I yearn to walk between their legs.
Sentries held firm by giant pegs.
By their rules, we must strictly abide.
Imagine the secrets they must hide.
Come walk with me in their dark shade.
Through the fallen leaves, we will wade.
A canopy of leaves above our heads.
Come with me to our leafy beds.
MEET ME IN MAINE
Did Logan survive the attack at the restaurant? How many victims will the evil curse claim before it’s finished?
Chapter 11
I trailed behind David at the hospital through a maze of corridors, announcements ringing in our ears, overhead fluorescent lights bouncing off the too-white walls. He reached for my hand when my steps slowed, and I took a deep breath. “I hate hospitals.”
“No one likes hospitals, but they’re a necessity.”
I frowned at his response.
A nurse exited as we entered Logan’s room. He lay on the bed, his eyes closed, a white bandage covering the left side of his head, closest to us. His eyes opened at our footsteps, and Logan tilted his head to see us.
I ran past the empty bed to reach him. “How are you?” I extended my hand before dropping it at my side. “We should have brought flowers or a gift.”
His slow grin made my heart flutter. “I don’t need gifts, just you.”
David cleared his throat.
Logan chuckled. “I need you too.”
“What happened?” His eyes flashing, David sauntered to the opposite side of the bed.
Logan glanced at him. “All business, no ‘how do you feel’ from you?”
“You’re conscious.” David cocked an eyebrow. “So, you’re fine.”
I inched closer to the bed and touched his hand. “What happened?”
Logan looked at me, his gray eyes softening, his chiseled face gaunt. “I spotted two men lurking on the pier behind the fish restaurant, so I tracked them until they ambushed me on a side street. While I was tackling one of them, the other hit me. The next thing I remember is waking in the hospital attached to tubes.”
“Did you recognize them?” David paced at the foot of the second bed, waiting in the shadows for its next patient, its lights and machinery dark.
Logan faced him with a disdainful expression. “They wore hoodies and dark clothing.”
“That’s it?” David halted, his expression grim.
A grunt escaped Logan’s lips. “Let me see you identify someone who bashed you on the head.”
“I was just checking.” David shrugged. “We’ve been attacked before.”
Logan frowned. “Thanks for the show of sympathy.”
I squeezed his hand. “Did you hear about the woman?”
“I was there.”
“Why were you there?” David asked, his voice hardening.
“The chief heard rumors of an attack at tonight’s opening.” Logan closed his eyes. “He asked me to check the restaurant.”
“The chief expected an attack?” I let go of his hand. “Scarlett was there.”
He opened his eyes, giving me a glassy stare. “I didn’t know until I saw her and Jonathan.” Logan winced. “I was approaching Scarlett when the woman… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I grabbed his hands in both of mine. “They could have killed you. You should rest.”
David grunted and strode from the room.
“We’ll return tomorrow.” I gave Logan a wistful look before hurrying after David into the corridor.
While he marched ahead of me to the nurses’ station, his tense words drifted to me over his shoulder, “I’m going to speak to the nurses before I drive you home.”
I waited as three nurses surrounded him, eager to answer his questions. After nodding to them, David led me to an empty lounge. “Do you need to sit?”
I shook my head.
“Logan has a severe concussion… they’re taking him for an MRI.”
“Poor Logan; you could have been nicer to him.”
“He has a thick head. This isn’t his first concussion or mine.”
“Are you trying to comfort me?” I frowned. “Your technique isn’t working.”
David shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess not.” He searched my face. “I’ll take you home… I’m sorry for the way our date ended.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Blue Harbor has an awful habit of interfering in my life,” he said as we followed the twisting hallways to the exit.
At my apartment, he stood in the hallway, watching me. “I’ll wait until you lock the door behind you.”
I unlocked the door, stepped inside, and turned to him.
A hooded expression crossed his face. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” The soulful chords of Tchaikovsky’s “Pas de Deux” from The Nutcracker drifted from his jacket. He pulled the offending cell phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. “The chief is calling. Lock the door,” he said, backing into the hallway and motioning to the lock.
I shut the door and locked it. Date finished.
It’s a magical night for a party.
Beautiful couples dance
between the glass statues.
Fancy gowns drape the perfect bodies.
The glasshouse shimmers in the moonlight.
The party is perfect.
A little too perfect.
THE DEAD GAME
“Self Portrait with a Harp” (1791) (detail) by Rose-Adélaïde Ducreux (1761-1802).
Play me a song.
Don’t get me wrong.
I love your singing voice,
But the harp is my choice.
The music soothes my sad soul
From the day taking its toll.
I need the music today.
Please, sit for me and play.
Source: 4allgoodthings
Read a book by the fire.
The pages will shine brighter.
I don’t need to fight the snowdrifts.
I’ll stay inside with the misfits.
The ones who prefer the books
that grab you with their hooks.
The fire is getting low
as the strong winds begin to blow.
I snuggle farther beneath the covers
as I read about murders and lovers.
Take me away from a world without color,
A world where life is dull and grey.
I want to swim through the ocean’s waves,
Where rainbows can frolic and play.
The sun’s rays shimmer off the water,
Leaving trails of gold, yellow, and red.
Beacons of light for me to follow
To a new land where to lay my head.
I fly through the rolling waves,
Touching down on a spot of land.
I am lifted by arms of fountains
And laid to rest on the pink sand.
Turtles scurry away from my hand.
Birds fly around as they have fun.
The waves recede in their farewell dance,
Leaving me alone in the sun.
Who lives on this small island?
It’s time for me to explore
The hut of branches in the tree.
I must see if there is more.
The steps are pretty steep.
I climb and step inside.
The room is small and dark.
Who knows what it may hide?
I hear footsteps from the room beyond.
They’re coming closer to where I hide.
It’s too late to run for the door.
I must face whoever is inside.
A man saunters into the room,
Candles and two places set.
He throws me a big grin
As if I am his prized pet.
We both wait in silence.
He slowly moves toward me.
“I hope you like my surprise.”
I feel as cold as can be.
I don’t like surprises.
Especially from him.
He keeps me at arms-length,
Not letting me in.
I lower my eyes
From the fire in his eyes.
They’re consuming me alive.
I am burning from his lies.
He makes an abrupt movement
And strides across the room.
He kisses me with great passion
Under the blood red moon.
Meet Me In Maine
The Blue Harbor Series Book by Susanne Leist
Genre: Paranormal & Urban Fantasy
Elizabeth Reading and Scarlett Harding travel to Blue Harbor, Maine, hoping to find a bed-and-breakfast to buy and a peaceful town. What they discover instead is much more sinister…
When they visit the local ice cream parlor, a man rushes through the doorway, clutching his throat and dying in a pool of blood. Chief Lively and two men, David Hunt and Logan Rayne, interrogate Elizabeth and Scarlett. Elizabeth stares at the dashing, blue-eyed David, stunned she agreed to a date with him just hours ago.
Elizabeth wants to pack her bags and visit other harbor towns, but Scarlett insists on keeping their appointment. They fall in love with the quaint bed-and-breakfast and sign the papers a few days later.
Once they settle into the inn, strange incidents plague Blue Harbor. At Scarlett’s date with Jonathan Hale, the charming ice cream parlor owner, a woman’s head explodes at the next table. A suspicious explosion rocks the harbor, destroying boats and part of the dock. Their fears mount as an intruder breaks into the inn.
The curse placed by the Penobscot Indians on the original settlers and descendants of Blue Harbor has returned with a violent twist.
Have Elizabeth and Scarlett put their lives in danger by dating two of Blue Harbor’s descendants? Should they sell the inn or stay and fight the curse alongside David, Logan, and Jonathan?
**On Sale for Only .99 cents!!**
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A career in writing has been an enormous leap for me. Accustomed to the number-crunching field of budgeting and the hectic commodity markets, I left my first career and M.B.A. in Finance behind to pursue my dream. However, I do not regret my foray into literature for one moment. I write every day and have even tried my hand at poetry. So don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late in life to try something different. It is never too late to follow your heart.
THE DEAD GAME SERIES brings fantasy and surrealism to the classic murder mystery with dead bodies, suspects, and clues. In addition, it offers vampires and a touch of romance to spice the motley mix.
MEET ME IN MAINE, the first book in THE BLUE HARBOR SERIES, provides the backdrop for murder, mystery, and romance in a seaside town. Love falters and flourishes as the residents fight the persistent evil plaguing their small-town lives.
Sit back, put up your feet, and let me bring mystery and romance to your lives.
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A more beautiful place cannot be,
It faces the waves of the dark sea.
White sand and quiet beaches galore,
You can’t ask for anything more.
Life is perfect as can be.
Come and frolic with me.
Tourists visit from far and wide.
Oasis is Florida’s pride.
Beware when The Dead descend.
We can no longer pretend
This is a perfect place to be
As The Dead rise up from the sea.
Darkness brings flying creatures and death.
Beware that this won’t be your last breath.
THE DEAD GAME
by Susanne Leist
I feel him in the breeze.
He was born to please.
His laughter rings loud
as he rides on a cloud.
Please return to me.
The night will set us free.
THE DEAD AT HEART
A paradise is now lost and gone,
never to be found again.
Whomever the demons come upon,
no more peace but only pain.
Like a cold witches’ brew,
an Oasis for all.
Now a hell for the few
who remain to tell all.
THE DEAD GAME
by Susanne Leist
SUSANNE LEIST 