When Breaks The Maelstrom

Chapter 1 - Bugler of Death - Rich and etherical
I could learn a thing or two from you on your beautifully written prose and unique vocabulary, also your third person narrative, I loved it. Your story was well crafted and even within such a short story, your switch scenes between Laura and Alex were well executed. I also felt emotionally for them both: him and his guilt, her and her grief, her anger, numbness, and the haunting blame she held for Alex always, always there in the back of her mind. You set this up well because we knew from the beginning a part of her was dead, not in this world and that's most likely why there was no hesitation to just blow him away. The ultimate and final betrayal for her after he had betrayed the most precious person they had together, their daughter. I would love to have had more detail on this otherwordly evil spirit and get some of his thoughts on them as he is following them. We know he is hanging around because of the dark and heavy emotions and feelings they are exuding, so a bit more insight into this creature would have been even more haunting and tantalizing in a very horrific way. I loved the closing few sentences, it's so true that the line between a stable and sane existence and complete darkness and the void is a very thin one indeed, only needing a few things in life to tip us over the brink. I'm looking forward to reading further on in this collection! Emmz889