The Twisted Ones

On the impossible Appalachian bald, Mouse notices a strange lack of birdsong. The surrounding trees are also entirely bare, and there are large white and gray stones scattered across the hill. After walking a bit down one side and turning, she is startled to see that the stones are carved with grotesque faces and twisted shapes, more disturbing than the one in the yard. Some stand upright, while others, depicting contorted human shapes, lie flat on the ground. Her phone dies after she takes one photograph.

Bongo leads her to a tall, white monolith surrounded by smaller rocks. Mouse feels an unnatural compulsion to touch it but resists; however, she snaps at Bongo when he refuses to move, which she then realizes was uncalled for. As they make their way back up the hill, she realizes with horror that the stones match the description of the twisted ones from Cotgrave’s journal. She wonders if he carved them himself but can’t believe the man she knew would have done so: “You couldn’t possibly create something like that and then wander around like a normal person, going to the grocery store and worrying about heart medication and paying the water bill, could you?” (94).