Roadside Cross

by Sam Weller

Every year, on the same night in November, a bouquet of flowers, a vintage bottle of wine, and a handwritten note appear next to a small wooden cross on the side of a lonely country highway. Year after year, it’s the same offering at the same time. On his way home from work at the factory, Tom notices these roadside tributes and wonders who the mysterious mourner might be. Despite warnings from a superstitious friend, Tom stakes out the area to see who it is that comes to this remote place along the highway. But he quickly discovers that some mysteries are better left unsolved, and sometimes the dead must mourn their own.

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2014

About the author

Sam Weller is the author of The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury (William Morrow, 2005) winner of the Society of Midland Author's Award for Best Biography of 2005. The book was also a finalist for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award. Sam is the former Midwest Correspondent for Publishers Weekly. He is a contributing writer for the Chicago Public Radio program, 848 and his work has appeared on the National Public Radio program, All Things Considered. Sam is a regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune Magazine, a frequent literary critic for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, as well as Punk Planet magazine. During his tenure as managing editor of Columbia College's Gravity, the publication was given Newsweek magazine's Robert Sibley award for best college magazine. As a staff writer for the Chicago alternative weekly, Newcity, Sam was the recipient of the Peter Lisagor Award for arts criticism. Sam is also a frequent lecturer. In 2006, he spoke across the country as part of the National Endowment for the Arts "Big Read" initiative. He is the author of Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes (ECW Press) and his short fiction has appeared in Spec-Lit. He received his MFA in Fiction from Columbia College Chicago. Sam lives in Chicago with his family.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

On his way to and fro work Tom sees a white roadside cross and wonders who might mourn the deceased here. When he intensifies his inquiries the story takes a darker twist. Wonderful blending of urban legends here (e.g. the Woman in Black) in combination with an everyday scenery. Also the ending is quite well. If you're looking for an eerie well plotted horror read this is it. Enjoyed that story very much. Highly recommended!

[Dale Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the idea of this story. Dumdumdedum me

I loved this brief story and have had a sample of it on my kindle for over a year. FInally today I read it. It was great! Perfectly written and everything I have ever thought about those crosses including taking pictures of them! Thanks Sam great read!

[Mark Allen Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell It Again, Sam

A wonderfully poignant novella. If you enjoy easy-to-read stories imbued with a hint of mystery and the supernatural, then this is the one for you.
We're ready for your next one, Sam.e

[Grace Harwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this because Margaret Atwood tweeted about it and I thought that anything she rates is good enough for me (I am now wondering if she read it first, however...) This is a very short ghost/evil spirit story concerning those roadside markers which commemorate people who have been killed on the road. It's always nice to read a modern ghost story and this one has very modern subject matter, but the core of the story is basically "A warning to the curious" and various Victorian Ghost stories of that ilk which warn people not to be too curious about matters which basically don't concern them.

The man in the story spots a roadside marker and wonders to whom it belongs. Later, as he drives to and from work along the lonely highway, he sees a bottle of wine and a note left on the grave and wonders who has left it there. The note is an achingly sad message of love and grief to the deceased. The main character gets curious about who is leaving these notes and - despite several warnings - decides to see who it is who is doing this and then encounters an evil spirit.

I had problems with this on two counts - (1) The evil spirit seemed to me to be more of an object of pity than anything else. I mean, how can any spirit which leaves such lovely notes to her lost lover, be as bad as the character is making out? As a reader, I too wished that the nosy character would just leave her alone. And (2) The price! Over a quid for less than 20 pages is way, way too expensive - especially when it's not the best ghost story I've ever read.

There's a nice atmosphere weaved around the lonely highway and the (obviously) lonely main character but apart from that, there's nothing all that special in this. Save your money and spend it on Helen Dunmore's The Greatcoat or one of Susan Hill's stories instead - is my (personal) view.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was like every other "roadside ghost" story I read as a kid, except set in modern times and with less backstory. A particularly interesting backstory might have earned it another star, but as it is, it was rather unoriginal and unimpressive.