New England Gothic & Other Stories by Keith Errington

Author:Keith Errington
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Outland Entertainment
Published: 2021-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Written in Dust

Falling hard against the front door, Annamarie thought she might be sick. After what felt like an age, her surroundings stopped spinning and the nausea passed.

“Delivered to the doorstep, as promised,” Lamashtu said, rubbing against her legs like a normal cat.

She pushed open the door. “Hello? Jemima?” No reply came, so she entered. The kitchen looked a good deal tidier than she remembered, but a thick layer of dust coated every surface. The floor and table showed signs of very small footprints – from mice, she supposed. “Hello?” The cottage smelled musty and unlived in. “This isn’t right.” There were no bunches of herbs hanging to dry. All signs of life and activity had gone, aside from the evidence of mice.

“I have kept my promise,” Lamashtu said. “It is time to fulfill your side of the bargain.”

“But I don’t know where Jemima is!”

“That can wait. I am very hungry, and you have a promise to keep.”

Annamarie sighed. “All right. Let me fill a jug with water first.”

She climbed up to the attic with a heavy feeling in her heart. The room was just as she had left it, but dusty. On the bed lay a rolled piece of paper, sealed closed with a blob of candle wax. It had her name on it. She fumbled it open, and read:

I, Jemima Mistletoe Kettle, being of sound mind, do hereby leave my cottage and all of my worldly possessions to Annamarie Nightshade, so that if she should ever return to Hopeless, she will have a home for always.

Annamarie stared at the document for some minutes, unable to take it in. “Does this mean she’s dead?”

“It could do,” Lamashtu said, jumping gracefully onto the bed.

“But I’ve only been gone a few days!”

“I doubt it’s so short a time. You’ve moved backwards and forwards. Days bend and get lost along the way sometimes.”

At this, Annamarie went deathly cold. “Have I been gone a long time?”

Lamashtu sniffed the air. “A few years I would guess. I cannot say how many.”

She sat down on the bed, shaking her head and struggling to breathe. “I can’t think. I don’t know what to do.”

“You must keep your promise to me. There will be time enough for thinking afterwards.”

Annamarie pulled off her dress and climbed into the bed. It felt slightly damp, and in need of airing. She dropped back onto the pillow and stared at the ceiling, examining the familiar patterns of cracks. The bite at her wrist hurt, but she managed to ignore it as Lamashtu set about drinking her blood. This is the last time. If I can’t do a thing myself, I’m not doing it, ever, she promised.

The drinking went on for a long time, until her head pounded. At least lying down, she didn’t have to worry about falling.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.