What lies beyond that narrow bandwidth of ‘reality’? These stories explore what lies off grid, off piste, and off the rails. Some deal with spectral presences, like the vampire who tires of being a loner, or the incubus in need of comfort and therapy. Others involve more subtle distortions of reality, like the tale of the travelling salesman who discovers a bucolic farm just off Spaghetti Junction, or the shell-shocked officer who finds his stately home invaded. Humour, always a valuable tool in unfettering a strait-laced reality, frequently obtrudes. Praise for these stories: A Vampire in Whitby ‘really made me laugh, very dry and witty … I was blown away by the innovative way this unfolded’ Winner of Scribble Magazine’s Readers’ Choice; Strait is the Gate ‘a marvellous little ghost story, reminiscent of Rod Serling or Richard Matheson’ Corner Bar Magazine; Girl in Room 39 ‘I love your story. It has wonderful atmosphere and great character development’ The Horror Zine; A Hint of Complicity ‘a brilliant piece of writing’ Bandit Fiction
Table of Content
1. Blood Will Out…………………………………………………..1
2. Lithe Spirit………………………………………………………45
3. Finding Closure……………………………………………….. 53
4. A Vampire in Whitby……………………………………….67
5. The Girl in Room 39………………………………………..81
6. Rest in Peace……………………………………………………95
7. The Fall and Rise of Albert Palmerson…………….101
8. Loco Pete’s Leap……………………………………………..115
9. Sláinte Peter, a Fitzgerald’s man!………………………. 127
10. A Hint of Complicity………………………………………135
11. RIP……………………………………………………………….. 145
12. Falling Fast?…………………………………………………… 159
13. Doomsday Davidson………………………………………169
14. On the Threshold………………………………………….. 185
15. Fear of Flying Freehold………………………………….. 195
16. Ghosties in the Machine………………………………… 215
17. The Ghostwriter……………………………………………. 221
18. The Night Mare…………………………………………….. 237
19. Strait is the Gate…………………………………………….243
20. A Tale Spinner……………………………………………….. 257
21. The Gibbet Tree…………………………………………….267
About the author
Dr David Rudd, 70+, is an emeritus professor of literature who turned out academic prose for some 40 years, publishing some 5 academic books and over 100 articles before finding more satisfactory fulfilment in creative writing. He has now published more than 50 stories. He also enjoys performing folk/blues music on various instruments (guitars, fiddles, harmonicas, etc.), but this pastime is far more derivative.
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