The Mourner's Cradle: A Widow's Journey by Tommy B. Smith

Release date: September 14, 2018
Subgenre: Horror, Dark fantasy

About The Mourner's Cradle:

 

The tale of a widow's harrowing journey through grief and peril into the cold remnants of a dead world.

Damon Sharpe had in part found victory, he believed, in his battle to unearth a truth obscured by time. By autumn, he was dead, leaving to his wife Anne a house of unfulfilled wishes, remnants, and the key to the enigma of his obsession, the Mourner’s Cradle.

A journey through grief and peril delivers Anne Sharpe from her home in St. Charles to the faraway skeletons of a long-dead civilization where she will find the desperate answers she seeks…or die trying.

This horror novel is perfect for fans of…

• The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz
• The Fisherman by John Langan
• The Grieving Stones by Gary McMahon
• Daphne du Maurier
• Thomas Ligotti
• Shirley Jackson
• Dan Simmons

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

 

Excerpt:

 

She faced the black-haired man in the blue suit and locked him full in her stare. “You have no right to be here.”

Keller appeared surprised. The surprise was feigned, Anne knew. No matter what he pretended or said to the contrary, Keller knew the hardship he had inflicted.

“You did your best to destroy everything my husband worked for,” Anne said to him.

“No, Mrs. Sharpe, you have it wrong,” Keller said.

“He was my husband,” she said. “You think I don’t know what went on in his life? You think I don’t know about the things you’ve done? You’re a liar, Keller.”

Keller looked around, becoming nervous. People were staring. Tabby Reinhart, still standing near, took another step back.

“Get out of here,” Anne said to Keller. “You are not welcome here. Get out.”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” he asked.

“Get out!” Her hand twisted into a fist. She swung and struck him right in the face.

Keller’s head jerked back. His face flushed crimson. He grabbed her arms and she fought him, screaming.

“GET OUT! GET OUT!”

Arms grabbed Keller from behind and pulled him back. Tabby rushed between them, pleading quietly with Anne. Anne shoved her away. More people pulled Anne back, but she shouted and fought against them.

Keller yanked his arms free of those around him and strode for the door. At the door, he took a look back, his jaw clenched. His eyes burned with anger.

“Dear, please,” the older woman urged Anne. “It’s all right. He’s gone.”

Anne turned her eyes toward the door where Keller stood a moment before, saw the truth of the old woman’s words, and forced her mouth shut. She pushed her shaking hands down to her sides.

“Will you be all right?” another voice asked her from out of eyesight. She didn’t know who had spoken and didn’t care. She took a deep breath. With this group of people around her, she felt like she was suffocating.

“Please,” she said through her teeth. “I just need to be alone.”

The group hesitated. After a moment, someone stepped away. The rest soon followed, leaving Anne again to stand in front of her husband’s coffin, tears on her face, emotion pouring from her fractured life.

The people standing behind her still wore those masks of concern, she imagined. She couldn’t turn to face them. Not now, in her moment of weakness. They didn’t deserve to witness this, her fragility. Besides, they wouldn’t understand.

It wasn’t sadness that possessed her and hardened her face against the tears that fell. It was hatred.

 

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About Tommy B. Smith: 

Tommy B. Smith is a writer of dark fiction and author of The Mourner’s Cradle, Poisonous, and the short story collection Pieces of Chaos. His work has appeared in numerous publications over the years, including Every Day Fiction, Night to Dawn, and the anthology Tales from The Lake Vol. 3. His presence currently infests Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he resides with his wife and cats. 

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