As you uncover more and more of the event taking place, the protagonist's feelings for what he's lost make it impossible for him to turn back, as he heads toward the inevitable. Gemma's story has all of the elements of good horror.

Horror stories should unsettle you, give you an uncomfortable feeling in your gut, and the author successfully accomplishes that. Grrrr.īeneath the Willow is a short horror story that serves as a powerful reminder of what the genre is about. :) The ending was good, but like many short stories, it indicated other possibilities and I hate that! Your brain is left in an eternal loop of several theories trying to figure out, disclaim, or push out its own conclusion. Wrecked with uncertainty, self doubt, and overwhelming love, Thomas does the unthinkable. She promises to love him forever, her feelings for him will never change but Thomas is unsure. Keziah refuses to get help and instead, convinces Thomas to bury her. She survives but Thomas has a hard time coming to terms with the supernatural. Thomas's love of his life, Keziah, is bitten by a vampire. Because this is a short story, it's really hard to write anything about it without giving the whole plot away, but I will attempt to do so (that is, not give anything away). Gemma Farrow has a style that draws you in, not allowing your eyes to leave the words despite the fact that you know what this is about, what's happening, that this is all about one thing only. We see love at its best, and love is what cost Thomas his sanity, his beliefs, and his humanity. But geez, that under-the-bed scene made me freak a little! And I enjoyed seeing a story deviate from the normal scheme of vampire/zombie clichés (and boy have I been seeing a lot of them), playing with the emotions of our torn protagonist. That being said, Beneath the Willow imparts a psychological bang rather than a scare/shock/gore tactic which I appreciated. I'm not a fan of short stories in general, but I was intrigued that this was a horror, and I was in need of some scary creepiness. I have to say, this was a very good short story. A well written, intense, psychological short story

Beneath the Willow by Gemma Farrow