The Silver Feather

By Joanne Van Leerdam

A hauntingly macabre tale.

When Phil loses the girl he loves, life as he knows it comes to a screeching halt. 

Little does  he realise that there is so much more yet to be lost. 

"The author deftly uses a talisman to spin a story incorporating gruesome horror as forces representing good and evil beyond the grave confront each other." - Reviewer

This eerie tale will please all lovers of horror and dark fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joanne Van Leerdam
• Release date: Oct 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386679813

Joanne Van Leerdam

Joanne Van Leerdam is a poet, blogger, writer, thinker, puzzler, teacher, traveller, photographer and generally nice person. Despite having lived all her life in Australia, she has, thus, far, avoided being killed or consumed by any of the deadly wildlife, which is probably a good thing.  Other than Australia, Canada is her favourite place in the world.  In addition to writing powerful, thought-provoking poetry and short-but-incredibly meaningful stories,  she teaches senior high school English, History and Drama/Production. She is an active member and performer in her local theatre company.   Her poetry is contemporary, sensual, moody and easy to read - and it will get you in the feelings.

Book preview

i

"D

on't let them bother you. They're not  

worth it." 

I know. They're just so...

Yeah. They haven't grown up yet. 

You got that right. How are you doing today? Phil steered the conversation to a much more pleasant topic than the guys who had been teasing him just before. And Libby was just about the most pleasant topic of conversation he could ever think of.

Libby smiled. I'm doing okay. Too much homework and too little time to do it. But that's life as a senior, right?

Don't I know it?! Phil groaned. 

So, what were those idiots giving you grief about?

Nothing, really.

Uh huh. 

The doubt in her voice said she knew him too well, prompting him to be honest.

My necklace. The feather. They think it's girly— they don't know what it means, though. They’re just being dumb.

Libby looked at the silver feather that hung on the chain around Phil's neck. What does it mean? 

The feather is a symbol of freedom and life. I got it on our family trip to New Mexico.  There was just something about it - it spoke to me somehow. The Navajo lady who sold it to me said it would give me independence and help me free my spirit. 

Libby contemplated that for a moment. I’ve always liked the feather, and I like what it means. I don't think it's girly at all.

Thanks. I appreciate that.

You're welcome, Libby smiled. Speaking of homework, I'd better head off and get something done before supper. I'll see you tomorrow. 

Yeah, see you then. 

Phil watched Libby walk away, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of something else to talk about so she might have stayed a little longer. Probably out of my league anyway, he sighed, popping himself safely back into the friend zone.

PHIL LOOKED UP FROM his algebra homework as the sirens of multiple emergency vehicles raced one another down the road, howling as they sped to the scene of some accident or crime. 

Please don't let it be Dad, he prayed. He always hoped it wasn’t his dad when he