I’m happy to report I have a short story called “Willing” included in a digital anthology for the Kaidankai Podcast. They’re using the anthology to help raise money to support the podcast.
The story came to me when I was camping out in Gunma Prefecture last year. Most of the time I like camping where the car is right next to where you set up your tent (which should tell you I’m not properly camping in any sense of the word), but this particular campsite had a parking lot down a slope away from where the campsite was. They offered little wagons to shuttle stuff back and forth, at least, and I guess it helped give a more secluded feeling to be away from the car. Still, the feel of that campsite was eerie, at best. It was way too quiet, way too still, while I camped there.
And like in the story I wrote, there was a rundown building standing off to the side where the bathrooms were. I used the bathroom in the middle of the night, and just the vibes coming off the building made me regret that decision.
I left the campsite the next day feeling like I’d escaped a horror movie, though nothing had happened.
I couldn’t help but put my favorite guide, Celea, into the story, though she’s not named. I love her random adventures saving people from the supernatural.
For anyone following along, this is the fourth time she’s appeared in one of my stories. You can read the other stories featuring her below:
One final note: I actually wrote down this time what song I listened to while writing this story. I have it below if you’d like to listen to it while reading.