The Winsome Widow

Foreword

Hello readers. My apologies for delaying the beginning of The Winsome Widow, but I must make a couple of small acknowledgements before we start. These in no way impact on the story, so feel free to scroll down to Chapter 1, safe in the knowledge that you have missed nothing of import.

The title for this story came from @sirhugs.

My own inspiration came from two sources: in response to @sirhugs title, @Hypoxia suggested that "The Winsome Widow is a pub with a lurid sign and regulars telling lascivious tales". That was all it took for my mind to connect to a wonderful Stephen King short story: The Breathing Method. In King's story, the characters gather at an unnamed Storytelling Club where the members tell tales of mystery and macabre. It includes two stories: an inner story told by one of the club's members and the outer story of the narrator's arrival at the club as a new member, where he discovers that everything is not entirely as it seems; the club holds a dark secret of mystery and macabre to rival any of those told within its walls.

I don't claim the talent of Mr King, but I wanted to tell an erotic tale that captured the occult essence of his Storytelling Club. I doubt that The Winsome Widow will ever find its way into Stephen King's hands, but if it did I would want him to understand that this story is an act of homage, not one of mockery or plagiarism. In service of that homage, I freely admit that I have borrowed the wonderfully austere Stevens from his club for just one night; as well as a few names from his storytelling club, including Johanssen, which I thought was a perfect fit for the last of The Widow's founding members, as well as Evelyn, David Adley, references to Waterhouse, and one other famous name from the pen of Stephen King that I will allow fans to discover for themselves.

Lastly, this is the first of my works that attempts to tell a real story. My previous writing couches erotica in just enough context to allow the reader to connect with the characters; that is not so much a 'story' as a deliberate attempt to dial up the erotica by appealing to more than just the carnal senses. By telling what I hope is a (more) real story here – albeit one that is derivative of a much finer storyteller – I hope I have brought something new to the table.

Thank you readers; now let's get on with the storytelling.

"It is the tale, not he who tells it"

Stephen King