Ashes (35 page)

Sewing
Circle
– Inspired by a true incident in
which I wrote what we in the journalism trade call a “fluff piece”
about a local quilting group. The leader of the group, who wasn’t
present and was barely mentioned in the article, harassed me
endlessly about a minor error, to the point that I decided she was
vengeful that I hadn’t made her the centerpiece of the article.
Since the group met at a church, it was easy to spin the idea to
its most absurd and extreme conclusion.

The Rocking
Chair
– Another of my “haunted pregnancy”
tales, this one allowed me to explore bizarre family relationships
and double crosses as well. I’m not completely sure I nailed my
intentions with this one, because I wanted a clear ambiguity about
the chair, not a typical “Surprise–it’s a haunted rocker!” surprise
ending as expected. Shock endings rarely work on modern audiences,
and if that’s all you got, then the story is weak anyway. So I’m
sticking with the interpretation that Grandma did in the baby
because she suspected it wasn’t blood kin.

The Endless
Bivouac
– I’d researched the horrors of the
Andersonville prison camp in which Union soldiers died by the tens
of thousands, and this is actually a mirror version of a story I’d
written a decade ago. This time around, I explored the horror from
the guard’s point of view rather than the spirit of the prisoner
he’d killed. At the end we find the enemies have set aside their
weapons. The war is over. Or is it?

Silver
Run
—
Mark
Twain
is one of my favorite writers, and
his blend of cynicism, observation of
human
nature
, and yarn-spinning skill are tough
to mimic, but I gave it a try here, albeit with more of a
mountaineer flair. The story was written for
Legends of the Mountain State
, based
on folklore of
West Virginia
and published in 2007. I was in Charleston for
the
West Virginia Book
Festival
when I read an article about
haunted train tunnels, and the rest is history. The view on women
depicted herein is wholly fictional and not inspired by the
author's relations, or lack thereof, with the fairer
gender.

Thanks for scattering my ashes in the wind,
and for helping my whispers linger. In many ways, my spirit is a
phoenix risen from these ashes and I look forward to sharing many
more adventures and tales with you. God willing and the Tao being
receptive, I will. I am. We are. It is.

Scott Nicholson

August 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Nicholson has written
seven novels, including
The Skull
Ring
,
They
Hunger
and
The Red
Church
. He is currently adapting
The Red Church
as a
graphic novel. Other electronic works include
Burial to Follow, Flowers
and
The First.
Nicholson lives
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where he writes for
a newspaper, plays guitar, raises an organic garden, and works as a
freelance fiction editor. His Web site
www.hauntedcomputer.com
offers
writing tips, free fiction, and survival tips. He loves to hear
from readers at
[email protected]
.
or http://hauntedcomputer.blogspot.com If you enjoyed this book,
please tell your friends and give another Nicholson title a
try.

Copyright

The Horror Of It All copyright 2008 by
Jonathan Maberry

Timing Chains of the Heart copyright 1998 by
Scott Nicholson

Dog Person copyright 1998 by Scott
Nicholson

The October Girls copyright 2002 by Scott
Nicholson

Murdermouth copyright 2001 by Scott
Nicholson

Sung Li copyright 2003 by Scott Nicholson

Silver Run copyright 2007 by Scott
Nicholson

In The Family copyright 2005 by Scott
Nicholson

The Night Is An Ally copyright 2007 by Scott
Nicholson

Work in Progress copyright 2006 by Scott
Nicholson

The Endless Bivouac copyright 2008 by Scott
Nicholson

She Climbs A Winding Stair copyright 2006 by
Scott Nicholson

Watermelon copyright 2005 by Scott
Nicholson

The Meek copyright 2001 by Scott
Nicholson

The Rocking Chair copyright 2008 by Scott
Nicholson

The Weight of Silence copyright 2005 by Scott
Nicholson

The Hounds of Love copyright 2002 by Scott
Nicholson

You’ll Never Walk Alone copyright 2003 by
Scott Nicholson

Penance copyright 2002 by Scott Nicholson

Sewing Circle copyright 2008 by Scott
Nicholson

Scarecrow Boy copyright 2001 by Scott
Nicholson

Last Writes copyright 2006 by Scott
Nicholson