Distracted by the everyday routine of raising three children, being a wife, and keeping a home Lorraine Morrissey has let life pass her by. Her wakeup call comes when she realizes that with their children gone her husband Richard is rarely home, and she’s filling her solitary days with trivial tasks. A crazy idea to save her marriage, and her sanity, leads to a summer beach vacation unlike any she’s ever taken; one that involves unknowingly buying a haunted house.
Excerpt
Knowing I shouldn’t, but unable to resist, I ordered myself a plate of their peach stuffed French toast with a side of extra bacon. Oh, and a chocolate milk to wash it down with. Thinking Rick might enjoy some local fare instead of one of his soy-protein and wheat germ shake things he always had, I pre-ordered him an Island omelet plate to go. With shrimp, caramelized on-ions, and brie cheese how could he not be happy with my choice? It also came with a side of course ground grits and some fried green tomatoes.
I was hopeful that getting Rick to submerse himself in the local way of life would be beneficial in getting him to unwind so that we could both enjoy this vacation. My thoughts turned to what would be the best way to approach the things we needed to get done today, and soon enough the food arrived.
Digging in, one thing crossed my mind: Holy shit was this stuff good!
At that point, I think I wandered off into a food coma because all train of thought stopped. It was all about the flavor in my mouth and nothing else. Until Big Grin plopped into the seat across from me, that was.
“You buy the old Hughes place?”
Taken aback by his abrupt appearance, I swallowed the bite of bacon in my mouth, and then wiped the corners with my napkin. “I’m sorry, you are?”
“Sorry, Ma’am. Name’s Samuel Fontaine. This here’s my momma’s place,” he added the last bit with evident pride. “It’s just that the Hughes place’s been up fer grabs for a long spell now, and with you’s bein’ not from round ‘ere . . .” Samuel trailed off, looking down in his lap.
“Well, I don’t know if the house we purchased belonged to the Hughes family, but yes, we just acquired a one-bedroom house about five miles north of town.”
Samuel’s head snapped up, excitement clear in his eyes. “That’s it. Have ya seen anythin’?” His voice was just above a whisper.
My appetite vanished at the innocent question.
Professional Reviews
a great short story
This short story was absolutely fantastic and downright creepy. I love hearing about ghosts and spirits and Hargrave nailed the suspense in only a few pages. Yes, even though this is a short story and a quick read, you experience so much.
Raine is introduced to a past that goes back long ago. Although the past wasn't pretty and there was some horrific things that happened, it was interesting none the less. But answers will fall into place for Raine as the past is laid out before. She was brought to this house for a reason and understanding those reasons will be scary at first until Raine is able to fully embrace it. And maybe, she will be able to save her failing marriage in the meantime.
I am a sucker for short stories, especially if they are wrote well. And Hargrave writes really well. I love her ability to give detail without it being too much. Yes, you know the ones. Those books with description/detail overload? But not this read. Perfect balance of story and detail.
I definitely recommend this short read to any and all who love a good ghost story and need a book to read between those longer ones. Give yourself some time to sit back and relax as you partake in the goodness Hargrave will dish out. You will walk away from this one happy with the turn of events. I promise.
LOVE THIS!
I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It had every aspect that I enjoy in a tale full of twist and good ole southern beliefs. In this delightful short story we meet an older couple who as so many at that age have hit a bump in the road and are desperate to reconnect. So what do they do, they invest in property and begin to work as a team to rebuild not only there investment, but their relationship.
But oh do they find themselves with more than what they bargained - have I mentioned this was a ghost story? Yes, sir, we have a ghost with a past that connects with more than the house. I sat on the edge of my seat throughout this story as the reason this spirit still made this home its resting ground was made public and how this couple was connected to the past.
It's a fun summer read that will leave you begging the author to write more...love this story as much as all R. E. Hargrave's other work. She is an amazing storyteller and I am excited to see what else comes out of her brilliant head.
An Amazing Story
This was such a great little story. It was packed with a wide variety of interests. The first that I enjoyed was the not so typical love story. This was about a couple that had been married for over 30 years and were facing distance, a disconnection. Raine really felt it more and wanted to find a way to connect with her husband again since the kids were all out of the house and it was more noticeable. Lorraine decided they would buy a house to flip and spend the time working on it so they could possibly reconnect. But some things are not as simple as one will imagine. The reconnecting ... went well; however, the flip, not so much. There were other elements involved that led to Raine finding out some wonderful information about herself.
I would have loved for this to have been longer, only because I enjoyed it so much, but it wasn't necessary. The whole story was skillfully told in so few words and it was a really good one. I love historicals and this, although not a historical book, had flashes of things that happened a very long time ago. You'll have to read this to put it all together and I know you all will enjoy it.
This is another great story written by R.E. Hargrave. I'd recommend this to everyone.
This is a sentimental and epic story about a young man, injured in the Viewnam War, who returns to Dallas, Texas, in 1964, and begins rebuilding his life. Set against the rock and roll era of the early 1960’s, when casual sex and recreational drugs w
