“No, I’m OK. But how do you know I’m not going to end up like her?”
There was a pause. “There’s a big difference between you and her. You’re accepting it… you’re not trying to fight it. You’re much more like Mary.”
I nodded to myself; he was making sense. Of a kind.
“And anyway, you seem to get the nice ghosts.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are we really going to call them ‘ghosts’? I quite like spectres, or spirits.”
“Whenever I hear spirits my mind immediately jumps to vodka.”
I cut him off, trying not to laugh. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“I guess we could call the good ones spectres. Like the Woman in the Tree.”
I interrupted him. “Elizabeth.”
“Right, Elizabeth. She was such a nice little spectre that she tried to save your life. Did save your life; if she hadn’t made me turn off my music…”
“That’s true.” I shivered at the thought of what could have happened.
“Look, Powers, you’re not going to let this take over your life, you’re too smart. And if you start to get stupid, you know I’ll slap you until you see sense.”
I smiled. “Well, that’s always good to know. Thanks, Will.”
“No problem.”
I hung up and took a deep breath, thinking about what Will had just said. Elizabeth had tried to save me - had saved me - and I owed her. I just didn’t know how on earth I was supposed to pay back her kindness when she was a spectre.
A few minutes later I was heading up to the castle - now back to its boring pre-Fright Fest state - and I walked round and found the hole at the back. It seemed like so long ago that I was standing here with Connor, wondering if he was the someone I should be scared of. I laughed the thought away; there wasn’t anyone less scary than Connor. Apart from maybe Will.
Turning round, I faced the trees, trying to figure out which part of the forest I’d entered.
Even in the daylight it seemed ominous, and I knew it would be a long time before I came anywhere near here at night again. I walked to where I thought I’d started my mad run and then carried on into the woods.
Before long I came across the scene of the attempted crime. There was still police tape stuck in the ground surrounding where the hole was (it had all been dug out now), and it reminded me of the black and white photo of the tree with police tape wrapped around the trunk.
I managed a little laugh; nothing much changed in Little Forest.
I found the tree that Norman had backed Connor and me into (my stomach fluttering as I remembered that terrible moment), and then looked beyond it to see the large hollow tree standing on its own, it too surrounded by police tape. I walked over to it warily, not sure of what, if anything, I’d find there.
I hesitated when I got to the tree, remembering what I’d seen when I’d last looked into it, and then quickly peered in the hollow. I half expected Elizabeth’s head to pop up, and I laughed at my own stupidity; of course, there was nothing there. I felt the rough bark of the trunk and tried to think what it would have been like for that group of boys to find her here. I shivered.
Looking around at the other trees and the hole, everything came flooding back. I had to hold in the tears as I relived the moment I turned my back to Norman, absolutely certain I was about to die.
I felt slightly sick and light-headed knowing that I owed my life to a woman who died almost three quarters of a century ago, but standing there in the woods, next to the place her body was discovered, I knew it was true.
No one ever found out who she was. Well, I was going to try. I didn’t know how, but I owed her that much. I turned back to the tree, resting my hand on it.
Peering into the dark hole again, I whispered the two words that I hoped would somehow find their way back to Elizabeth: “Thank you.”
I turned round in time to see the police tape fly from the ground and into the air, and my stomach lurched as I watched it dance in the wind.
There was only one problem with this picture, however; there wasn’t any wind. There hadn’t even been a single breeze since I’d ventured into the woods.
I started backing away from the disturbing but graceful movements of the blue and white strip of plastic and then stopped. As I stood watching the tape’s unlikely ballet I realised that I wasn’t scared. Will was right; why should I be frightened of someone who had tried to help me?
I took a deep breath before whispering, “Elizabeth?” into the cold autumn air. The piece of plastic immediately lurched in an almost violent movement and the end of the tape flew upwards a good ten feet.
I laughed in amazement. At the same time, my phone went off, and the tape abruptly stopped its vertical journey and started floating towards the ground. I stared at it for a minute until it had landed on the soil and then slowly got my phone out of my pocket, still in a slight daze.
The message was from Veronica: ‘Get back to the Diner. Little Forest Investigations needs a gazer. First meeting in 15 mins. V xx’. Smiling, I looked back at the tape. This Scooby Doo idea of Veronica’s might not be so stupid after all, and I knew exactly what should be our first ‘case’; finding out Elizabeth’s real identity was the least I could do for her. Finding her killer would be even better.
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I took one last glance at the now motionless police tape.
I supposed that the tape - like Doris’s victims - would soon get covered in soil and dirt and the debris of the forest, ultimately taking up its final resting place in the woods, waiting to be discovered by the next generation of curious residents, it too becoming legend.
I smiled as I walked off towards the village I called home, thinking about everything I’d learned the past couple of months.
I have a feeling there’s a hell of a lot more to come: more things I haven’t even begun to understand or conceive of, more secrets lurking in dark and dusty corners, more spectres I’ve yet to meet.
After all, sooner or later, everything becomes just another ghost story.
Impossible is just an excuse.
At least now I know the truth.
I can finally accept it.
Still, part of me will always wonder… would I rather go back to not knowing? To thinking that bumps in the night were just the creaking of a tired house, that flickers in the corner of my eye were just my over-active imagination?
Would I give back my newly-gained horrific knowledge, knowledge that keeps me awake every single night, and go back to being blissfully ignorant and - consequently - bored out of my mind?
It’s a tough call.
I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that one.
Want a Free Book?
Did you enjoy The Former World?
If you sign up to my mailing list, you can get the second in the series - Memento Mori - absolutely free, as well as the opportunity to hear about my new releases and exclusive Readers’ Group competitions. How’s that for a bargain?
Acknowledgements
There have been a few key people who have helped me enormously on my quest to write my first novel, and I want to say a big thank you to all of them: Lauren Hughes, for her enthusiasm and encouragement in all things literary, and for being the first person I let loose on The Former World. Jamie Barnett, for her expertise on the lovely subject of decomposing bodies, and for proving that you don’t need to physically meet a person for them to be a huge help. Ruth Fry, for letting me ramble to her about storylines-in-progress. David Coleman, my brother, for his help with all things technical, and for answering my endless website-related queries. Creative Paramita, for the wonderful book cover design. And last but not least, Vicki Marshall, for her brilliant editing skills, and for pointing out my plot holes from the other side of the world.
About The Author
Jessica Grace Coleman was born in Stafford, England and raised in the nearby village of Little Haywood, a quaint English location that would later be remodelled into B
eth Powers’ home village in the Little Forest novels.
She studied Film Studies and American Studies at the University of Sussex in Brighton, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for a year as part of her course. A big fan of travelling, she has road tripped around North America and backpacked across China, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Jessica has so far self-published five books in the Little Forest series: The Former World, Memento Mori, The Exalted, Carnival Masquerade and The Gloaming. She has also released her first short story collection, Grown By The Wicked Moon, featuring 14 weird and wonderful tales, as well as her non-fiction titles, Creative Ways To Start Creative Writing, Volumes 1, 2 & 3.
You can find out more about Jessica, her available books, and her works in progress at her website: www.jessicagracecoleman.com and you can contact her at
[email protected]. You can also sign up for her mailing list - where you’ll be first to hear about her new releases and reader competitions - at www.jessicagracecoleman.com.
This is a Darker Times book - www.darkertimes.co.uk
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
Memento Mori
A Little Forest Novel
Beth Powers is twenty-one, single, and lives in the traditional English village of Little Forest. She has a sister, a great group of friends, and a steady, if slightly boring, job. Oh, and she can see dead people.
Beth’s home village isn’t exactly normal, either, and a Memento Mori art exhibition showcasing Victorian photos of the dead is the catalyst for a whole new set of problems for the Little Forest Investigations team. Who was the dead woman who saved Beth’s life last Hallowe’en? Why do spectres keep getting drawn to Beth’s house? And what does it all have to do with the imprisoned murderer, Norman Carter?
Join Beth and the LFI gang in this Little Forest novel as they delve deeper into the Former World, seeking out spectres as they try and unlock the dark secrets surrounding their village, their lives, and their deaths.
Memento Mori (Little Forest Book Two) is now available from online bookstores.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
The Exalted
A Little Forest Novel
Beth Powers is twenty-one, single, and lives in the traditional English village of Little Forest. She has a sister, a great group of friends, and a steady, if slightly boring, job. Oh, and she can see dead people.
Along with the Little Forest Investigations team, Beth is on a mission to help the lost spectres that keep getting drawn back to Cherry Tree House, but as usual, it isn’t all plain sailing. Who was the leader of the brainwashing cult, ‘The Exalted’? Why are residents of the village acting stranger than usual? And what does it all have to do with the events of 1921?
As if this wasn’t enough, Beth has to deal with a fake medium who has just set up shop in the area, manipulating those around him and throwing up the important question: should people know about life after death?
Join Beth and the LFI gang in this Little Forest novel as they explore myths, magic and mediums in their home village and try to discover the truth about the Former World.
The Exalted (Little Forest Book Three) is now available from online bookstores.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
Carnival Masquerade
A Little Forest Novel
Beth Powers is twenty-one, single, and lives in the traditional English village of Little Forest. She has a sister, a great group of friends, and a steady, if slightly boring, job. Oh, and she can see dead people.
Like many other village residents, Beth is intrigued by the circus which has just set up shop on Willowton Common: ‘Doctor Blackout’s Magnificent Masquerade Carnival’ is certainly bringing in the locals, but there’s something not quite right about the whole set up, including the elusive Doctor Blackout himself.
Throw in a couple of spectres who hold a personal grudge against the reluctant gazer, plus a best friend who’s acting extremely oddly, and Beth has more to deal with than she can handle on her own.
Join Beth and the LFI gang in this Little Forest novel as they battle against the forces of evil, some bored spectres, and even one of their best friends. The Former World has never been so deadly.
Carnival Masquerade (Little Forest Book Four) is now available from online bookstores.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
The Gloaming
A Little Forest Novel
Beth Powers is a pretty normal twenty-one year old woman. She has a sister, a great group of friends, and a steady - if slightly boring - job. She lives in the traditional English village of Little Forest. Oh, and she can see dead people.
When the Little Forest Investigations gang get a request from an Irish gazer in trouble, Connor jumps at the chance to go back to his homeland, and soon, the whole LFI team find themselves in rural Ireland. It’s cute, it’s quaint, and it’s jam-packed full of dead people.
It isn’t until they return back to England, however, that things really start to heat up. Covershire County’s dark past. Unfortunately for them, they’re about to experience the darkness first-hand, as it seems that Beth didn’t exactly leave Ireland empty-handed…
Join Beth and the rest of the LFI gang in this Little Forest novel as they continue their quest to help the spectres of the Former World, dealing with madmen, witches, and unwanted visitors on the way.
The Gloaming (Little Forest Book Five) is now available from online bookstores.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
Creative Ways To Start Creative Writing
Volumes 1, 2 & 3
Do you love writing but find it hard to get in the ‘zone’? Do you love the idea of being creative but find it difficult to get in the creative mood? Do you procrastinate instead of being productive?
If so, then this book is for you. It is several things in one: some tips on how to start thinking about writing, some recommendations for apps and programs that will help you on your way, and - hopefully - a kick up the arse that so many writers (including me) often need.
I know how hard it is to start a creative project. I’ve been there, and I’ve been there so many times that I’ve found a whole heap of different ways to get myself into that zone, some of which can be really fun.
So what are you waiting for? The sooner you get reading, the sooner you can start getting creative.
Creative Ways To Start Creative Writing Volumes 1-3 are now available from online bookstores.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Also Available from Jessica Grace Coleman
Grown By The Wicked Moon
A Short Story Collection
‘Grown By The Wicked Moon’ is the first short story collection from Staffordshire writer Jessica Grace Coleman (author of the Little Forest series of mystery novels), and features 14 weird and wonderful tales.
This book delves into the dark lives (and deaths) of a wide range of characters, with a little bit of horror, a dash of fantasy and a pinch of humour thrown in for good measure. It will take you from a seemingly doomed girl lost in the woods to a disturbing business transaction, from a writer whose made up characters are a little too realistic to a spurned woman on a mission, from a mysterious hero in a small town to a bored ghost who finds out that death isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Whether you read this collection as a whole or dip in and out whenever you want to read a short snippet of spookiness, there’s a story for everyone. All of these tales have elements of darkness in them, and all of them were written on cold, gloomy, wintry evenings, where they were cultivated under the steady gaze of the
black night sky. These stories were grown by the wicked moon.
For more details, check out my site at www.jessicagracecoleman.com
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends