Shadow Tales by Shirley Damsgaard

Author:Shirley Damsgaard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, ghosts, occult, paranormal, supernatural, psychological thriller, mysterious, ophelia and abby, jess mcconkey
Publisher: Shirley Damsgaard

A Time of Promise

(This story is dedicated to John McConkey)

From where he sat by the fire, he could see the snow falling softly and silently in the winter night. It was Christmas Eve, and he was alone. The fire danced as it sent out its heat into the cold room, but he didn’t feel it. All he felt was the mind-numbing loneliness. It hadn’t always been this way.

In the past, the house had been filled with the sights and smells of Christmas. Fresh evergreen, roasting turkey, twinkling lights, brightly colored packages, and happiness; but not this year. There was nothing. No tree, no lights, only Mary’s dying plants.

It had been Mary who hung the evergreen, cooked the turkey, and wrapped the packages. It had been Mary who made the holidays happy. Had he ever thanked her? He couldn’t remember, and now it was too late. She was gone, taken too early by a silent disease. He was left alone with his anger, grief, and regrets. How could he enjoy Christmas now?

This wasn’t the way their life was supposed to be. What had she said to him the day he retired? “The best is yet to be.” Well, she lied. This wasn’t the best. The best was when their daughter was young and the house was filled with laughter, not the silence that haunted him now. He never knew silence could be so loud. His ears rang from it.

His daughter had wanted him to spend Christmas with her and her family, but the effort of boarding a plane and flying to a different city was too much for him. And so he sat in the empty room, staring at a fire that gave no warmth, wallowing in his misery, and drinking gin and tonic.

The crash from the kitchen startled him, making him spill his drink. The next sound had him on his feet.

“Whoopee, come a six and an ace. The wind blew and the muck flew, and I couldn’t see for a minute or two. Where’s the gin?” A female voice called.

The glass flew from his hand as he rushed from the room. He stopped short in the doorway. In his kitchen, going through his cupboards, was a woman. She was petite and blond. Her short hair was waved with a spit curl on each side of her face. Around her head, she wore a sequined headband that glittered in the kitchen light. The bright red dress fell loosely from thin straps to just below her knees. Her short, fringed skirt swayed around her legs as she moved. A long strand of fake pearls hung from her neck.

“What in the hell is going on, and who are you?”

She turned and looked at him, her bow shaped mouth in a pout.

“Oh don’t get your drawers in a twist, Ed. I’m here to help you. My name is Dorothy, but my friends call me Dotty. I guess you could say we’re friends, since I’ve been assigned to be your guardian angel.”

She turned back and began to rummage through the cupboards again.

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.