Oubliette: A Forgotten Little Place
By Vanta M. Black
Genre: Fiction, Thriller,
Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Genre-Fiction, New Adult, Horror
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-2-6
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-1-9
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-0-2
Book Description:
Veronica knows the monsters
aren’t “just in her head”, but no one listens to the headstrong ten-year-old as
they tie her to a hospital bed every night.
Years later, after being dumped
by her business-partner/boyfriend, Veronica finds herself on the verge of
bankruptcy. Then a late-night call promises the perfect solution — a job
opportunity decorating a castle in France.
Will Veronica risk what little
she has left to chase a fairytale?
When the shadowy things that once
terrorized her come back, Veronica must decide how much she’ll sacrifice for
them, for her sanity, and for her life.
This epic book consists of
interwoven stories with paranormal twists. A horror-filled historical fiction
adventure, it spans nearly two millennia.
You'll be transported to an
ancient Pagan ritual, Roman-ruled Gaul, the bloody Inquisition of the Knights
Templar, France as it's ravaged by the Black Death, the duplicitous
Reformation, the Paris Catacombs, and the gory French Revolution, while you
unravel Oubliette’s cryptic layers.
Excerpt One from
Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place by Vanta M. Black - From the Prologue to
Veronica’s Story
Veronica didn’t
understand why they looked for the monsters in her head, that’s obviously not
where they were. Instead of listening, the doctors stuck pads with wires to her
temples and increased the dosage of an IV that dripped into her veins.
They also told
the nurses to tie her down with thick, leather belts every night.
The tethers
didn’t matter though, because when the monsters came, she wouldn’t be able to
move anyway. The only thing Veronica could ever do was scream.
The doctors
called them “night terrors”. The pudgy lady who talked funny –– she told
Veronica it was her accent –– said they were “spirits”. Mommy used the term “shadow
people”. Veronica just called them “monsters”, and wished they’d stop scaring
her when she slept.
They wanted her.
Deep inside, on a primal level, Veronica knew the monsters –– or whatever they
were –– craved her, and if given the chance, they would do something very, very
bad to her.
The little girl
tried to explain this to the doctors, the nurses, the accent-talking lady, and
her mother, but none of the adults really listened. Instead they argued and
shouted at each other, and huffed in and out of the room –– but the thing that
frightened Veronica the most, is when the adults would simply shrug their
shoulders, and admit that they really didn’t have any idea what the monsters
were at all.
Excerpt from
Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place by Vanta M. Black
From The
Children’s Story
Louis dashed and
the creature lunged after him. A thick, strong paw snatched the boy’s injured
foot, wrapping around it with a vice-like grip. It pulled him down. The lad’s
belly splatted on a damp bed of moss and the precious contents of his satchel
sprayed out around him.
It reared up
with a ferocious maw open wide. Despite the darkness, Louis saw into its eyes.
Bright against its black matted fur, they had glistening whites — like a
person’s. The eyes looked human, and that terrified Louis more than if they had
looked like a raging, wild animal’s.
As the beast
swooped down to attack, Louis twisted to one side and rolled over something
round and hard. He grabbed what he thought was a rock and brought it down on
the thing’s skull with a smack. It howled in pain, swung its head around to
attack again, and then froze.
Louis braced for
its strike with hands shielding his head. When nothing happened, he tentatively
pulled his arm back to see the creature sulk back. The boy took advantage of
the inexplicable reaction and kicked his foot free. It recoiled, and Louis saw
that its menacing gaze was locked on the object in his hand. It wasn’t a rock
after all, but one of the special relics his father had given him.
Louis scooted back.
The thing hovered in front of him but did not move forward. It swayed slightly,
like a dog tethered on a leash. Perhaps Isabelle was right! It couldn’t go
beyond the castle grounds.
He gathered up
his satchel and the rest of the contents, then slowly, cautiously, walked
backward, keeping his eyes on it the whole time. Once he felt there was a safe
distance between him and the devil, he spun and ran toward the river.
He was small and
fast and darted easily through the dense foliage. It only took moments for him
to arrive. Isabelle was there on the bank, waiting for him. She hugged him and
cried, “Are you all right? Did it chase after you?”
Louis nodded and
tears welled up in his big, brave eyes. “But it didn’t get me. It tried, but I
scared it off!”
Isabelle
chortled. “You scared it, my little poppet?”
“No, it was
scared of this.” He held up the object.
Isabelle looked
confused and squinted at the gleaming globe-like relic in the moonlight, “What
is it?” Before the boy could answer, she interrupted him. “Shh, listen.
Barking...I hear dogs.”
About
the Author:
Vanta M. Black, author of
Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, enjoys uncovering the dark mysteries of our
Universe.
In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling to provocative places and
studying all things esoteric.
Black has degrees in English, communication
and art. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two pug-mix dogs,
and spends her time in support of causes that empower women and advance science
and technology.
https://twitter.com/VantaMBlack @VantaMBlack
