★★★★ ½
“They say the tree is haunted.”
“I’m not afraid of ghosts.”
At the base of an old tree sits Arielle and…Chad (much to her parent’s dismay). (She’s convinced her parents are wrong, the rest of the jury is out).
Unbeknownst to the possible-lovers, the old tree is actually…the hanging tree. The very same from decades ago, where many have lost their lives.
And in the hanging tree perch the very victims of it.
“I don’t see anything. What was it?”
Told through intermittent flashbacks, we learn of Arielle and Chad’s young love and an old wound that curses that very ground to this day.
Together they walked back to their cabin, the cat gracefully leaping over small puddles, the old woman with a rare sense of doom.
Overall – I think this one ended up being really good!
When I first learned of the plot – I wasn’t sure how it would pan out.
There seemed to be a lot to cram in within just a few short pages – various time lines, overlapping stories and a surprisingly large cast of characters…and yet it worked. Extremely, impressively well.
The story was bare-bones, but in such a way that I was wholly invested in 110% of the content.
I loved learning about how the varying ghosts ended up living in the tree and how their storylines intersected.
Watching the ghosts talk about the various things they could do to Arielle and Chad…spooky!
All in all, this was such a fun read! A highly recommended short story!
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Interested in this one from Michael Phillip Cash? Buy it here: Amazon
Miranda Reads 