Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 1 by Newton Webb

Author:Newton Webb
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Tags: Anthologies, Horror, Short Stories, Fiction
ISBN: 9798387792885
Publisher: Independently published
Published: 2023-04-03T05:00:00+00:00

18th March, 2013, near Kingston, Jamaica

The deck gently swayed underneath them as he watched Mr James Dyke croon through Suspicious Minds. Beside him, his gran was entranced by the performance. He smiled. Elvis wasn’t his thing. Blake was more of an Ed Sheeran fan, but the cruise had been a magical experience. A year ago, his gran had found cheap tickets for a cruise round the Caribbean and it was proving to be the holiday of a lifetime. He gratefully accepted another complimentary lager from the waiter. Unlimited buffet food, unlimited drinks. Blake was definitely getting his money’s worth. His gran always said his stomach was a bottomless pit and he happily proved her correct.

The Elvis impersonator finished his set to the applause of the crowd. Blake put down his chicken wing bone and clapped happily. Then, looking at the state of his hands, he looked round for a napkin. Without taking her eyes off the stage, his gran handed him a pack of tissues from her bag.

“I wish I’d seen him live,” she confessed. Sipping at her wine, she reached into her bag for a couple of aspirin. The DJ started playing. He listened to the track, trying to place it. His gran saw his look of confusion and patted his arm. “Nat King Cole, dear. ‘When I fall in love’.”

He grinned at her. “Thanks, I thought I recognised it from your albums.” He plied the bowl for a final cheesy chip and after some ferreting, he found part of a chip at the bottom. He chucked it into his mouth and crunched down on it.

For the hundredth time, he said to her, “This was a genius idea, gran.”

She beamed at him, then slowly stood up. He reached out to help her up. “You stay and enjoy the music. I’ll see you at breakfast.” Blake gave her a gentle hug. She reached up to tussle his hair.

“Gerroff, you’ll mess up the gel!” He pulled back as her eyes sparkled.

As she tottered back to her room, Blake supped his lager and looked round the room. He spied a pair of girls he had drunk with the night before. Blake raised his glass as they waved to him. He rose with a grin and headed over to catch up with them.

He woke to the sound of his alarm clock. Showering, he quickly dressed and headed down to the restaurant. His gran was nowhere to be seen. An early riser, he would always find her at a window seat with a pot of tea.

Concerned, he returned to her cabin and knocked. When there was no response, he dialled her mobile and prayed she had remembered to charge it. Blake felt sick when he heard the phone ringing unanswered in her room. Racing for a cabin crew member, he persuaded them to open the door.

He wished he hadn’t.

Blake lay alone in his cabin. His gran’s body had been transferred off the ship when they docked in Jamaica.

What was he to do?

His gran wasn’t just his only known relative, she was his best friend.

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