Welcome to the October Frights Blog Hop!
Hosted by Clarissa Johal
It's ten days of of chills and thrills, scares and hauntings!
Come revel in terrifying tales and drabbles of dread!
As my part in this whole ten day terror fest, I'll be doing a ghostly theme.
Yes, that's right I'll be posting ghost stories. I have some short tales, some drabbles, and some haunting poetry for you, all about those phantoms that linger after death. Plus, I have a look at the new Xchyler Publishing paranormal anthology, Beyond the Wail, that includes my ghost story, The Weeping Lady.
Now a bit about my contest. I have a ten day long Rafflecopter giveaway for a prize pack of four of my Smashwords ebooks. These are my books up for grabs:
My Giveaway
And to end out today's welcome, I have our feature story...
Midnight in the Graveyard
Every night I walk through the graveyard.
That may seem strange to some. Some may say there are better places and a better time to wander. Such people may be right, but my nightly strolls have never seemed strange to me.
I’ve always found cemeteries to be peaceful places. No one around to make chit chat or bother you with small talk. Even in the daylight hours. Everyone cocooned in his or her own private world of grief and remembrance.
Of course, at night, a graveyard is quite different. Very atmospheric. That’s why I love to walk there, especially under the moonlight. It has such quiet beauty, a serenity. Yet, there’s an untamed edge, almost mystical. Or so it seems to me.
Yet, the ambience is not my only motivation. There is the gravestone.
It sits on a small rise well in the rear of the cemetery. Every night I walk there, and pause beneath an oak tree. I stare at it, afraid to go closer. I have cause to be afraid. The person interred beneath that soil is why I haunt the graveyard at night. The stone is the reason I cannot leave this place in peace.
The grave is an old one, some say the oldest one here. Some even say the body buried there was cursed, bound to the earth and the stone that marked her grave.
Those people would be correct.
I am a coward. I fear to read my own name etched into that grave marker. It’s a hard thing for me to admit I’m dead. That I’ve been dead for centuries. That the only peace I’ll ever know is in the beauty of a graveyard on a moonlit night.
© A. F. Stewart 2015 All Rights Reserved
That concludes my first offering for October Frights.
Please, come back tomorrow for more tales of the dead...
Please, come back tomorrow for more tales of the dead...
That was beautiful, Anita. Looking forward to another great blog hop with you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ash. Looking forward to your posts as well.
ReplyDeleteI love Midnight in the Graveyard! I grew up with a mom who was really into genealogy so we did a lot of "cemetery hopping" to collect data. I find cemeteries so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
Saph
I loved your story. I'm very much alive, but I love jogging through graveyards. It's peaceful, because the people in graveyards are nice and quiet. LOL! However, I believe in ghosts. Therefore, I would never live next to a graveyard.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sapphyria. I have a fascination with cemeteries too.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Jolie. I like cemeteries, but I wouldn't want to live next door for fear of the "neighbours."
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ReplyDeleteThe best stories are those with a twist at the end. That was very creepy! I love cemeteries and have dragged my family through many on our vacations around the country, during the day and even some early evenings.
Thanks, Debbie. Cemeteries do hold a unique appeal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing this fun blog hop~! I do not like the dark. Have to have a light on haha
ReplyDeleteActually, Lori, I don't like the dark either. I may write the creepy stuff, but I'm a bit of a chicken.
ReplyDeleteI loved the story. I must say cemeteries have creeped me out for quite some time; I had a bit of a supernatural/paranormal experience or two at a cemetery and now I get the jitters when I'm around them.
ReplyDeleteYour tale was lovely though. Thank you for sharing with us and thank you for the giveaway, too.
Thanks for the great story and gieaway.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle. Cemeteries can be creepy, I'll admit, and despite my fascination I don't think I'd walk in one at night.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed reading it, Laura.
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