It was an unusually cold evening for July on Vashon Island. The sea fog had rolled in early, creeping low over the beach grass and pine-covered hills like it was trying to hide something…
So begins Albert Allen III’s haunting and lyrical novel, The Mysterious Visitor of Vashon Island, a story as fog-wrapped and quietly unsettling as the island itself. In this first installment of our three-part feature on the book and its creator, we dive into the origins of a tale that feels like it was unearthed rather than invented.
Allen, a visual artist and author based in the Pacific Northwest, chose Vashon Island not by accident, but with deep intention. “I’ve always been drawn to places that feel like they exist slightly outside of time,” he tells us. “Vashon Island, or the Rock, is one of those rare locations… the island’s isolation and dense woods, its rich history and mythic quality, made it the perfect setting for a slow burn mystery with supernatural undertones.”
In The Mysterious Visitor, Vashon becomes more than a setting; it becomes a character. From the beam of Point Robinson Lighthouse to the eerie broadcast that interrupts Glenn Miller on a family radio, the story is full of moments that pulse with uncanny familiarity. Emma Sinclair, a brave and perceptive fourteen-year-old, and Hank Delaney, a weather-worn fisherman with a sixth sense for when things aren’t right, anchor the book with heart and humanity.
“The island is a character in the story,” Allen says. “Its rhythms, the way fog blankets the trees, the sound of the wind near Point Robinson—all influenced the pacing and mood. I paced the book like a tide coming in: subtle shifts until suddenly everything is underwater.”
The book opens in that in-between space, as fog creeps in and old routines begin to feel strange. A boat with no engine or oars arrives without sound. A radio sings in a language no one speaks. Something has come to Vashon, and it has stirred the very air.
But it isn’t just the paranormal that lives in these pages. Allen roots the story in memory and nostalgia for the 1940s, for family rituals, for island life itself. “What came naturally was writing about Emma and Tommy’s relationship,” he says of the young protagonists. “Their bravery, curiosity, and resilience reflect what I admire most in young people who find themselves in extraordinary situations.”
Allen’s goal? To evoke wonder, paranoia, nostalgia, and “the quiet dread that comes when something familiar turns strange.” It’s a book about trust and memory, about the things we overlook and the truths children often see before adults dare to.
Early readers from the island have told Allen the book feels “like a myth that could’ve really happened.” That’s no surprise. He walked the trails. He stood near the lighthouse. He soaked in the silence until fiction and soil were indistinguishable.
And what does Allen hope for? Something simple. Something perfect. “A dramatic reading at the lighthouse during a foggy evening, with projections of the orbs and the strange broadcast playing softly in the background,” he says. “But honestly, even just a group of teens reading it under blankets by flashlight would be a dream come true.”
In our next installment, we’ll delve deeper into the mystery and speak with Allen about the lore, transmissions, and childhood memories that have shaped the strange hum at the center of the story. But for now, the fog has rolled in. And if you stand very still, you might just hear something moving through it.
Author: Vashon Island
Vashon is an Island located between Tacoma and West Seattle. This account manages the vashon-maury.com website full on useful information for residents and visitors of the Island.
