Hotel Amour
WELCOME TO BURNING SAGE! This is probably my most provocative of stories so far. I want to say Chapter 3 opens with sexual references...nothing over the top. Not too detailed, not too little—enough for those reading to know. This is an adult story, based on ghosts and based in Savannah, Georgia.
I’ve found as an author, I do enjoy writing first person narratives where the characters come first...the plot shall plot along the way. I enjoy writing human characters even in paranormal. I thought I was done with the genre...turns out, maybe not. I just needed a creative refill along with shutting out the noise of the world to write my imaginary prick off. I have trouble staying focused.
Any story you read by me, Maddy Clifton, more than likely isn’t going to be something you share with anyone under 18. It’s difficult for me to write for children or teenagers. I prefer the kind of story that can go wherever with & even without limits! I’m ranting...my apologies! Nothing in Burning Sage is real; aside from Savannah, Georgia and ghosts.
Other than that, this story is made up. I wanted to have a little fun! So I wrote a 550, six part short story. If you have made it to this story, thank you and thank you if you read or even like it. The concept was enough for me to put in motion!
Thank you!
Copyright © 2026 by Maddy Clifton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or places is purely coincidental.
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Happiness is the key to a long, fruitful life or so my jumbled up mind at three in the morning is thinking. His apple green eyes are squeezed shut, shielded from the light of the closed curtains with one of my hands laced into his short, golden curls. My eyes were trained on the guy who meant the world to me as goofy as he is. We landed at the Hotel Amour—an old fashioned building, down on River Street; balconies with oval windows, copper railing to lean on. It had been a long trip of forgetfulness sharing an anniversary with the guy who has my heart.
My mind races when a thud comes from elsewhere, causing me to jump. The guy I had been laying with, groans, mumbling about not making so much noise. I accidentally awaken Graham Price. “I wasn’t making noise.”
Graham snorts, yawning, gently slipping from my fingers. He tugs on a chord to the bedside lamp, sending me the softest of smiles—fullest set of pink lips. “Sure, you weren’t, Sage! And, I’m a Charmed One.”
I roll my dark green eyes at the unbothered man. “Graham, I didn’t—”
Gurgly moans is what cut me off causing Graham to perk up. He slips from our shared bed, scurrying off, flinging open the door to the hotel room without a second thought. “Ghosts, here I come!”
How could he just leave me laying in bed by myself? My palms are upturned in a shrug, wondering if he’ll reappear. Something disturbing grew in the pit of my stomach. “G-Graham?”
A few minutes pass as the darkness ticks on while I wait for Graham to return. He frowns, popping his head into the door. “Sage, are you coming or not? If there’s a ghost, we have to catch it on camera!”
I snort at the gentle words falling from his lips. How could I love someone so ignorant? Groaning, I push myself up from the bed, making sure I’m properly dressed. “Graham, we don’t always have to catch a ghost on camera!”
“If you and I don’t catch a ghost on camera then who will?” Graham squeaks, motioning for me to hurry up in order to follow him. He’s more impatient than a raccoon hunting a cat for sport.
My eyes of dark olive green flit to the unnerving man. “Graham, I love you. Truly, I do...”
Graham’s dark blonde eyebrows draw together. He seems doubtful by my remark. “Yeah, sure, you love me. I know things I shouldn’t regarding your so called love for me.”
Is the man two years younger than me insane? What did he know in regards to my love for him? Folding my arms to my chest, I huff. “Don’t you love me?”
His apple green eyes shift to his feet, shuffling where he stood. “I...couldn’t love you more, if I tried.”
I’m unsettled with what Graham Price is saying. I stroke my chin, wondering if I should follow his lead. If he’s going to reject me on the spot,l then I’m not sure why I would follow his lead. I had been his girlfriend for about five years...maybe, less. How could he tell me what I feel versus what I don’t? Is the nerdy loser openly rejecting me?
I scramble after my boyfriend in need of answers. I did love him. How could I not? We were the sweetest couple—our siblings were in agreement pertaining to our romance.
