
The Last Light of Summer
The air smelled of salt and diesel as Mara stepped off the boat, her boots crunching on gravel. The dock creaked beneath her, a sound she hadn’t heard in ten years but still recognized—like the groan of an old man…
The air smelled of salt and diesel as Mara stepped off the boat, her boots crunching on gravel. The dock creaked beneath her, a sound she hadn’t heard in ten years but still recognized—like the groan of an old man…
The first time she saw him, the sun was sinking into the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of burnt orange and violet. Mara stood at the edge of the dock, her boots sinking into the wet sand as the…
Mara stepped off the creaking ferry, her boots sinking into the damp gravel of Hollow’s End. The air reeked of salt and decay, a sharp contrast to the sterile hospital corridors she’d left behind. Her mother’s voice echoed in her…
The first time Lila saw the shadow, it was clinging to the wall of her bedroom, writhing like oil in water. She’d been ten, her mother’s voice echoing from the kitchen—*Don’t stare at the wall, Lila. It’s just the light.*…
Mara kneaded the dough with hands that knew every rhythm of the kitchen, her fingers pressing into the warm, yeasty mass as if extracting secrets. The oven’s glow cast golden light across the bakery’s wooden counters, mingling with the scent…
The first time Clara saw him, he was crouched in the tide pools behind the old lighthouse, fingers trailing through the water like a conductor conducting a silent orchestra. The air smelled of brine and salt-crusted rocks, and the sun…
Clara stepped off the creaking ferry onto the dock, her boots sinking into the wet wood as the salt-laden breeze tugged at her sleeves. The town of Marrow’s End stretched before her, a cluster of weathered cottages huddled against the…
Clara stepped off the bus, her boots crunching on gravel as the salt-kissed wind tugged at her coat. The town of Marrow’s End was smaller than she’d remembered, its crooked buildings huddled against the sea like old friends sharing secrets.…
The salt-kissed air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she adjusted the lamp’s wick, its golden glow slicing through the predawn gloom. The lighthouse had been her sanctuary since her father’s death, a place where the roar of the sea drowned…
The salt-kissed air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she trudged through the tide-puddled dock, her boots squelching with each step. The journal had been hidden beneath a loose plank, its leather cover cracked and brittle. She pried it free, fingers…
The salt air clung to Mara’s skin as she adjusted the rusted dial on the antique radio, its wooden casing groaning under her fingers. Static hissed from the speaker, sharp and metallic, like a thousand needles scratching at her eardrums.…
The salt-kissed air tasted of brine and memory as Clara stepped off the weathered dock, her boots sinking into the damp planks. The harbor smelled of oil and decay, but she inhaled it like a prayer, fingers curling around the…
The salt-kissed air tasted like memory as Clara stepped off the creaking dock, her boots sinking into the damp sand. The harbor smelled of brine and diesel, a scent that clung to her like a second skin. She hadn’t been…
The salt air tasted like memory when she first saw him. Maren stood at the edge of the dock, her boots sinking into the wet wood as the tide gnawed at the pilings. The lighthouse beam swept across the bay,…
The first time Lila found the key, it was tucked inside a hollow in the old oak behind her grandmother’s cottage. She’d been twelve, chasing fireflies through the dunes, when her boot struck something solid. The metal glinted in the…