This creepy new book from Katherine Arden is bound to give readers R.L.
Young Ollie starts noticing some odd similarities to the chilling ghost story she recently read.
She and two unlikely new friends are the only ones to heed its warning.
Credit: Katherine Arden/Facebook
As night begins to fall, they head into the woods, bracketed by fearsome scarecrows.
I got the idea for the novel on a bus from Vermont to New York.
We drove into an incredibly thick fog.
It was almost dusk and the light through the mist was otherworldly.
My other books are historical fantasy, so writing this contemporary horror novel was such a fun departure.
Read on below, and pre-order the book ahead of its Sept. 25 releasehere.
No one came after her.Well, why would they, Ollie thought.
She was Off School Property.
Ollie let her bike coast down the other side of Johnson Hill.
was good to be alone in the warm sunshine.
The river ran silver to her right, chattering over rocks.
The fire-colored trees shook their leaves down around her.
It wasnthot, exactlybut warm for October.
Just cool enough for jeans, but the sun was warm when you tilted your face to it.
The swimming hole was Ollies favorite place.
Not far from her house, it had a secret spot on a rock half-hidden by a waterfall.
That spot wasOllies, especially on fall days.
After mid-September, she was the only one there.
People didnt go to swimming holes once the weather turned chilly.
She mostly liked it.
But at least the book had romance and high seas adventures and otherabsolutely not Evansburgthings.
Reading it meant going to a new place where she wasnt Olivia Adler at all.
Ollie braked her bike.
Ollie kept a running list in her head of sugar maples in Evansburg that didnt belong to anyone.
When the sap ran, she and her mom would
Nope.
No, they wouldnt.
They could buy maple syrup.
The road that ran beside the swimming hole looked like any other stretch of road.
A person just driving by wouldnt know the swimming hole was there.
Ollie walked her bike down the trail.
The trees seemed to close in around her.
Above was a white-railed bridge.
Below, the stream paused in its trip down the mountain.
It spread out, grew deep and quiet enough for swimming.
There was a cliff for jumping and plenty of hiding places for one girl and her book.
She was eager go and read by the water and be alone.
The trees ended suddenly, and Ollie was standing on the bank of a cheerful brown swimming hole.
But, to her surprise, there was someone already there.
A slender woman, wearing jeans and flannel, stood at the edge of the water.
The woman was sobbing.
Maybe Ollies foot scuffed a rock, because the woman jerked upright and whirled around.
The woman was pretty, with amber-honey hair.
But she had circles under her eyes like purple thumbprints.
Streaks of mascara had run down her face, like shed been crying for awhile.
Hello, The woman said, trying to smile.
Her eyes lookedstretchedthe way a dog looks, hiding under the bed during a thunderstorm.
Her white-knuckled hands gripped a small, dark thing.
I didnt mean to scare you, Ollie said cautiously.
Why are you crying?she wanted to ask.
Like she was looking out for something.
Ollie felt a chill creep down her spine.
She said, Are you okay?
The woman tried to smile again.
The wind rustled the leaves.
Ollie glanced behind her.
Im fine, repeated the woman.
She turned the dark thing over in her hands.
Then she said, in a rush, I just have to get rid of this.
Put it in the water.
And then The woman broke off.
What then?The woman held the thing out over the water.
Her reaction was pure reflex.
You cant throw away a book!
Ollie let go of her bike and jumped forward.
There were donation boxes all over Evansburg.
snapped the woman, bringing Ollie up short.
The woman went on, half to herself, Thats the bargain.
Then give the book to the water.
She gave Ollie a pleading look.
I dont have a choice, you see.
Ollie tried to drag the conversation out of crazy town.
you’re able to donate a book if you dont want it, she said firmly.
Oror give it to someone.
Dont just throw it in the river.
Ihaveto, said the woman again.
Have to drop a book in the river?
Before tomorrow, said the woman.
Almost to herself, she whispered, Tomorrows the day.
Ollie was nearly within arms reach now.
The woman smelled sourfrightened.
Ollie, completely at sea, decided to ignore the stranger elements of the conversation.
Later, she would wish she hadnt.
If you dont want that book, Ill take it, said Ollie.
The woman shook her head.
Where Lethe Creek runs out of the mountain.
She shrieked the last sentence as though someone besides Ollie was listening.
Ollie had to stop herself from looking behind her again.
Little mouse feet crept up her spine.
Just his game, maybe.
But instead, her hand darted up and she snatched the book.
It felt old under her fingers, gritty with dust.
Surprised at her own daring, Ollie hurriedly backed up.
The womans face turned red.
A glob of spit hit Ollie in the cheek.
I dont think so, said Ollie.
You dont want it anyway.
She was backing toward her bike, half expecting the woman to fling herself forward.
The woman was staring at Ollie as if really seeing her for the first time.
A horrified understanding dawned on her face that Ollie didnt understand.
How old are you?
Ollie was still backing toward her bike.
Twelve, she answered, by reflex.
Of course, twelve.
Ollie couldnt tell if the woman were giggling or crying.
Its his kind of joke She broke off, leaned forward to whisper.
Listen to me, Twelve.
Im going to tell you one thing, because Im not a bad person.
I just didnt have a choice.
Ill give you some advice, and you give me the book.
She had her hand out, fingers crooked like claws.
Ollie, poised on the edge of flight, said, Tell me what?
The stream rushed and rippled, but the harsh sounds of the woman breathing were louder than the water.
Avoid large places at night, the woman breathed.
Ollie was torn between wanting to run and wanting to understand.
Keep to small spaces or see what happens to you!
She burst into wild laughter.
The animatronic witch sitting outside the Brewsters next to a cauldron of dry ice laughed like that.
Now give me that book!
Her laughter turned into a whistling, shrieking sob; her hands reached out, snatching.
Ollie heaved the Schwinn around and fled with it up the trail from the creek.
The womans footsteps scraped behind.
Ollie was already on the main road, her leg thrown over the bikes saddle.
