On All Saints’ Night, when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, I return through story to my Transylvanian roots. The Night of Returning Souls, written for Romania Insider is my take on the folklore and ghostly legends that haunt October.
The Night of Returning Souls is a tale close to my heart: of courage and repentance, of fear and grace, of love that dares to outlive death.
Those who have walked beside Kate in When Secrets Bloom will recognize the shadows that linger in this story: the same haunted streets of old Kronstadt, the same whisper of souls that refuse to rest. Here, between the flicker of candlelight lit on All Saints’ Night and the tolling of church bells, another fragment of her world takes shape, one where the living seek forgiveness and the dead demand to be remembered.
Walk with Kate once more through the misted alleys of Transylvania, and perhaps you’ll glimpse the souls that still wander there.
Please follow this link, this story is exclusive to Romania Insider. I am grateful to IM for so gracefully facilitating the publication of this short story.
Congratulations, Patricia
Thank you so much, Roberta.
Congratulations on the publication of this story, Patricia! I find it an impressive and touching read. I loved the imagery… “as if carved from wind”, “fleeting as breath on glass”, and it also reminded me of the other celebration, at Midsummer Night, called Sânziene in Romanian.
Thank you, Nicole. Yes, it’s hard to leave Sânzienele out of a story where the main character is a young woman 😉
That was a great Halloween story and so lyrically and beautifully written. I was curious so I looked up the Ielele and the various pictures of them. Also congratulations on getting published in Romania insider.
Thank you, Thomas. I appreciate it. And I’m glad my story made you curious about the Romanian folklore.