The Chores

By Mary Underwood

A young girl, Elizabeth, is on vacation and meets Faith a ghost that seems endlessly destined to perform chores around her old homestead. Elizabeth becomes Faith's companion and begins to not only help, but learn about the daily tasks of her dead friend.

Faith guides Elizabeth further into their friendship as the days continue, but why? What makes Faith so desperate for a friend? Is it loneliness or something more?

Mary Underwood weaves a quietly chilling tale that will leave you shocked and terrified as the story concludes. This is one that will hang with you for a long time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NetBound Publishing
• Release date: Mar 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458092762

Mary Underwood

Mary L. Underwood, who has been a published journalist and columnist for more than 20 years, is new to the world of horror. “Horror stories have always really scared me,” she explained. “Maybe that is the secret to my success. I really do feel the fright and transfer it to the page.” Most recently Mary has been published in VICIOUS SPIRITS, an anthology of ghost stories with her 9,000 word short story, THE CHORES, and in VICIOUS BITES, an anthology of vampire stories where her 10,000 word story, THE BELIEVER, won the “best new vampire concept” award. Both these stories are now available as digital downloads for your e-reader. Also, watch for Mary’s next offering in the soon to be released Werewolf anthology, I BELIEVE IN WEREWOLVES coming soon from NETBOUND PUBLISHING.

Book preview

The Chores

By

Mary L. Underwood

Published by Mary L. Underwood

and NetBound Publishing

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 by Mary L. Underwood

Cover by Mikel B. Classen

Discover other titles by Mary L. Underwood at Smashwords.com

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

The Chores

Come on, Greg called in a strangled shout from where he and the others had disappeared through a thick stand of bushes. Elizabeth tried again to fan a swarm of tiny, gnat-like, biting, black-flies away from her face. Hurry up, he added. Greg sounded annoyed.

Elizabeth didn’t particularly care if Greg was annoyed or not. She was annoyed. Elizabeth sighed and pushed forward in what, she was sure, was a futile attempt to catch up with Greg and his friends before they reached the ghost farm. The truth was, she didn’t really care if she caught up with them or not.

How had she allowed the others to talk her into this, anyway? She didn’t actually want to go tromping off through the woods in search of some old, abandoned homestead that was supposed to he haunted. Elizabeth didn’t believe in ghosts. And she hated bugs, which this place seemed to abound with. A particularly sharp stick jabbed into Elizabeth’s leg and she winced. Actually, she knew exactly how she had gotten talked into this. She was trudging through this bug infested, God forsaken woods, looking for a ghost she did not believe in, following people she didn’t particularly care for because there was nothing else to do. Her parents, who were suffering from some sort of mid-life crises, had decided they needed to leave the city and get back to nature.

Unfortunately, they had dragged her with them.

Elizabeth’s parents had each taken a leave of absence from their corporate jobs in Chicago and, in Elizabeth’s personal opinion, they had also taken a leave of their senses. They had decided to collaborate together on writing a novel. It was a stupid idea. Neither of them had ever written anything she was aware of. The idea that they could write a novel was just plain dumb