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.
Warehouse Worker – a fathers day story
W
Behind you, the workers shuffled, rubber soles shifting on rough concrete. You pressed your lips together. “What am I supposed to be helping with?” you asked, glancing behind you.
“Manpower,” a burly worker said, joining you at the front. “We need more people.”
You eyed the big shelves of metal, parts moving automatically, pushing crates around, carrying them where they needed to be. “In a place where everything runs by itself?”
“Yes."
Something rumbled in the distance. Wheels, maybe, or gears. A loud whistle from the same direction. The workers jumped, and three sprinted there with nervous, even fearful expressions. Their steps echoed on the cement floor long after they vanished from view.
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.
Harry is a Dementor and That’s Okay
H
Harry is a dementor, and has been for a few years. Now the only question we can reasonably ask in this situation: Are dementors allowed at Hogwarts?
“Not traditionally no,” Dumbledore says, “But I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Mushrooms outside the Mycelium
M
Excerpt from 'Mushrooms outside the Mycelium' a journal (found in an outshoot of the Wonderland Mycelium crossing from Overijssel into Groningen) detailing the fungi in the Netherlands suspected to have separated themselves from the Wonderland Mycelium. Author unknown.
12 — Leash Cap
Highly dangerous. Mobile.
“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.