Tasting Evil Part 1: WCPNW Anthologies, #3

By Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest

Murderers. Demons. Ghosts. Sasquatch. Vampires.  Just another day in the Pacific Northwest. Your chances of survival? Slim. Under the drizzling skies of Mirror Point and Way's End, visitors and natives alike find everything is not as it seems. A bucolic paradise on the surface with shadowy creatures lurking in the woods. Discover ancient beasts, faceless evil, modern-day monsters, and restless souls eager for revenge.  Menace waits behind a smiling face and the lure of technology. Pull up a chair for a bite and much much more! Buy Tasting Evil for hair-raising chills and macabre fun in the picturesque Pacific Northwest. Keep the lights on! The real danger is the one you don't see coming.

 

Ghoulishly good stories from WCPNW authors: Joel Swetin E. G. Sergoyan Sonya Rhen Stephen Christiansen Kai Bertrand Deron Sedy Chloe Holiday Celina Davis Toni Kief Yazz Ustaris Susan Old Hugh Mannfield Christine Gustavson-Udd Matthew Buza

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Cooperative of the Pacific North
• Release date: Mar 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224229901

Book preview

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest

Mirror Point and Way's End Maps

Way's End Map

Spirit Lake Map

Town Brochure il.

Town Brochure

Old Man Headley il.

The Old Man in the House on Maple Grove Drive

Cutting Edge Sales

The Novelist

Best Selling Author Joshua Cain Book Signing

Reunion il.

Reunion

The Grey Bride

Way's End Observer Community Page

A Modern-Day Nostradamus

Spirit Lake il.

Spirit Lake

The Honeymooners

Lola's Cottage il.

Lola’s Cottage

Way's End Observer Classifieds - October 2019

Dark Art

Venus Flytrap il.

Venus Flytrap

The Costume

Mirror Point Echo Headline News

A Good Family il.

A Good Family

Overturned il.

Overturned

Leave the Lights On

Author Bios -Volume I

Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest

presents

TASTING EVIL

Volume 1

Tasting Evil: Volume 1

Tasting Evil: Volume 1 Copyright © 2019 The Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This anthology contains works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All stories and poems are copyright of their respective creators as indicated herein, and are reproduced here with permission.

First Printing, 2019

Permissions:

Town Brochure ©2019 Joel Swetin; The Old Man in the House on Maple Grove Drive ©2019 E. G. Sergoyan; Cutting Edge Sales ©2019 Sonya Rhen; The Novelist ©2019 Stephen Christiansen; Best Selling Author Joshua Cain Book Signing ©2019 Stephen Christiansen; Reunion ©2019 Kai Bertrand; The Grey Bride © 2019 Deron Sedy; Estate Auction ©2019 Chloe Holiday; Modern-Day Nostradamus ©2019 Chloe Holiday; Spirit Lake © 2019 Celena Davis; The Honeymooners ©2019 Toni Kief; Lola’s Cottage © 2019 Yazz Ustaris; Special - Centennial Weekend ©2019 Toni Kief; Dark Art ©2019 Sonya Rhen; Venus Flytrap ©2019 Susan Old; The Costume ©2019 Hugh Mannfield; Hunter Falls to Death; MPHS Track Star Shot ©2019 Hugh Mannfield; A Good Family ©2019 Christine Gustavson-Udd; Overturned © 2019 Matthew Buza

Managing Editors: Matthew Buza & Sonya Rhen

Editor: Sonya Rhen

Contributing Editors: Matthew Buza, Diana Willadsen & Roland Trenary

Production Team: Matthew Buza, Sonya Rhen, Diana Willadsen & Joel Swetin

Illustrations: ©2019 Roland Trenary

Ebook Formatting: Sonya Rhen

Cover Design: by James GoOnWrite.com

Town Conception: Matthew Buza

Locale and Locals created by participating authors from The Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest.

Published by the Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest.

For more works by these and other members of the Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest visit their website.

http://writers-coop.com/

This book is dedicated to aspiring writers and to you,

our fabulous readers

Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest is an author-owned, author-operated cooperative made up of writers, storytellers and creative minds dedicated to the craft of writing, publishing, and marketing intellectual property. As writers, we can take advantage of and profit from the changes taking place in publishing today, by recognizing the unique opportunity we have to help shape that future through an author owned and operated cooperative. We empower our author-owners in activities related to the process of creating, publishing, marketing and advertising their work, while retaining the greatest percentage of their profits. If you would like to become a part of WCPNW, or simply continue the conversation, we welcome the opportunity to share our ideas.

writers-coop.com

Mirror Point and Way's End Maps

To view maps and illustrations full size, please visit our website. writers-coop.com/Tasting Evil

Mirror Point Map

Way’s End Map

Spirit Lake Map

But wait, that’s not all!

Town Brochure

Joel Swetin

The sister towns of Mirror Point and Way’s End are celebrating our 100th anniversary. If you have been looking for a weekend get-away, a long vacation or possibly someplace to call home, come for a visit. Virtually any type of activity that piques your interest is available in our lovely scenic area. From hiking and camping to boating and river rafting, you will find it here, and more.

For the history buff a short walk from downtown brings you to the Mirror Point History Museum, with hands-on exhibits where the kids can learn about mining and logging. It may be small, but the volunteers know all about the history of the area and can tell you some wonderful stories about the town legends and lore.

At a local business pick up a walking tour map of Mirror Point. It will guide you to the Brioc Mansion, the Moreland Estate, the Mirror Point Grand Cinema, and all our wonderful historic buildings. Don’t miss the stunningly beautiful Mirror Point Library built in the Art Deco style, which holds a wonderful mirror clock crafted in France. The old sawmill at the south end of the lake has been restored so you can actually see how lumber was milled 100 years ago. As a special bonus, during our Centennial Celebration tours will be available at all these locations free of charge.

Head over to Brioc Founders Park to see the beautiful bronze statue of our founding father, Julian Brioc. Just across from the park have a good old-fashioned lunch at Friendly’s Café or maybe one of the ten varieties of apple pie available at the Piehole. Then perhaps find some wonderful treasures at the Pretty Thrifty Nifty Store or take in a movie at the Grand Cinema.

Our hiking trails are rated from easy to difficult, day hikes to overnight backpacking. The views are spectacular, crystal clear streams, and of course, lots of waterfalls. Our favorite is the breathtaking Madd Falls just past Dead Man’s Curve on Madd Falls road. The view is beautiful but keep your eyes on the road. The Pacific Northwest is known for suspension bridges so make sure you visit our own suspension bridge over Cook’s Ravine. While it may not be the highest or longest, it is almost 100 feet above Hidden Creek. As you walk across you can actually feel it sway. But don’t worry we haven’t lost anyone yet!

Like many Pacific Northwest towns, it all began in the 1880s when the railroad opened the territory to settlers seeking a new start. A Welsh immigrant, Julian Brioc (trained by his father to be a surveyor), moved with his family to the new territory and was commissioned by the Territorial Governor to survey the area. His real dream was to raise sheep. With his connections to the Governor he gained mineral and access rights. By selling land and right-of-way to newcomers he became very prosperous. In 1919 he sold access to lumber and mining companies and amassed even more wealth.

The mining company wasted no time in building roads, a narrow-gauge rail line to the mine and a mining camp that grew and developed into the town of Way’s End. Once the mines were no longer producing profitable amounts of ore the growing population of not only the Pacific Northwest but the country as a whole, was hungry for lumber to build homes and businesses, and the area was rich in that resource. Logging became the new mother-lode. A lumber mill was built on the southern tip of Spirit Lake and the town of Mirror Point sprang up to supply the lumber camps with anything and everything they needed.

Unfortunately for Julian Brioc, some of his sheep began to mysteriously disappear. A few were found, appearing to have been killed by bears (although there were only small black bears in the area). Then his flock came down with an untreatable illness and he was forced to harvest the wool and mercifully end their suffering. He sold the remaining wool, his land and mineral rights, then moved to Mirror Point and built Brioc Mansion, which stands to this day.

Of course, the mysterious sheep disappearances and illness led to all kinds of rumors. Some blamed Big Foot, some UFOs and even the local tribes got in on it saying there was a curse on the town of Mirror Point. For poor Julian Brioc things got worse. He lost his fortune during the Great Depression and was abandoned by his family. Make sure to keep your camera close by in case you catch a sighting of the Pacific Northwest’s most famous resident, Sasquatch, or even spot some UFOs in the night sky. It certainly makes for great ghost stories around the campfire.

As they say on TV, But wait, that’s not all! In the middle of Spirit Lake is Hangman’s Island. You may wonder how it got its name. About the time of the sheep disappearances a couple loggers went missing. When their bodies were found a massive search was conducted to find who was responsible. Someone thought that a deserted island would be a good place to hide out and there they found a hermit living in a tent, decided he was the killer and the mob lynched him. The island is still called Hangman’s Island and is now the site of a state prison. Only the special prison ferry is allowed to dock at the island.

Perhaps you are an animal lover. Just outside of town you will find the Mirror Point Animal Sanctuary that does an amazing job of rehabilitating rescued wild animals (only the four-legged and winged kind). Maybe you are more of a night owl. At the Grey Wolf Casino, you can gamble to your heart’s content 24 hours a day. You can enjoy world class entertainment at the indoor Orca Auditorium or the outdoor Cascadia Amphitheater at the casino.

For accommodations, your choices are many. We have B&Bs, great for a quiet romantic get-away. For a once-in-a-lifetime family adventure you can rent a yurt at the Way’s End campground. Of course, we have great sites for your RV. If roughing it isn’t your style the Grey Wolf Casino Hotel is rated four stars! You can check with our Chamber of Commerce for a full list of hotels and motels nearby.

As we celebrate our Centennial throughout the year, there will be events almost every day. The Mirror Point Chamber of Commerce, representing many of our local businesses, is sponsoring street fairs throughout the summer, where you can find one of a kind glass sculptures, paintings, jewelry and many other works of art produced by local artists. You can rock out at outdoor concerts at Brioc Founders Park or at the Grey Wolf Casino Orca Auditorium. We have booked some great local bands as well as nationally famous headliner groups with music ranging from rock to country to folk.

No celebration or fest would be complete without face-painting, balloon sculpting and plenty of games and activities for the kids. Plan your trip around our huge Fourth of July Celebration ending with a massive fireworks display over the lake. For all you foodies, check out Sausage Fest with award winning sausages, outstanding varieties of jerky, pies and wonderful local cold beer and wine.

Way’s End is a short 10-minute ferry ride across Spirit Lake, cruising past Hang Man’s Island. On the north end of the lake you can explore the old mines, take a train ride in an old mining car or see what life was like a hundred years ago working and living in a lumber camp. Every weekend there will be demonstrations of lumberjack skills and chainsaw carving in Way’s End.

We can truly say there is something for everyone. Fly across the lake on a jet boat or just have a lazy day at the beach on Spirit Lake. And of course, no visit would be complete without taking a spooky ghost tour of the many haunted houses, mansions and other places the lost and lingering spirits visit nightly.

We are less than two hours from Seattle but a world away from the city chaos. You could say Mirror Point and Way’s End are the real-life version of the TV town of Mayberry. An idyllic peaceful place where people leave their doors unlocked and strangers will smile and greet you. Pack your bags and leave your worries behind. We can’t wait to see you! A word of warning, you might plan on just coming for a weekend, but you might never leave!

Town Brochure ©2019 Joel Swetin

...he was turning to the oversized carved wooden doors when...

E. G. Sergoyan

The Reporter

Danny Philips was sitting in his car across the street from the old Brioc mansion, a dilapidated large house on Maple Grove Drive not far from the town center. He had been sitting in his car for almost an hour trying to work up the courage to approach the front gate. Danny had not been on this street or near that creepy, overgrown mansion for years. It all started on Halloween ...

He remembered that Halloween fifteen years ago, when he and his pals dared Bobby Morrison to go through the gate, knock on the large double doors, and face old man Headley. Headley had lived on Maple Grove for