You create a sense of foreboding from the start and carry it through the piece in multiple ways : the cawing birds, the blue fingernails, the number thirteen, the rustling of the tent fabric in the wind. Setting is also vividly drawn using the same technique. Lovely vivid, evocative writing.
The eeriness of the disappearance, in broad daylight, right under the teacher’s nose is effectively shocking. The after story : the teacher’s testimony and the eventual appearance of the sketchbook that give testimony to the supernatural forces at play, are equally disconcerting
Thanks - it didn't quite work the way I wanted it to but I'm glad you found something in it. Sorry I haven' thad time to comment much this week but I'll get on it this morning and read a few of the amazing IW stories on offer.