The Choice: A Prequel

By Jason Mott

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hell of a Book, comes a short story from the world of The Returned. A man is forced to choose between the life he has now, and the one he thought was gone forever…

Peter Galvin was just seventeen when Tracy Whitland—the love of his life—vanished without a trace. In the years after her death, he had finally moved on, gotten married, started a family. He is content with his life now—happy, even…. Until Tracy suddenly and inexplicably returns.

For weeks, Peter and his wife, Samantha, have been watching mysterious reports of people’s loved ones returning from beyond, the world spinning into uncertainty and chaos. But they never imagined it would happen to them. With Tracy’s unusual homecoming, Peter and Samantha must decide where they can possibly go from here, and whether their family can survive….

Read more stories of the Returned in The First and The Sparrow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459245891

Jason Mott

Jason Mott holds a BA in fiction and an MFA in poetry and is the author of two poetry collections. His writing has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize. Jason lives in North Carolina.

Book preview

The Choice

A Prequel to The Returned

Jason Mott

In this short story by Jason Mott, author of The Returned, a man is forced to choose between the life he has now, and the one he thought was gone forever.…

Peter Galvin was just seventeen when Tracy Whitland—the love of his life—vanished without a trace. In the years after her death, he had finally moved on, gotten married, started a family. He is content with his life now—happy, even. Until Tracy suddenly and inexplicably returns.

For weeks, Peter and his wife, Samantha, have been watching mysterious reports of people’s loved ones returning from beyond, the world spinning into uncertainty and chaos. But they never imagined it would happen to them. With Tracy’s unusual homecoming, Peter and Samantha must decide where they can possibly go from here, and whether their family can survive.…

Read more stories of the Returned in The First and The Sparrow. And don’t miss Jason Mott’s haunting debut novel, The Returned, a story of one family given an extraordinary second chance.

Contents

Begin Reading

About the Author

Nathaniel and Evelyn Whitland stood in the waning sunlight, staring off to the west as the thin plume of dust rose up. Nathaniel placed his arm around his wife and, though she could not stop trembling, she did not take her eyes off the approaching car. Is it really her? she asked her husband. Nathaniel did not reply; he only squeezed her a little tighter and held his breath and watched and waited.

The car was a long time coming, winding its way up the mountain, slowing now and again to navigate imperfections in the weathered road. It was a black sedan and Evelyn couldn’t help but think to herself how much it reminded her of the black sedans she saw in movies when people from the government went about whatever business governments go about.

Is it really her? she asked again.

I suppose we’ll know shortly, her husband replied.

It was almost completely dark when the car finally came to a stop in the front yard. The chill of early evening had crept into the air and the old couple was weary from standing on the hardwood porch, but they were too excited to sit. Too full of questions.

At last the dust settled and the Whitlands finally released one another when the back door of the car opened and there, somehow,

Reviews for The Choice

[tfs93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What happens when your marriage is on shaky ground and your first love returns from the dead? Mott explores those questions. The results are interesting and compelling. A short story prequel to the novel The Returned.