This is another chilling horror novelette from Electric Eclectic Books. “Final Harvest” by Michael J. Elliott is a riveting tale of wishes gone wrong. Much like the Monkey’s Paw, an old man longs for his deceased wife and son. Living by himself on a decrepit farm he waits for the day he can be reunited with his family.
The story begins with a young man, Rowan, hiking to visit his grandparents. Along the way, he stops in at a local pub for a cold ale. Circumstances cause him to need a place to stop overnight. The kindly tavern keeper manages to get him a room in the home of old Charlie Figgins in exchange for performing a few chores. Charlie puts the young man to work chopping wood. After supper Rowan retires to his assigned room. What occurs next is pure horror.
A centuries-old tree stands in the farmyard. It’s apparent some mystery surrounds the tree. Elliott describes the tree vividly, leaving the reader with an intense sense of foreboding. The graphic description of Rowan’s encounter with the tree presages even gorier experiences to follow.
The reader can’t help but wonder if anyone else knows of the tree’s proclivity for sacrifice. Will it be content with its latest gift or is it eager for more?
Be prepared for a thrilling ride on nightmare highway as you read this short tale of loneliness, desperation, and the price demanded by the ancients. The conclusion of the story offers a tantalizing hint at the future. A quick and terrifying read.
Blurb
Final Harvest is a riveting dark tale of an old man’s desperate wish to be re-united with his deceased family. In a pact with the ancient tree on his land, the old man is assured his reward will be his wish of reunion. But how many innocent victims must suffer for him to achieve his promise to the tree and would his reward be according to his wishes. The Final Harvest is a noir tale of love, death and being careful for what you wish for, because it may just come true.
Michael J. Elliott on Electric Eclectic
Between the Beats 