Halversham by RS Anthony

them, repeating a high-pitched sound. “Shoooooooooot, shoooooooooot, shoooooooooot.” Andy was amused to see the sheep follow Jared to the field as he did his thing. He moved along, petting a sheep here and there. When one of them bucked, he kept his hands to himself. A few minutes later, when every sheep was grazing in the field, Jared motioned for Andy to come sit with him on a large black rock.
    “How old are you?” Andy asked.
    “Eighteen.” Jared placed the stick by his side and rested his palms on the rock behind his back.
    “I’ll be sixteen soon.”
    “I dropped out of school when I was sixteen to take over the farm from my dad. He kind of gave up on it, you know. A lot of kids drop out around here to tend to family farms.” He shrugged. “Nothing unusual. I bet you go to school in the city and get good grades and stuff.”
    “Not really. Just an average kid.” Andy squinted his eyes against the morning sun and shifted his position. He lay on his side and propped his head up on an elbow.
    “You know, I haven’t seen you or your mom around in a while. Thought you wouldn’t come back to Halversham now that she’s gone.”
    “My mom suffered with cancer for the past two years. Except for treatments and the trips to the hospitals, she didn’t really go anywhere. But she loved this place. I wanted to see her favorite spots again.”
    “Well, it’s a small town, nothing changes much. Except for the occasional news rocking the townsfolk. Like Corrine’s pregnancy, or my sister’s disappearance.”
    “What happened to your sister?”
    Jared leaned forward, plucked a long weed, and twirled it, his eyes sifting through memories. “Emily disappeared two years ago, when she was fourteen. Went to school one day and never came home. The whole town was in a frenzy looking for her, forming search parties and sticking posters up everywhere. The police questioned everybody, including her friends and schoolteachers, but nothing.” He lifted a shoulder, his lips curving sadly. “We still haven’t found her. She’s such a smart, pretty girl.” Jared tapped the stalk on a rock. “And then a year later, my mom died.”
    “I am so sorry.”
    “Yeah.” Jared opened his mouth and stuck the weed between his teeth. “So how long are you going to be in town?” Jared asked, and Andy smiled. “Why are you smiling?”
    “Nothing. It’s just that practically everyone I meet in Halversham asks me the same question.”
    “Sure. You haven’t been here in a while. Besides, everybody knows you’re Magda’s nephew and the townsfolk like her. And your mom. So maybe they just want to know.”
    “No, I don’t mind the question. I’ll be around for a month.”
    “One whole month? What are you going to do?”
    “I kind of thought of working for Mr. Milton up on the hill.”
    Jared’s eyes widened and there was a glimmer in them. It wasn’t the usual look of horror people gave Andy whenever he mentioned the old man, but something akin to excitement. Jared leaned forward and stared into Andy’s eyes. “Really?”
    “Yeah. What do you think?”
    “I think you should,” he said, nodding.
    “Really? Everyone else has been telling me to stay away from him.”
    Jared’s eyes turned a darker shade of grey. He gritted his teeth as he said, “Old man Milton kidnapped my sister.”
    Andy’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”
    “Emily’s a spunky kid who’s not afraid of anything. And she isn’t afraid of that monster Milton either.” Jared’s voice rose in disgust. “One day our cat Brody disappeared, and we kind of knew Milton killed it.”
    “Yeah, Aunt Magda told me about Brody.”
    “Emily stupidly confronted Milton. I don’t know exactly what happened up there, but I figured they had an argument. She wouldn’t tell me anything, but she was crying when she came home. All I know is that he wouldn’t let her in. Two days later, she disappeared without a trace.”
    “Gosh—did you tell