WE ARE HERE TO HURT EACH OTHER is a tour de force collection by Paula D. Ashe, Bram Stoker Award nominee and Shirley Jackson Award winner for this solid horror work. Within its pages, twelve short stories of disparate topics and terror all come together and commit to the theme of the title. One of those stories is a gothic piece set in Victorian London called “Jacqueline Laughs Last in the Gaslight.” Told through Jacqueline’s eyes, this story weaves a juxtaposition between her villainous inner thoughts and performative religion. What could go wrong?
There is nothing wrong with finding the author’s work anywhere good books are sold, and you can find a link below to the publisher to get a copy in your hands. It might inspire you to get your own short story ready for the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
In early July 1888, a young newlywed, Jacqueline, and her deacon husband arrive in the Whitechapel part of London to minister to the outcasts and dregs of society – the holy couples’ intended congregation at St. Mary Matfelon. These filthy streets are a sinner’s smorgasbord.
The scoundrels inhabiting ale houses and dark corners are a hard nut to crack for any proselytizer including the Deacon. His failure to convert the heathens leaves him despondent about his work causing his sexual attentions to drift away from his new bride. The summer wears on as the Deacon continues to minister to no avail by day as dreams of violent prophecies rack Jacqueline at night. As her husband becomes more distracted by his mission, her dissatisfaction grows. Jacqueline’s dreams lead her to one conclusion.
She determines the Deacon, and therefore God, cannot reach the inhabitants of Whitechapel because these miscreants don’t fear any god.
But…would they fear the Devil?
Jacqueline aims to find out by setting in motion a series of startling events targeting the street walkers who taunted her and denigrated her husband’s faith. By the time the blood runs red, the sinners who turned their back on the church are running towards its steeple and Jacqueline finds her once distant husband back in her arms.
This is a deconstruction of the Jack the Ripper murders with a female assailant doling out the carnage. By modern standards, it could be considered an extreme ‘pick-me girl’ nightmare.
What Lies Underneath
Jacqueline is a subversively devious character wrapped in the charitable deeds of a religious woman. But there is an interesting undercurrent flowing between Jacqueline and the prostitutes and pilferers who run the streets. The men and women of Whitechapel scandalize Jacqueline with their taunts, determined to crumble her pristine exterior. She describes the inhabitants in less than flattering ways and subjects them to worse. But look below the surface. Jacqueline has a symbiotic attraction to the people she scorns. The Deacon’s flailing attempt to build a congregation is the catalyst for Jacqueline’s own depravity. She needs these same scoundrels and miscreants to fall to their knees and be saved so she can save her marriage. Does the ends justify the means? For Jacqueline…yes it does.
What Makes It Killer
“Jacqueline Laughs Last in the Gaslight” is a dark and twisty tale wrapped in language straight out of an M.R. James short story but with the vibrant, immersive tone and storytelling that Paula D. Ashe is known for. Jacqueline is a character that prides herself on being pristine and sanctimonious on the outside and leaves the reader wondering how deep her true nature runs and that is what makes her a fascinating anti-protagonist.
Short Story Title: “Jacqueline Laughs Last in the Gaslight”
Publisher: Nictitating Books
Paula’s lit agent/agency: Lane Heymont at The Tobias Agency
More work from Paula D. Ashe: The Book of Queer Saints: Volume II
