Excerpt

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     “Rumors about the phenomenon were spreading like sparks in a forest fire. Within a few months the number of deaths reported to have been preceded by an ear-splitting headache and the sound of bells had grown exponentially. And the curious phenomenon had acquired a name. The Harbinger in stark black capital letters began appearing on billboards from San Diego to the base of the grapevine.

     The mere idea that one’s death would be foretold unnerved people. It cracked the foundation of their beliefs and challenged the accepted order of things. It focused the mind on death and sent a chill up spines all the way to Santa Barbara. The Harbinger turned the laid-back culture of Southern California into an unfamiliar, apprehensive place.

     The scuttlebutt about the Harbinger morphed as people glided from one theory to another. Perhaps the harsh sound killed the victims.  Perhaps the deaths occurred when victims became distracted or suicidal. Perhaps it was the beginning of the rapture although it bore little resemblance to the instantaneous event believers were expecting. Perhaps it was due to any of a thousand explanations which rose and fell on the tides of social media splashing hard against the bulwark of organized religion.”