The Bridge to Crookwood

The Bridge to Crookwood
A Novella by Deni Chance
When fourteen-year-old Marlena "Mara" Wilton moves with her father to a decaying farmhouse in the forgotten town of Wickerlee, she hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a legacy steeped in darkness—and something waiting on the other side of the bridge.
The house whispers. Shadows move in mirrors. And when Mara discovers a hidden journal written by her long-dead uncle Silas, she begins to unravel the truth: the land is cursed, the spirits hungry, and a dangerous ledger holds the key to it all.
As nightmares bleed into reality, Mara must turn to an unlikely group of friends—including a quiet boy named Dayton and a pair of loyal lookouts—to uncover the secrets buried deep in the woods. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes: the bridge doesn’t just lead to her house... it leads straight into Crookwood—and something far more sinister.
Southern Gothic meets coming-of-age in this haunting, emotionally rich novella about family, legacy, and the cost of keeping secrets buried. For fans of The Haunting of Hill House, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.