Ouroboros (short story)

Ouroboros was the ninth story in the anthology Iris: Fifteen. It was written by Neil Chester.

Summary
to be added

Plot
Forty years since his last visit to Crosslands Cottage, solicitor Michael returns to the house and it immediately brings back memories of his two previous visits where each time he witnessed a ghostly figure. The first was in 1913 when, on behalf of his superior Forrester, he arrived to help Colonel Jackson with the writing of his will, he had spotted the ghostly apparition of a young man and soon made his excuses to leave. The second was three years later when he arrived to execute the will in which the Colonel had left his estate to Iris Wildthyme. Michael befriended Ms. Wildthyme and listened to her tales of adventures with the Colonel, during which she had saved his life and thus the reason he had left the cottage to her in his will. Ms. Wildthyme confided in Michael that she too had heard of the ghostly sightings at the house which was the reason behind her interest for the place. During this time Michael became distracted by an interest in Ms. Wildthyme's maid Rose - his future wife.

Having estimated that Ms. Wildthyme was in her late forties to mid sixties back then, Michael had assumed that she would be long dead by the time he returned to the house. However, his contacts ascertained that the building still belonged to her. Once inside he was met with the same eerie feeling of being watched that so many of the cottage's previous residents had felt. Before long Michael encountered the ghostly figure of the young man that he had first encountered in 1913.

Characters

 * Michael
 * Iris Wildthyme

Worldbuilding

 * The incarnation of Iris Wildthyme who appeared in this story was described as having a neat trim figure, bobbed hair so black as to almost be purple, and green eyes.

Continuity
to be added