Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis - The Winter Hunt & Other Stories

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Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis - The Winter Hunt & Other Stories (Parallel Universe, 2016)

Joe Young

Paul Finch - Introduction: Calm Waters Run Very, Very Deep

The Winter Hunt
Gabriel Restrained
Family Ties
Lullaby
The Woman On The Stairs
Never Go Back
Damp
Last Day
The Worst Part
City Of Woes
Death Knock
Playmates
De Profundis
Puca Muc
Shadows Of Paint

Blurb:
Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis, a two-man, Swansea-based writing-team (though they have written individually as well, and excellently too) are contemporary authors in the best sense of the phrase. They are also hugely respectful of and clearly motivated by some of the great work done in the past. So often their stories, at first glance, may be ‘kitchen sink’ in tone. By that, I mean they could be set on a drear council estate, or in a bus station café, or a second-hand shoe shop, or a seaside boarding house on a dull day in the off-season. But never be fooled by any of that, because these calm waters run very, very deep indeed. - From Paul Finch's introduction.

The Winter Hunt: (L. H Maynard, M. P. N. Sims & David Howe [eds.], F20, BFS, 2000). A freak snow blizzard hits Swansea. Meanwhile Angharad, a thirty year old shoe-shop assistant, is bemoaning her sorry lot. Ten years ago she sacrificed any hope of a decent future away from this hell-hole sink estate out of duty to an alcoholic Dad and hopelessly dependent kid brother, Gareth. Then there's her irresponsible boyfriend, Mark, who spends too much time hanging around with local ne'er do well, 'Monkey' Jackson, whose hobbies include stealing cars to torch in Penllergaer Woods. Jackson's antics have even made the local news. To crown it all, Gareth and Mark now come crying to her claiming their ne'er do well mate has been brutally murdered by an implacable huntsman and attendant spectral pack of hounds. With luck like Angharad's dare she not believe them?

Ideal entry point to the downbeat, Welsh Tales of Terror-meetsKitchen Sink Gothic world of Messrs. L & L. The winter huntsman is as relentless as the cowled, scythe-swinging horror in Stephen Laws' The Crawl

Gabriel Restrained: (L. H Maynard & M. P. N. Sims, [eds.], Darkness Rising Two: Night's Soft Pains, Cosmos, 2001). The Monkey's Paw gone to Hell. Duncan and Annie Matthias, God-fearing chapel goers of sixty years standing, face the most agonizing crisis of conscience. God in His infinite mercy has cured Annie of her cancer, but did he have to send an Angel to earth to do so? What to do with beautiful 'Gabriel' now he has performed this miracle? Annie insists they keep him imprisoned in the spare bedroom as insurance against the return of the disease. Duncan reluctantly agrees. But what about little Peter Daniels, the nine year old tumour boy, and his poor family? Shouldn't they, too, share in God's bounty? Gabriel duly heals the sick child, but someone close to Peter's family can't help but go running to the local press ....

Family Ties: (Charles Black [ed.] The Third Black Book of Horror, Mortbury Press, 2008). The zombie apocalypse reaches the tiny hamlet of Mumbles off Swansea Bay. While Peter is out foraging for food and medical supplies, Helen, heavily pregnant, frets inside the cottage. He really should be back by now! Her thoughts turn to the rifle. They've discussed it often enough, but would she be capable of shooting Peter's brains out if anything went wrong?

Helen drags herself down to the beach. Peter's boat has washed up ashore, the provisions abandoned in the water, but no sign of her husband. A shambling figure approaches across the sand....

The Woman On The Stairs: Janet, a stressed-out single mum, sees recently dead people - not for very long, and invariably in the company of a silent old lady, leading them up the stairwell and on to the roof of the Baron Court estate. They seem bewildered. Predictably, teenage daughter Catherine is unsympathetic to her mounting concern. Is Janet seeing ghosts or has her alcoholism reached the point where she's suffering from the DTs? Perhaps the tedium of working the supermarket checkout has finally driven her insane. And what are the paramedics doing in her front room?

To be continued

Thanks to David & Linden Riley!

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More scenes from the small time.

Lullaby: (William P. Simmons [ed.], Vivisections, Catalyst, 2003). Angela took a fatal overdose while suffering from post-natal depression. Ostracised by his in-laws, who blame him for not reading the signs, Gary relies on his sister to baby-sit Ellie while he tries hold down a job. Without his beautiful little daughter, there'd be no purpose to his excuse for an existence whatsoever. Unfortunately, Angela is finding the afterlife desperately lonely without her baby ....

Damp: (Mike Philbin [ed.], Chimeraworld #2, Chimeracana, 2005). Bath Avenue. Keep out - demolition in progress. As work nears completion, Derek is faced with the unenviable task of persuading Mr & Mrs. James at number 11 to stop being stubborn old sillies and accept the inevitable. Their home has been condemned as unsafe. It isn't just damp, it's saturated. The Council is rebuilding the Avenue from scratch and we are offering you brand new sheltered accommodation! "What, flash new houses that you can sell to rich Londoners?" sneers a distraught Mr. James. Derek is not without a heart and, should their positions be reversed, he too would refuse to budge. But why does the old geezer go to pieces when he demands a signature from the bedridden Mrs. James?

Have already mentioned Kitchen Sink Gothic. Fair to say "fans" of Horror Uncut: Tales of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease are also likely to appreciate these stories.

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Didn't see this coming. A railways - the end of the line double feature. Never Go Back is a definite best-of-book contender.

Never Go Back: (Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon & James A. Moore [eds], British Invasion, Cemetery Dance, 2008). By now we've established that Swansea Bay is steeped in supernatural terror, so let's get the Hell out of here and head for ... Blackpool. Russell has not been back since he was eight years old when, in the wake of Dad's desertion (he ran off to live with secret floozy), Uncle Terrence treated him to a week long holiday. What a happy time that was - well, the bits he can recall, anyway. Now Terrence is dead, and Russell is truly alone in the world. How better to pay tribute to his much-loved relative than retrace their footsteps three decades on? But the intervening years have not been kind to the Golden Mile. Too commercialised, too many ghastly theme pubs. At least the trusty old Ghost Train is decrepit as ever. "Just keep telling yourself it's only a ride" smirks the sarcy tattooed oaf manning the ticket booth. As the rust-bucket gamely progresses past the rickety props, so someone follows along the tracks. Russell's long repressed memories come flooding back ....

City Of Woes: (Steve Lockley [ed.], Doorways, Screaming Dreams, 2008). Now we join Alison in London, heading home one evening during the Christmas rush. Alison has had a rotten day at the office so last thing she needs is some gurning, long-haired misfit waving a copy of The Big Issue in her face. He can afford to smoke, of course, but hold down a proper job? - Oh no! Too much like hard work! What a disgrace - just like his fellow homeless, blocking the station entrance with their disgusting sleeping bags! Well OK, maybe there is a problem, but it's not hers, so shove off you losers! We suspect that tonight this atypically unsympathetic lead character will face a testing journey - and we are right.

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Two of the shorter pieces, both original to the collection, both excellent. If bereavement, child abuse, despair, and voodoo are your bag, you've come to the right place.

Last Day: Andrew has meticulously planned for this moment. Tough on wife Marie for sure, but he can't carry on now Sophie, their beloved daughter, is dead. Having showed his face at work, Andrew heads for the cliff at Mumbles. Now the hour is upon him, he's remarkably calm. If only that angry faced girl would go away. It's like she's been stalking him since he boarded the bus this morning ....

Playmates: Eight-year-old Timothy has just taken another vicious kicking from his drunken monster of a father. This time the horrible bastard even broke his favourite toy soldier, GI Joe. Mum's working the evening shift at the Supermarket, but had she been present, she'd turn a blind eye. They seem to forget that he misses little Jessica as much as they do. Timothy mends GI Joe who counsels him to get even and put an end to the misery - but how? Never fear. GI Joe will supply the means!

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Following yesterday's outbreak of something approaching good cheer, it's back to abject misery.

The Worst Part When wife Michelle walks out in a flurry of invective, Alex resolves to change his ways. He begins by confronting his Aviophobia by booking a holiday at Dubrovnik in the former Yugoslavia. As it turns out, the flight, while nerve-shredding, is far less terrible than what is in store for him when two impossibly glamorous fellow passengers take a shine to him. What can they see in him? Alex is under no illusions. The man is no sex object - boy, did Michelle make that abundantly clear - nor is he a fun person to be around. Still the enigmatic women in black haunt him throughout the vacation until the final confrontation high on the ancient wall surrounding the city. Vampires come in many forms and the deadliest feed on something other than blood.

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Often times, there will be a story included in a collection that doesn't quite cut the mustard, but with just two to go, The Winter Hunt seems to get stronger as it goes along.

Death Knocks: (Barbara & Christopher Roden [eds.], At Ease with the Dead, Ash Tree, 2007). "Maybe if I pray hard enough, He'll send her back to me. Do you think it's possible, Miss Weller? Do you think God will send my baby back to me?"

Abigail Weller, a tenacious and far from scrupulous journalist on the Sentinel, gladly takes on the assignments her colleagues prefer to avoid - those that involve wangling an interview from the bereaved in the wake of a tragedy. As such, Mrs Jenny Humphries is a Godsend. Jenny has lost her ten-year-old daughter. Vanessa was raped, strangled, her body dumped in woodland by white van man. The hack gets her front page story and incredibly, Jenny thanks her for writing such a sympathetic piece. Abigail is forced to admit that, much to her professional disgust, she has allowed herself to become emotionally involved. What is happening to her? An eye infection forces her to ditch her contacts and go back to wearing glasses (how self-conscious she feels!), and the strict diet regime has gone straight out the window. Meanwhile, the killer has taken an unhealthy interest in her affairs. But doesn't he prefer little girls?

Puca Muc: Alison L. R. Davies [ed.], Shrouded by Darkness, Telos, 2006). Kraighten Village, South coast of Ireland. Brigid Tobin goes into labour during a storm. Her father wants to knock boyfriend Tommy's block off, but Brigit insists he's not the father and anyway, they only met a month ago. Nurse Eileen O'Callaghan makes good of a difficult situation. It's twenty years since she was taught the basics of midwifery at training school, but she calms Brigit to the point where the girl confides that she was raped by the local bogeyman, Puca Muc, a half-man, half-pig. 'Yeah, right!,' thinks the nurse. Eileen delivers the baby, Brigit won't even look at it. Words to the effect of "kill the fucking demon bastard!" are the best she can offer by way of maternal love. Best remove the poor little mite upstairs until Brigit comes to her senses. But ....

Absolutely horrible! Almost as much so as the realisation I'm running out of book!

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De Profundis: The last days of Venice. In less than a week the city will be entirely submerged. Rocco the gondolier refuses to leave while his father's boat, the church, and Daniella, his cancer-stricken, bedridden sister, remain. Having saved his passenger's life when he fell into the filthy rising waters, Rocco invites the self serving Caine home for a change of clothes. Caine, despite himself, gives Rocco money to go out and score morphine for Daniella. In her brother's absence she confides the stranger that she has two final wishes. One, that her stubborn brother abandons her to her fate rather than remain behind to drown: two, that she does not go to the grave a virgin. For once Caine's opportunism can work for good, although it's unlikely Rocco would see it that way.

And a quiet note on which to end.

Shadows In Paint: It's been fifty years since Mary Duncan, the reclusive artist, mysteriously vanished from her home never to be seen again. Miss Duncan was renowned for hiding "secrets" in her paintings, some of which have eluded even the most keen-eyed critic. Jenni, a widow of ten years, is suitably thrilled to find an original selling for a paltry sum in an antique shop. The painting is a departure from Duncan's trademark Cornish seascapes. Her friend, our narrator, recognises the setting, a view of Swansea Bay from a window at the Seaview Hotel in Rhossili. Better for them both had she kept the information to herself.

The two women book the room for a short holiday, whereupon Jenni, despite her mediocre artistic talents, announces her intention of replicating the original watercolour. As her interest in the tragic artist turns to dangerous obsession, so the two women argue. Things - as they have a habit of doing in The Winter Huntsman - fall apart.

If you're on the look out for excellent collection of contemporary supernatural horrors, The Winter Huntsman will see you right. Fifteen stories, fifteen winners.