Once upon a time, in the small town of Ravenwood, nestled among the dark and ancient forests, a young woman named Emily ventured to start a new life. She had always been drawn to the mysterious and the macabre, harboring a deep fascination for abandoned houses and the intriguing stories that lay hidden within their crumbling walls.
Emily had heard whispers about a dilapidated old house on the outskirts of town. Its weathered facade and overgrown gardens seemed to have an enchanting allure, as if beckoning her to explore its long-forgotten secrets. Eager to uncover the history that resonated within its timeworn halls, Emily mustered her courage and decided to make it her home.
As she settled in, the house unveiled its secrets in subtle ways. Emily delighted in discovering hidden compartments, hushed whispers lingering in the wind, and a sense of both longing and dread that seemed to permeate the atmosphere. The locals, however, warned her about the house's dark past, cautioning her to stay away from unexplored rooms and the foreboding attic that housed a sinister presence.
Unheeding of the warnings, Emily felt compelled to uncover the truth, her curiosity becoming an obsession that consumed her days and troubled her nights. On one fateful night, amidst the flickering glow of candlelight, she stumbled upon an old diary tucked away in a dusty corner of the attic.
The diary belonged to a woman named Eliza
Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son.
*****
Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice.
[[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]]
[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]