Free The Jersey Devil by Hunter Shea

enthusiasts. On the heels of the flap of Hudson Valley sightings, the rural town had been host to unexplainable lights in the sky for over a decade. Things got so bad, they had to pass a town law forbidding stargazing on the side of the roads. UFOs had never been Norm’s thing, but he did find places like Pine Bush fascinating. Aside from the aerial phenomena, there had been dozens of ghost sightings and even one case of someone claiming to have seen a Bigfoot. Norm chalked the lights up to experimental planes from the nearby military base and the rest to general excitability.
    â€œNah, it’s been real quiet. Just the way we like it. But there is something going on not far from here that’s caught our attention.”
    â€œReally? What’s up?”
    Norm knew what it had to be. The Willets were a lovely family, real salt of the earth people, but far from average. The realization had smacked him in the face the moment he’d walked into Sam’s house and saw all of the Jersey Devil material and memorabilia scattered on the shelves and walls.
    â€œI think you know what has somehow woken up,” Sam said.
    â€œIf I didn’t know better, I’d swear you sound excited.”
    Sam took a deep breath. “If I’m right, I have some reason to be.”
    â€œYou never did tell me the whole story.”
    â€œI’m thinking that it’s getting to that time to do just that. But before I do, I have to be sure. You back home or are you out in some pueblo blabbing about the Chupacabra?”
    â€œI’m home. Just taking a break between g-gigs, trying to make some headway on this book I’ve been contracted to write.” Salem purred at his feet. Norm scratched behind his ears. The cat flopped on the floor, rolling onto his back, wanting his belly rubbed.
    â€œYou interested in taking a trip north?” Sam asked.
    â€œI’ve seen a couple of interesting reports out of the Barrens lately. Is there something else I’ve missed?”
    â€œI’ll send you a link to a story that came out today. No one’s saying it’s the Devil, but I’m not about to discount it.”
    Norm’s e-mail bleeped. He opened the link Sam sent.
    His mouth went dry.
    â€œSam, you d-don’t think . . .”
    â€œI do, buddy, I do.”
    â€œBut the Jersey Devil doesn’t k-k-kill people. Maybe a dog or chicken has been attributed to it, but never a person. This just doesn’t fit the history, unless you subscribe to the sensationalist crap that says it killed its family when it popped out of the womb—which I know you don’t.”
    Sam Willet said, “You’re right, I don’t. For more years than I can count, I thought it was dead. I’d hoped it was alive, just keeping low, but I was starting to give up hope. Maybe it went somewhere else for a while, or hibernated, I don’t know. Whatever woke it up changed it. This isn’t like 1909. It’s brazen now. I have to find out. For the sake of my family.”
    For the sake of his family? Norm couldn’t imagine how the return of the Jersey Devil could have any real significance for the Willet family. Of course, it couldn’t just be morbid curiosity. Not the way their fascination had been focused on the cryptid.
    â€œAre you serious, Sam?” he asked.
    â€œAs a heart attack. And at my age, you don’t joke about that.” Norm grinned when he heard the old man chuckle. “Think of this as research for your next book.”
    He had to admit, his curiosity was piqued. Depending on where things led, this could be the book that would pad his bank account. He wondered if Sam would let him print his story, even with an assumed name. Three generations of a family gripped by tales of a monster born into legend when the country was young. What could it be that connected all those dots? At its core, the book would be about the people more than the monster, and that, in