Iris had driven past the Countess Bed and Breakfast often enough over the years to have a somewhat clear picture of the place in her mind as she drove through the wooded roads of Petersham. And as she’d pulled up at the lofty old mansion, grand yet derelict, it only confirmed her belief. It had […]

Early in the morning and Nancy was opening the general store. Apparently frigging Kelly had actually been by to get the trash this morning since Oscar was out of town and the alley was clear. Small favors to start another miserable day in this miserable little town. She put her key in the lock, turned […]

The new bartender was waiting in the booth with Bret as Olivia walked out from behind the bar. She slid into the spot beside Bret, smiling politely at the man across from her. “Olivia, thank you for joining us,” Bret said. “This is Hugh Marshall, your new bartender. Hugh, this is Olivia Walker, Keegan’s general […]

While Andrew had thought he felt the reality of his situation before, it wasn’t until Cleo walked in with a large cardboard box in her arms that it truly hit him. His flat was gone. It wasn’t just sitting empty while he tried to go home. Someone else was sleeping in his bedroom, watching that […]

Charlie was exhausted. Two full-time jobs, various side gigs including the cab service he was currently doing, and a four-month-old baby at home. He wasn’t surprised, but all the advice in the world hadn’t prepared him for the bone-deep fatigue of parenthood. He’d checked in with Rafaela earlier, when she’d been putting baby Eddie to […]

Olivia wasn’t exactly sure why she decided to take the long way home from work today. Maybe because she was actually leaving while there was still daylight in the sky. Andrew was watching Mia while her mom and Sammy were away for the weekend. That morning, Andrew had explained the whole elaborate backyard play setup […]

The evening June air was cool as it blew in the window, making the flowered curtains flutter in the breeze. Olivia could smell the flowers in the backyard, flowers that the previous owners had planted and she had adopted. It was nice, calm. She could almost relax right now as the oven preheated and she […]

Andrew wasn’t sure what he had expected when Dr. Degas handed him her phone number and said to call. But it certainly wasn’t Dr. Degas sitting across from him at the tiny folding table in Iris’s shop, sipping a steaming mug of tea. She wore a cardigan sweater and jeans with no sign of her […]

Olivia would pound on this door until either Noah answered or the door caved in. It had been five minutes since she’d stormed up the steps and started banging on his front door, and she wasn’t going anywhere until she got answers. “Noah, answer the fucking door! I know you’re in there!” She stopped for […]

Another cold night, another session at Iris’s. It was getting late, probably closing in on nine or so. But Andrew wasn’t quite sure because Iris didn’t have a clock anymore. The poltergeist – whom she had apparently named Roland – had smashed it two weeks earlier in a nightmarish fit of rage that had kept […]