Heather Farm, part 5

See part 4

VII.

This story is now for sale via Smashwords.

"Free" Stories

If you want to read two of my flash fiction stories (and perhaps comment or vote for me, hehe), you can find them here:

Alley Cats

Daily News

I have sent them to a flash fiction festival, but as I don´t have time to read and comment on all the other stories, I don´t expect to get much out of it.
.

Heather Farm, part 4

This story is now for sale via Smashwords.

Heather Farm, part 3

[I am sure you have got used to tilting your screen by now]


This story is now for sale via Smashwords.

Heather Farm, part 2

See part I


This story is now for sale via Smashwords.

Heather Farm, part 1

Here is the story I promised you - not quite my usual style, but what can I do but give you what you ask for?

I.
”Our new home, darling!” Thomas wrapped his strong arms around me and kissed me.

”Oh wait, Joanna.” He lifted me up and carried me over the threshold.

”But we are not exactly newly-wed, silly”, I laughed, kicking and struggling because he took the opportunity to tickle me.

”I know, but this is our first real home.” He put me down in the rather dark and damp living-room. ”And just wait, in a year or two it will be a splendid place.”

I ran around, opening doors and cupboards, seeing everything with fresh eyes, because now it was ours. We helped each other open all the old windows with their thick layers of paint.

“It seems they have all painted the doors and windows green,” I mused.

“Of course. The colour of hope, spring, new life. We are going to stick to that colour, aren´t we?”

“And keep chickens and a temperamental turkey, and fetch water from the pump outside. You are trying to make a real countrywoman out of me, aren´t you?”

“Well, I thought our first priority was having water and electricity put in, but if you insist, sweetheart ...”

“First priority? You can begin by scrubbing all the dirt and grime off each and every surface, and when you have done that, come back and I´ll tell you what is our second priority.”

We laughed and we cried a little bit because it was all so overwhelming. When the dusk came and the shadows grew long and slightly scary, we squatted in the living-room in our sleeping bags, sharing a cheap bottle of Spanish plonk. We knew we had lots to do, but it didn´t matter, because we were young and strong and very much in love.

And our gorgeous, new home was right next to the pretty, old lighthouse which cast its long shadow over us most of the night.

To be continued tomorrow - and NO, I didn´t knock over the lighthouse!

School of Ghosts

[Though we have a fairly good camera, I could not capture them in a picture]

Superstition, ghosts, visions etc seem to be part of a rather strong trend within crime fiction right now.
In August I reviewed ten novels, and in four of them superstition and ghosts played a certain role:

My Soul to Take (Iceland)
The Coroner´s Lunch (Laos)
Aberystwyth Mon Amour (Wales)
True Murder (Ghana/Britain)

Personally, I think superstition can give a story local flavour, but in a proper crime novel the denouement should not depend on anything supernatural.

What do you think of the combination of crime and the supernatural?