Diddle Dee

April 2012: Naval veteran Buster Brown takes his teenage daughter on a wildlife trip to the Falkland Islands. But ghastly memories of his previous time here begin to play with his mind.

December 1982: Buster and two fellow Petty Officers land on a remote, supposedly long-abandoned island to spend twenty-four hours camping and exploring and are surprised when they find a family living in the old farmhouse. The couple's two children appoint themselves as guides and lead the men to all the best places to see the island's amazing wildlife. But something seems out of place. There are unexplained events, and the men begin to experience inexplicable melancholy and strange sensations of splitting realities. The incidents become ever more bizarre until, just before they are due to by picked up, the shipmates make an astonishing discovery.

A haunting short story, perfect for your midwinter reading. Scroll up to get your copy and start reading.