Every year, at least one guest ignores the warning. Jerry was just passing through the quiet town, looking for a place to rest, not ghost stories. But when he dismisses the innkeeper’s strange advice to carry a candle lantern at night, he unknowingly steps into the deadly reach of the lost souls buried in unmarked graves. Trapped in the mist-shrouded cemetery with no protection, Jerry becomes yet another name never added to the registry. In this eerie tale of folklore and fate, belief can be the difference between staying the night… and staying forever.
This story took 3rd Place in the SWG (Springfield Writers Guild) 2024 Fall Literary Contest.
Lynn Combs 
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