Beware the Ashes in the Wind

Paperback

L. Philipp Naughton

This is a short story for those who like quick but interesting reads.

Beware the Ashes in the Wind has a number of themes and is set in the North American South in modern times. Claire Madizza, a strong-willed young woman with a troubled past, is taking up a summer job at the post office in a small town called Dark Sands Gulley. As she arrives, she notices flakes of burning ash swirling in the breeze.

Claire quickly discovers that Dark Sands Gulley is an odd town, stuck in the past, full of deep rooted beliefs and attitudes. Just the name of the main road, Judgement Street, causes Claire to start wondering where she has ended up. That the townsfolk are resentful and wary of her is an understatement, but it goes much deeper than her simply being an outsider. In particular, Mildred Derning, a moralising woman with a sharp tongue, takes an instant and intense dislike to Claire on their very first meeting.

There are dreadful secrets being kept and Claire is confronted with past witchcraft, which seemingly still has a hold on the town. The more she tries to find out, the more she puts herself in peril from those who are scared of her finding out the truth. They will do anything to prevent it.

Miss Emmylou, the postmistress, is the only one Claire can trust. They are both fearful for their lives, but are determined to uncover what really happened in Dark Sands Gulley. Claire discovers that she must face her own family’s past to truly understand the present.