Where the Skinman Roams

A MYSTERIOUS CREATURE HAS RECENTLY EMERGED IN THE ISOLATED BACKWOODS TOWN OF CROPPER, ALABAMA; A SHAPESHIFTING TROUBLEMAKING ENTITY THE TOWNSFOLK HAVE CHRISTENED THE SKINMAN. WHO IS HE, WHY IS HE THERE, WHAT DOES HE WANT; THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, BUT… HOW ABOUT THIS QUESTION – IS THEIR SO-CALLED SKINMAN REAL? DOES HE EXIST, PHYSICALLY? OR IS HE A SYMBOLIC MANIFESTATION THE TOWNSFOLK COLLECTIVELY CONJURED UP AS A PAWN ON WHICH TO BLAME A RECENT SPATE OF CRIME AND OTHER ASSORTED ODDITIES PLAGUING THE TYPICALLY EVER-SO-MELLOW SMALL TOWN OF CROPPER?

OR COULD IT BE THAT CROPPER ITSELF IS WHAT DOESN’T EXIST, AT LEAST ON THIS LEVEL OF REALITY? WHAT OF THAT VAST AND MAGNIFICENT UNDERGROUND LABORATORY THAT NO ONE IN TOWN KNOWS ABOUT? COULD IT BE THE AFTEREFFECTS OF THE EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED DOWN THERE ARE CAUSING THINGS TO GO HAYWIRE ABOVEGROUND? IT SEEMS THEY ARE OPENING DOORS TO AMAZING AND PHANTASMIC POSSIBILITIES, AND DISCOVERING THINGS LONG CONSIDERED UNATTAINABLE.

DOES THE ARRIVAL OF THE SKINMAN COINCIDE WITH ANY OF THIS?

CONSIDER WHO LIVES IN THIS SMALL OUT-OF-THE-WAY TOWN, AND CONSIDER THE TOWN ITSELF:

A PREACHER WITH MULTIPLE DEGREES IN THE SCIENCES AND A GENIUS-LEVEL IQ. AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO BELIEVES THE RAIN IS CONTAMINATED AND MILK IS POISONOUS, AND WHO SPREADS DOOM AND GLOOM LIKE RANCID BUTTER ON MOLDY BREAD WHEREVER SHE GOES. THREE BROTHERS AS EVIL AS ANY MEN CAN BE WITHOUT ACTUALLY BEING OF THE DEVIL’S OWN JISM. TWO COLLEGE BOYS WHO STUMBLE UPON AN AMAZING ANOMALY WHILE ENJOYING SPRING BREAK. A WOMAN WITH THE ABILITY TO SEE THINGS AS THEY REALLY ARE, ANOTHER WOMAN WHO KNOWS OF THINGS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN; BOTH UNAWARE OF HOW TO USE THESE GIFTS (OR CURSES). AN AGING EX-TRUCKER/PRESENT-DAY COP WHO HAS SEEN FIRSTHAND THE DARK UGLY UNDERBELLY OF GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTS GONE WRONG. A SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO PEES THE BED WHEN HE DREAMS ABOUT MONSTERS AND DRIES HIS SHEETS OUT IN THE SUN, SO HIS MOTHER DOESN’T FIND OUT. AND SO MANY MORE…

A TOWN BUILT UPON A CORRUPT BARGAIN AND THEN LEFT FORGOTTEN BY THE REST OF THE NATION. A TOWN SO SECLUDED THERE IS BUT ONE ROAD IN (AND OUT), AND THAT ROAD IS UNFINDABLE UNLESS ONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE TO LOOK FOR IT. A TOWN WHERE MOST ARE POOR, UNEDUCATED, DRINKING FOLK WHO DON’T HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN THEIR LIVES. A TOWN LACKING ONE OF THE MOST BASIC ASPECTS OF HUMAN NECESSITY. A TOWN COMPLETELY CUT OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND, FOR ALL ITS FAULTS, STILL EVERY BIT THE BETTER FOR IT. A TOWN WITH THREE BARS THAT WOULD BE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND THE OWNERS PROSECUTED WERE THEY ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. A TOWN WITH AN INCREDIBLE SECRET KNOWN BY LESS THAN TEN OUT OF ITS 900 RESIDENTS.

ARE SOME OF THESE RESIDENTS SLIDING BETWEEN REALITIES?

IS THIS THE END OF DAYS? IF SO, IS IT HUMANKIND’S WORLD WAR 3 OR GOD AND SATAN’S BATTLE OF [AT] ARMAGEDDON? OR BOTH, WITH ONE TRIGGERING THE OTHER?

WHO KNOWS THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS?

THE SKINMAN MIGHT KNOW, BUT WE SURE DON’T…