I thought In The Black Mill was a mysterious and thought provoking story. The story tells the tale of a young professor in archeology and his gruesome adventure in solving the mystery of the Black Mill. The story begins with an explanation of his presence in Plunkettsburg. He is interested in studying an Indian culture called Miskahannocks, and there is a mound site close to Plunkettsburg. As the story goes on the prof. loses interest in the site and becomes more curious about the looming black mill that stands in the city. It seems that half the men have lost parts of their bodies in the mill but are very ambiguous about the work they do in the mill. After a thwarted attempt to gain access into the mill, the prof. goes back to his digging. He eventually finds a secret cavern in one of the mounds and discovers that the Queens of the Miskahannocks are alive and eating the flesh of men. He also confirms his theory that the Miskahannocks worship a higher being (hunger) at the cost of his life. One thing I noticed was that the professor's name is never mentioned, perhaps the ambiguity makes it easier for the reader to put himself in the professor's place. Also, I think that it's funny that the prof. makes a cannibalism joke in the beginning of the story, foreshadowing the sinister conclusion of the tale. Also, Uncle Ed provided several bouts of foreshadowing with his warnings to the prof; one with the mind-control beer, and the other by sabotaging his digging site. Dexter's role in the story is pretty tragic. The two questions at the end leave you thinking about all the horrifying possibilities of what the mill produces and receives now that we know what goes on in the mill. It really makes the story have a lasting effect.