Most of the time, books begin with a first chapter that is exciting, unexpected, and dramatic. Then, it ends in a suspenseful cliffhanger to draw you into the story and make you want to continue on to the second chapter. I admire authors who can do this, who have the power to suck their readers into their tale after just a few pages. Those writers who can make anything sound wonderful, anyone sound amazing, and anywhere sound fascinating.
Why do I say all this? Mostly because I didn't want you to get your hopes up for something thrilling and intriguing as you began to read this. For, I assure you, what I have to say to begin with nothing of the sort. What do I have to say? Not much. I was only going to tell you of a place that is very special to me, but holds many dark secrets. If you find dark secrets interesting, then perhaps there is a small glimmer of hope for my story after all.
It's small, very small. Almost desolately so, but not quite. There were no houses within a five mile radius of each other. They were all the same: old, faded, two story farm houses that creaked with every step you took, as if they were whispering of the generations of first and last breaths that'd taken place within. They were the truly haunted houses, the ones that were home to living and dead souls. Windflowers and sweet grass were our landscape, along with the continuous flow of faint hills. There were secret dales, full of violets in the spring, one in particular that boasted a stately, queen like apple blossom tree named Lila. The name was the same as my best friend's; in fact, the tree was named after her.
There were only a few shops and stores. They were old buildings, used in earlier days as bars, tailors, and general stores. They held a certain rustic charm to them; something about them made you feel old, knowing they used to be young. The roads were like ribbons gracefully wrapping around the knolls and hills, and the sky was like an empty canvas on which the wonderful colors of country sunrises and sunsets were painted. The sun and the stars shone brightest here, and the rain and snow the hardest. Everyone knew everyone, and we all looked out for one another.
Where is this place, you ask? Two little towns smack dab in the middle of nowhere in the state of Nebraska, so close we habitually said both names together when referring to either one.
This place is Norway Agenda.