Hillbilly Elegy Novels & Stories

Holding Elsbeth had felt like holding a ghost, triggering a tidal wave of grief he had kept locked away for millennia. Navarien gripped the cold stone edge of the battlement, his knuckles turning white as his broad chest heaved. The agonizing sorrow of a husband who had outlived his entire world pressed down on him, overwhelming his senses until he felt as though he might collapse right there into the dark. Before he could fall too deeply into the suffocating trap of his own sorrow, a sound sliced through the howling mountain wind. It was a sweet, melodic note. A soft, breathless hum that carried the exact rhythmic cadence of the earth before it was broken.

I was so full of excitement that I had not noticed Lucian had written something for me. I strained my eyes to read what he wrote and it read, “Sorry I left hurriedly, I had to go back. See you at the ceremony, Lucian”

This had once been the place where our love first took root, but time had passed, and so many things had faded that I could barely remember them anymore. Following June's final wishes, I found a grove of poplar trees and erected a nameless gravestone for her there. Back when we first arrived in the desert, I remembered June making a vow. She said she would one day cover this barren land with greenery and life. And this grove of poplars had been planted by our own hands. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but green. But I no longer had the heart to stay and admire the scenery.

"William, we used to love each other so much. Why? Why can’t you just love me a little longer?" My voice broke into a desperate plea. But William abruptly stood, his voice like a whip. "Shut up! Don’t bring up the past again! "You think you’re still the same Whitney from back then?" He smiled in cruel disdain. "Every time I see those scars on your stomach, I feel sick. "They’re a constant reminder that a child died there. That you are beyond filthy." Each word pierced deeper than the last. Tears that mixed with the river water dripped from my hair.

Her mind was a little sluggish in the way that spoke of major blood loss, but that was fixable, given enough time. “We should just throw the body off a cliff. Be quicker that way. No one would find it,” someone said in broken English with a broken accent of native speaker. “Someone who shouldn’t might find it and then we’d have the Americans all up our ass again. It’s not worth the risk. Better to bury it deep.” Wonderful, Kira thought tiredly. Guess I get to cross off buried alive on my Situations I Have Been In And Wished I Weren’t list.

His eyes glinted. I saw home, myself and love in them. Author's Note A very hearty thank you to all my readers for loving and supporting the book throughout. Hiraeth will always have a special place in my life. -Shambhavi

It was footage of Chelsea’s ordeal. I picked up the remote and switched to a children’s channel. The rotten flesh from the past had been removed. The wound had scabbed over and grown new flesh. The warm sunlight outside the window fell gently on the cradle. I closed my eyes. Not a trace of gloom remained in my life.

"Nana, this girl is so pitiful. Let's take her home." As soon as I heard those words, my consciousness suddenly returned to me. The familiar faces and scenes flooded back, and I immediately accepted the fact that I had been reborn. The girl was shivering from the cold. Her tattered clothes barely concealed the signs of abuse on her body. Standing before me was a boy with delicate features. A hint of sadness lay between his brows. His bright eyes were filled with sympathy and pity for the girl. His expensive branded clothes screamed "rich, naive young heir" from head to toe.

Even if he come and beg to me I am never going to fall for that arrogant jerk anymore. A small store where people comes rarely that's where I am working now. Staring at outside , huge mountains, cold climate, strange sounds of insects these are what I am seeing for this past six months and for some reasons it's freaks me out. Whenever I see huge mountains Azad's face is first came into my mind. That day at mortuary even though it was for a nick of time I saw that decayed body. I still can't believe he is no more in my life. While traveling through these long narrow roads I feel like he is with me, walking along with me.

Without hesitation, I drive it into his ribs, savouring the way his scream pierces the air. "Now you want to talk?" I sneer as he writhes against the pain. His breaths come in ragged gasps, his swollen eyelids barely able to stay open. He tries to speak, but all that comes out is a pitiful whisper. "Speak, goddamn it!" I twist the blade deeper, the sickening crunch of bone filling the air. His scream is deafening, echoing off the walls as his body convulses. Then, silence. His body slumps forward, lifeless.