Story Spotlight: “Blue Bride” by Alicia Cay

In “Blue Bride,” Alicia Cay pulls us into a chilling Christmas Eve in Berwick-upon-Tweed, where a man searches for his missing brother—and finds instead a house steeped in vengeance, memory, and ghosts that refuse to stay buried.

On the storm-lashed northern coast of England, Nathaniel Throne returns to the Wright Mansion—the last place his brother was seen alive. What begins as a grim search turns into something far more terrifying as secrets unravel within a haunted house that remembers every injustice. A gothic supernatural thriller filled with cursed vows, spectral brides, and justice from beyond the grave.

A hand landed on his shoulder. He yelped and turned. In the dim moonlight that shone through the window, he could make out the pitch-black form of a person, their features invisible in the dark. Nathaniel stumbled back, his feet unable to find grip on the smooth wooden planks. He fell. His skull slammed into the floor, making his teeth clack in their sockets. He sat up, holding his head and blinking to clear his vision, but he did not see anyone.

Nathaniel scrambled to his feet and hurried to the bedside. With shaking hands, he lit two of the candles. Holding the candelabra high, he scanned the room. There was no one there.

Cool air, like breath, brushed against Nathaniel’s neck. Then a whisper in his ear. “She comes for you.”

About the Author

Alicia Cay is a writer of speculative and mystery stories. Her short fiction has appeared in Galaxy’s Edge magazine and in several anthologies including Unmasked from WordFire Press and The Wild Hunt from Air and Nothingness Press. She suffers from wanderlust, collects quotes, and lives beneath the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

Find Alicia at: aliciacay.com

Behind the Story

“Blue Bride” was inspired by the 1697 fairy tale La Barbe bleue—better known as Bluebeard. In the original tale, a murderous duke hides the bodies of his former wives behind a forbidden door. Alicia Cay reimagines that story with a twist: why shouldn’t a woman be the axe-wielding monster for once?

From that question came the cold, salt-washed halls of the Wright Mansion, and Nathaniel Throne’s search for his newly married—and now missing—brother. What he finds behind the doors may not be what he expects.

Read the Story

“Blue Bride” appears in Haunted Places, available now from Blackbird Publishing.

📚 Buy the book from your favorite store

If you liked…

• The Woman in Black by Susan Hill—for its classic gothic ghost story structure
• The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell—for isolated mansions, psychological horror, and cursed legacies

…then you’ll enjoy “Blue Bride”—a ghost story steeped in snow, silence, and slow-building dread..

📘 Also featured in Haunted Places: “Shadows in the Mirror” by Jason A. Adams, another tale of creeping fear and haunted rooms—where whatever is on the other side of the mirror sees more than it should.