Josh stood and walked over to the dresser by the window. Leaning down, he spread his fingers across a photo album and sighed deeply. His eyes stared at the rays of the early morning sun reflected against the dresser’s shining maple surface. Josh picked the gold-leafed photo collection off the dresser and carried it over to Peggy.

ADo you remember any of these shots?. He handed her the album.

Peggy sat down on the side of the bed and began flipping through the photographs. Her husband sat beside her.

AJosh!  You saved my yearbook picture. I always hated that one!.

AYou were the prettiest young woman in Claremont=s class of fifty-two, still are..

AAnd you were so handsome in your sheriff=s uniform back then..

Josh=s brow furrowed, his chin dropping to his chest. He rose, walked back to the dresser and then slammed his fist down on the surface. Staring into the mirror, he sighed.

AThat=s when all of this started, after Mark=s parents died and he returned to Claremont.. Josh continued to stare intensely at his reflection. AIt wasn=t too long after Mark became my deputy that Doc Richards and then James Franklyn were murdered.. Josh paused, tears welling up in his eyes. AI found Jimmy=s body, almost burned beyond recognition..

Peggy moved by his side and gently brushed his arm with her fingers. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

AWhy relive all of those painful memories now? Mark died facing the devil. He died to prevent the Inferno from consuming the earth. It=s over, Josh, Mark sacrificed himself so his wife could live, so all of us could live. Mark loved your niece with all his heart and soul, and Anne loved him as deeply..

The tall man watched Peggy through brooding eyes as he turned toward her. Josh=s gaze remained fixed on his wife while leading her back to their bed. Bending down, he scooped the photo album up from where it had fallen. Drawing her to him, he turned the pages until he was on the last few photos. He nuzzled her ear and whispered lovingly.

ADo you remember this photograph?.

AOf course, it=s Nicole and Will; I took that picture of them shortly after Nicole had recovered from her confrontation with the devil=s jinn. None of us thought she was even going to live, much less make a full recovery. Will was good to her. He stood by her the entire time she was in the wheelchair and never once complained, not even when she became bitter and angry with the world..

AWho could blame her, the devil used the human form of Michael Orcus to seduce and impregnate her, so he could bring himself into this world. Will never left her side while she carried the demon seed.. Carefully lifting the plastic covering, Josh slipped the last few pictures from the album and handed them to Peggy. ANotice anything strange?. Peggy studied the photos for a few minutes and then placed them down across the quilt. Josh smiled at his wife=s baffled expression. “Take a closer look, Peggy!”

AThe first one is a shot of Will, Nicole, and Steven Abbots standing by the entrance to Abbots= Lodge. That is strange, there is someone behind them but they are out of focus! The second is Anne sitting alone by the gazebo. What is so odd about that? The third photograph is Anne and her father.  Now why is Mike holding his arm up in such an odd way?. Josh drew Peggy tightly to him before answering her question. His eyes closed while he spoke.

AMark had been in all three photos but his image is gone now. Every photograph with Mark in it has disappeared except for the ones where Nicole is somehow in the frame and those are all out of focus. I don=t understand but there is a connection between Nicole and Mark.. Josh felt Peggy trembling in his arms. He kissed the nape of her neck. Peggy pulled from his embrace and backed away.

AMy God! That is why Anne=s burying an empty coffin. You both think that Mark might still be alive..

Josh sat heavily across the bed, burying his face in his hands. When he glanced up at Peggy, tears streamed from his eyes.

ANo,. he answered shaking his head. Peggy listened to him speaking, but each word came haltingly, painfully. They were epitaphs written in blood.

ASometimes at night, I can smell the grass, feel the ground beneath my feet wet with dew, the way it felt when I knelt by Mark=s body. I watched him die. I saw the devil=s talon slice him to the bone but he would not fall. Mark stood defiantly in front of him trying to protect Anne. He turned toward me, Peggy; Mark turned toward me and just smiled, as if he was trying to tell meY. >Don=t worry old friend, everything=s going to be all right.= Then the devil, Mesphisto, raked him across his chest and Mark fell. I heard Anne scream and raced over to Mark=s side. I knelt by him and raised his head in my hand. Mark glanced at me, lifted his arm and touched my collar. Anne knelt beside me, weeping hysterically. Slowly, he managed to tilt his head and face her. >I love you. I will always love you.= He said in a barely audible whisper. I gently lowered Mark=s head, reached over and closed his eyes..

Peggy leaned against Josh=s shoulder and whispered softly. AAfter the services for Mark, later, when everything=s quieted down, let=s sell the lodge and move away. We can start over somewhere where nobody knows us. Promise me, Josh..

Josh picked up the three photographs that Peggy had left across the quilt. Mark=s image was back inside each frame. He pocketed all three making certain she hadn’t noticed. He moved to the window; early risers and billowing sails filled the lake. AWe=ll leave here soon; I promise..

Josh drew the shade as Peggy stepped into the bathroom. He leaned across the dresser top and stared at his reflection. The face looking back was that of a man in his early thirties. He grabbed the frame and shook until the glass cracked.

Hearing someone knock, he opened the bedroom door. Nicole walked in, stared at him for a moment and then leaned against the wall. AYou can=t go to the service for Mark looking like that. Some of your old friends will be there. People who have known you since way back in the fifties. What will they think?.

AAbout Peggy and me not having aged? I am tired of the gray wigs and makeup. I am sick of pretending to be old..

Nicole stepped closer; her breath came out in a hiss.

AThen if you won=t do it for you, do it for Anne=s sake, for Mark. Just this one last time..

Opening the dresser drawer, Josh took out a silver wig and gold rimmed glasses. He put both on, spun and confronted her.

AYou don=t know what it=s like,. Josh said, then paused. ABeing young isn=t a blessing; it=s a curse. Peggy and I have watched most of our friends grow old and die. Maybe what Thomas Clayton Wolfe wrote is true ; maybe you can=t go home again..