The Ghost Road

by Charis Cotter

  “I think anyone seeing us side by side would know right away that we were twins, not cousins,” said Ruby.

  “You didn’t.”

  “Neither did you!”

  “Well, maybe not right away, but I had my suspicions.”

  “You never did!” said Ruby, giving me another little push, and we both laughed.

  We were nearly home. The gray clapboard on the old house gleamed with silver in the afternoon light.

  Ruby took my hand and swung it back and forth.

  “Twins,” she said, grinning at me. “And we’ve got the whole summer ahead of us.”

  The sun shone, the waves lapped against the rocks, and far out in the harbor, the gannets dived deep into the ocean.

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I wrote most of The Ghost Road during a long, hard winter at my home in Newfoundland. As I explored the story and kept the fire going, battered by storm after storm, the spirits of my female Irish ancestors drifted across the Atlantic. They came to haunt me, much the same way as Ruth was haunted by seven generations of twins. My mother Evelyn, her mother Daisy, her mother Anne, her mother Margaret and all the rest stood behind me, a long line of strong women fading into the past, trailing their struggles and their triumphs. It was very fitting that my daughter Zoe, representing the next generation, was such a help to me while I was writing. Working out the plot had me flummoxed more than once! Zoe spent a few days talking over the story with me and helping me find my way through the maze. Her ghost lore is far more extensive than my own, and she gave me some excellent suggestions for the scary parts.

  I cherish the friendship of the Three Ruths; so much so that I named Ruth Windsor after them. When I started writing The Ghost Road, I knew three women named Ruth, all of them over ninety: Ruth Darby, Ruth Resnick and Ruth Redelmeier. Three strong Ruths, who wore their years and their experience like badges of honor. Ruth Darby died while I was still writing this book, but I felt her presence with me as I wrote about her namesake. She was a woman who loved books, Newfoundland and afternoon tea, as I do, and her encouragement and support has meant a lot to me over the years.

  My late stepmother, Margaret Baily, was another woman who inspired me with her strength and determination, and I was always grateful for her cheerful appreciation of my books.

  My neighbors, Boyd and Marie Whalen, have been an ongoing source of local history and expressions, as well as many entertaining cups of tea on cold afternoons. Tony Power, a storyteller, is a living, breathing link with old-time Newfoundland and he casts a spell on me every time I listen to one of his stories. Once he took me on an enchanted walk along the Fairy Path in Branch, and I have used that walk and the stories he told me in the chapter where Eldred talks about the Fairy Path in Buckle. I had advice about genealogy from my sister, Cate Cotter, and my twin, Laurie Coulter. In the early stages of the book, Robin Cleland gave me some perspective on the story that helped me dive in.

  Grants from the Canada Council for the Arts* and ArtsNL (Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council) gave me the time I needed to write The Ghost Road. If not for them, the book would not be written. I am so grateful to live in a country and a province where the arts are supported.

  I want to thank the dedicated team at Tundra Books and Penguin Random House Canada: Sam Swenson, Tara Walker, Lynne Missen, Sylvia Chan, Vikki VanSickle, Terri Nimmo, Sam Davotta and Peter Phillips. I appreciate all your efforts to make my words clear and my books beautiful, and the many things you do to deliver them into the hands of readers. I know how hard you all work at this! A particular thank you to Sam Swenson, my editor, for her perceptive editing. She can always put her finger on what needs doing, and has an excellent understanding of the importance of butter on muffins.

  I am delighted with Jensine Eckwall’s artwork for the cover of The Ghost Road. She has designed three of my book covers, and every time I see her new work I’m dazzled by it. This time, she used the Newfoundland wildflowers from the book along with the Irish shamrock to weave her magic. Many of the flowers Ruth identified on her walks can be found on the cover: twinflowers, lady slippers, Labrador Tea, harebells, creeping buttercups, potentilla, violas, wild roses, wild geranium and crackerberry.

  Finally, I want to thank my father, Graham Cotter. He has been enthusiastic about this book from the beginning, reading all the drafts and cheering me on my way with his humor and his unique outlook on the world of family secrets, ghosts and shifting realities.

  * I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.