Before She’s Gone Forever

by Phil Giunta

Phil Giunta is one of the best short story writers producing today. This particular story is incredibly moving, and Phil reading it only adds to it. Enjoy this story on a melancholy fall evening with a glass of wine, and someone you love.

~It took the entire morning, but police divers found Eun-ji’s body in the bay—exactly where I said it would be. I wasn’t entirely forthcoming with them, of course. I didn’t tell them about the pictures. I simply informed them that Eun-ji had talked about exploring the peaks of Geoje Island to find a good spot for cliff jumping. Fearless and heavily influenced by western culture, Eun-ji was what the Americans call an “adrenaline junkie.” Hence the reason she had volunteered for civilian military training in the city of Gimpo last month. That’s where we met. 

As a photographer for the Korea Herald, I had been assigned to shoot the weeklong boot camp. My mandatory two years in the Army had just ended six months prior, so I was still able to keep up with the grueling regimen these college students faced. Nothing extraordinary had occurred during the assignment—other than meeting Eun-ji. Day or night, my camera loved her more than any of the others~

Buy the book, why don’tcha?

The camera eye

I’ve never believed in the supernatural, but I couldn’t help worrying that something had happened to Eun-ji and that she was reaching out to me…

Author Phil Guinta‘s “Before She’s Gone Forever” is the kind of supernatural tale that editors simply love. It sticks with you long after you’ve finished the last page and makes you feel like the time you’ve invested in it was time very well spent. We’re fortunate to have this work in Halloween Party ’21. Phil’s is a powerful, imaginative story that is sure to age quite well and is worthy of multiple reads.

If you don’t already own a copy of the paperback, we strongly recommend purchasing the collection for yourself, which you can find at quality bookstores. Alternatively, and for more immediate gratification, simply click the link below to purchase from Amazon.

Are you scared? Thank Horace.

Horace Walpole: the father of horror!

Horace Walpole (1717-1797) is generally considered to be the father of horror novels.

Interesting as he looks so handsome and a bit like the modern Sherlock Holmes as played by Benedict Cumberbatch (who is also diabolical and handsome, IMHO, but I digress….):

Horace is generally believed to have penned the first horror novel, The Castle of Otranto.

Benedict Cumberbatch: the Horace Walpole doppelgänger.

PLOT:

The Castle of Otranto tells the story of Manfred, lord of the castle, and his family. The book begins on the wedding-day of his sickly son Conrad and princess Isabella. Shortly before the wedding, however, Conrad is crushed to death by a gigantic helmet that falls on him from above.

This inexplicable event is particularly ominous in light of an ancient prophecy, “…that the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it.” Manfred, terrified that Conrad’s death signals the beginning of the end for his line, resolves to avert destruction by marrying Isabella himself, while divorcing his current wife, Hippolita, who he feels has failed to bear him a proper heir due to the sickly condition of Conrad before his untimely death. However, as Manfred attempts to marry Isabella…

The Castle of Otranto: Title page to the third edition (circa 1776).

Crushed by a huge helmet… just the first in a series of mysterious and terrible occurrences that befall the characters in this book. And that is all we’re willing to tell you, after all, Horace deserves to still sell a few copies. Or check your local library.

For those of you who love horror, but like it a bit more modern, we have two great books coming out this year: a collection of short stories from Samsara: The Magazine of Suffering publisher R. David Fulcher, and Halloween Party 2021, a collection of horror short stories and poems by a terrifying crew that includes Fulcher, Dutton (who is currently serializing a pretty creepy novel on his blog, free!), Golladay, Giunta, and Brown, among many others.

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