[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-115317-en":3,"doc-seo-115317-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},115317,962084925502,"Lucas Martin","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8",1,"Story & Novel","Blood Rites - Chapter 1","Blood Rites by David J. Gatward opens with Dale Aldredge’s quiet spring morning, defined by nature’s sounds and scents and by the simple, self-sustaining life he has chosen. The narrative establishes Dale’s identity as a hedgelayer and reflects on how his past—apprenticeship with his father, foraged food, and memories of the road—shapes his present steadiness. It then transitions toward Dale’s settled life in Witham Friary and his relationship with Jane, whose candle-making business is expanding beyond their early days.","BLOOD RITES  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nBlood Rites  \nby  \nDavid J. Gatward  \nCopyright © 2026 by David J. Gatward  \nAll rights reserved.  \nNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. The author expressly prohibits any entity from using any part of this publication to train AI technologies or systems, including, without limitation, technologies capable of generating works in the same style as this  \npublication.  \n Formatted with Vellum  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nChapter 1  \nChapter 2  \nChapter 3  \nChapter 4  \nChapter 5  \nChapter 6  \nChapter 7  \nChapter 8  \nChapter 9  \nChapter 10  \nChapter 11  \nChapter 12  \nChapter 13  \nChapter 14  \nChapter 15  \nChapter 16  \nChapter 17  \nChapter 18  \nChapter 19  \nChapter 20  \nChapter 21  \nChapter 22  \nChapter 23  \nChapter 24  \nChapter 25  \nChapter 26  \nChapter 27  \nChapter 28  \nChapter 29  \nChapter 30  \nChapter 31  \nChapter 32  \nChapter 33  \nChapter 34  \nChapter 35  \nChapter 36  \nChapter 37  \nChapter 38  \nFind out more Enjoyed this book?  \nAbout David J. Gatward  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nTo Becca  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nThe mid-March morning greeted Dale Aldredge with the only things he’d ever really needed in life, and with a casual swing of his billhook, he welcomed each in turn; a cool breeze weaving low fog into spectral trails, the golden promise of sun breaking the clouds, and the soft, rhythmic cooing of pigeons stirring in the trees. These were the things that made him as rich as he would ever want, or need, to be.  \nSmiling, Dale took a playful swipe at new growth in the hedgerow of the roadside he was strolling along. He knew the day would be warmer soon, winter ’s chill fingers already prised away now that spring was dancing brightly across the land. The tip of his billhook caught some winter jasmine, and he sniffed its sweet perfume in the air. He paused, grabbed oneof its fragrant yellow flowers, rubbed it between his hands, breathed it in. A robin bounced out onto the road in front of him, played him a quick trill of its fluty song, then jumped into the air and over the hedge. Far off, the tribal beat of a woodpecker added a percussive note to his stroll.  \nIt was a good job he had such simple needs. Despite how scant his funds were, Dale had never gone without, and never wanted for anything, either, just always made sure that he had enough to get by. He would never worry about tomorrow, nor indeed about today, for if his days always gave him what they had in his life so far, then he would fare better than many.  \nAlready warm beneath his hand-knitted jumper, which was more darnsnow than its original wool, Dale allowed the chorus of the waking day to carry him forward. He was well aware of what people thought of him, of the life he’d chosen, yet this was all he’d ever wanted, all he’d ever been: a  \nhedgelayer. His life was spent outdoors, in all weathers, crafting wayward hedges into living, breathing walls, rich in wildlife. It was, to him, a form of poetry. He had behaved well at school but left with little, and taken up an apprenticeship with his own father, a man of few words, but many stories, especially when he cracked open the homemade silver birch wine.  \nThe old man was gone now, but the truck he’d lived in while out working hedgerows, still slumbered beside Dale’s prefab bungalow, an unassuming home built not long after the war.  \nOccasionally, for old time’s sake, Dale would spend a night or two in the truck himself, pretending he was back on the road, living on the advice his old man had given him, along with all those recipes for foraged stews and hedgerow booze.  \nThe farm he’d been working","cbCaivGazh77CLL2","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivGazh77CLL2","pdf",3591085,3,228,"English","en",105,"# Chapter 1\n# Chapter 2\n# Chapter 3\n# Chapter 4\n# Chapter 5\n# Chapter 6\n# Chapter 7\n# Chapter 8\n# Chapter 9\n# Chapter 10\n# Chapter 11\n# Chapter 12\n# Chapter 13\n# Chapter 14\n# Chapter 15\n# Chapter 16\n# Chapter 17\n# Chapter 18\n# Chapter 19\n# Chapter 20\n# Chapter 21\n# Chapter 22\n# Chapter 23\n# Chapter 24\n# Chapter 25\n# Chapter 26\n# Chapter 27\n# Chapter 28\n# Chapter 29\n# Chapter 30\n# Chapter 31\n# Chapter 32\n# Chapter 33\n# Chapter 34\n# Chapter 35\n# Chapter 36\n# Chapter 37\n# Chapter 38","[{\"question\":\"What kind of life does Dale Aldredge lead in Chapter 1?\",\"answer\":\"Dale lives outdoors as a hedgelayer, spending his time in all weathers shaping living hedges that support wildlife. The chapter emphasizes the satisfaction he feels from simple, consistent needs.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Dale’s past connect to his present?\",\"answer\":\"His memories include an apprenticeship with his father, nights spent in the old truck, and stories and recipes tied to foraging. These recollections frame why he approaches today with calm certainty.\"},{\"question\":\"Who is Jane and what is her business?\",\"answer\":\"Jane is the brown-eyed girl Dale met in the village, and they are married. She makes candles as a business that started as a hobby and has grown enough to require a new shed and an online shop, with sales increasing.\"}]","Blood Rites - Chapter 1 | PDF",1785472306,351,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":28},"blood-rites-chapter-1","",{"@graph":36,"@context":85},[37,53,68],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/blood-rites-chapter-1/115317/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":41,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-24","2026-07-31",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"What kind of life does Dale Aldredge lead in Chapter 1?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"Dale lives outdoors as a hedgelayer, spending his time in all weathers shaping living hedges that support wildlife. The chapter emphasizes the satisfaction he feels from simple, consistent needs.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"How does Dale’s past connect to his present?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"His memories include an apprenticeship with his father, nights spent in the old truck, and stories and recipes tied to foraging. These recollections frame why he approaches today with calm certainty.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"Who is Jane and what is her business?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"Jane is the brown-eyed girl Dale met in the village, and they are married. 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