Walton Merritt

The Shadow of the Gypsy on White Snow The crisp, icy air of January clung with the scent of burnt candles

She was afraid theyd take him backThe first time I saw him, he was sitting by the wall. No barking, no

The Whisper Through the Glass The orderly, a woman with a weary, wind-beaten face and eyes dulled by

Emma couldnt remember the last time shed felt this relaxed. Her business trip had been postponed by a

A lonely park keeper found a phone on a bench. When she turned it on, she was stunned for a long time.

**Diary Entry 12th June** I still remember the moment I held the phone to my ear, trembling, as Emilys

**Unwelcome Guests** The phone jolted Valerie awake at five in the morning. An unknown number flashed

Her father brought a dog from a shelter for his dying daughter, then left When he returned earlier, he

The Vengeance of a Scorned Woman Anton, a physics teacher at a village school, had married for the second time.

**Diary Entry 25th Wedding Anniversary** Just now, I thought to myselfperhaps were some sort of *wrong* family.