The Ghost Train - Preview
A Gothic Fairy Tale of the horror of evil and the power of love…
Read on to preview the opening chapter of The Ghost Train:
Chapter I
A Visit on Halloween
Sometimes, people wear the patterns of their lives on their faces, like a mask that reveals rather than hides who you are. Behind every one of those masks is a story. Often, there is far more behind that mask than you ever imagine, more to their story than you can see on the surface, much like the mysteries and enchantments that hide within the depths of the forest.
On the edge of such a vast and mysterious forest, an old man lived alone in a small cottage. On his face, he wore loneliness.
The old man’s granddaughter worried about him. Each time she spoke to him, he seemed to have become a little sadder. Having her two children in her life had helped her through many hard times, so she suggested to her granddad they stay with him for the school holiday, hoping they would help him, too.
They arrived on Halloween. The sun was shining, low in the sky, as they bounded off the train and ran to their Great Grandpa. His granddaughter watched him smile and knew she’d made the right decision. She unloaded their luggage and hugged all three of them goodbye, then left on the train. Through the window, she watched as Great Grandpa took Chloe and Lewis by the hands to take them home to his little cottage, both pulling a small suitcase behind them.
Once they had unpacked, they wrapped up in coats to keep out the autumn chill and went for a walk. Chloe and Lewis sprinted through the orange and brown leaves that covered the woodland paths, whooping with joy, kicking the leaves high in the air and watching them float to the ground like confetti.
They visited the nearby pumpkin patch and picked the biggest pumpkins they could find. Returning home, Great Grandpa helped them carve their jack o’lanterns, first scooping out their insides and then cutting spooky faces through their orange skin. When it got dark, they lit candles inside them and placed them on the windowsills to watch the fields that stretched for miles under the starry sky.
Great Grandpa cooked them tea and they played games in front of the fire. Though it was already past their bedtime, he agreed to read to them on the promise they would get ready for bed first. They excitedly changed into their pyjamas – covered in ghosts and skeletons and Frankenstein’s monsters – and settled at the foot of his armchair, clutching mugs of hot chocolate that overflowed with cream and marshmallows. As Great Grandpa read them stories of witches and ghouls and headless horsemen, he realised he felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long long time. He felt happy. Chloe and Lewis were thawing the pain that had frozen around his heart.
“Great Grandpa?” Lewis suddenly asked. “Who is the pretty lady in the photo on the fireplace?”
“That’s your Great Grandma, Lewis.”
“Why isn’t she old like you, Great Grandpa?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“She disappeared before she could get old,” Great Grandpa finally said.
“What happened?” Chloe butted in, as she crawled up and put her arm around the old man, seeing the sadness deepen in his eyes.
Great Grandpa patted the other arm of the chair for Lewis to sit beside him. He began to tell his story, remembering it like it was only yesterday,
“The last time I saw your Great Grandma, it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago this very day. Halloween…”
___
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Monday!
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Read on to preview the opening chapter of The Ghost Train:
Chapter I
A Visit on Halloween
Sometimes, people wear the patterns of their lives on their faces, like a mask that reveals rather than hides who you are. Behind every one of those masks is a story. Often, there is far more behind that mask than you ever imagine, more to their story than you can see on the surface, much like the mysteries and enchantments that hide within the depths of the forest.
On the edge of such a vast and mysterious forest, an old man lived alone in a small cottage. On his face, he wore loneliness.
The old man’s granddaughter worried about him. Each time she spoke to him, he seemed to have become a little sadder. Having her two children in her life had helped her through many hard times, so she suggested to her granddad they stay with him for the school holiday, hoping they would help him, too.
They arrived on Halloween. The sun was shining, low in the sky, as they bounded off the train and ran to their Great Grandpa. His granddaughter watched him smile and knew she’d made the right decision. She unloaded their luggage and hugged all three of them goodbye, then left on the train. Through the window, she watched as Great Grandpa took Chloe and Lewis by the hands to take them home to his little cottage, both pulling a small suitcase behind them.
Once they had unpacked, they wrapped up in coats to keep out the autumn chill and went for a walk. Chloe and Lewis sprinted through the orange and brown leaves that covered the woodland paths, whooping with joy, kicking the leaves high in the air and watching them float to the ground like confetti.
They visited the nearby pumpkin patch and picked the biggest pumpkins they could find. Returning home, Great Grandpa helped them carve their jack o’lanterns, first scooping out their insides and then cutting spooky faces through their orange skin. When it got dark, they lit candles inside them and placed them on the windowsills to watch the fields that stretched for miles under the starry sky.
Great Grandpa cooked them tea and they played games in front of the fire. Though it was already past their bedtime, he agreed to read to them on the promise they would get ready for bed first. They excitedly changed into their pyjamas – covered in ghosts and skeletons and Frankenstein’s monsters – and settled at the foot of his armchair, clutching mugs of hot chocolate that overflowed with cream and marshmallows. As Great Grandpa read them stories of witches and ghouls and headless horsemen, he realised he felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long long time. He felt happy. Chloe and Lewis were thawing the pain that had frozen around his heart.
“Great Grandpa?” Lewis suddenly asked. “Who is the pretty lady in the photo on the fireplace?”
“That’s your Great Grandma, Lewis.”
“Why isn’t she old like you, Great Grandpa?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“She disappeared before she could get old,” Great Grandpa finally said.
“What happened?” Chloe butted in, as she crawled up and put her arm around the old man, seeing the sadness deepen in his eyes.
Great Grandpa patted the other arm of the chair for Lewis to sit beside him. He began to tell his story, remembering it like it was only yesterday,
“The last time I saw your Great Grandma, it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago this very day. Halloween…”
___
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Monday!
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
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