Mothman & Michelle

So there we were, driving through the West Virginia mountains on our way home from Virginia Beach, when it suddenly struck me why "Point Pleasant WV" sounded so familiar …

Yep, I'd accidentally found the hometown of Mothman, from our Cryptid Hunt solo puzzle gamebook!

We'd gotten there just before sundown, appropriately enough. And there was Mothman himself, looming over us in the dusk.

The legend goes that in the autumn of 1966, a malevolent specter emerged from the ruins of an abandoned munitions plant in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to terrorize the local community. Witnesses reported a towering, faceless entity with tattered wings, and two glowing crimson eyes. For thirteen months, this winged harbinger haunted the town, chasing cars and piercing the night with shrieks. Then on December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River, claiming forty-six lives, and the creature vanished into the darkness forever.

The unanswered question is whether Mothman caused the catastrophe, or came to warn the town? Either way, he now claims a corner of Point Pleasant's downtown, with his statue, a museum (with plushies!), escape room, and ice cream shop.

If you're ever in the area, it's worth a quick stop. Especially since you're likely driving over the new Silver Memorial Bridge as you pass by on US 35!

-Michelle Nephew
Atlas Games Co-Owner