Louise, Don't Go

By John Stewart Wynne

In the tradition of the classic British ghost story, John Stewart Wynne creates a poignant tale of a new friendship interrupted by an unexpected, otherworldly turn of events.

 

Two women—strangers—book the same hotel in the Scottish Highlands.

 

But are they really strangers, and if not, why not?

 

A different time―1953―the year of the first color TV, the first VW Beetle, and Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

A different place―Braemar, Scotland, near Balmoral Castle. An ancient hotel surrounded by mountains, sheep, and March winds.

A different love―Two retired American elementary schoolteachers―shy Alice and gung-ho Louise―are enjoying their lifelong dreams of a Scottish vacation. Glad for each other's company, they go exploring together, share similar memories, and when Louise reveals a taboo secret, an unspoken bond is formed…

Alice prays it won't end...but then an eerie mist comes down from the mountains...

John Stewart Wynne's fiction has been hailed by such authors as:

• PEN/Faulkner Award winner Kate Christensen―"Astonishingly good, original, beautiful and amazing..."
• National Book Award winner Paul Monette―"With an infallible ear for dialogue, Wynne casts a laser eye on the things we say, so different from what we mean. People on the edge, the margins of love."
• Lambda Literary Award winner Rebecca Brown―"The Other World is an incredibly powerful book."

John Stewart Wynne was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction for his novel The Red Shoes. Wikipedia notes that "His writing often depicts characters in extremis, outsiders adrift in a conformist landscape, in plots that juxtapose the surreal and naturalistic. He has been hailed as the heir apparent to the tradition of 'outsider art' exemplified by Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers and Truman Capote." In addition to Louise, Don't Go, in 2023 Tree Line Books published three other stories by John Stewart Wynne in eBook format: Narcissist; Blonds; and The Sighting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tree Line Books
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9780931476013

Book preview

Have you seen the other American lady who’s staying with us?

Alice Thompson lowered her cup into the saucer and with some confusion met the eyes of the head waiter. No... she answered slowly. I don’t believe I have.

She’s a retired schoolteacher like you, miss. She’s been here two or three days. Funny your paths haven’t crossed, especially since there aren’t many guests this time of year.

Alice pulled her shawl around her shoulders to deflect the March wind that was somehow blowing right through the windowpane behind her. The window was tightly bolted, there were no cracks in the glass, no splits in the wood, yet the teacup was quivering, leaves of a discarded book were turning, and she felt an iciness in her bones.

Shall I light a fire?

No, John, don’t bother. I’ll be going upstairs soon. To light a fire on such a bright and shining day, when the hillsides were already covered with blue and white wildflowers, seemed foolish.

Alice watched the sun speckle the potted palm, secure in its copper urn, the centerpiece of the Braemar Hotel drawing room. Circling the palm were clusters of well-worn armchairs and tables set for afternoon tea. But for the moment, Alice had the drawing room all to herself, so she felt at ease to give her face a quick, unobserved touch-up. Holding her pocket mirror at arm’s length, she applied some rouge to her cheeks and dabbed some powder on her nose. By just slightly turning the mirror, she was able to see branches of a willow tree scraping against the window. Its blossoms were white and ripe.

She made her way up the steep wooden stairs, dark even in all the sunshine, to her room on the second floor. She had left her detailed map of Scotland open on the bed, and staring at it