What happens when you die before your time?
The Realm of the Lost is
a middle grade novella that tells the story of thirteen-year-old
Kathleen "Kat" Gallagher. After a tragic accident, Kat finds herself
stuck in the place where people go when they have died before their
time. Upon her arrival, Kat meets two of the young inhabitants of The
Realm of the Lost. Will she learn to embrace her new surroundings?
Little does Kat know, the relationships she builds in death will teach
her to appreciate the ones she had in life.
Excerpt:
It
was warm when I came to, and I felt no pain. Standing with ease, I bent
over and inspected my pant-legs, searching for some remnant of dirt or
ice. Nothing. Could this be a dream?
Then I noticed a bright orange ray reflecting off my necklace. The glare almost blinded me. I surveyed my surroundings.
Positioned
atop solid dirt ground, I gasped in awe. Pine trees stood skyscraper
high, haloed by dusty golden light. The sound of chirping birds echoed
all around, and I spotted, to my left, what looked like a duck, but with
a sharper and more pronounced beak. Bending down to inspect the
creature as it waddled past, I heard a small voice from behind me.
"If you're a poacher, you belong in the under realm."
"What?"
I asked, turning to face a boy who couldn't be more than eight. He wore
navy blue shorts that folded at the tips of his scrawny knees. His
white-collared shirt, grey vest and checkered cap reminded me of
something out of an old movie. I couldn't help smiling as he stood, arms
crossed, with an air of authority.
"If you're a poacher, you are in the wrong realm," the boy said.
"I'm not a poacher. I've been in an accident and—wrong realm?"
The boy sighed, twiddling his thumbs in a way that made me think of my brother.
"Okay," he continued, after an awkward pause. "Well, first, do you know where you are?"
"Like I said, I was in an accident. I guess I passed out. I don't—I'm not sure if my mother knows—"
"Oh. No. She wouldn't know a thing like this."
"A thing like what?" I demanded, stomping my foot.
"That you've come to the Realm of the Lost."
About the author:
Emma Eden Ramos is a writer and student from New York City. Her middle grade novella, The Realm of the Lost, was recently published by MuseItUp Publishing. Her short stories have appeared in Stories for Children Magazine, The Storyteller Tymes,BlazeVOX Journal, and other journals. Ramos' novelette, Where the Children Play, is included in Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBT Teens, edited by Eric Nguyen. Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems (Heavy
Hands Ink, 2011), Ramos’ first poetry chapbook, was shortlisted for the
2011 Independent Literary Award in Poetry. Emma studies psychology at
Marymount Manhattan College. She can be found at her website.
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