I felt like uploading a short story I wrote aged 14, a whole decade ago! It's about some ambitious teenagers with a very wild plan in mind, which involves recruiting a reluctant new member... I completely forgot I ever wrote this, and happened to stumble upon it in a long-abandoned google drive. I thought the least I could do would give my readers something to giggle at (particularly, my god-awful writing as a kid) and show that you've got to start somewhere! :)) Enjoy!

[WINNER OF A WATTY AWARD 2019 IN THE LITERARY FICTION CATEGORY!!!!] "We always want to know what the dead would tell us if they could tell us anything at all. We invent ghosts. Ouija boards. We make mediums and psychics stinking rich, getting them to talk to those who aren't around anymore. I could just play that game. I could play the messenger of Death. Even if just for a while; I could make something out of the miracle that I am." Cover art credit: Janice Sung

Rest Easy is now published as a Wattpad Book! As a Wattpad reader, you can access both the Original Edition and Books Edition upon purchase. During a hot Arizona summer volunteering at a nursing home, troubled teen Dudley and eccentric newbie Naya find themselves growing closer over the poems of a mysterious elderly woman with dementia who disappeared decades ago. ***** Dudley Warrington is barely getting by. Haunted by the tragic death of his mother and heartbroken from a recent breakup, each day is a struggle. When he finds himself paired with quirky new student Naya Stephens for a volunteer programme at a local nursing home, Dudley expects a long, boring summer. What he doesn't expect is Marie Von Delden, a mysterious resident with dementia who disappeared in another state over forty years ago under a different name. A former aspiring poet, Marie can't recall anything about where she went, but her poems give the teens a glimpse into the life she may have had. Connected by a shared mission and a similar desire to escape their dark secrets, Dudley and Naya soon discover the true challenge may not be in unraveling the past, but in determining their own futures. [[word count: 70,000 - 80,000]] 2018 Watty Winner Content warning: This story deals with sensitive subject matter around sexual and physical abuse and mental illness, including suicide