**Reviewing Before Advancement Please Standby** More That Meets The Eye

Chapter two - A new dawn

For most of his life Arthur McDowell grew up with the legend of his town. Like so many of his friends he had doubts about whether or not it could be true. Some of the older generation were adamant it was. They'd hold a dance to honor the legend during the winter months. Which was supposedly around the time that the events of Cassandra Le Fleur being accused of being a witch and the curse happening actually happened. Many attended the dance with the belief that they were there to pay tribute to a woman who was falsely accused and betrayed by the very townsfolk who she had come to know as family. Some were there to honor a strong woman, a witch who's only intent was to do good which only got her accused and betrayed by the townsfolk she'd come to love. Others took a more religious approach. They praised and honored the vicar who brought down the witch who had betrayed their town. A woman who took advantage of their hospitality and kind nature's. They refused to see her as nothing less than the evil woman that she supposedly was. As with many legends that circle the lips of the world's population there are so many different views on how people feel about them. In Scotland there is the legend about a sea creature/Monster nicknamed "Nessie" that lives in the depths of Loch Ness. Some believe Nessie exists, some claim to have seen it others aren't so convinced.

Arthur was undecided on this particular subject and like his father took the approach that the dance was a bit of fun for all ages. It just so happened that it was coming up to that time of year again. He had just turned seventeen so he was old enough to stay up later than the younger children. This is the part that most children looked forward too. As being allowed to stay up longer when they reached a certain age was sort of the town's rite of passage so to speak. Another was that many of the younger generation found themselves also testing the curse theory when they came of age too.

After everyone was in bed it was tradition almost for whoever just turned seventeen to join those who were already seventeen and try to leave. So Arthur and many of his friends that he had known since he was a child set out to do just that. Although it was never known what happened to those who had previously tried to do so. All people in the town knew was that those who dared to try never did return. They weren't even deemed missing because many just assumed that they did in fact manage to leave and just chose to never return and never contacted their families. Which in the eyes of the sheriff of the town wasn't unusual because they were in fact considered to be runaways nothing more nothing less. Their own parents never really questioned their disappearance unless they were related to those who had sided with the preacher who was the one to unseat someone to be seen as a great evil in the town. But nothing ever came of their accusations as they were outnumbered by those who believe the witch was wronged, those who didn't believe and those who were just simply unsure of what was the truth. One thing remained certain was the fact that year after year group's of seventeen year olds tried to leave. But not all of the town's young did. Some remained and didn't follow the tradition.

As the teenagers approached the townline some got nervous. The ones who were more certain than all of them did manage to convince one or two of them that they were just being silly that they could go through with it but the others within the small group of worriers weren't so convinced and fled with tales between their legs mocked by the rest who stay as chickens. They returned to town and to their beds forever changed by what they so very nearly went through with. For those who stayed the time was now to press forward and either confirm the curse to be bogus or indeed very real. Arthur himself was very nervous but too afraid to mention anything to the others. Especially after how they ridiculed the others who voiced their nervousness and their desire to go back to town. Timothy Jones was the first to move closer the line. He was the oldest out of all of them who born just a few hours apart. I suppose that's why he felt as though he needed to be the one try and cross first. It was unknown what method the others who tried to leave had done before them but in the days before their birthday they hatched a plan to take trying to cross one at a time. If their attempt to cross failed one would return to town and tell everyone leaving the rest near the townline to confirm it. If it was successful then the same again would happen. Since they were old enough to understand the so called legend or myth some might say surrounding their town's history this particular group of teenagers made a pact to find out once and for all if the curse was real or not.

The time to cross came ever closer and even the most sure of teenagers got nervous. But to get it over and done with Arthur plunged forward and was seconds from crossing the line. Before his foot could make it across he was tackled to the floor. He didn't see who tackled him and due to the force of it he ended up hitting his head on some near by rocks knocking him unconscious.