David Ben Efraim

The Blackened Threshold David Ben Efraim

Once, we crossed the blackened threshold, and there was no turning back.

A not-so-ancient Evil has awakened for no apparent reason in the formerly-quaint town of Hollow Crest. Most people don't seem to notice or care, content with being swept up by the blossoming zeitgeist of mankind's destructive zeal. Most people aren't too bright.

Thankfully, there are still those who aren't most people, even if they're still comparably foolish: Jeremiah Baxter, stuck in a motionless and agonizing comfort; Naomi Wolfe, unsuccessful in closing her eyes on the inept builders of tomorrow; Roger Silver, self-appointed purveyor of cosmic knowledge and questionable meditation techniques.

United since childhood in their dissidence against a world they could never hope to change, the three friends find it in themselves to do the impossible and start paying attention to the world around them. Things are going downhill fast, and since, curiously enough, few are those who seem invested in doing anything about it, Jeremiah, Roger and Naomi find themselves shoved into the rare opportunity of accomplishing something worthwhile, albeit reluctantly.

Often misguided in their search for the root cause of the misery surrounding them, our heroes find themselves on a surrealistic collision course with the kind of enemy against which there is seemingly no recourse, an exponentially-growing threat with no end in sight. Their search for buried answers leads them back and forth, up and down through the town, as its life hangs by a thread. There is little optimism to be had about their chances, but then again, life has long-ago prepared them to deal with overwhelming odds and disappointment... or at least, it tried, and so will they.