Silent Night, Lady White: Wyrdwar

By Brannon Hollingsworth

Christmas, 1913. Pluckley, England. Walter W. Winans, the greatest crack-shot of all time, took a shot at the fabled White Lady ghost of Pluckley, the most haunted village in England.

This is that story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Four Fools Press
• Release date: Dec 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393415404

Brannon Hollingsworth

Brannon Hollingsworth was born to create. An author, publisher, game designer, script writer, art director, and Christ-follower, Brannon is a passionate creator who promotes God in everything he does. Brannon is the co-author of H20, from AMG Publishers; other works include the comic "Sundered" (Awful Good Games), “Tenet’s Tale”, part of the novel Skein of Shadows from Dark Quest Publishing; “Firestarter”, part of The Guestbook, Angel's Glow, The Truth Is Out There, Cold Vengeance, and Ambush (parts of the supernaturally-laced Tenet's Tales series), Nod, Russian Apemen from Space, Prelude to Okolona, To Live and Die in Dixie, The First Four Years, and last but not least, Robot Dad, an illustrated children's book. Brannon has been published in the role-playing industry, writing for several publishers: Paizo Publishing, Sword & Sorcery Studios, Green Ronin Press, Bastion Press, Sovereign Press, Necromancer Games, Atlas Games, Fantasy Flight Games, Eden Studios, Skeleton Key Games, Ignitus Innovations, Wandering Men Studios, Dark Quest Games, Ambient, Inc., and Citizen Games. Brannon has written articles in several RPG periodicals: Dragon Magazine, Gaming Frontiers, and The EN World Player's Journal. He co-created of his own game, Untold, called “…a clever idea well executed…” and “Excellent” by Forbes. Brannon’s work has also appeared in County Extra Magazine, A Year in the Country 2018, Out-of-Work to Making Money: 21 Comeback Stories Every Job Hunter Should Hear, and on the websites Atlas Obscura and Unemploymentville. Brannon creates online content for YouTube, Udemy.com, Curious.com, and others. Recently, a video series he co-created, The PicTrain, was optioned by TBN, the largest Christian cable channel on the planet.

Book preview

December 24, 1913 A.D.

Kent, England

Village of Pluckley

St. Nicholas Church

I say. This is Walter W. Winans and it is today the twenty fourth of December, nineteen hundred and thirteen, in the year of our Lord. It is not a good thing to acquire a device such as this telegraphone and not have it work when times need. Therefore, this is a test.

The aged, but obviously hale man removed the receiver, which looked like nothing quite so much as an elaborately fluted and trumpet-ended Victorian-era telephone receiver, from his mustachioed lips. Sure hands slapped a couple of metal switches on the wooden chest to which the receiver was attached via a long, thick wire and the smartly-dressed man cocked a thick, but neatly trimmed eyebrow. His steely grey gaze shot across the room to pierce the visage of his sole companion: a sandy-haired, clean-faced youth.

Walter hefted the clunky, heavy receiver, Any experience with these, Tom?

Long-fingered hands unused to manual labor nervously and absentmindedly patted Tom’s various pockets, as if the answer to Walter’s question lay somewhere within. "N-n-no, sir. We’ve y-y-yet to lay hands to a telegraphone at the Times, but we’re certainly looking f-f-forward to-"

Here, now, lad. There’s no need for stuttering, for Christ’s sake. I’m not the Pope or your Queen. Buck up and fear only Him who, after the killing of your body, has the power to throw you into Hell! I am only a man, after all.

Y-y, I mean, yes sir. Tom replied, deliberately setting his rounded chin. How have you been able to acquire such a technological marvel?

Walter, now listening intently to the test of his recording, the telegraphone’s receiver again pressed to his prodigious ear, held a sturdy index finger to his lips. Apparently satisfied, he set the device back to record and then placed the receiver into a specially designed cradle before turning to Tom with a reply.

"Two routes, actually. Firstly, Valdemar Poulsen, the