Over the next few weeks, I’m highlighting each of the six novellas and short stories contained in my new fantasy anthology The Dark Forest Within. Continuing the series, here’s a closer look at the second story, An In-Between Christmas.

Originally published for Medium and Substack subscribers last December, An In-Between Christmas is a thematic spin-off from an earlier tale entitled In-Between. However, this novella is a standalone piece requiring no prior knowledge of the previous story. I originally intended also to include In-Between in this anthology but ultimately decided the narrative – about a recently deceased man harassed by ghostly political campaigners – didn’t really fit the themes and tone of this collection. It would be better suited for a future volume of satirical stories.

However, An In-Between Christmas fits the anthology theme like a glove. The “In-Between” of the title speaks of a realm between life and death (as in the previous story) but this time, the living can access it via a mysterious portal that appears in a hospital corridor. Why does it appear there? I won’t spoil those details, but I will say the plot involves Sophie, a young struggling writer, attempting to contact her comatose father, who is at the point of death. She is joined by a young man called Yousef, who has prior experience within the In-Between, having undertaken a journey of his own there too. Mysterious adventures ensue, but Sophie is also drawn deep into the traumatic secrets of her past, which she must confront before reaching her father.

As with Papercut, this story is set in the days just before Christmas, which is why I put them back-to-back in the collection. This story is a little darker than Papercut, but not as dark as some of the later stories in the anthology. Like Papercut, there’s a romantic element, and (at one point) winter wonderland landscapes. However, An In-Between Christmas touches on grimmer subject matter at times, including alcoholism, bereavement, and another theme I won’t reveal, as to do so would be a spoiler. There are also monsters. Feel free to add your own symbolic interpretations for these, as I’m honestly not sure what part of my psyche this story came from, inspiration-wise, beyond a pathological need to entertain.

The Dark Forest Within is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.