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Thirteen Jars
SHE DIDN’T COMMIT THE WRONG. SHE INHERITED THE DEBT.
Clara Harlan is the last living descendant of a family that quietly disappeared from a forgotten stretch of land near Buck Run. When she inherits the property, her plan is practical and confirm it’s fit for development, sell it to a data center project, and walk away from a past she never chose.
But the land resists. Water floods ground that should be dry. Equipment vanishes. Workers leave shaken by things they can’t explain. When Clara uncovers buried jars—and hears a voice on her car radio that knows her name—she realizes this isn’t sabotage or coincidence.
As old records surface, Clara begins to understand the something bound to this land remembers what was done here, and it believes the Harlan family still owes a debt.
To move forward, Clara must decide whether to ignore a wrong she never chose… or listen to what the land has been waiting generations to say.
Clara Harlan is the last living descendant of a family that quietly disappeared from a forgotten stretch of land near Buck Run. When she inherits the property, her plan is practical and confirm it’s fit for development, sell it to a data center project, and walk away from a past she never chose.
But the land resists. Water floods ground that should be dry. Equipment vanishes. Workers leave shaken by things they can’t explain. When Clara uncovers buried jars—and hears a voice on her car radio that knows her name—she realizes this isn’t sabotage or coincidence.
As old records surface, Clara begins to understand the something bound to this land remembers what was done here, and it believes the Harlan family still owes a debt.
To move forward, Clara must decide whether to ignore a wrong she never chose… or listen to what the land has been waiting generations to say.
93 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2026
About the author
J.D. Toepfer
5 books14 followersBorn and raised on Long Island, New York, J.D. Toepfer studied political science and history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has lived in Northern Virginia for more than two decades, where he works in risk management, helping others identify threats before they surface.
His fiction explores what happens when danger is ignored, underestimated, or inherited. Writing primarily in horror and paranormal fiction, he is drawn to stories where faith is tested, history refuses to stay buried, and ordinary people are forced to confront forces that do not intend to let go.
The Highway to Hell series began after discovering a real road tied to a local legend on the outskirts of Culpeper, Virginia. That encounter sparked a deeper exploration of how place, belief, and long memory shape the stories we tell, and the ones we survive.
When not writing, J.D. enjoys quieter pursuits, including long walks with his wife, Christina, time with his adult sons, and tending his garden; moments that often give rise to the next story.
His fiction explores what happens when danger is ignored, underestimated, or inherited. Writing primarily in horror and paranormal fiction, he is drawn to stories where faith is tested, history refuses to stay buried, and ordinary people are forced to confront forces that do not intend to let go.
The Highway to Hell series began after discovering a real road tied to a local legend on the outskirts of Culpeper, Virginia. That encounter sparked a deeper exploration of how place, belief, and long memory shape the stories we tell, and the ones we survive.
When not writing, J.D. enjoys quieter pursuits, including long walks with his wife, Christina, time with his adult sons, and tending his garden; moments that often give rise to the next story.
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