Closed at Dark

by Rob Blackwell

This story is what happens when you spend too much time on playgrounds.

  First off, I know that playgrounds are supposed to be bright, happy places, but have you ever passed one in the dark? All those shapes, like a slide or the “net” detailed here, seem ominous and creepy.

  Secondly, all the talk about “stranger danger” has left me feeling anxious even when it is a sunny day. I usually have one eye out for somebody who shouldn’t be there. A year or two ago, my wife told me that people on the parent’s listserv were reporting the existence of a “white-haired man” who was stalking kids. Several people reported encounters with him in and around the area.

  I was certainly bothered by the stories — I still am, because for all I know, the guy was perfectly real. Yet at a certain point I began to wonder if he wasn’t an urban legend. Most of the people detailing stories about the guy hadn’t actually seen him; they’d just known someone who had. Either way — real or imagined — I spent a good chunk of my time at playgrounds keeping an eye out for anyone who could be “the white-haired man.” You worry about something long enough and eventually it becomes a story.

  There are two people who made this novella possible.

  The first is my wife, Maia. She was understandably skeptical that in addition to writing a full-length novel (The Forest of Forever) I could also turn around and write two novellas to accompany it. I assured her not to worry: I was going to keep the novellas short and sweet. And I’m here to tell you that I failed completely. This endeavor turned out to be far longer and tougher than I imagined. The only reason I survived was because of Maia’s help, love and support. Maia was also the novella’s first reader and suggested several ways I could improve it.

  Secondly, I want to thank my editor, Evelyn Duffy, who helped shape this novella into what it is. When I initially wrote it, I kept trying to keep it short. The result was that I missed several opportunities to expand the story and make it more exciting. Evelyn was the one who challenged me to return to the narrative to flesh several parts out. She suggested a couple ideas that were only hinted at in the original draft, including Sara’s nightmare of a fire in her room and a dream confrontation between Soren and Ken. And once I wrote those parts, they seemed so essential to the story I couldn’t fathom why I’d tried to skip over them. In short, the novella is much, much better as a result of her comments.

  I’d also like to thank my beta readers: Brian Gill, David Miller and Daniel Wolfe. All three made valuable suggestions and I’m grateful for their help. As an aside, Brian is the narrator for the audiobook versions of A Soul to Steal and Band of Demons, the first two novels of The Sanheim Chronicles. If you haven’t checked them out already, I urge you to give them a listen. He does an amazing job.

  Finally, I want to thank Travis Pennington, my cover artist, who nailed this cover in his first attempt. I am fortunate to work with such talented people.

  As for what’s coming next,The Forest of Forever, the first full-length Soren Chase novel, is now available from Kindle Press. If you liked the novella, I think you will really enjoy the novel. Additionally, Soren faces two very different kinds of monsters in Carnival of Stone, the next novella in the series—available now! Finally, don’t miss Soren’s next full-length adventure, The Pretender, has just been released! Check it out here!

  Please be sure to sign up here so you know when future books are released.

  I want to thank everyone again for all their support, including those who nominated The Forest of Forever for Kindle Scout, left reviews for any of my novels, tweeted about the books, etc. I could not do this without your enthusiasm.

  Rob Blackwell