Stories from the countryside, presented by Derek Nacre.
A woman tells Derek about the vanishing ghost castle near the German border.
Derek’s stories from rural locals — Ghost Castle
D
Agustin’s Winter
A
When the Drowned Oracle confirmed the death of Captain Agustin, the winter ended.
The 13th Hour
T
The sun was at it’s peak, so high above her she nearly cast no shadow at all. And when the clock-tower struck the 13th hour, even that little shadow fell away.
Fake Portal
F
In the following weeks, the fridge demon didn’t go away. He was almost seventy percent sure it was real. Albion avoided the fridge like the plague, and the things he kicked under there really did seem to vanish.
Then again, he couldn’t be certain.
Demons and monsters were not exactly rare, but they weren’t common either. By comparison, Teague’s hallucinations were much more common.
“Drink this,” the witch said.
“
There were rumours that a witch lived here. Where the tree-lined path merged with the forest. Rumour had it that this witch would help you out if you asked nicely. Well- her co-workers had said it with a bit more scorn in their voices, but ever since she overheard she hadn’t been able to put it out of her mind.
‘Unicorns! What don’t they want us to know?’
‘
Josina seeks advice from a colleague.
—
Josina leaned over to see the page. ‘Mothman’, ‘The Loch Ness Monster’, and biggest, in the middle of the page, ‘Unicorns! What don’t they want us to know?’
“Oh dear.”
An Introduction
A
It would be more than a decade after they saw a magical party down the street and discovered their daughter was a witch that the Hargraves would encounter another magical so close to home.
—
Josina Hagmeule is excited to invite Alice Hargrave to the Hedgewitches Academy, but things don't go as planned.
Early for a party
E
Both of them jumped when a loud bang followed by a cheer came from the pub further down the street.
“A little early for a party,” Lewis commented as he craned his neck to get a better look outside. What he saw nearly had him drop Alice out of his arms. “Look at them!” When Adalynn joined him, her spatula clattered to the floor.
“Holy shit…” she whispered.
—
A short vaguely inspired by the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Book-Copying Skirmishes
T
Hidden between the cracks of our world, is a different world. A world protected by powerful wards and secrecy spells. A world of magic. But even more hidden, lurking in the shadows of the magical world, is the magical underground.
Uncaring of the laws of both the mundane and magical governments, people gather to sell illicit substances, trade knowledge of harmful magic, exchange exotic animals, and most importantly; to sell books on the cheap.
The Well
T
Somewhere, unbound by the laws of time and space, exists a wishing well. You probably haven’t heard of this well, but not because it’s a secret. It’s just that most people who encounter it aren’t around to tell the tale.