Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein

beginnings of Wrangell, the bulk of which was around the bend. She remembered that there was a hotel just before town and she prayed that it was still open for business.
    The moon was out and the sky was clear. Jenna walked past the dark houses in silence, glancing around at her surroundings. Across from the dock there had been only a few houses, tucked into the trees and separated from each other. But as she approached town, the houses grew closer together. They all looked quite a bit alike: two stories, a covered porch, slat siding, tar shingles. Most were in pretty run-down condition. One, up ahead , was in terrible shape. It listed to one side; its windows were boarded; the paint was completely peeled. Jenna recognized it right away. It was her grandmother’s old house.
    She stopped before the house and examined it in the darkness. It had been abandoned for years, and it showed its age. Still, there was something distinctive about it. Jenna remembered when she had come up on the ferry in high school. Then, as now, the ferry had gotten in at night. Jenna’s grandmother was sitting in her nightgown on the front porch, waiting for Jenna to arrive. How creepy it was, those many years ago, to approach the house and see a white-haired old lady sitting in a metal rocking chair talking to herself. Jenna had felt very uneasy at the time, a feeling that was echoed now for no apparent reason. For Jenna’s grandmother was dead. And the house was dead, too. Sitting empty for nearly a decade.
    The old woman from the ferry was catching up with Jenna. It was slow going for her, with all of her luggage. She had ingeniously clipped the straps of her two duffle bags together, and she was dragging them behind her like a train. Still, she labored under her load and Jenna felt compelled to offer to help.
    “Are you going far?” she called out to the old woman. ”I could help you with your bags.”
    The woman paused and looked up. She considered the offer for a moment and then pointed straight ahead.
    “Up to the city dock,” she croaked.
    Jenna grabbed the handles of the two duffels and tried to lift them, but she quickly realized why the old woman was dragging them. They were tremendously heavy. So Jenna took hold of the straps and began to drag the bags after the old woman.
    The two of them moved up the street in silence. Soon, Front Street opened up into a kind of square. Ahead, off to the left, Jenna could see Main Street and its stores. Directly to the right, built out over the water on pilings, was a large, dark building, which they headed toward. As they passed it, Jenna saw a sign that said “Stikine Inn,” and she was relieved that it looked open. They continued another twenty yards to the edge of the water and then onto another dock that projected out into a bay. The old woman stopped.
    “I’ll wait here for my son.”
    Jenna let go of the strap. Her arm suddenly felt light, and she was relieved to be done with her task. She leaned back against the railing.
    “Thank you for your help,” the old woman said.
    “Is that all?”
    The old woman nodded. In the darkness, Jenna tried to look at the old woman’s face, but it was hidden in the shadows.
    “Well, you’re welcome,” Jenna said, gathering herself. ”I guess I’m going to try to get a room.”
    “You’re staying at the hotel?” the woman asked quickly.
    Jenna nodded. “I’m hoping to.”
    “It’s a nice hotel. You’ll have to ring the bell to wake up Earl, though. It’s late.”
    “I just ring the bell?”
    The old woman nodded.
    “Breakfast is free. Eggs cost extra.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “If you want eggs with breakfast, they cost extra. I always eat eggs at breakfast.”
    “That’s nice,” Jenna said. The woman didn’t appear altogether with it. A little scattered and distracted.
    “Is this as far as you’re going?” Jenna asked. The dock didn’t seem like a final destination. That, and the woman’s strangeness prompted Jenna’s