The Stone of Blood

• Part One
  
• One
  
• Two
  
• Three
  
• Four
  
• Five
  
• Six
  
• Seven
  
• Eight
  
• Nine
  
• Part Two
  
• Ten
  
• Eleven
  
• Twelve
  
• Thirteen
  
• Fourteen
  
• Fifteen
  
• Sixteen
  
• Seventeen
  
• Eighteen
  
• Nineteen
  
• Part Three
  
• Twenty
  
• Twenty One
  
• Twenty Two
  
• Twenty Three
  
• Twenty Four
  
• Twenty Five
  
• Twenty Six
  
• Twenty Seven
  
• Twenty Eight
  
• Twenty Nine
  
• Afterthought’s from the Author
  
• References:
  

Copyright © 2012 Tony Nalley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, of the publisher.

In dedication to and in honor of …my son Shaun …for his inspiration …my mother, my father, my sister, and my family for their love and support. And for my grandfather, for without whom none of this would have ever been possible.

And with special thanks to Carol Lance, for her insight, integrity and editing of my manuscript.

In a world where myth gives rise to legend, and history veils the truth …a charming and imaginative young boy named Toby and his resourceful cousin Colby uncover a dark secret buried deep beneath the grounds of an abandoned rock quarry near the woods!

Join them on their exciting adventures in this fascinating coming of age story as they suddenly discover the astonishing truths about their world! Truths that will change their lives forever!

Table of Contents

Part One | Beginnings

One | The Ghost of the Confederate Soldier

Two | The Halls of the Old Tavern

Three | In the Shadows of a Great Dark Cloud

Four | Words of Silence

Five | Innocent Blood

Six | By a Single Candle’s Light

Seven | Of Higher Purpose

Eight | Wrought with Great Passage

Nine | Burning Embers

Part Two | Awakenings

Ten | That Unforgiving Sky

Eleven | Back Into the Mountain

Twelve | A Thirst for Knowledge

Thirteen | Essence of the Past

Fourteen | Of Blood or Name

Fifteen | Seemingly Overnight and Unnoticed

Sixteen | How We Survived

Seventeen | Sunlight Rising Upon the Waters

Eighteen | Through Tangled Woods

Nineteen | Of Witches Ghosts and Werewolves

Part Three | Providence

Twenty | The Depths of My Darkness

Twenty One | Once Upon a Time

Twenty Two | Of Faith and Chime

Twenty Three | Uncharted Territory

Twenty Four | Crescent Moon

Twenty Five | A Stone in the Road

Twenty Six | Beneath these Earthly Grounds

Twenty Seven | When I Almost Died

Twenty Eight | Autumn Leaves

Twenty Nine | Blood Moon

Afterthoughts | From the Author

References:

From the Author
:

I have been talking about sitting down and writing this book for a very long time. I have used so many excuses as to why I hadn’t completed it yet. Excuses like getting married, getting divorced, raising my son or any number of other reasons related to not having the time to do it! But I find that as I get older, the days get shorter and time passes by more quickly. And as we are all only given a finite amount of time to walk upon the earth, I found that I had to just put my pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard as it were, before
my time was through.

I wasn’t a bad kid growing up. At least as long as you don’t ask my sister! But I was a kid like any other, whose stories and adventures were just as important to me as any of those found in a Mark Twain novel or in a Saturday afternoon matinee! Maybe they are not as fanciful with magical horses or buried pirate treasure, but they are just as worthy of bein’ told!

My grandpa’s stories are the main reason and focus of this book; the idea for it came from cassette tapes that I had recorded of him some thirty-five years ago. The stories within the chapter titled ‘Of Witches Ghosts and Werewolves’ are his. They were either told to him or he experienced them himself. He passed them on to me, and now I pass them on to you. I don’t believe that anyone else in the whole world either recorded his telling of them or wrote them down for others to enjoy.

And because of this, I am very blessed to share these with you now upon these pages.

This book itself was written to compliment the telling of my grandfather’s stories. I wanted them to be read in the same context as they were originally told; from my perspective at the time, a time when my imaginations were as real to me as my physical existence. While I based many of the events and characters within these pages upon real people and real life adventures, they are nothing more than a creative blend of fantasy mixed with truth; to add that touch of destiny that we all carry with us …whether we believe we do or not.
History is often written from the point of view of its writer. Thereby truth becomes intermingled with beliefs, myths and legends, leaving it to the reader to ascertain the difference.

For it is written that within all of us lies a destiny. Perhaps my destiny was to write this story, while yours …is to read it.
– Tony Nalley

Preface: