Figuring that if all else fails, and you DON'T solve the mystery, you'd
at least like some souvenirs of the town, you walk into the Branchville
Gift Shop! At first it appears uninhabited. You don't even
see an employee! As you start to look at the merchandise, you realize
there is an employee! Sitting quietly behind the cash register in
a rocking chair, he appears to be sound asleep. You turn around and
realize there is another customer in the shop as well. Completely
engrossed in the book she is reading, is a woman in a wheelchair.
She appears to be about 70 years old, though not at all frail. The
delicately quilted blanket covers her lap, though it's obvious that there
are no legs beneath it.
You continue to look through the shop, searching for that perfect souvenir.
The total silence is broken only by the quiet sound of turning pages.
Then, apparently finished with the book, the woman puts it back on the
shelf and attempts to maneuver her chair around a display. Realizing
she is having trouble, you walk over and help. She smiles gratefully
at you and introduces herself as "Francis". You quietly strike up
a conversation with her, not wanting to wake the clerk. She proudly
tells you she's Sheriff Branch's Mother.
Francis is very talkative, and it doesn't take much on your part
to get her talking about her son, her late husband and the history of the
town. She quietly admits that while there's no reason to relive some
of what happened, some of it should NOT be kept secret. Especially
since God gets all the credit for what happened.
She tells you how prayer truly saved the town years ago from becoming nothing
but a pile of burnt timber. She whispers about a situation in 1963
where her husband was cornered by a man with a gun but instead of her husband
getting shot, the gun misfired and the man who held it was seriously injured.
She mentions that though she lost two sons the year before, God blessed
her with twins in 1964. She points out that the only church that was destroyed
in the big town fire was the Christian church, who had just decided to
build a larger building at the edge of town anyway.
After talking with this lady, you are filled with an excitement at the
omnipotence of the God she serves! You press for more clues, but
Francis has decided to wander of on a tangent, and is telling you about
the way that the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant came into town last
year, after everything had already fallen into place to prepare for it.
You check your watch and tell her you need to leave. You take your
choices to the counter to discover that the sleeping clerk (his name tag
says his name is Tom) is still sleeping... or is he? Suddenly you
realize he isn't sleeping in the same position he was in earlier.
Of course, he could have just turned in his sleep, but as he opens his
eyes and looks at you you feel a rush of evil pouring out of his eyes.
He gives you a look that makes you think he heard the entire conversation.
Worried for Francis, you turn to see if she is ready to leave. She
smiles at you and slowly wheels her chair toward the door. You pay
for your purchases and get the door for her as you both exit the shop.
She goes one way, you go the other. As you leave, she turns and calls
back at you "Most places in Branchville are great tourist attractions.
Just be cautious at which ones you choose to visit!"
I'm
ready to get more clues!
Too
much talking! Get me outta here!