I recoiled. “Don’t say that,” I whispered, but deep down I began to comprehend something dark and deadly. Something I had known when I’d first set foot in her garden. I scratched furiously at my arms, the itching becoming unbearable.
“And now your mother has fulfilled her part of the bargain at last and sent you back here to me.”
I cast around for some kind of an exit. There had to be a way to break free and seek help.
“There’s nowhere to go, darling Lisa. I can’t possibly allow it. I need you here with me. Together we can protect the house and the garden from those who seek to take it away from us. Random strangers who imagine the place should be sold for probate. You’ve always known it has never stood empty. You knew that because you belong here.” She grinned, teeth stained red as blood. “I’ve been here all these years, and now you will keep me company. We’ll never leave. Together forever as I desired.”
“No,” I exploded. “You have to let me go.”
Isobel the elder regarded me sadly. “Such a shame to encounter your reticence. It makes me sad.” She threw the remains of the bleeding peach at me with a surprising amount of force. “And angry. Don’t make me angry.” It exploded at my feet, the juice sticky against my legs, the flesh spotting my clothing.
I tried to jump backwards and nearly fell. I had to thrust my arms out to save myself. My feet were stuck in the earth. I pulled each leg, the muscles in my thighs screaming at me as I tried to rip myself loose, but I succeeded only in sinking deeper into the soil.
“Don’t try to fight it,” Isobel cooed. “It will be easier if you just allow yourself to take root and blossom in your own time.”
Take root? Blossom?
I lifted my arms to her, beseeching her to let me go, and my limbs froze into place. My fingers stretched painfully towards her, growing longer and longer, and thinner and thinner—and as they did so, the pain became so intense I prayed I would pass out. And when those fingers had become as long and thin as they could possibly be, they began to grow new stalks …
“Isobel, please!” I cried, but she only smiled at me, genuine happiness radiating from her face. She took the few steps over the ground to where I had rooted and ran her fingers lightly along the bumps on my arms. I screamed in terror as sharp jagged thorns burst forth from my skin—dozens and dozens of them, close together. Isobel teased them a little and then impaled her fingertips onto a number of the longest. I felt the pressure of her touch as she pushed down and then when she drew her hand away, her blood dripped down her own fingers. She reached for my face and I tried to jerk my head away, but I was stuck fast and there was nowhere I could go.
She bathed my lips in her blood, slipping her fingers into my open wailing mouth.
“Bloom, my darling daughter. Bloom when the moon comes up and the stars shine in the sky. Be the brightest of the roses in my miraculous garden.”
Against my will my head tipped back, seeking the stars in the sky, the brightly shining moon as she had instructed. I felt my lips and my eyelids swelling and my nose shrinking. Something, some hard thorny nub filled my throat and quashed my voice. And as my scream died away, my sight dimmed as the folds of dozens of perfect velvet petals covered my face.
“Home where you belong,” Isobel whispered as she bent to inhale my fragrance, before ducking temporarily out of sight. When she stood again I could barely make out the secateurs she brandished in her right hand.
Snip, snip.
Snip, snip.
Please?
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More Dark Fantasy from Jeannie Wycherley
If you enjoyed Midnight Garden, you’ll love Crone
A twisted tale of murder, magic and salvation.
Heather Keynes’ teenage son died in a tragic car accident.
Or so she thinks.
However, deep in the countryside, an ancient evil has awoken … intent on hunting local residents.
No-one is safe.
When Heather takes a closer look at a series of coincidental deaths, she is drawn reluctantly into the company of an odd group of elderly Guardians. Who are they, and what is their connection to the Great Oak?
Why do they believe only Heather can put an end to centuries of horror?
Most important of all, who is the mysterious old woman in the forest and what is it that feeds her anger?
When Heather determines the true cause of her son’s death, she is hell-bent on vengeance. Determined to halt the march of the Crone once and for all, hatred becomes Heather’s ultimate weapon and furies collide to devastating effect.
Crone – winner of a Chill with a Book Readers' Award (February 2018) and an Indie B.R.A.G Medallion (November 2017).
Praise for Crone
‘A real page turner, hard to put down.’
‘Stunningly atmospheric! Gothic & timeless set in the beautifully described Devon landscape .... Twists and turns, nothing predictable or disappointing.’ – Amazon reviewer
‘Atmospheric, enthralling story-telling, and engaging characters’ – Amazon Reviewer
‘Full of creepy, witchy goodness’ – The Grim Reader
‘Wycherley has a talent for storytelling and a penchant for the macabre’ – Jaci Miller
Beyond the Veil
Beyond the Veil
Upset the dead at your peril… Because the keepers of souls are not particularly forgiving.
Death is not the end. Although Detective Adam Chapple has always assumed it is.
When his ex-wife is killed, the boundaries between life and death, fantasy and reality, and truth and lies begin to dissolve. Adam’s main suspect for the murder, insists that she’s actually his star witness.
She claims she met the killer once before.
When she died.
As part of his investigation, Adam seeks out the help of self-proclaimed witch, Cassia Veysie who insists she can communicate with the dead. However, the situation rapidly deteriorates when a bungled séance rips open a gateway to a sinister world beyond the veil, and unquiet spirits are unleashed into the world.
Can Cassia and Adam find a way to shore up the breach in the veil and keep the demons at bay?
With time running out and a murderer on the loose, the nightmare is only just beginning …
Praise for Beyond the Veil
‘A 5-star winner from Queen of the Night Terrors’ – Amazon reviewer.
‘Really got my heart pounding’ – Amazon reviewer.
‘A nerve racking, nail-biting, spine tingling, sweat producing, thrilling storyline that keeps you on a razor’s edge the entire tale’ – ARC reviewer.
‘Female Stephen King!’ – Amazon reviewer.
The Wonky Inn Books
The story begins…
The Wonkiest Witch: Wonky Inn Book 1
Alfhild Daemonne has inherited an inn.
And a dead body.
Estranged from her witch mother, and having committed to little in her thirty years, Alf surprises herself when she decides to start a new life.
She heads deep into the English countryside intent on making a success of the once popular inn. However, disco
vering the murder throws her a curve ball. Especially when she suspects dark magick.
Additionally, a less than warm welcome from several locals, persuades her that a variety of folk – of both the mortal and magickal persuasions – have it in for her.
The dilapidated inn presents a huge challenge for Alf. Uncertain who to trust, she considers calling time on the venture.
Should she pack her bags and head back to London?
Don’t be daft.
Alf’s magickal powers may be as wonky as the inn, but she’s dead set on finding the murderer.
Once a witch always a witch, and this one is fighting back.
A clean and cozy witch mystery.
Take the opportunity to immerse yourself in this fantastic new witch mystery series, from the author of the award-winning novel, Crone.
Grab Book 1 of the Wonky Inn series, The Wonkiest Witch, on Amazon now.
The Wonky Inn Series
The Wonkiest Witch: Wonky Inn Book 1
* * *
The Ghosts of Wonky Inn: Wonky Inn Book 2
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Weird Wedding at Wonky Inn: Wonky Inn Book 3
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Fearful Fortunes and Terrible Tarot: Wonky Inn Book 4
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The Mystery of the Marsh Malaise: Wonky Inn Book 5
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The Mysterious Mr Wylie: Wonky Inn Book 6
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The Witch Who Killed Christmas: Wonky Inn Christmas Special
Also by Jeannie Wycherley
Beyond the Veil
Crone
A Concerto for the Dead and Dying
Deadly Encounters: A collection of short stories
Keepers of the Flame: A love story
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Non-Fiction
Losing my best Friend
Thoughtful support for those affected by dog bereavement or pet loss
* * *
Follow Jeannie Wycherley
* * *
Find out more at on the website www.jeanniewycherley.co.uk
* * *
You can tweet Jeannie https://twitter.com/Thecushionlady
Or visit her on Facebook for her fiction www.facebook.com/jeanniewycherley
Sign up for Jeannie’s newsletter http://eepurl.com/cN3Q6L
Coming Summer 2019
The Municipality of Lost Souls by Jeannie Wycherley
Described as a cross between Daphne Du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn, and TV’s The Walking Dead, but with ghosts instead of zombies, The Municipality of Lost Souls tells the story of Amelia Fliss and her cousin Agatha Wick.
In the otherwise quiet municipality of Durscombe, the inhabitants of the small seaside town harbour a deadly secret.
Amelia Fliss, wife of a wealthy merchant, is the lone voice who speaks out against the deadly practice of the wrecking and plundering of ships on the rocks in Lyme bay, but no-one appears to be listening to her.
As evil and malcontent spread like cholera throughout the community, and the locals point fingers and vow to take vengeance against outsiders, the dead take it upon themselves to end a barbaric tradition the living seem to lack the will to stop.
Set in Devon in the UK during the 1860s, The Municipality of Lost Souls is a Victorian Gothic ghost story, with characters who will leave their mark on you forever.
If you enjoyed Crone or Beyond the Veil, you really don’t want to miss this novel.
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Midnight Garden (The Extra Ordinary World Novella Series Book 1) Page 10
