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Sunday, August 4, 2024

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Haunted House Version

 

 
Image by Dee from Pixabay
 
This week's question from Long and Short Reviews asks whether I'd stay in a haunted house.
 
 
I have, but not your stereotypical haunted house like the one pictured above. The haunted house in question was an ordinary suburban home. The spirit was not malevolent, and yes, I did see him. I'm not prone to seeing ghosts, but I saw this one very clearly. I tend not to talk about it because people usually fob me off when I try.
 
Anyway, the haunted house question brought my story Prodigal Moon to mind. I describe the protagonist Valentins' house in some detail, but never really describe his (vampire) friend Deborah's house. I imagine it's on the old and weathered side, but I don't imagine it has large fruit bats flying around outside it. The story is set in a fictional small town in Massachusetts. 
 
Although Prodigal Moon contains some romantic elements, it's really more of a buddy story. Valentins and Deborah are platonic friends. The romance happens between Deborah's brother Nasim and Norwegian exchange student Intan. 
 
Here is an excerpt.
 

It was the best summer that Valentins ever had. He and Deborah painted figurines and drafted plans for a complete haunted village. They played board games and watched dumb late-night movies. They went to the graveyard and played tag among the tombstones. One night they sat on the edge of Choral Beck, the stream that ran through the Cheating Growth, until the sky turned pink around the edges and Deborah said that she needed to hurry home.

“If I’m out after sunrise, I’m toast,” she exclaimed dramatically. “You’d probably better get home too. I wouldn’t want you to get grounded.”

Valentins scurried after Deborah as she ran swiftly and silently at astounding speed. 

If you're interested in reading more of the story, you can purchase a copy of the Wayward and Upward anthology.

Buy Link:

https://www.offtopicshop.com/

Price:

5.99 CAD Ebook

25 CAD Paperback

You can get a copy by signing up for C. L. Hart's newsletter.

https://bookhip.com/DRHDFJA

You can purchase a copy through Odysee for 330 LBC (approximately 96 cents).

https://odysee.com/@naughtynetherworldpress:d/Prodigal-Moon---Cara-Hartley:7?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

You can read with Ream Stories by subscribing to either the Nyarlathotep's Library or Whole Enchilada tiers. For $5 per month, Nyarlathotep's Library gives you access to complete stories in the dark fantasy and horror categories as well as WIP chapters. For $10 per month,The Whole Enchilada gives you access to stories from all genres including nonfiction train wrecks by Cara H, the mad ramblings of C. L. Hart, Lil DeVille's spicy creations, and Ornery Owl's poetry.

https://reamstories.com/naughtynetherworldpress?storyKey=lze75qdnj8

 



2 comments:

Tina Donahue said...

Prodigal Moon sounds great, C.L. Love the premise. :)

Snapdragon said...

I do not like snarky people that talk people down about seeing a ghost. Which is why I keep a middle ground. I do not know what you saw or didn't. I was there. It is interesting that you experience something and neat that it inspire you to write a story.