Elixir Vitae: A short story

by Charlene Carr

The dream of eternal life? The allure of eternal love? Or simply a wasted night with frat boys?

Rachel Fraser knows herself, likes herself, and doesn’t see the need to go searching for a man simply to have a hand to hold or find some sort of fulfillment. She’s got that covered.

But when her best friend begs her to go on a haunted Halloween singles tour, she begrudgingly agrees.

The moon is full, the night is young, and Rachel, far beneath the walls of a historical fortress, finds herself on a journey she never could have imagined and hardly believes.

Please note, this is a short story. It's set in the world of the Behind Our Lives Trilogy, featuring a secondary character, Lincoln's sister, Rachel.

It was originally published in Tricks & Treats: A Romance Anthology

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2019

About the author

Charlene Carr is the youngest of four children and the only girl. Living in a house full of boys taught her to fight for what she wants and to always reach higher (you have to when everyone in your family towers above you).

She spent much of her childhood creating elaborate, multi-faceted storylines for her dolls and reading under the blankets with a flashlight when she was supposed to be asleep.

A bit of a nomad, she’s lived in four countries and seven Canadian provinces. After travelling the globe for several years and working an array of mostly writing related jobs, she decided the time had come to focus exclusively on her true love—crafting stories.

Charlene is a novelist and stay-at-home mom: her two dream jobs. She lives in Nova Scotia, Canada and loves exploring the coastline of her harbour town with her husband and young daughter.

Her upcoming novel Hold My Girl, "a tense and emotional dual narrative novel about motherhood, racial identity, loss and betrayal," perfect for "Fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty" will release Winter 2023 from HarperCollins Canada and Welbeck Publishing (UK).

Reviews

[Debbie Borthwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short story that left me longing for more! It has me hoping that a sequel will come out soon. It was a quick read, but I really liked it. Pick it up and give it a read.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I chose this as my Hallowe'en read and it was perfect for a one night read. It will make your heart race a bit, well more than a bit, but a nice race and very appropriate for a night where ghosts and goblins roam, and where you might run into Frankenstein at any moment. The heroine in the story, Rachel, does see a number of strange characters, but Benjamin, the one she spends most of her time with, is just the right amount of strange. A bit scary, a bit romantic, a bit sweet and even a bit historic!

This little treasure is only 99 cents on Amazon, and it will make a perfect annual read.

Merged review:

This is a short, exciting read and especially during Hallowe'en season. I loved it.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story to read on every Hallows Eve! Gives one the chills and yet there is some possibility of sweet romance. :) It's hiding, it's somewhere, it will find her once again. This story takes about an hour to read, but you will be thinking about it for days, maybe months. If you ever visit the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, make sure you explore Citadel Hill. Eeeek - do it on Hallowe'en!