company bought had an interesting history that made it hard to get the necessary votes and funding. It was once a Native American site, but a great sickness swept over them, leaving no one alive. Not even the animals.
Then a group of wayward settlers settled there. Some believe that the same sickness wiped them out. Others think that there was vengeance from the Natives from the Beyond. Those here at the mall tell me it was completely different. They won’t speak of the horror. After the settlers, there were more and more settlers until there was one survivor to spread the word of the cursed place. The place stood empty for generations. When the Everett Company wanted to build their mall, many people were against it, because it had been deeply rooted in their DNA that the place was curse. They couldn’t explain it however, so the committee ruled in the Company’s favor.
This story begins on the day of groundbreaking. So without further ado, let’s begin..
