The Ghosts of Aquinnah Read Free

something had changed in the years since she had last been at Gay Head, there were no lights at the overlook and, with the exception of the lighthouse beacon passing over them, the cliffs were pitch black at night. Why would anyone want to stand up there alone in the dark?
    Hannah leaned back in her desk chair as she heard Jon turn the water off. She had almost forgotten he was home. She looked once more at the webcam, but saw nothing but the bright white beacon and the bushes that lined the stone steps. No one was there.
    Hannah tried to imagine who the woman on the webcam was, and why she was dressed so peculiarly. Perhaps there was some sort of historical event taking place at the lighthouse that weekend. But Hannah had not seen anything about any special events on the island’s website.
    She closed her laptop and put her work away before Jon returned to the bedroom. She didn’t want him asking any questions or making any more remarks about her book. Hannah left the bedroom and walked to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the sink as she took a sip.
    Unable to stop thinking about the mystery woman, Hannah tried again to come up with a reason for her dress. Perhaps she belonged to one of those religious groups where women dressed conservatively. But that wouldn’t explain what she was doing alone at the lighthouse in the dark of night.
    Hannah realized it wasn’t just the woman’s presence that had seemed odd to her, it was also her demeanor. The woman was very young, but she looked overwhelmed with sadness. Hannah set down the glass, suddenly worried that perhaps the woman had gone to the cliffs to commit suicide. Was that why she’d never returned to the stone steps? Had she jumped from the cliffs into the sea?
    Hannah didn’t find that likely. The overlook was fenced in, and the ground below it was more sloping than steep.
    Hannah shook her head and finished her water before putting her glass in the sink. Why was she trying to figure out what this woman was doing? What concern was it of hers, anyway? If the woman wanted to dress oddly and wander around the island at night, that was her business.
    As she headed back to the bedroom, she could imagine Jon saying that she was fixating on this woman as yet another excuse to avoid her work. He wouldn’t be wrong. But as she turned off the kitchen light she realized what it was that had struck her the most about the woman on the webcam. It wasn’t just her dress or the sadness that was so plain on her face.
    It was that in spite of the fact that she seemed to be so lost and alone, she moved with a purpose and sense of determination that was evident even through the lens of the camera. She looked like she was looking for something. Or like she was searching for someone.

 
     
     
     
     
    1884
     
     
     
     
    “ I think he’s coming 'round.”
    Christopher heard the sound of a woman’s voice and felt a hand push his dark brown curls from his forehead. The gentleness of the hand was a welcome contrast to the searing pain that started in his arm and radiated throughout his body.
    He tried to focus as he opened his eyes. The woman stood next to him, her hand still resting on his head. A man came up behind her.
    “ You awake, boy?” the man asked.
    Christopher struggled to orient himself. He remembered the ship and the hours he had spent hanging on the rigging. The men who had rowed towards him and pulled him onto their boat…
    “ Where am I?” he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. “Who are you?”
    “ I’m the doctor that’s trying to help you. Dr. Josiah Winslow.” The man motioned towards the woman next to him. “And this is my wife, Stella Winslow.”
    Christopher tried to sit up and immediately began to cough. He gasped with pain. “Oh sweet God, my arm…”
    “ I’ll give you something for that pain, don’t worry.” Josiah moved from the bed and returned with a vial of liquid. He stuck the vial in