The Darkest Midnight in December

The ghost story is a Christmas tradition; shadows looming over the brightly-lit tree in a room where logs crackle in the hearth, and the smell of spice and brandy fill the air. Outside the weather is chill; perhaps snow is falling. The house is far from town – lights twinkle in the distance. And over the festive season, as people gather to celebrate and welcome in the New Year, eerie breath might be heard in a dark corridor, hurrying footsteps overhead, a sigh in the depths of a stairwell. When all are supposed to be happy and secure, the intrusion of fear, grief or sadness are alien, and yet bizarrely integral to a time of celebration whose roots lie in ancient, pagan festivals. What stirs in the darkness?

We invited a selection of authors to play with the tropes of the Christmas season, and the stories within this collection are diverse in theme, tone and location. Some of the stories have ghosts, some are purely haunting. All the tales are previously unpublished, from: J. E. Bryant, Storm Constantine, Louise Coquio, Wendy Darling, Nerine Dorman, Rosie Garland, Jessica Gilling, Suzanne Gyseman, Misha Herwin, Rick Hudson, Rhys Hughes, Hannah Kate, Fiona Lane, Fiona McGavin and Adele Marie Park.

With seven illustrations by Storm Constantine and Wendy Darling.