The Leaves Forget, page 11
“The police promise they won’t stop looking,” I say. But I wonder if Jonathan and Pete will be ever found. I wonder if they’ll ever pay for the terrible things they’ve done. I wonder if Jonathan will start over, with Pete and maybe others. Will he try again to raise whatever that monstrous presence was? And what if he does, and he succeeds? What was that thing? What might it do? Where the hell did they go?
But it’s not our problem. Jonathan has already cost us enough.
“Liv, darling, you have to concentrate on getting well,” Mum says from the other side of the bed. “Promise me you’ll do that?”
Liv nods, but I see something deep in her eyes. A rage, and a determination. She’s still so weak, but that intent is strong. I realise, suddenly and without doubt, that she plans to go after Jonathan. She has every intention of tracking him down, getting to him before the police, exacting her own revenge.
“You’ll come and stay with me when the hospital discharges you, won’t you, darling?” Mum says, her eyes pleading.
Liv nods, smiles. “Sure, Mum. Of course.”
Then she looks at me and her eyes speak volumes. Andrew sees it too, reaches over and squeezes my hand. I squeeze back and give Liv a subtle nod, reassure her she won’t be going after those bastards alone. Maybe it is our problem after all, because he cost us so much.
We need some time to recover, regain our strength, especially Liv. She can stay with Mum for a while, get strong again. Andrew and I will be around, always there to help, to recover from the loss of Dad. But maybe we can quietly plan, too. Research.
Because we’re coming for you, Jonathan.
We’re coming for you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NO BOOK HAPPENS ALONE, despite the majority of it being created by an author in a little dark place somewhere, making stuff up. In the case of this book, perhaps more people than usual were involved. First of all, thanks to Marie O’Regan for asking me to send something her way, and to PS Publishing and Absinthe Books for putting together the wonderful volume you’re holding now.
But several other people were also involved in the genesis of this story. Firstly, huge thanks to David Wood, Steve Stred and Ross Jeffery for generously beta reading the finished novella.
And this story was originally an exclusive serial for Monster patrons on my Patreon, and I promised to give those of them who wanted it a shout out here. I’m incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of:
Al Hall, Alexandria Bracanovich, Anna Irwin-Schutze, Austrian Spencer, Billy Bevan, Bryan Moose, Colin Taber, Corey Wallis, Courtney Kynaston, Damien Smith, David Nissen, Em Cutting, Emiliyan Gikovski, Gordon Bingham, Grace R. Reynolds, Imogen Cassidy, Jill Moir, Lindy Cameron, Lovecraft eZine, Mr Shoggoth, Nate Small, Robin Knabel, Shannan Ross, Shaun Cronin, Tom Stone, Vicki Walker, Victoria Grimalkin, Warwick Shanks, Wendy Healy; and to the rest of you who didn’t want to be named or are supporting me at different levels, I’m equally grateful. Thank you all.
As always, heartfelt thanks to my wonderful, supportive family—Halinka and Arlo, you guys mean the world to me.
Lastly, and far from least, thanks to you, reading now. I hope you enjoyed this.
—Alan Baxter
NSW, 2023
THE LEAVES FORGET
Copyright Alan Baxter © 2023
Cover Art
Copyright Ben Baldwin © 2023
Introduction
Copyright Marie O’Regan © 2023
This eBook edition is published in September 2023 by Absinthe Books, an imprint of PS Publishing Ltd, by arrangement with the author. All rights reserved by the author.
The right of Alan Baxter to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-78636-984-0
Absinthe Books
PS Publishing | Grosvenor House
1 New Road Hornsea, HU18 1PG | United Kingdom
editor@pspublishing.co.uk | www.pspublishing.co.uk
Alan Baxter, The Leaves Forget
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But it’s not our problem. Jonathan has already cost us enough.
“Liv, darling, you have to concentrate on getting well,” Mum says from the other side of the bed. “Promise me you’ll do that?”
Liv nods, but I see something deep in her eyes. A rage, and a determination. She’s still so weak, but that intent is strong. I realise, suddenly and without doubt, that she plans to go after Jonathan. She has every intention of tracking him down, getting to him before the police, exacting her own revenge.
“You’ll come and stay with me when the hospital discharges you, won’t you, darling?” Mum says, her eyes pleading.
Liv nods, smiles. “Sure, Mum. Of course.”
Then she looks at me and her eyes speak volumes. Andrew sees it too, reaches over and squeezes my hand. I squeeze back and give Liv a subtle nod, reassure her she won’t be going after those bastards alone. Maybe it is our problem after all, because he cost us so much.
We need some time to recover, regain our strength, especially Liv. She can stay with Mum for a while, get strong again. Andrew and I will be around, always there to help, to recover from the loss of Dad. But maybe we can quietly plan, too. Research.
Because we’re coming for you, Jonathan.
We’re coming for you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NO BOOK HAPPENS ALONE, despite the majority of it being created by an author in a little dark place somewhere, making stuff up. In the case of this book, perhaps more people than usual were involved. First of all, thanks to Marie O’Regan for asking me to send something her way, and to PS Publishing and Absinthe Books for putting together the wonderful volume you’re holding now.
But several other people were also involved in the genesis of this story. Firstly, huge thanks to David Wood, Steve Stred and Ross Jeffery for generously beta reading the finished novella.
And this story was originally an exclusive serial for Monster patrons on my Patreon, and I promised to give those of them who wanted it a shout out here. I’m incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of:
Al Hall, Alexandria Bracanovich, Anna Irwin-Schutze, Austrian Spencer, Billy Bevan, Bryan Moose, Colin Taber, Corey Wallis, Courtney Kynaston, Damien Smith, David Nissen, Em Cutting, Emiliyan Gikovski, Gordon Bingham, Grace R. Reynolds, Imogen Cassidy, Jill Moir, Lindy Cameron, Lovecraft eZine, Mr Shoggoth, Nate Small, Robin Knabel, Shannan Ross, Shaun Cronin, Tom Stone, Vicki Walker, Victoria Grimalkin, Warwick Shanks, Wendy Healy; and to the rest of you who didn’t want to be named or are supporting me at different levels, I’m equally grateful. Thank you all.
As always, heartfelt thanks to my wonderful, supportive family—Halinka and Arlo, you guys mean the world to me.
Lastly, and far from least, thanks to you, reading now. I hope you enjoyed this.
—Alan Baxter
NSW, 2023
THE LEAVES FORGET
Copyright Alan Baxter © 2023
Cover Art
Copyright Ben Baldwin © 2023
Introduction
Copyright Marie O’Regan © 2023
This eBook edition is published in September 2023 by Absinthe Books, an imprint of PS Publishing Ltd, by arrangement with the author. All rights reserved by the author.
The right of Alan Baxter to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-78636-984-0
Absinthe Books
PS Publishing | Grosvenor House
1 New Road Hornsea, HU18 1PG | United Kingdom
editor@pspublishing.co.uk | www.pspublishing.co.uk
Alan Baxter, The Leaves Forget
