Wolf's Tale (Necon Modern Horror Book 25)
Page 22
Later that day they met with the lawyer to go over the rest of Mose’s will. “In addition to the property on Canal Street, Mr. Gaudette also owned a home in the Garden District and one in Lavern. They are also yours.”
Charlotte was the first to grasp what the lawyer was telling them. “Wait, he owned a house in the Garden District and one in Lavern?”
“Yes, he inherited them from his adoptive daughter, Renee La Pierre. Ms. La Pierre committed suicide not too long ago.”
Wolf was shocked. La Pierre was Mose’s daughter. He never would have guessed that. It was something he was going to ask the ghosts about.
The house on Royal was not at all what Wolf had expected it to be. Mose had told him it only had one bedroom, and while that was technically true is was also a bit of a lie. There were six rooms and a basement. In addition to the kitchen they had seen before, there was a dining room, a parlor and a half bath on the first floor. Three additional rooms and a full bath occupied the second. Only one of them contained a bed.
A week later, Wolf and Charlotte moved into the house on Royal. The only things they brought with them from the house in Bayou La Pointe were their clothes, toiletries and their bed. Neither one of them wanted to use the one Mose had slept in for who knew how long. After they had lived in the house for a week, they could decide what else to bring and what to give away.
On the third day they were there, Charlotte found a box in the basement. When she opened it she found a mummified human hand and forearm along with a rusty nail.
Wolf rushed over to her when she started retching. “What the matter?”
She didn’t answer, she just pointed at the box. When Wolf saw it, he reached over and closed the lid.
“I want that thing out of here, today,” Charlotte told him.
Wolf was fascinated by it. “I wonder where it came from.”
“I don’t care, and I don’t want to know. Just get rid of it.”
Wolf promised he would, and he did. Over the years he asked every ghost he talked to, but none of them was able to tell him where it came from.
Epilog
Charlotte and Melvin were married in the courtyard of the house on Royal. Grandmere did not come to New Orleans for the ceremony. It was attended by the minister, and several of the ghosts whose stories Wolf had already told.
They sold the house in the Garden District. After visiting the house in Lavern, Wolf decided the best thing to do with it was to let it fall victim to time and neglect. The mood inside it was pure evil. Even the local kids refused to use it as a party house.
Wolf kept the Quarter safe for the living and the dead. He even started conducting “Ghost Tours” two days a week in the Quarter and New Orleans’ historic cemeteries. Tourists and locals alike filled each one. Charlotte taped them all and was compiling a book of their stories.
Their daughter was born a year after they were married. Charlotte wondered if she would inherit her father’s power. Either way, it didn’t matter. If she did, Wolf would teach her how to use it. If she didn’t, Charlotte would teach her how to live without it.
Author’s Note:
If you’re interested in Wolf’s life and his encounter with the ghost of a German sailor aboard the nuclear submarine USS John Hancock, you can find it in my novella Intruder. If you want to know where the desiccated hand came from, you’ll have to read my short story Fat Tuesday. You can find that in The Whispers of Crows, my collection of short stories.
About the Author
Dan Foley is an ex-plumber, ex-Navy Nuke, Ex-Senior Reactor Operator and ex-nuclear operations instructor. He has lived on the east coast, the west coast, and places in between. He currently lives in Connecticut with his poet wife Tere in a house that is way too big since the kids moved out.
You can reach Dan at www.deathscompanion.com.
Other Titles From Dan Foley
Death’s Companion by Dan Foley
When Jerry Gibson chose to kill himself, he discovered that he couldn’t die. Instead he became Death’s Companion, forced to share the deaths of countless others. Then in one act of rebellion Jerry saved the life of a sixteen year old girl and unleashed a horror on the world that could destroy his immortal soul.
"Clever and well-written, Dan Foley's debut novel taps the veins of Death Takes a Holiday for a compelling, horrific thrill-ride. Check it out!"
— Christopher Golden
The Whispers of Crows by Dan Foley
Dan Foley has been one of the horror genre's best kept secrets, and we're proud to continue spoiling that distinction with The Whispers of Crows (his collection featuring new and previously published stories). In the author's own words —
"A gathering of crows is called a murder. When they gather, they call to each other in loud raucous caws or low gurgling whispers. The whispers of crows in these pages involve murder and so much more."
Intruder by Dan Foley
What happens when men on a submarine find themselves facing death, due not to the deadly ocean but a malignant paranormal entity? The USS Hancock is a fleet ballistic missile submarine carrying sixteen nuclear missiles, a crew of 13 officers and 130 enlisted men. On a deep dive that takes her below test depth, the Hancock picks up one additional, unwanted sailor. When Gerhard Küehn, a ghost who has been forever reliving the sinking of his German U-Boat, suddenly finds himself aboard the American submarine, a struggle for the life of the Hancock and every man aboard her ensues.
“Dan Foley’s INTRUDER is one of the most claustrophobic tales I’ve ever read. The pressure is unrelenting and the suspense is as sharp as a razor’s edge. Hard-hitting fiction and very high recommended!”
— James A. Moore, author of the SEVEN FORGES series and DEEPER.
NECON E-BOOKS: MODERN HOROR LIBRARY
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How To Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison
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Dark Duet by Linda Addison & Stephen M. Wilson
You’ve heard their voices before, but never like this: from three-time HWA Bram Stoker Award winner Linda D. Addison and multiple Rhysling Award nominee Stephen M. Wilson comes Dark Duet. Two different voices, in harmony, creating verse that sings and moves on the page, taking the reader through time and space on an infinite symphony of self-exploration. Come dance with them and you may find your own song.
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"You can tell how much Arruda loves the genre, and you will, too."
— L.L. Soares, author of Life Rage
"Keeps the reader guessing and thoroughly disturbed … in a fun way."
— Tracy L. Carbone, author of Restitution
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— Daniel G. Keohane, author of Christmas Trees & Monkeys
Sympathy for the Dead by P.D. Cacek
A few words about the author from Thomas Tessier (quoted from the introduction he penned for this collection): "She can be wickedly funny, or savagely satirical, and she has an unsparing eye for the foibles, follies and obsessions that drive human beings to those extreme moments where they either suffer or inflict great horror. Her prose can be by turns street-smart, flip, or blunt, as well as poetic, evocative, meditative. In case you might think t
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The Wind Caller by P.D. Cacek
There is much conflict in the air of Richland, Arizona — the longstanding conflict between the "white" and the "red," the very modern conflict between landowners and a real estate developer, and even a conflict of trust between Native American schoolteacher Sky Berlander and her lover, Sam. But these all pale in comparison to what brews between Sky and her estranged grandfathers, as a feud which has divided their family will finally come to a head over an ancient and terrifying birthright — the power to control the wind itself.
The School That Screamed by William D. Carl
Dolly Elliott's earned its reputation as a school for bad girls. Nestled within an isolated forest outside of the London suburbs, it's the last stop for students who have been expelled from every other school in Europe. For the right price, the administrators guarantee a diploma for any girl, no matter how rebellious.
But, the halls of Dolly Elliott's are haunted by more than the laughter of the young women earning their degrees. At night, the wail of a baby can be heard from the cellar and foul odors permeate the dorms. Glimpses of blinded nuns disturb the daily routine of the young women. And something is moving from the other side of the mirrors, seeking a way into our world. It hates the living, especially the girls it jealously watches.
When Laura Pennington arrives as a new student, she carries secrets, a past that led to her fleeing her last school screaming in terror. On the same day, Sarah Stallworth begins teaching the young women of Dollie Elliott's, and she brings her own baggage. When a young maid is horribly mutilated and a teacher is murdered, they launch an investigation into what roams the halls of the school at night. The past is trying to intrude upon the present, attempting to force its way into the new century. Can Laura and Sarah learn the terrible truth about the school before more women die?
THE SCHOOL THAT SCREAMED is a loving homage to the over-the-top exploitation films that were imported from Europe in the 1970's, a drive-in flick brought to vivid life on the page. Full of sex, sin, slashings, and secrets, it delivers a grindhouse sized dose of terror and laughter.
Snowbird Gothic by Richard Dansky
Richard Dansky was named one of the top 20 videogame writers in the world by Gamasutra in 2009, but as he explains in his introduction, game writiing doesn't offer "the chance to run off and play in your own sandbox. That’s what fiction’s for, and that’s why I write it." In this collection, Dansky delivers "all the scary bits and bobs ... filtered through a lens of late nights and off-kilter glances and that little nagging voice in the back of my head that constantly says, 'But what if...?' What if. It’s a question I ask a lot. I hope you enjoy the answers."
The Secret Backs of Things by Christopher Golden
From the author of Wildwood Road and The Ferryman comes Christopher Golden's first-ever collection of short stories. The Secret Backs of Things takes the readers into a realm rich with legends, folklore and myths, while still finding a place for some modern horror. Illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne, The Secret Backs of Things is Christopher Golden at his best. Chilling, harrowing and, at times, more than slightly unsettling, this collection is sure to excite and entertain longtime Golden fans and new readers alike.
Carousel by Janet Joyce Holden
When struggling-artist Luke is offered the restoration of an antique carousel horse, he eagerly accepts, sinking deep into his art (much to the dismay of his girlfriend and his elder brother, John). John in particular has cause for alarm, for the brothers share a dangerous heritage. Luke possesses a latent talent that will open doors — to ravenous forests, the corridors of the dead, and perhaps even Hell. And as Luke’s abilities awaken, John must try to protect the world from the threat of Luke’s art and to stop his brother from descending into madness.
Still Life: Nine Stories by Nicholas Kaufmann
"(These tales) are told with a masterful skill. They are composed with a rhythm that is unique to Nicholas Kaufmann. Listen carefully as you read, and you’ll hear that rhythm, catch the tempo written in notes of human suffering and a careful examination of the darkness that hides inside the tales Kaufmann has written. To me that rhythm is almost perfectly in sync with a heartbeat. Damn, I envy Kaufmann that. Masterful. Absolutely masterful."
– James A. Moore (from his Introduction)
Christmas Trees and Monkeys by Daniel G. Keohane
This collection (the first from the immensely talented Daniel G. Keohane) includes four original stories and a brief introduction to each tale. Plus, here's one more reaon to purchase this title (straight from the author himself): "As with the print edition, 100 percent of all author royalties earned from the sale of this collection are being donated to the New England Multiple Sclerosis Society, in honor of my sister Anne. I figured I already got paid for most of these stories, anyway, so may as well let someone else benefit from them now — aside from you, dear readers."
Exorcising Angels by Tim Lebbon & Simon Clark
When Arthur Machen's "The Bowmen" was published in 1915, many English readers believed his tale of heavenly archers defeating the advancing German troops of WWI to be true. Here, Tim Lebbon & Simon Clark pay homage to Machen with their novella Exorcising Angels, set against the backdrop of The Blitz of WWII, when (in the words of the Bishop of London) all of Great Britain needed to pray a "plea to the Heavenly Father for divine protection against these Swastikad angels of Death."
The Fear Report by Elizabeth Massie
Necon E-Books is proud to bring The Fear Report by two-time Bram Stoker Award winner Elizabeth Massie to a mass audience for the first time. Originally published by Bloodletting Press, this edition is illustrated by Cortney Skinner, features a new introduction, and contains thirty-two stories, including her Bram Stoker Award winner (“Stephen”) and two stories that were not in the Bloodletting edition. Massie’s fiction is known for its quality of strangeness, off-beat humor, deceiving simplicity, and haunting prose.
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In the author's own words: "This is for all who stare into the darkness to better appreciate the light. Sundown is a collection of stories selected from my (thus far) 26-year career in the field of horror fiction. Some were included in more major publications while others were published by small press anthologies and magazines."
This new collection also includes poetry by the two-time Bram Stoker Award winner and features original cover art by the incomparable Cortney Skinner.
The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore & Jeff Strand
One day a forest violently grows in the place of a small New Mexico town, the remnants of which are quickly overrun by the forest's inhabitants — every manner of ghoul, beast, or monster imaginable. So what comes next? Naturally, guided tours! But what happens when the so-called indestructible tram breaks down in the middle of the forest of nightmares? In The Haunted Forest Tour, James A. Moore and Jeff Strand collabrate to blend horror and humor into an absurd and horrific tale. Get your ticket punched, enjoy your ride, and please keep your hands in the trolley at all times!