Journal Van Tries

                                                   20 January 2010

    As I write this entry it is  5:30  late afternoon here on the north coast, daylight is waning, dusk is slowly approaching and the darkness of night will soon be here.   I have to wonder what the night will bring as already a  lite fog is developing and blanketing the area.  I arrived in town by train yesterday afternoon January the 19th from Lewistown Pennsylvania, I took a  taxi from the Amtrak Station
to the little cottage at 3717  falls road, this cottage has been in our family for years, my great great grandfather settled here with his family before their new house was built on old Clifton Blvd.
      In 1970 the property was removed from my families name and put into the name of a local business which is owned by my mothers family.    Today was a rather misty and cloudy day as the temperatures hovered in the mid 30s, it has been a day filled with an eerie quiet, I have to wonder if  the events from the night before could be having an oddly strange effect on the people of the area.

     Earlier this afternoon, I visited Masons Hardware store, the old hardware store of my great great  grandparents day, wow I thought to myself as I walked around the store it is just simply amazing that this store looks almost the same as it did in 1867, the pictures hanging on the walls of the store are like a walk through history.   As I strolled through the store and gazed upon the pictures, one picture caught me by surprise, there it was the picture of my great, great grandfather
 Ebenezer Yohan Van Tries, standing with him were his daughter Elizabeth and his son Jacob,
Elizabeth according to family history would elope at the age of 15 and poor Jacob would die from scarlet fever at the age of 5.   Hmm I just stood there for a moment thinking and wondering what year the picture was taken, I thought about asking the store clerk but changed my mind and just continued to walk through the store.   I had come to the store in search of some wood polish for an antique rocking chair.

       I was approaching the counter when an elderly gentleman and his grandson walked in, the sales clerk quickly walked over to the man, the mans grandson was sent off into the store to look for batteries and flashlights.  I could overhear the salesman ask the old man if he had heard about what happened east of the city in Mentor woods the night before.  The old man replied that yes, he had heard about what had happened, he was asked by the salesman if he was coming to the meeting tonight at the old lantern café and tavern .  With a deep breath and a sigh, the man replied that yes he would be there, we have things that need to be discussed he said, strange things are once again being thrust upon our great city, I will be there.  Odd I thought for a moment , what strange things, just then the old man noticed me standing there.   Coming to our meeting? he asked me, Oh I don't know I replied.  You're new around here aren't you ? he asked me, yes I said , I am from Detroit.  Detroit? he asked, well I'm sure you will like it here in Cleveland, he then asked me my name, Johnathan I responded without giving my last name.  Hmm Johnathan, nice name johnathan he said, thank you I replied ,chuckling, I like it.     Hmm the old man said as he looked at me, the picture of  my greta, great grandfather hung on the wall directly in front of him.  I noticed he was staring at it and then staring at me, de was all the old man could get out of his mouth as a sheriffs deputy walked in.
   
       The deputy had heard me tell the old man that I was new in town, as he approached the counter he noticed the old man staring at the picture, he glanced at him and the picture and then asked me my
last name.  Van I started to say, what was that the deputy asked me, I wasn't quite paying attention.
knepp I said, my name is Johnathan  Knepp  I'm from Detroit.   I had to think quick and knepp was a name I knew could not be traced back to Van Tries, had I said Van Tries they could have checked on that and it would not have been good, my arrival in town is meant to be a secret until such time as I decide to reveal who I am.

     Well Mr. Knepp, welcome to Cleveland, we'll see you  I hope at our neighborhood meeting tonight.  Yes I told him I'll be there, I need to be there I thought to myself if only to find out what their fears are and what they have to say.



we will continue the story thursday>   what causes the old mans grandson to come running up to the counter why does the deputy say strange to johnathan, what is the tarot card, why is cousin Michael angry, what is in the letter from their aunt , why does johnathan call it a SUMMONS FROM THE GRAVE! find out Thursday same van tries time same van tries channel.
                         The Journal Van Tries.... a work of fiction by Tim R. Francis Lorain ,Ohio 44052