My paranormal suspense novella available for free on Kindle Vella
Despite the ‘Buy On Amazon’ button, there is nothing to buy. Clicking on it will take you to a free read. Enjoy.
The spirit of deceased Mallory has lured her younger sister Myra to a run-down urban neighborhood on the brink of gentrification. She and boyfriend Tyler are moving into a second-floor apartment in an old 3-story brownstone above a vintage clothing shop, Dusty Jewels. While preparing the apartment for them to move in, she meets some of her new neighbors, who all have curious reactions to her presence. Such as Morgan, middle-aged proprietor of Dusty Jewels; and Priscilla, the sharply-dressed young woman who lives in the top apartment of their building; and Tiana, waitress at a local restaurant; and an elderly street bum, Baldwin; and Jason, the young man who runs local bar Tubby’s. Myra confesses to Tyler she believes all these people are confusing her for her older sister Mallory, who disappeared ten years ago. When Myra also claims she can feel the presence of her sister in this neighborhood, they argue since Tyler is upset with her talk of ghosts. Myra stays up, noticing the young couple, Lucas and Alma, who work on rehabbing the abandoned building next door. She also spies a middle-aged woman in her car parked on the street before their apartment who seems to be watching her.
Over the following several days Myra, prompted by the spirit of Mallory, grows more involved with these people. Mallory can’t remember what happened to her here, or how she died, and she wants her younger sister to find out. Myra comes to learn that years ago Mallory lived here for six months in an apartment above the restaurant where Tiana waitresses; that she had befriended a younger Tiana and her sister Priscilla, who are Morgan’s daughters; that she worked as a barmaid at Tubby’s; and that Mallory had contentious relationships with all these people. As Myra delves deeper into Mallory’s unsavory past, she becomes convinced her older sister met her death in this neighborhood. Especially after the woman who has been watching her seems to confirm these suspicions.
As Mallory’s memories start to resurface, Myra grows ever more confused. Maybe there is no Mallory? Maybe Myra has created this fictitious sister? Maybe Myra is Mallory? Perhaps something so terrible happened here that Myra created this imaginary character to protect herself from the memories? But now under the pressure of coming back here and re-encountering everyone the wall between herself and this fictitious character is crumbling as she remembers more and more? Maybe Myra knows something is wrong and Mallory knows how to fix it? Is Mallory a ghost or is she madness? Did Myra ever have an older sister? Was Mallory ever real?
It all comes to a head late one night as Myra forces a showdown between these threatening too-familiar people and Mallory, who is either a ghost of her dead older sister or a figment of her fractured mind. Or even something worse? Myra won’t rest until she learns if Mallory is the dead sister, or even her sister, or even dead.
From the North Rim 