The old mansion groaned. The man climbing her creaking stairs didn’t stop and admire her best features; his eyes—like those of others—were set on rumored riches.

The sound of his scream as he broke through the top floor, cellar-bound, was more satisfying than a new coat of paint.

Garth Pettersen is a Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, BC. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a background in Education (History, English, Theatre). Garth taught Writing and English at Western Canada College. To date he has written children’s stories, a YA novel, adult short stories, and an historical novel, and is currently working on a sequel. His short stories have been published in Queen Anne’s Revenge, Vol. I, and Wherever We Roam, an anthology of Canadian stories. Read his blogs on writing at garthpettersen.com.