gemma short writings

There is a specific euphoria that seldom occurs in adulthood, of staying up late at night, long after everyone else has fallen asleep, just to finish a story that has well and truly gripped you. I can’t remember the last time I experienced that type of glee that punctuated my childhood. I thought I never would again. Until, this week I found myself subconsciously increasing the pace at which I was reading the second instalment of The Castle Knoll Files; after finally picking up How to seal your own fate, I soon reached the part where I had to tear myself away from the book in order to get some sleep. This was a surprise considering it took me a couple of months to get through the first, How to solve your own murder, but the surprise was welcomed. This quickly turned into me becoming enraptured as the plot thickened and as I grew more fond of the characters. It all came to a head yesterday. With me feeling unwell and too tired to do anything else, I sat and insisted on finishing this book and despite my slow reading pace I went on and on and on…

But it didn’t end there! What had I gotten myself into, reading a sequel that in fact had another instalment that I didn’t have? An ill-informed move on my part, which I have done far too many times before and should have learned from. I devoured the snippet of the third story that was tucked away at the back of the book, and I needed more. I searched frantically to see if the book had been released yet and if there was a paperback version of this How to cheat your own death. Instead, I was fortunate enough to notice that I could get it on my old and battered kindle. It was fate, if you believe in such thing. With a frenzy, I dove straight into the story the moment my revived kindle had charged enough, already knowing that I was going to stop at nothing to finish it.

But the ground was swept from beneath my feet. I should have known it was going to be a darker story than its predecessors; I’ve read enough murder mystery series to know this, but I had been careless with this endeavour. Perhaps it was necessary, as I can still be rather adolescent about handling sadness. I avoid most things that could upset me, instead looking for escapes. Here, I feel into the trap. But I would do it again. I walked away from it already wanting to return to the beginning of the series, overly curious about how well the three stories intertwine and continue on from each other.

First, I need a moment to breathe. Each story deserves to be read rationally, slowly soaking it all in. I’ll take my time, delicately handling each mystery, appreciating each character, maybe turning over each fortune in my mind. Perhaps I’ll write in depth about each of the three stories and, hopefully, by the time I’m done, there will be a fourth story on the horizon. Please. I can’t have it end like this.