Casting Shadows is a collection of dark short stories and poetry by Independent authors E.J. Tett, Joleen Kuyper and Jo Robertson.Take my hand, dear friend. Don’t let the shadows frighten you. I can hear the tremble in your voice as we move through the trees but you shouldn’t be afraid, there is nothing here that can hurt you. Only the things you imagine have the power to bring the shadows to life…
The first story in the collection is titled “Just the Dust,” by Joleen Kuyper. Here the reader finds a woman who, upon wakening, has no idea where she is, who she is, or why she is pain and unable to move her legs. Kuyper slowly reveals in stream-of-conscious style what has happened to this mysterious woman, as dates and numbers, names and phrases begin to form in her mind, piecing together her past. This first story provides the reader with an underlying message, almost as a warning for the rest of the collection: expect the unexpected.
Holly Christine’s Favorites:
“Just the Dust” Joleen Kuyper
“Just the Dust” is a chilling, unexpected tale of one woman’s inner quest for understanding after a tragic event.
She took a few slow, deep breaths and leaned forward as far as she could until the pain was too much to bear. Holding her breath helped a little. Whatever was on her legs was metallic and very heavy. She thought they were probably broken; she had some feeling in them but couldn’t manage to move her toes. A memory came back to her of having broken her leg at school; before being taken to casualty the teacher had taken off her shoe and sock and asked her to wiggle her toe. She could hear the teacher in her mind, speaking her name, but couldn’t make out the word.
“Monsters” E.J. Tett
“Monsters” gives the reader just enough then leaves the rest to the imagination. Chilling, dark and calculating.
She was here to kill a monster. At the top of the stairs
her confidence waned. Thunder boomed, loud enough
to wake the dead. She held her breath and waited.
Pleaded in her head.
Lightening flickered behind the curtains
of the hall window. On, off, on. Gone.
She moved on.
Nobody can see who you really are in the dark.
“Remembering” Jo Robertson
Quick and filled with characters to love, Remembering is a horror story that will stay with the reader, reappearing on those dark nights.
The wine spilt on the rug again and I rubbed it in hastily as Judy yelled that it would ruin the carpet. We dabbed at it, laughing like children. The holidays always made us act like that. Here we were, all approaching 30, a few of us thinking about kids and detached houses and yet, when we were together we were 18 again. Just stupid, drunken students. We forgot the mortgages and the council tax and the fact that some of us were getting fat, and we laughed for a week, together. Like we used to.
While all of the stories and poetry surprise the reader with unexpected gore and paranormal twists, the reader will still find the stories and poetry carefully crafted. Readers that enjoy dark, paranormal tales will certainly find something to admire and love in this haunting collection.
Related Links:
Casting Shadows Storefront: stores.lulu.com/joemjo
Author Site: writeright.synthasite.com/
Site of Author EJ Tett: www.the-kingdom-of-malinas.co.uk/
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