I moved when the buds of the chestnut tree were just beginning to bloom, and the cherry tree was covered in pink flowers.

That week — while I was already sleeping in the new house — I returned every evening to clean the old house and collect my remaining belongings.

It grew emptier and cleaner with each passing day.

By the time I stopped scrubbing and cleaning, it was always dark outside.

The fewer my possessions were in the house, the creepier it felt when I closed the door behind me and walked alone in the dark to my car, parked just in front of the house.

Although my neighbors lived more than 100 meters away on either side, and our gardens were separated by dense trees and thick bushes, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was always nearby.

Was it the deer that roamed my land and watched me or perhaps a cougar observing me from the shadows?

Or could it be true that Mount Sicker was haunted?

I had heard stories of a wandering, white figure on the road leading up to the mountain.

It was said to be the ghost of a woman who had died there in a car accident years ago.

Thankfully, I never encountered her.

The mountain itself is also said to be haunted — and I haven’t even mentioned Bigfoot, who, according to the island’s residents, calls it home.

I lived at the foot of the mountain for 4.5 years, and despite my deep curiosity, I never found the courage to explore it alone in search of the vanished mining village that had once thrived there, 120 years ago.

The village where a gruesome tragedy took place.

My new home overlooks the back of the mountain, where wagons full of gold, silver, and especially copper rumbled down.

Halfway along the road next to my house, a track crosses the path that leads to the sawmill and smelter in Crofton, a village 10 kilometers farther along, by the ocean, where the smelted treasures were shipped to America and the rest of the world.

The stories circulating about the mining camp on Mount Sicker inspired me to write my historical novel Elsa.

Would you like to know what happened on the mountain 120 years ago?

Get your copy here:

Soon, the paperback edition will be hitting stores on Vancouver Island, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on where and when you can grab a copy.

Have you read Hitchhiker yet?
If not, to celebrate the launch of Elsa, I’m offering my e-book Hitchhiker for free on Amazon for a limited time, on 25, 26, and 27 March 2025:

Hitchhiker FREE e-book