Last Paragraphs of the Epilogue:
I deposited Lawrence Talbot’s journals and my own records of his life with the TMA in July 2016. Before leaving I took a last hike to the crevices north of Llanwelly, where Talbot alleged that he met The Dark One. The hike is not an easy one, and I will not be taking it again. The crevices are as imposing now as in 1946, and still occasionally claim the lives of careless tourists. On my return to the village, I passed the remains of the small chapel where Talbot last met his trusted servant, Wilton. The nearby cemetery, where Talbot’s mother is buried, is unrecognizable as anything but a flat field of tall grass. I found no villagers who know anything about the cemetery, but they told that the field is haunted.
Haunted too is the old Llanwelly cemetery. What Talbot knew as the cemetery is now called “the old part.” For more than 50 years, burials of Llanwellians have been in the west “new part,” and that is the only area that the locals visit.
The old cemetery has fallen into disrepair, no part more so than the Talbot Mausoleum. When Talbot last saw the structure in 1946, it was crumbling, and its disintegration continued over the years. The fine ladies of the Talbot Museum & Archive, so protective of all things Talbot, show no interest in the family’s final resting place.
Eventually, what could be found of the bodies of the Talbots—little more than dust—was removed and reburied in ‘the new part.” No names on those new graves, just a small area called “The Talbot Patch.” No one knows what became of the sarcophagus where Talbot claimed that his body lay for four years while he was in The Deep Darkness. Nor are the whereabouts of the fine sarcophagus directly beneath it—where Sir John Talbot entombed his first wife, Heather Hammond—known. These pieces of fine carved stone probably found their way to collectors.
The mausoleum structure was demolished some decades ago. Only a partial wall and doorway remain.
Before leaving, I looked for the old stone marker that once stood at the entrance of the cemetery. No trace of it remains. Lawrence Talbot first saw it at age 9, and mentions it in his journal:
HERE REST THE DEAD OF LLANWELLY
Maybe, like the Talbot Mausoleum, the marker simply fell to time, the elements, or a scavenger. Perhaps it was intentionally removed, for the village elders—like the fine ladies of the TMA—may know that not all the dead of Llanwelly are at rest.
A WEREWOLF REMEMBERS
The Testament of Lawrence Stewart Talbot
Table of Contents
Editor’s Preface
Talbot’s Testament 1
New Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Talbots of Llanwelly
Talbot’s Testament 2
Moon Flower
Talbot’s Testament 3
Traveler’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Talbots of America
Talbot’s Testament 4
River Moon
Talbot’s Testament 5
Trapper’s Moon
Talbot’s Testament 6
Hunter’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Death of Two Dreams
Talbot’s Testament 7
Mourning Moon
Talbot’s Testament 8
Gypsy Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Gypsies of Llanwelly
Talbot’s Testament 9
Baptismal Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Werewolves of Llanwelly
Talbot’s Testament 10
Destiny’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
Aftermath I
Talbot’s Testament 11
The First Eclipse
Editor’s Insert
Llanwelly & Cardiff, December 1918
Talbot’s Testament 12
Resurrection Moon
Talbot’s Testament 13
Wanderer’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Science of Lycanthropia
Talbot’s Testament 14
Scholar’s Moon
Talbot’s Testament 15
Restless Moon
Talbot’s Testament 16
The Second Eclipse
Editor’s Insert
Aftermath II
Talbot’s Testament 17
Monster Moon
Editor’s Insert
The Wizards of Goldstadt
Talbot’s Testament 18
Traitor’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
Aftermath III
Talbot’s Testament 19
The Third Eclipse
Talbot’s Testament 20
Lover’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
Aftermath IV
Talbot’s Testament 21
The Fourth Eclipse
Talbot’s Testament 22
Redemption Moon
Talbot’s Testament 23
Homecoming Moon
Editor’s Insert
Miliza Morelle
Talbot’s Testament 24
Heartbreak Moon
Talbot’s Testament 25
Vengeance Moon
Editor’s Insert
Selene Stewart Talbot
Talbot’s Testament 26
Survivor’s Moon
Talbot’s Testament 27
Sage Moon
Talbot’s Testament 28
Tracker’s Moon
Editor’s Insert
La Mirada, Florida, February 1948
Talbot’s Testament 29
Impatient Moon
Talbot’s Testament 30
Party Moon
Editor’s Insert
Crime Scene
Epilogue
The Last Full Moon, The Final Eclipse
Postscript
May They Live Eternally
Cast of Characters
Appendix
Can Vampires Be Photographed?