Welcome to the October Frights Blog Hop!
For today’s post, we stare at the sea’s undying horizon…
An Ocean View
It sits atop a craggy cliff, a small old stone crypt, at the
end of a winding stairway carved from the rock itself. The land around it has
grown wild, sitting idle from years of neglect. Few have ventured there over
the years; only the brave or the foolishly curious.
The wind at the top blows cold, and often, rustling the
overgrown grass and the ever spreading wildflowers. The sound of the ocean
echoes, as it laps at the cliff base, and the seaborne horizon stretches out in
an eternal panorama. There is a peace up there, far from the confusing world
and its progression into the future.
The surroundings suit her, the woman buried there.
For it is her bones that keep company with the wind.
It is her ghost that haunts the cliff every moonlit night.
It is her ghost that haunts the cliff every moonlit night.
Just a whisper of ethereal gossamer standing at the cliff’s
edge.
Many stories scatter and abound, about the ghost. The one
most often told spins thusly…
Her name was Rose, and she died at eighteen, back when
corsets were the rage, and ladies sat demurely in the parlour for tea. Rose
boasted a sweetheart, a local sailor, and was promised in marriage upon his homecoming
from sea. But sadly, the wedding never came to happen. On a moon soaked night, not
far from the shore, her betrothed’s ship floundered on the rocks and sank. Broken-hearted
and in despair, Rose threw herself from the very cliff where she was later to
be buried.
A sad tale indeed. Sadder still when you know the rest.
For you see, her ghost still waits for him. Waits every full
moon, until his ship appears on the horizon. Then she stares, onto that eternal
horizon, and watches her love sink under the waves once more.
© A. F. Stewart 2015 All Rights Reserved
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18 comments:
The sea is such a provocative setting, full of mystery, hope, and sadness. excellent story...
Thanks, Ash. I grew up with tales of the sea and ghosts, so I had to do at least one sea born tale for the hop.
Such a sad story. It reminds me of Annabell Lee! :) I enjoyed it.
Nice one! Very spooky and atmospheric!
Thanks, Juli. A lot of people tell me my writing reminds them of Poe.
Thanks, Clarissa.
These books sound so good! I love the frightfully delicious!
Very nicely done! I love the "moon soaked night" line. :)
Haunting and beautifully written! :)
I love how you showed what the ghost thought of her place of rest before introducing us to her beautiful and tragic end. She seemed less terrifying described in this way, as opposed to how stories about her are probably told to scare children on dark, spooky nights. I enjoyed this :)
Thanks, fee roberts. Be sure to pop back on Saturday for the last day of the hop when I spotlight a new anthology.
Thanks, Lexa. I always seem to get the "moon" in there somewhere.
Thank you, KM Randall.
Thanks, Scott. I do like to mix up a bit, from the creepy scary.
Thanks for the giveaway. I'd love some horror read at the moment.
You're welcome, Mai. Good luck with the giveaway.
Love a good nautical ghost story. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed, Mary.
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