Moonshine

By L. Chambers Wright

Madeline Ramsey ushered her family through years of substance abuse. She suddenly finds herself thrust into a normal life. Her family discovers the wonders of structure and stability as they heal. They even buy their first home in the country. Life couldn't be better.She soon discovers a heap of twisted metal hidden behind the yard. She fears the rusted cauldron might contain fatal chemicals. Her efforts to dispose of the old moonshine still sets off a bizarre chain reaction that destroys the home she loves, and just might destroy the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black House Books
• Release date: Sep 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9798201853518

L. Chambers Wright

L. Chambers-Wright also writes as Laura Wright. She grew up surrounded by Appalachian folklore and ghost stories, many of which find their way into her material. She currently lives with her family in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She has had many books published, and continues to prolifically write fiction, as well as non-fiction history. She is the primarily caregiver for a number of relatives, several pets, and an unknown number of wild animals. Her interests include photography, music, and casual gaming. Her personal website is Laurawrites.net [http://laurawrites.net]. She runs the Virginia Creeper Appalachian History and Folklore website [http://vacreeper.com], as well as Appalachia Obscura, an obscure history and folklore website [http://appalachiangothic.com].

Book preview

Chapter 1

She was a cold, heartless demon with no regard for mother or child. She waltzed in whenever she felt the urge, and he always gave in. She was an abomination and a conqueror, all in one alluring package. She couldn’t begin to imagine the number of families she’d already ripped apart.

She could always tell when he’d spent time with his other love. There was no denying the evidence that surfaced, or the symptoms that followed. Oh, he was always faithful, alright, so devoted, so unable to resist the one he couldn’t marry. Why? She knew nothing of love. Nothing. She only knew greed and lust, obsession, and ultimately possession. That was all it took.

And she wasn’t even human.

If booze were a woman, she would kill her without another thought. She would remove her head and pour her out. She wished she could erase her from existence; but, that was a wish, and wishes never came true. They just reminded you of what could’ve been, if the world had liked you. It didn’t like most people, but she really pissed it off, somehow. It had an absolute penchant for screwing her over every day.

He was absent for days at a time, every time he binged. She was married, but didn’t have a husband. She had a wedding band on her finger, the name of another adult on her bank account, but the sentient being she married wasn’t actually there. She couldn’t remember when he last was. It was the most unfair and treacherous place. She had to assume the roles of two parents, and carried the responsibilities of two parents, by herself.

He always returned when his money ran out, and she always took him back. Somehow, he always knew just when to drag his ass back home. She thought about moving during every binge. At least they wouldn’t be there whenever he decided to come home. Maybe that would teach him.

Probably not.  He would probably find them, like a damned bloodhound. She didn’t fear him or anything. He’d never raised a hand to her. She only feared the cycle would never stop. That the rest of her life would be scrimping and salvaging, hiding and omitting, laboring and weeping.

He usually stumbled in when she was late for work, or had to run to the store. He was always sober, by that point. And so very sorry. He seemed to have an innate knowledge of when she was pressed for time or energy, or both. Like when Julia had the stomach flu, but she had to go to work, so she had no time to tell him to get the hell out.

When she returned home, that damned ache in her heart always made her take him back. That, and Julia’s love for her father. It wasn’t like either of them had family to help. They were alone in the world. After all, it wasn’t like he was out with another woman. He was never abusive in any other way. Still, she was weak. She shouldn’t have to be a mere woman. She should have the ability to be a superhero, and entirely self-sufficient.

If only she could destroy her. If only she could force her back to the lowly depths of hell from which she came. She knew her as well as her husband did. She lied. She deceived. She aimed for the most vulnerable target, and she always hit her mark.

She would never understand what he saw in her. Such an expensive mistress knew no reason, no mercy. She certainly wasn’t there when he was hung over, and when his head felt like it would explode, when he couldn’t keep any food down. She couldn’t understand his interest. She certainly wasn’t capable of meeting his physical needs; but that loathsome devotion was so damned predictable.

He stumbled through the front door after a four-day absence. He smelled like a sewer, and couldn’t even look at her. Same as it ever was. She knew where he’d been, and whom he’d been with. It was in his eyes. If only the fight were fair. If only the situation was different. If only Julia wasn’t watching them both.

She held her tongue as she tucked her daughter in bed. She pretended nothing was wrong because she saw fear. She saw dread in those sweet and innocent eyes. There was nothing to fear. She would end this tonight.

Chapter 2

Six months later

They laughed together on the rickety, makeshift dock. Father and daughter. It was like some distant dream had come to pass. It belonged to someone else, and she just knew there eventually would be a time to give it back. She just borrowed it for a time. The pied piper of her life would demand restitution. She knew it.

Their new house sat beside a gorgeous spot of the Holston River. Their house. H.O.U.S.E. This couldn’t possibly be her life, couldn’t possibly be her beautiful home.  She still couldn’t believe they bought a home. That was one distinct advantage to a rural home, even if they couldn’t get cable or high-speed internet. Everything was affordable.

Sometimes she couldn’t believe it had just been six months since it fell apart. At times, it seemed like years had passed. On bad days, it only seemed like a week or two earlier. She was still tender, and some days it didn’t feel like