Excerpt: The Night and The Vigil

4th August 2025

Hi Reader,

Thought I’d add some excerpts to my blog of my short stories. This particular one is the opening paragraph to The Night and The Vigil—a mythic, folkloric horror about what lurks beyond the edges of firelight.

Enjoy, and thank you so much for reading,

Jess x

“In the days long gone, when the first folk walked beneath the vast heavens, and even the stars themselves still trembled in the quiet of the world, the night was a cruel thing to children. It crept like breath upon the floorboards, soft-footed and cold-fingered. It watched from the rafters, slithering down the walls when the last of the fire’s glow had waned. It pressed its face to the window panes, its eyes dark as hollows, and rattled the doors with wicked laughter that only babes could hear. No prayer could turn it away, no shutter could keep it out. The night did not hunger for flesh; it hungered for fear, and it feasted well.”

Jessica Fairchild, 2025. All rights reserved.