The Drowning House

By K.T. McQueen

Finding the house seemed like a bright moment on a dark day, and Tiz and Melda couldn't resist the find. Buying it and renovating it before moving themselves and their business there. But something lurked deep in the depths of the house, below the kitchen floorboards, below the iron grate in the bottom of the well. And their renovations woke it and released it. Now they must figure out why it's tormenting them before it's too late.

A fun ghost hunting story with a dark ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Trinity
• Release date: Oct 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463128992

K.T. McQueen

Horror Author of The Soul Game, Skin Side Out, & Whispers on the Hill K.T.McQueen is an extension of Kate Trinity as suggested by my Indie Publisher for writing horror novels. I'm currently engrossed in creating a universe of monsters both as novels and movie scripts. Stars is the first story in the series and a kind of introduction. The second book (you can read the first three chapters of at the end of Stars) has taken me a while and is in fact the first book of the Noctisbellum Inc. series I wrote.

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The Drowning House

By K.T. McQueen

Published by Pentickle

The Drowning House © 2019 by K.T. McQueen

All Rights Reserved

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be resold or given away. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Note from the Author

Nothing in this written work is meant to represent any place, building or person. It’s all the work of the author's overactive imagination and any resemblance is pure coincidence.

If you’d like more from K.T. Horror, please visit http://katetrinity.co

The Drowning House

Chapter One

The house was perfect. The way the pine trees seemed to cradle it against the bright blue blanket of the morning sky. They’d known it the second they set foot on the property. It needed a lot of work. Of course, that was the reason they could afford such a big place. That and the other thing; the thing they’d agreed never to mention again.

Tiz and Melda had been together for over eleven years. And three years ago, had gone into business together. Everyone said going into business with your significant other was a stupid idea. That there would be arguments and disagreements and ultimately, breakups. But that hadn’t been how they’d found it. They’d strengthened their bond. And over a year ago had decided their poky little apartment and rented office just wasn’t cutting it anymore. It was time to invest in their own place. A place they could live and work. It had taken a little longer than they imagined to find the right, if not perfect, location. Mostly because of how tight their budget was. And how specific they were about what they wanted. The house was in town. With an adjoining office building fronting onto the street, with a separate entrance. It was within budget. It had the space they needed. And was convenient for the few clients who actually wanted to come to the office.

But just as they were considering putting in an offer for the ‘not quite up to what they wanted’ place, Melda’s Aunt died. The woman had been like a second mother to Melda. Having no children of her own, she had left Melda a significant inheritance. Melda was devastated. Collapsing in a heap on the office floor when she heard. And Tiz had enfolded her and hugged her until the tears had abated. They weren’t the last tears she would shed. They put off house hunting to deal with the death.

A couple of weeks later, on their way to the wake, they saw a sign at the side of the road and took a little detour. It was a spur of the moment and Tiz encouraged it to lighten the day a little for Melda. Time to compose herself before the gathering at Aunt Erma’s house.

The long winding drive led up to an overgrown garden and a wide farmhouse, which seemed too good to be true. They’d wanted a tree-lined driveway. That whole feeling of entering another world every time they came home. The wanted to be self-sufficient too. And not only was the front garden large but the rear had a significant portion of land attached. They pulled up into what would soon be the permanent parking spot for their old camper and got out.

A knock on the door resulted in an echo through the house. It was clear no one lived there but Tiz thought it best to check. They walked around the wide porch. All the windows were intact but it looked like there was water damage to the insides, as they peered in. The huge windows filled the rooms with light despite the dust and dirt. And the doorway seemed so welcoming that Tiz reached out and tried the handle.

‘What were you doing?’ Melda asked stepping onto the porch behind Tiz.

‘I thought it was worth trying.’ Tiz shrugged. ‘Wanted to see how bad the water damage might be.’

‘Come on, I want to show you something.’ Melda smiled and grabbed Tiz’s hand. Pulling Tiz along in her wake as she strode with purpose around the side of the house.

They passed a lean-to woodshed in front of the camper. And walked up to the back porch, leaves catching and twisting around their feet in the slight breeze. Melda led them past the first window and to the large long window at the furthest end. Smiling brightly, excited, despite the sadness of the day. Tiz smiled in return and leant towards the window Melda gestured at.

‘This is perfect.’ Melda whispered, peering into the huge old kitchen. Imagining bringing fruit in from the garden and making pies and preserves.

The large bright kitchen still had its old white units, a door hanging off here and there. Green square tiles covering the bench and walls dull with dust and dirt. A large old fire. Even the old long kitchen farm table stood resplendent in the centre. Dried flowers hung from the ceiling covered in cobwebs and falling apart.

‘It does seem to be, doesn’t it?’ Tiz said moving away from the window and glancing out on the land. ‘I think that’s a reed bed over there. Maybe it already has eco-toilets?’

Melda grabbed Tiz’s hand again, ‘We should get the number off the