Urban Fantasy Meets Vancouver’s Landmarks

Mini transportation has always fascinated me. 

It started with the miniature train in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, a nostalgic treasure that transforms into a festive wonder during the holidays and a spooky ghost train at Halloween. But my love for “mini modes” of travel doesn’t stop there. The charming Aquabus ferries in False Creek are another favorite of mine, with their vibrant colors and cozy size, perfect for exploring Vancouver’s iconic spots like Granville Island, Science World, and Olympic Village.

As a Vancouver-based urban fantasy author, I find endless inspiration in my hometown’s unique landmarks. Case in point: these adorable ferries inspired a haunting twist in my Magic After Midlife series.

Imagine a sinister version of these cheerful boats, ferrying stolen children to a demon’s lair. Intrigued?

Here’s an excerpt from A Shade of Myself (Magic After Midlife, #4) where this eerie transformation comes to life.

Stanley Park didn’t have a dock. Throwing a hand up to shield my eyes, I squinted at an outcropping far offshore. It kind of looked like Siwash Rock, but that made no sense. In the real park, Siwash Rock was this natural rock formation that was about fifty feet high, boasting these distinctive twisted Douglas firs on top. But it sat maybe thirty feet off the seawall in the water, whereas this one was quite some distance out.

A black boat that seemed to suck all light from the space around it, a nightmare version of Vancouver’s small rainbow-colored open-air ferries known as Aquabuses, sailed toward the rock. Except the Aquabus didn’t operate in the water around Stanley Park. It made stops along False Creek at popular destinations like Granville Island, Science World, Olympic Village, and the west end.

Was the demon taking the child to its lair? Demons did create homes in hidden spaces for themselves here on earth, but one could conceivably make use of an existing hidden space like the Park. I shook my head. That still left a lot of questions, like why the Lonestars allowed it, and how the demon had access to ferry service.

I carefully started down the trail, dirt and loose pebbles skidding out from underneath me. Fred McMurtry had been possessed by a demon parasite. Could other Lonestars be in league with demons? Or if not in league, then turning a blind eye to certain activities in exchange for…what?

About halfway down, I froze. An unkindness of ravens had landed on the pier, dozens of beady eyes and sharp beaks marking my approach and blocking my way. Goosebumps broke out over my skin, my hand drifting to the pocket containing Giselle’s necklace.

Slowly, I took a few more steps, but when I was less than five feet away, the largest one puffed up, flapping its wings and screeching a caw. I stumbled back and the others joined in, their cries a warning siren.

“You seek to go where you should not,” a voice rasped.

Feathers tickled the back of my throat. “Poe.” I coughed their name.

The androgenous bird shifter sat on one corner of the pier on the wooden planking, garbed in a ruffled black shirt and trousers, and looking cool despite the searing heat. Their long hair remained the same deep still blue as a pool at night, while shrewd dark eyes regarded me above a beaky nose. They pulled out a deck of cards, turning them over in their gnarled hands.

A cloud rolled across the sky and a gust of cold wind blew across my skin. I shivered, but not from the weather. Our last card game had shown me scenes from my life—and death—in an alternate version of an assault I’d suffered. Part of me feared that Poe had shown me the truth of what should have happened and that embracing my shadow magic thereby thwarting my demise came with a price I had yet to pay.

When the cards had gone crazy, flipping between visions of darkness and light, I’d forcefully aborted the game by stabbing a card face with a knife. Poe had been furious, pressing me to keep playing and reveal more until I smashed a glass into the side of their head, and Tatiana showed up to move them along.

It wasn’t chance that led to this meeting. I’d bet Poe had been stalking me for the right opportunity.

Too bad because I’d vowed to never play games with them again.

I pointed to the rocky outcropping. “Is that where the demon went?”

Poe nodded.

“How do I get there?”

“You don’t.”

“A child’s life is at stake. Even you can’t be indifferent to that.” I stormed closer. Or tried to.

The second I stepped onto the pier, the ravens blocking my way flapped their wings and the dock rocked violently against sloshing waves.

I grabbed the railing for balance. “You didn’t just randomly show up. You know a way across, and if you don’t tell me, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“You need this.” Very slowly and deliberately, they pulled a silver disc the size of a dollar coin out of a pocket, holding it up so I could see the engraving of the ouroboros on it. “There is no way to cross without it.”

I eyed the ravens. Rushing Poe for that token was impossible. Nor could I use the KH to bypass the water. There had to be some way that didn’t involve a game. Was it close enough to swim?

There was a large splash and I caught the end of an enormous serpent-like tail disappearing into the water.

“You wouldn’t die if you dived in,” Poe said. “Though you might wish otherwise.”

Will Miri make it across to stop the demon? What happens if she gets on that ferry?

Read the Magic After Midlife series and find out! https://deborahwildebooks.com/products/magic-after-midlife

What’s your favorite mini transport or city landmark? Share it in the comments below!