Natalie Gray
Bio
Welcome, Travelers! Allow me to introduce you to a compelling world of Magick and Mystery. My stories are not for the faint of heart, but should you deign to read them I hope you will find them entertaining and intriguing to say the least.
Achievements (7)
Stories (181)
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Goblin Bites: Scary Stories 2
I've heard it often said that the best ghost stories are true stories. In this case, they're right. Before I was born, my mother lived in a small, close-nit neighborhood. My oldest sister was a small child at the time, so my mother became a full-time stay at home mom while my father worked. She hadn't been in the neighborhood for too long before she became close friends with her next-door neighbor. The woman who lived next door was elderly, but very kind and outgoing. She was a retired schoolteacher, and made decent money as a piano tutor in her golden years. My mother was - and still is - a teacher, and enjoyed playing the piano as well, so they quickly bonded over these common interests.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Horror
Goblin Bites: Scary Stories 1
To my knowledge, this story is true... although there will be some who doubt its validity. In the rural Southern town of Grantville, Georgia, long ago, there lived a young woman. She was betrothed to a strapping young man, although he was very poor. In order to raise money to buy a wedding ring for his beloved, the young man took a job with the railroad company. He was gone for many, many weeks at a time, but the young woman's love never faltered. Every time he came back home at the end of the month, he found her waiting for him at the railyard. He knew it was her even at a distance, because she would always bring a lantern with her. Seeing the lantern swinging from afar would fill his heart with joy, knowing that his love was waiting to welcome him home. In response, he would blow the train whistle three times in a row, to let her know he saw her.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Horror
The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 17
Penelope grumbled to herself as she scratched out a few more notes. She was still fuming at Daniel, not believing he could do something so heinous. On top of that, he completely shut down when she confronted him about it, which was nothing like the man she knew. Granted, he was known to be shy and awkward at times, and she had been quite forceful in her scolding. Penelope paused a moment, wondering if he behaved that way because she had been too hard on him. Try as she might, her temper often did have a way of getting the better of her at the worst of times. She thought back to the look on his face: he seemed embarrassed when she confronted him, remorseful even, and like he wished to say something but couldn't. "Perhaps it had just been a misunderstanding," she mused, feeling a pang of regret at remembering how shocked and miserable he looked when she'd slapped him.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 16
As Danny walked back to his chambers, huddled once more in the blanket Mother Abigail had given him, he avoided speaking to the other nuns he passed. Nothing could prevent him, however, from hearing the whispers circulating around him as he walked by. One snippet of conversation between two of the younger sisters made him pause in his tracks and listen in. He knew eavesdropping was rude, but his curiosity temporarily outweighed his sense of decorum.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 15
Danny lay there as still as a corpse under the covers. His heart thudded faster against his ribs with every step the intruder took closer to his bed. The room was pitch dark save for the sliver of pale moonlight that crept in through the cracks in the shutters, shielding the intruder's identity...not that Danny would be able to see them very well anyway without his glasses. Soon however, he was able to make out a silhouette in his peripheral vision, standing directly over him. He tried to control his breathing and lie as motionless as possible, pretending to still be asleep. If he could surprise them, there was a chance - however slim - that he could overpower his attacker before they carried out whatever dastardly deeds they had come to enact.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 14
Life at the convent was quite simple, yet rather peaceful. The sisters had developed a seamless routine of pray, eat, work, repeat, and Danny and Penelope fell into that routine with little difficulty. Mother Abigail had a seemingly endless list of minor repairs and routine maintenance tasks for Danny to do in addition to helping out with the daily chores. Although by far not the most skilled carpenter or plumber, Danny knew how to swing a hammer and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty if the need arose. Every other day, a handful of the sisters traveled down into the valley to the nearby village, to help out the elderly and infirm. Penelope elected to go with them on these little trips, mostly so that she could check out the village book shop and do more research on the internet there. Danny, of course, couldn't leave the convent for a myriad of reasons, but was usually kept so busy he didn't have time to notice her absence.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 13
Pain. Blind, pure, excruciating pain. That was all that Danny knew. The silver crucifix seared his brow like molten lead, but he couldn't move to knock Mother Abigail's hand away. His spine arched backward away from her at an unnatural angle as an unearthly scream rose from his throat. Mother Abigail held the back of his head with her other hand, keeping him upright and the cross pressed firmly to his forehead. After the initial shock wore off, he began twisting in her grip, trying to free himself. For such an elderly woman, however, Mother Abigail's grip was firm and unrelenting. Her eyes bore into him, still warm but incredibly stern, "Breathe, Daniel; focus on the darkness, and expunge it!!"
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles Ch. 12
The warm, heady odor of burning incense tickled Danny's nose when he awoke. He found himself laying in a plain, metal-framed bed that was a hair too short for his tall frame, in a room that was a little smaller than his apartment at the Academy. Large, heavy wooden beams adorned the ceiling, and the walls appeared to be constructed out of stacked stone and mortar. He heard movement to his left and quickly turned his head toward the noise, just in time to see a blurry, dark figure walk past the foot of his bed toward the room's only window. A groan left his throat and he squinted, temporarily blinded as the figure opened the shutters a little wider to let in more light to the darkened space. Upon hearing the sound of his groggy discomfort, the figure turned toward him with a soft gasp. "Oh," a woman's cheery voice exclaimed, "you're awake! I'm glad. How do you feel?"
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
One Way Railway Ch. 3
This place sure isn't like any I'd seen before. Everything looks all shiny and clean, from the floors to the ceiling. It makes my eyes hurt a little from the light sparkling off the gleaming red, white and polished silver. The people who ran it must really like working here to keep it so pretty looking. It strikes me as odd that they're aren't more customers in here. This seems to be the only spot in Purgatory that serves food, although just by looking at the sign behind the counter I don't think I've ever had food like this before. Some of those things I ain't too sure are even food at all.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
The Samhain Chronicles Ch. 11
After Dr. Horace left to fix a cup of tea for his ward, Danny headed downstairs to the guest room to check up on Penelope. He thought about just letting himself in, but paused with his hand on the knob. On the off chance that she had awakened, he didn't wish to barge in unannounced. Very timidly, he tapped on the door, "Penelope? Are ye awake?" He put his ear to the heavy walnut panel, listening carefully for any sign of movement on the other side. When he heard nothing, he swallowed nervously and pushed the door open.
By Natalie Gray3 years ago in Fiction
