In the shadows, cold and deep,
Where the monsters softly creep,
Whispers echo in the night,
Feeding on my fading light.
Hush now, child, don't you cry,
Feel the hunger, close your eyes,
In the dark, the shadows play,
Sing the song to keep them at bay.
Teeth that gnash, claws that scrape,
Through the dark, there's no escape,
But the hunger keeps me strong,
Guiding me where I belong.
Hush now, child, don't you cry,
Feel the hunger, close your eyes,
In the dark, the shadows play,
Sing the song to keep them at bay.
When the night is closing in,
And the fear begins to win,
Let the hunger be your guide,
Through the darkness, deep inside.
Hush now, child, don't you cry,
Feel the hunger, close your eyes,
In the dark, the shadows play,
Sing the song to keep them at bay.
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]]