"Patricia Matthews - Goatman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Matthews Patricia)

Tray sniffed at the footprints and whined nervously. She took him by the
collar
and let him into the house, where she removed a shoebox from the clothes
closet,
then took it outside and carefully placed it over the prints; pushing the
edges
of the box firmly into the soft earth.

After her morning tasks were finished, Moira found herself restless. She did
not
feel like doing any of the things that normally occupied her time. She
recognized the restlessness as unusual, for up until now, she had been content
to drift through the days, resting, dreaming, doing nothing.

It was, she told herself, the fault of the old woman, Miss Rhode, and her
Goatman. That, and the wind. Well, since she couldn't get the matter out of
her
mind, perhaps she could find some information about Goatman. If Miss Rhode
knew
about him, surely other people did, too.

Dulcimer, the nearest town, had a population of 1,500 people. After picking up
some needed supplies, Moira parked her car in front of the old, ivy-covered
brick library, leaving Tray inside the car with the windows cracked.

Nelly Fairchild, the middle-aged librarian, was very friendly. Moira hesitated
only slightly before asking her if the library had any information on a
"Goatman."

"Goatman? Why, I haven't heard that name in years." Mrs. Fairchild smiled, and
for an instant, Moira could see the pretty young woman who had been,
underneath
the rather plain middle-aged woman that she was.

"Why, my old Grandma used to scare me with stories about Goatman, when I was
child. I used to have nightmares about him, all hairy and goat-smelling, with
burning red eyes." She moved her shoulders in a brief, shuddery motion.

Moira was conscious of a keen disappointment. Was that all Goatman was, a
bogeyman for children?

"A neighbor of mine mentioned him," she said, hesitantly. "She seemed to think
that there might be some sort of danger . . ."
"Oh, that's right, you live out at the old Dearborne place." Mrs. Fairchild
smiled. "Well, out there in the country, the people still believe in the old
legends. They have stories that you wouldn't believe.

"Now, let's see. There was an article, just last fall, in one of the big
papers.