Matanto

Peter Brodowski

Description

It's as old as time itself waking periodically to check on its domain, this time some of it is missing, and a price must be paid. The Hamilton County Consortium purchased a small portion of Hamilton Woods to meet the needs of a growing community and a local developer. An elementary school, a multi-use athletic field and three homes were constructed on the purchased site. Two of the families, the Munches and Andreas', have children attending the elementary school. The third family, the Snodgrass', is a retired couple, a professor of American History and his research assistant wife. A Native American couple serves as caretakers for the nature preserve that serves as a buffer between Hamilton Woods and the purchased land. When a high school age girl is found comatose standing on the street fronting the nature preserve a local police officer has suspicions and discovers that low profile visitors to the woods have also gone missing but are overlooked. The Munch and Andreas children begin having nightmares and a Teacher's Aide is not what she appears to be. The professor discovers some disturbing information about the woods and approaches the caretakers. The caretakers confide in the academics and reveal that they are there for a reason. Together the three families, the caretakers and the policeman slowly put the pieces together and confront the threat.

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 15 octobre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781506904252
• Langue: English

Extrait

MATANTO
ANovel by
PeterBrodowski
Matanto
Copyright©2017 Peter Brodowski

ISBN 978-1506-904-25-2 EBOOK

April 2017

Published and Distributed by
First Edition Design Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 20217, Sarasota, FL 34276-3217
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com



ALL R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. No p a r t o f t h i s b oo k pub li ca t i o n m a y b e r e p r o du ce d, s t o r e d i n a r e t r i e v a l s y s t e m , o r t r a n s mit t e d i n a ny f o r m o r by a ny m e a ns─ e l e c t r o n i c , m e c h a n i c a l , p h o t o - c o p y , r ec o r d i n g, or a ny o t h e r ─ e x ce pt b r i e f qu ot a t i o n i n r e v i e w s , w i t h o ut t h e p r i o r p e r mi ss i on o f t h e a u t h o r or publisher .

This is a work offiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of theauthor’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actualpersons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Other novels by Peter Brodowski

39N–86W
Confluence
Summer Seed
Acknowledgement

Thanksto again to Linda Russell for review and feedback and David Brodowski for hishelp with the cover art. Peter Brodowski
PROLOGUE

10,000 – 6000 B.C.
Theglaciers have withdrawn from the land and a people later to become known asPaleoindians are living in the Ohio River Valley which includes Indiana. Theyare composed of small bands of hunters, Gathers, and foraging individuals who developeda sophisticated technology for killing and dressing large game, such ascaribou. Their tools are well made and for the most part exhibit fineworkmanship.
ThePaleoindian occupation sites in Indiana are often short-term sites; they are specializedactivity areas found near large streams, a major source for resources. Here chertis found, a raw material used for the construction of stone tools. It was alsoknown that when a chert stone was struck against a particular flat red surfacesparks would result. This also made chert an excellent tool for starting fires.
Overtime however, there was one particular site that folklore spoke of, a site tobe avoided. It was told that evil spirits dwelled in the area and wouldperiodically make their presence known.
Standingby the river with a cloud of mosquitos buzzing about his head Yahto had strayedfar from his group in search of chert. He is short of stature with a distinctlyAsian face and silky shoulder length hair. Surrounded by the living forest, listeningto the shrill call of birds from the trees and the chitter and drone of an armyof insects, he was pleased with himself believing to have found a new depositof raw material chert.
Later,in the early evening as darkness descended he had settled down in front of hisfire munching on nuts and berries while a squirrel roasted on a spit. Graduallya chill swept over him and he realized that the forest had become quiet,uncharacteristically so. He reached for his Clovis tipped wood spear.
Standinghe looked beyond the tiny circle of light that denied the encroaching darkness.Even the stars above seem to be intimidated by the night hiding behind a densecloud cover. He turned in a slow circle searching for what he knew was lurkingin the darkness. He crouched, spear at the ready, listening intently for thetell–tale sounds of something approaching. Sweat trickled down to the small ofhis back and he shivered despite the warmth of the summer evening.
Thenhe saw something off to his left—eyes glowing in the dark. Not two eyes butfour. They were red and about two feet off the ground. It moved from the coverof darkness into the full light broadcast by his fire and stops not a dozenpaces from him, letting him gaze upon it. It had no fear or the man.
Yahtois repulsed by what he saw, a body without definite shape or form surrounded bya mass of tentacles waving menacingly about, and hurled his spear. It flewstraight and true and into the menacing shape with no effect. It remainedstationary for a moment longer as if mocking him and then began a slow movementtowards him; its tentacles drew it forward ever closer along the beaten earth.
Yahtocould not move, he was paralyzed with fear. The monster was upon him envelopinghis body with its tentacles, its miasma permeates his nostrils and rivals itshideousness, realization dawned upon him that all is lost and his bladderreleased followed closely by his bowels. Two short leafy tentacles cover hiseyes and with a sucking sound extracted them, then withdraw from his face. Indarkness he felt his body being invaded by unseen slimy probes slithering andsquirming into his mouth, nose and anus. The invader in his mouth was eatinghis tongue. Those in his nose and anus are making their way down his throat andup into the large intestine; he is still alive when the monster dragged hisflaccid body back into the darkness.

1500 – 700 B.C.
Thiscultural period in Indiana was primarily represented by the Riverton culture. Nativepopulations tended to be less nomadic and are now prone to aggregate inlocations that may be described as riverine, situated along major rivers andstreams such as the White River in central Indiana.
Atthis time a small family group of eight individuals had taken up residence in anatural clearing within the forest along the river where a rich source of chertwas found. The site was thus able to provide both resources for tools and afood source from the river. The tribes’ hunters supplemented Smallmouth Bassfrom the river with Opossum, Raccoon and when they were lucky White Tail Deer fromthe forest. Their location was complete with pit features, midden, and a livingstructure.
Childrenwere playing, women were making clothes for the coming winter, and men weremaking barbed projectile points for hunting. The two oldest of the family had gatheredaround the camp fire to warm themselves. The evening meal was complete;darkness came early in the clearing. All would soon be retiring to their singleroom structure for the night.
Thefolklore concerning the evil spirit site had been forgotten by this time. Suddenlya child cried out and ran to her mother, her face streaming blood. A fiercelooking winged creature, making a sibilant quasi-human utterance, had sunk its jawsinto the back of the girls head and had used the claws at the end of its wings toextract her eyes. The mother ripped it from her daughters head and flung itinto the fire.
Anotherchild cried out and began screaming. The family’s father ran towards his son onlyto be knocked to the ground from behind. He struggled to a kneeling position andwas forced back to the ground. A chorus of buzzing sounds was accompanied by repeatedstabbings into his back which began to burn as if his flesh was on fire. Herolled over to dislodge the creature on his back and rolled into a four eyedmonstrosity that stood on four sets of legs and stood two feet off the ground.It bit his hand off with its massive mandible. He began screaming in unisonwith his son. Looking on helplessly he saw that his son was in the throes of a shapelessshrubbery form. Its leafy tentacles were encircling his legs and drew him backinto the underbrush. Another adult came to the child’s aid only to suffer thesame fate. They both passed through the light cast by the campfire into thedarkness of the forest. Their screams and a trail of blood were left behind astheir only remembrance.
Motherand blinded daughter retreated to the rear of the one room structure. Familymembers all around them were being attacked by horrific looking creatures.Huddled in the rear of the structure they listened to the sound of demising screamsand moans. Then all was quiet outside.
Twolong leafy tentacles slithered through the structures doorway. The mother stifleda cry and was gelid with dread. She was glad that her daughter could not seewhat had come for them.

A.D 500 – 1200
Duringthis period a number of new cultural characteristics arise. The bow and arrowappears, with the first arrowheads: small triangular chipped stone projectilepoints. Commissary knives, large triangular knives for cutting purposes, alsomake their first appearance.
Full-scale,intensive agriculture makes its debut; hoes are utilized to cultivate maize,beans, and squash. Large villages are still however few in number.
TheIndiana settlement, in years to come called Bethlehem and later yet renamedCarmel, had thirty–five inhabitants. It was located in a natural clearingwithin the forest along a river.
Beforethe sun had climbed very high into the sky Elki, the tribes scout, had justreturned from another village 20 miles north situated on the same river thatran through his village. He told the village elder, Sapata, that arrangementshave been made for the neighboring tribe to visit on the morrow for trade.
Sapatawas pleased. He bid the tribe to make haste in preparing their wears forinspection and barter. The village was in a festive mood and the young girlswere eager for the visitors’ arrival. They were not only assisting theirmothers with food and clothing for barter but also adorning their hair andfaces for the benefit of potential husbands.
Thesun was only an hour old when Jolon banked his trading party’s canoes on the pointbar of the river just north of Sapata’s village. Leaving their wares in thecanoes he led his ten men into Sapata’s village. He was not expecting awelcoming ceremony but was confused by the lack of any activity and the absenceof anybody, even the elderly. No one was tending the gardens or making arrowsor clothing. There were no cooking fires and where were the ever presentchildren playing their games?
Thetrading party was making their way to the center of the village. As theyapproached the central fire ring they stopped. The smell of blood was strong inthe air. The trading party notched arrows and readied spears. Cautiously movingabout the village they observed large and small pools of blood on the ground, thesmaller ones having been abs