‘Thomas,’ Keziah whispered, ‘don’t bury me deep.’ Thomas’s life has changed in a few short days, and so has his beloved Keziah. After an attack one night, by a creature that shouldn’t exist, Keziah tries to prepare them both for what is to come, but can Thomas do his part? Can he make the right choice and live or die by the consequences?I can count on my two hands the number of short stories I’ve read in my life, and most of them were school curriculum selections. In general, they’re not my thin...

The first few paragraphs of Beneath the Willow were a little too poetically structured for my tastes, perhaps aiming to set an atmosphere through tone and description. (As if that sentence was any better!) They didn't quite work for me, but the rest of the story certainly did. Overall, this was a fairly standard vampire tale. What truly sets this Gemma Farrow novel apart is the mood and overall creepiness, masterfully brought out by the author's well-chosen words and slow-paced narrative.I mean ...

Gemma Farrow’s ‘Beneath the Willow’ is a short, but eerily effective piece that draws to mind classic works from the likes of Poe and Blackwood, with its dark, somber settings and emotional themes. It is the tale of lovers Thomas and Keziah, their lives profoundly changed forever on a fateful night when a trip out for Keziah to go clubbing turns into something much more. It’s a vampire story, but it spurns the standard approach for such fare, instead cultivating and escalating tension, and makin...

A deft combination of short and scary“Beneath the Willow” is a creepy short story about a young man who loses his girlfriend to a vampire attack … or does he? Even though this is a short story, author Gemma Farrow manages to create an atmospheric and compelling narrative.While the very beginning may have belabored the grief of the main character, Thomas, it soon picks up and relates the events through a series of flashbacks inter-cut between current events that is very effective, and strings the...

Beneath the Willow is a short horror story crafted to keep you reading and wondering how it ends. It's a gripping tale of love, horror, and the ultimate test of faith in that love.Writing a short story can be more challenging than you might think, as you need to tell a compelling narrative, limit any unnecessary digressions or overly deep details, and yet propel the characters forward to a swift ending that readers will remember and enjoy.Some authors possess the ability to do just that, and do ...

This very entertaining short story, Beneath the Willow, captivated me and I will surely be reading more from this author. It had just the right amount of suspense and made me think about what I might do if I were in Thomas's position. I feared for Thomas, but at the same time, I felt so bad for Kaziah! It's so hard for me to speak without spoiling it for the next reader! So, I'll leave you with this... What an awesome job, Gemma Farrow! This is a story I would highly recommend to horror fans loo...

A well-written, intense, psychological short storyI have to say, this was a very good short story. I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but I was intrigued that this was a horror, and I was definitely in need of some scary creepiness. That being said, Gemma Farrow's Beneath the Willow imparts a psychological bang rather than relying on scare, shock, or gore tactics, which I really appreciated. But geez, that under-the-bed scene made me freak out a little! And I enjoyed seeing a story deviat...

Beneath the Willow by Gemma Farrow delves into the profound love Thomas holds for Keziah. He would do anything for her. But when a night out turns into a nightmare and she is bitten, can he stand by her as she transforms into a vampire? What she asks him to do next is even more horrifying; does he love her enough to fulfill her request? Gemma Farrow's writing is exceptionally well-crafted, and I was utterly entranced from page one as her vivid descriptions of the characters and the compelling s...

MIND. BLOWN. Every time I've tried reading short stories, they've always disappointed me. With undeveloped characters, misleading plots, and abrupt endings, I never found anything that truly blew me away. Beneath the Willow is different. From the very beginning, I sensed the profound sadness, intense love, and bitter betrayal that Thomas experienced. His emotions, a potent mix of terror and love, were so utterly overpowering that I couldn't stop reading. "I'd be a mindless ...

Beneath the Willow is a short horror story that serves as a powerful reminder of what the genre truly is. Horror stories should unsettle you, give you an uncomfortable feeling deep in your gut, and author Gemma Farrow successfully accomplishes exactly that. Gemma Farrow's story has all the essential elements of truly good horror. As you uncover more and more of the unfolding events, the protagonist's profound feelings for what he’s lost make it impossible for him to turn back, pushing him inexor...