EXCERPT
She heard it again.
The same time as last Friday night.
Three taps at her front door.
Lizzie muted the television,
tossed the blanket off of her body and scurried out of bed. She slipped her
robe over her shoulders and tied it securely, determined to find out who in the
world would knock at her door at three in the morning. By the time she had
reached the door the week previous, no one was there. The street had been dark
and still.
It had to be a mistake. She
had only recently closed sale on the long abandoned funeral home, determined to
restore it to its once former glory. She had only been living in the upstairs
flat for a few weeks.
As she hurried down the
staircase, each step beneath her feet creaked in protest. There was no one
visible through the peephole. She unchained the door and opened it just enough
to peek around it.
No one was there, just like the previous week.
The street was dark and
quiet. Not even the whisper of a wind could be detected. Only the cold dampness
of the October night raised a chill on her skin.
Who was playing this weekly
joke on her? Could it be the ghosts of some departed soul who had passed
through the halls of Nichols Funeral Home sometime during the past century? A
small smile crossed her lips as she prepared to close and lock the door. She
was a third generation Funeral Director. Did
she now believe in ghosts?
Before the door could close,
a hand poked into the slight space and seized her wrist. A cry rose in her
throat and she jerked backward, but the hand held tight and the door flung
open.
The man emerged, shrouded in
darkness. He was an ethereal creature, tall, and dressed in anonymous black.
Only a streetlight glowed behind him.
“I’m home,” he announced.
BUY LINK
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie-Nicole
Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her
passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian
era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love
of hockey to being born in Russia.
She
currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to
her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
Visit
Natalie-Nicole online at
Website:
http://www.natalienicolebates.com.
Twitter: @BatesNatalie
2 comments:
Thank you so much for featuring Antique Charming here at your beautiful blog!!
Its a pleasure having you, Natalie. I love your cover.
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