The Unquiet House (37 page)

Slowly she smiled. She had been
meant
to be trapped here, for always, in an empty existence, watching as the last of the woman’s line moved in and was happy and
lived
. It was her last revenge, willed down through the years, passed on through her cold touch until there was no one left to receive it.

But Emma
was
here. Her story wasn’t finished. She didn’t have to despair; she didn’t have to fade.

She pictured herself reaching out and seizing Charlie’s shoulder, imagining the expression on his face as he felt the ice of it, the promise it held.

She remembered the way she had worked with him, side by side, Charlie whistling or humming some tune under his breath. She had liked him then. She remembered the way she had run to him when she’d been afraid, the way his arms had wrapped around her body. It had been good. She hadn’t felt alone any longer. Now she didn’t need to be afraid; perhaps it was time for other people to be afraid of
her
.

She began to smile. Downstairs, Mossy and Tom had come out from wherever they’d been hiding. She could hear them running about the hallway, playing some new game. One of them – Mossy – had started to sing.

Emma felt like singing too. She was smiling now; she felt that smile would never end. It never
needed
to end. Charlie was here and he would stay; how could he not? The house was beautiful. It was forbidding and proud and alone, but it was beautiful. He would live here and he would love this place, and she would live here too, at his side. She would stay close to him. And Mire House would hold him within its walls, keeping him safe, keeping him near. Making him one with the rest of them; saving him from ever being alone. Making him
belong
.

THE END

First of all, massive thanks to Jo Fletcher for the wonderful editing and for helping to make this a better book. Thanks too to the teams at Jo Fletcher Books UK and USA and to my agent, Oli Munson.

To Roy Gray, who insists I don’t need to keep thanking him – I wouldn’t be writing this if you hadn’t encouraged me to submit
A Cold Season
– so thank you! Thanks too to Wayne McManus for looking after my website, despite my best efforts to break it.

Thanks to all of the editors producing magazines and short story anthologies in the independent presses who’ve continued to support me. You are awesome people. Special shouts go to Stephen Jones, Scott Harrison, Jonathan Oliver, Ian Whates, Paula Guran, Jan Edwards, Gary Fry, Ellen Datlow, John Joseph Adams, Allen Ashley, and Pete, Nicky and Mike of PS Publishing.

I also want to thank the friends who have been there with cheers, calming words, the benefit of their wisdom, or indeed wine, particularly the Fantasycon crowd, and my dear friends Gary, Heather, Lauren, Craig, and Karen – whose amazing book-themed cakes deserve a mention all of their own.

To Ann and Trevor Littlewood, for always being there, love and thanks. Fergus, you’ve supported me for twenty years, shared the successes and carried me through the tough times. I owe you more than I can say.

Last but never least, I would like to thank the readers who’ve taken their time to share my journeys into these imaginary worlds.

Alison Littlewood
West Yorkshire
December 2013

‘An itchy tension-cranker of parental paranoia’
SFX

‘The underlying dread escalates to scenes of real terror. Atmospheric throughout and disturbing to the end’ Ramsey Campbell, author of
The Kind Folk

‘This is a very spooky story. You’ll love it if you’re into tales of the occult, or a fan of film classic
The Wicker Man
… disturbing, in a devilish
Midsomer Murders
kind of way’ Judy Finnigan,
The Daily Express

‘A scary read that will chill you to the bone … Beware if fact and fiction suddenly start to blur’
crimesquad.com

‘A terrifically chilling tale. A sterling debut which bodes unspeakably well for its author and beyond’
scotspec.blogspot.com

‘An assured and finely-crafted piece of work, probably the best horror debut since Joe Hill’s 2007 novel,
Heart-Shaped Box
… you need to read
A Cold Season
. Just make sure you know where the light switches are’
readerdad.co.uk

‘Alison Littlewood’s
A Cold Season
has taken the horror world by storm’
thisishorror.co.uk

‘
A Cold Season
is an intelligent, sensitive book. Its chills are delivered with precision … Littlewood excels at driving home a feeling of discomfort’
spooky-reads.com

‘A career defining masterpiece that exuded chills and almost …
hurt
, in a frightening way. Hands down one of this year’s greatest novels’ Matt Molgaard,
Horror Novel Reviews

Alison Littlewood is the author of
A Cold Season
, published by Jo Fletcher Books. The novel was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, where it was described as ‘perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.’ Her second novel,
Path of Needles
, is a dark blend of fairy tales and crime fiction. Alison’s short stories have been picked for the
Best Horror of the Year
and
Mammoth Book of Best New Horror
anthologies, as well as
The Best British Fantasy 2013
and
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 10
. Alison lives in West Yorkshire, England, with her partner Fergus.