Contents
London
Spirits: Short Stories by Rob
Burton
Stories celebrating the past and present London with a
mixture of humor, pathos, and affection.
Snynopsis of each story
Part One: Now
The Knowledge
In a cozy corner of a famous London pub, two strangers make unexpected discoveries about each other’s identities
Die Into Life
After twenty-five years of living a stable and settled routine in the provinces, a middle-aged mother faces up to a traumatic past event from her student days at London University
The Rally
In 2003, the largest anti-war demonstration in British history attracts a married couple in search of a rallying cry
Beyond the Pale
In the mid-1990s, an IRA activist is set to detonate a bomb in London’s Docklands with unforeseen consequences
Why I Wrote The Jihadi Cell
A black British author reveals his motives for writing an incendiary novel about a terrorist cell, set in contemporary London
(Un)Done
A passenger on the London Underground experiences powerful feelings that recall the spirit of a famous Metaphysical poet of the 17th century
Part Two: Then
The Curious Case of Miss Irene Adler
The female arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, famously described by Doctor Watson simply as “THAT woman!”, returns to lure Holmes out of his retirement and once again put his powers of deduction to the test
My Insufferable Nemesis
A restless spirit guides the reader to a well-visited corner of Highgate Cemetery where a secret is revealed
The Purest Ecstasy
Virginia Woolf mixes memory and uncanny premonition as she takes her final walk through London’s Regent’s Park
Spirit Helpers
In the afterlife, two former plumbers are vested with the responsibility of “guiding the lost and the loveless” amongst London’s mortals
Part Three: Now and Then
Sacred Circle
After more than 100 years, the bones of a Lakota Indian elder are repatriated from London’s Brompton Cemetery back to the Black Hills of South Dakota
The Night Side of Nature
At an evening gathering, hosted by Charles Dickens, an animated conversation turns to a key dilemma troubling the author
Eye of Horus
In the British Museum, the spirit of an Egyptian mummy hatches a plan to avenge her captors
London Spirits
At the turn of the second millennium, London spirits mix with mortals to celebrate “The Great Games”
