I Love Halloween

Scott loved Halloween very much. He remembered having such fun as a child with people in his neighborhood doing their best to frighten everyone with masks and haunted houses. But it was the jack-o-lanterns that brought it all together. That was the symbol for Halloween itself, what he thought was the greatest day of the year, and his was the only house in the neighborhood that didn’t have one. He started his search just the day before Halloween looking in pumpkin patches all over town, trying to find what would make the absolute perfect jack-o-lantern. Sadly, the day was coming to an end and his search for the perfect pumpkin was fruitless. He felt so beaten by this and began his journey home with his head hung. Then there it was on the side of the road, the perfect jack-o-lantern waiting to be made and place on his steps. He was overcome with joy as he brought it home and placed it in his kitchen, staring at it carving out what will be it’s new face in his mind. The perfect image came to him, it was the classic jack-o-lantern with the triangle eyes and nose and crude crescent mouth. That was the image that represented Halloween to him and that was what he was going to do. He went looking through his fathers old tools and found a keyhole saw, the perfect tool to carve the perfect jack-o-lantern. Sawing, sawing, sawing, he removed the top and started to hollow out the inside. Sawing, sawing, sawing, he carved out the triangles for the eyes and nose. Sawing, sawing, sawing, he carved out the jagged teeth and mouth. There it was, the perfect homage to Halloween, the perfect jack-o-lantern. Scott placed it on the steps leading up to his porch, placed the lit candle inside and then replaced the top of the poor woman’s skull, completing his perfect jack-o-lantern. He took a few steps back and with a smile from his childhood he said, “I love Halloween.”

Finally got #2 up

Finally got #2 live, as soon as I uploaded, Amazon was having problems with the publishing. This issue has the complete versions of Bone Deep, Family Eternal and Cruel Young. It also has When Light is Gone, something take control of an island leaving everyone in the dark, and Chuck, he’s a paranormal investigator but he does things a little different from the rest.

Family Eternal

This will be last story in V1 #2. It’s based on something my daughter told me when she was only two years old and it disturbed the hell out of me. She said, “Daddy, when I was six, my mommy broke all my bones and threw me in a dumpster.” I was shocked because that’s not something you would normally hear from a two year old and what got me more was that she had never even heard the word dumpster before. So how could she know what that was or that bones could be broken, i mean she was just learning how to count to ten. I don’t know what to believe about that but even though my daughter is much older and doesn’t remember anymore, it still bothers me. As with dreams that bring out emotion and stay with me, I figured I would make that into a short story too. Here is a part of it.

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Chelsea began having strange dreams that started on her sixteenth birthday. They were of a little boy that looked about eight or nine years old. He had a little trickle of blood that came down the side of his face and it seemed to come from a small fissure above his temple. He told her his name was Brandon and in her dreams, the two would always play at a beautiful park surrounded by trees and flowers, and there, next to a swing set was a picnic basket sitting in the middle of a quilted blanket. For weeks she had lucid dreams of nothing else but being at the park with Brandon and sometimes they would just talk.
One night, she decided to ask him what had happened to him and why was his head bleeding. A sadness came over Brandon’s face when he looked down and said, “My mommy, she pushed me down the stairs and then she put me in the trash can.” She was instantly taken to the top of a staircase and felt a hand push her from behind. Chelsea felt the pain of hitting each stair on the way down, then she was taken back to the park where she now understood what had happened to him. Feeling his anguish, she wanted to make him feel better so she smiled and grabbed his hand then said, “Hey, how about I push you on the swing for a little while.” His sorrow seemed to disappear and his smile that she had grown to love was back. When the sun would set there, in reality the sun was rising and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she awoke. “I’ll be waking up soon,” she told him, “but you know I’ll see you again.” He jumped off the swing, held her hand and looked up at her. “You are so nice Chelsea,” he said, “I want you to meet Hallie and Heather soon.” Becoming curious about them, she asked, “Oh really, are they your friends?” He replied, “They are my sisters.” Then he smiled again and wrapped his arms around her before stepping back and disappearing.
Chelsea awoke to mixed feelings about her dream. She was looking forward to meeting Brandon’s sisters but she was also very disturbed by what had happened to him. “Who could do something like that to their own kid?” she mumbled to herself.

The Lingering Scent

Just a short one today but It explains a little more on one of the characters in Heart Broken
A very handsome man named Aaron, had just returned home from a late night meeting for the local magazine he writes for. Like most others like him, he just wanted to have a snack and relax on his couch. As he entered the kitchen he caught a whiff a strange odor. It was a rancid stench that made him gag a bit. “What is that?” he asked himself, “And where the hell is it coming from?” He tried to keep his apartment tidy because he never knew when guests would be coming over and was just a clean person in general. With this foul smell, this emanating stink coming from the kitchen, who know what they would think. His first reaction was to check the sink. There were no dishes in it so he put his nose close to the drain to see if that was the cause of the offending odor, but there was nothing. He then moved over to the refrigerator to see if maybe something had gone bad or somehow fell out. He opened the door and sniffed around, inspecting every empty shelf for some kind of smelly residue, but again there was nothing. He even went so far as to move the refrigerator to see if maybe something fell under or behind it without him knowing, nevertheless it was spotless. A thought occurred to him, maybe some smelly man broke in to the apartment and was waiting for his chance to strike. He checked every room, every nook and cranny, any place that could possibly conceal a body. He checked behind the shower curtain, under the bed and even his closet but the smell, that horrible smell was coming from the kitchen. He returned there to investigate further, looking under the counter and table, in the cupboards and cabinets but they were all immaculate. The only place left to check was the oven. “No it can’t be,” he said to himself, “I haven’t used the oven in weeks.” Aaron crept over to the oven wrapping his fingers around the handle, slowly pulling the door down. “Well,” he told himself, “It’s not coming from here.” Then he pulled the door all the way down and the rancid smell filled his nostrils. His mouth filled with bile as tiny roaches scattered off of a woman’s putrid head sitting atop one of the oven-racks. Aaron ran to the living room to collect himself and when he finally caught his breath, his phone rang. “Hello?” he answered. It was an old friend of his that seemed to notice he was breathing heavy, “What’s wrong? You sound out of breath.” Aaron replied, “Roaches, oven, head! I must have forgotten a head in the oven and now I have these filthy little disgusting roaches running around my apartment! ….Oh, you want me to meet this girl at The Written….Amy … Sure, I’m free. I’ll be there soon.”

Cruel Young

Just a part of this story, the rest is part of Fate’s Darkened Beauty V1 #2

School can be a difficult time for some. Kids can and will be cruel to others but once school is over with and you’re out in the real world, none of the social life that once existed there matters any more. Annie Collins wasn’t one of the cool kids, she wasn’t popular and she didn’t have many friends. Actually she only had one, and she was moving away leaving Annie to face the popular kids by herself. As soon as she would get to school, her torment would begin with other kids knocking books out of her hands claiming it was an accident. Others would say she smelled bad and would pretend to gag, while others would just use her in there jokes. Annie learned to stay hidden and keep to herself for most of the time. She began to wear darker clothes and would often put her feeling down on paper rather than keep them bottled up inside her. She also fell in love with a cartoon called Taco the Rabbit’s Horrible Life. It was about a poorly drawn rabbit who just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Annie love Taco the Rabbit because no matter how bad her day would be, his day was always worse and his character would always make her laugh.
She had gotten a plush toy of him for her birthday over the summer and would always keep him in her backpack at school to remind her that things can always be worse. Sometimes, during lunch, she would pull him out and pretend that he was real to make up for her one friend that moved away. She learned very quickly not to talk to him out loud and draw attention because the popular girls could use that as another excuse to torture her. One day during lunch, Gracie Dice who was the worst of the popular girls, walked by and kicked Taco the Rabbit into some mud saying, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see your stinky little friend there.” Gracie and her friends just laughed as she pushed Annie into the mud too while she was trying to retrieve Taco. “Oops!” Gracie said snickering, “Sorry again!” Annie tried not to cry, she didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they got the best of her. She kept her chin up, wiped the mud from her face and went to the restroom to clean herself and Taco up.
She place Taco in the sink and turned on the water. Shedding as little tears as possible, she washed him off then placed on the counter to dry while she washed off her own face. Annie was startled when she heard a very polite monotone voice say, “That was rude of them wasn’t it?” She slowly removed her hands from her face to see her Taco plush shaking off the water like a dog. She slammed her back against the wall in fright saying, “Oh my fucking god, he’s talking to me. You’ve lost it this time Annie, you have completely lost your mind.” Taco hopped off of the counter and said, “You haven’t lost your mind Miss Annie, I’m quite real.” Still frightened she said, “Why the hell are you talking to me, you’re just a stuffed toy.” “Well,” he spoke as he approached her, “You can think of me as a familiar of sorts. My name is MAK TAH, it means servant of…, well for now, you.” Her fear began to subside when she said, “That’s cool, just give a minute to calm down here. So I have my very own talking Taco the Rabbit? Can I just call you Taco for now? You know, just until I get used to you.” “I don’t see this as being a problem Miss Annie,” he said, “I can see into people’s thoughts and this is the form you would be most comfortable seeing me in. I am here to help and serve you.” She excitedly shouted, “Awesome! I have a real Taco the Rabbit!” He touched her hand saying, “Let’s get you cleaned up now shall we.” All the mud that once covered her was instantly gone. “Come on now,” he said, “put me in your backpack and let’s get you to your next class.”
On her way to class, she couldn’t help but smile about what had just happened. While being lost and excited in her own thoughts, she didn’t see the group of girls heading towards her. Gracie slammed her shoulder in to Annie sending her flying to the floor. She looked down at Annie and with her hand over her mouth she said, “Oops again, I’m so clumsy today.” Then her sinister smile disappeared when she noticed that Annie was no longer covered in mud. “Well,” she said sounding as snobby as she was, “You seemed to have cleaned up nicely, but you’re still an ugly little bitch.” They put their noses in the air and walked around her. As she got back to her feet, one of the girls, Cindy, knocked the books out of her hands saying, “And you still smell too,” then she scoffed before joining the others. Annie collected her books and just under her breath, with her teeth clinched tight to fight off the tears, she said, “I fucking hate you all.” Then she hung her head and made her way to her next classroom.
When the final bell rang, she became excited. Not because she could go home and watch the show that always made her feel better but because she could play with the actual character she had hidden in her backpack. Upon her return home, she opened her backpack and placed him on her bed. “Well now,” he said, “that was quite uncomfortable. Let’s get to it shall we.” She turned her head to side and asked, “Get to what Taco?” “To planning your revenge to get back at them Miss Annie,” he said, “That is why I’m here, to help you.” “Ok, I’m in. Now how do we do this” she said eager to hear the plan. He walked over and sat next to her saying, “I can get in to peoples thoughts, like I did yours. I can see what they fear most and we can use that against them. From what I’ve seen, most fears come from something that happen during childhood. Take Cindy for example, the girl who knocked the books out of your hands, she is terrified of ants. She once fell into a large pile when she was seven and froze out of fear, they tore her up quite a bit before anyone got to her. We can use that against her.” “Ooh,” she said with wide eyes and delight, “We can lead a trail of ants into her room so when she wakes up she will see them crawling everywhere.” “Yes Miss Annie, something like that.” Later that night, Annie and Taco when to Cindy’s house and began leaving crumbs of food leading from an ant pile in the yard to a tiny crack in her window. When everything was in place, Annie kicked the ant pile and ran home. “Oh my god!” she said smiling, “I can’t believe we did it! She is going to be so scared when she wakes up, she’ll probably pee herself. I wish I could see her face when it happens.” Back at Annie’s house, as excited as she was, it was getting late and she was getting tired. She made her bed and set up a place next to her pillow for Taco. “Goodnight Taco,” she said, “you made today awesome.” After about an hour, Taco made sure she was asleep then slipped out of the house.
Morning arrived and a groggy Cindy began to wake. She felt a slight pain in her right foot, only enough to make her wiggle her toes. “That’s weird,” she thought to herself, “my toes are numb”. She paid it no attention until she removed her blanket. She was in such a shock that she couldn’t even scream, just a deep tone sounded at the end of every exhale. Half of her foot was missing and there was very thin layer of a clear plastic like membrane covering the wound. Where her big toe should have been, was an ant trail leading inside of her foot. The pain began to set, she could feel them crawling inside her leg as far up as her thigh. Still she could not scream. Cindy finally passed out when she saw the ants carrying eggs into her body. Her mother found her and called for an ambulance, when they got to the hospital, she was in and out of sleep from the combination of shock and the drugs the doctors had her on. Cindy could hear her mother arguing with the doctor. “Look you son of bitch,” her mother said, “You better save her leg. You have any idea how important we are to this town.” “Yes ma’am, I’m sorry,” the doctor said groveling, “But the ants have blocked up and destroyed the blood supply to her leg. All of the tissue is dead or will be before we could even operate on her. There was a queen already laying new eggs in there, the leg has to come off.” “Fine! Take the leg! How could this have even happened?” “I don’t know ma’am,” he replied, “The tunnels they built should have taken them days, not to mention there was no blood loss. I don’t even think it’s possible. And there’s something else.” “Oh what now!” exclaimed the mother. “These ants had some sort of bacteria on them that has entered Cindy’s blood stream. We have her on antibiotics but, well, even if with amputation of the leg, there’s a strong chance she might not make it.” Cindy pass out again.
Annie went to school with her head held high and a big grin on her face in anticipation of seeing Cindy’s reaction to the prank, …..

My Dear Friends

This is a little different from what I write but when it popped in my head, I just had to tell her story. Fictional of course.

I remember being 11 years old and we had just moved into an old manor out in the country. I had never seen such a big house on so much land before. I think it was left to us when my grandfather died, though I don’t remember being sad about it because the first time I ever saw him was at his funeral. My brother and I had a fight over who would get the room overlooking the pond in the back of the manor but there were so many rooms that I just let him have it and went to a new one. When I found one I liked, he came in and started moving his toys to my room claiming it was his. This happened for about three or four rooms until I finally had to tell mother about what he was doing and I ended up with the room with a view of the pond. I remember it being so beautiful. Before I could unpack there was a knock at my door, it was my brother. I thought he was there to start up again but instead he asked me if I wanted to play hide and seek. Of course in a place that big it was begging to be explored with a game. There were so many doors, passage ways and rooms that I didn’t know where to begin so I started with the basement. Even down there was a door leading to another room below another room. I was so excited thinking that he would never find me way down there but he did. The last words I heard were from his voice saying, “Now I can have whatever room I want and no one will ever find you down here!” Then I heard a door shut and lock followed by another door and another further in the distance. I must have been down there for days, hiding from the monsters that waited for me in the shadows. My mind did create some very inventive creatures for me to fear but I had my friends the rats and roaches to protect me. At least they were my friends until I became so weak from hunger.
Over time I was no longer afraid of the shadows. In the darkness, my mind began to see old friends and after a while, new and fantastic ones appeared. They were always there for me and we would play and play. I remember one day all of my friends were gone and I couldn’t understand why. Then my stomach began to cramp, I was alone for days until I began to bleed. I thought I was going to die and had no idea what was wrong with me. After a few days, the bleeding had stopped and all pain went away. I felt such relief, I felt even better when all of my wonderful friends came back to stay with me. They told me that when I’m scared so are they and if I have no fears, they will never leave me again. I was so happy and we all once again played and played until I began to hurt again. I was not afraid, I began to bleed again but I was still not afraid because if I did die, I would die happy with my friends. The pain and bleeding seemed to happen in a crude pattern that became my way of telling time in the darkness. We would prepare a feast in celebration of every time the pain stopped. We would have rats and roaches, and spiders on occasion but I just couldn’t bare to eat any of the beetles we found, they leave such a horrid taste in your mouth. Yes, we had such fun together, my fantastic friends and I. Before I was discovered down there, I believe we had over 300 celebrations and with each one we carved a line into the walls.
I learned that everyone thought I was dead but I was far from it. The police said that my brother told them I went off into the woods and never came back. Oh that retched brother of mine, they say he went mad and ended up in an asylum somewhere. And my mother, my poor mother had passed away. I would have ended up alone all those years had I not gone into the sub-basement. My friends told me that if I left, they could not come with me but would do their best to carry on the celebrations in my honor, such great friends they are.
I looked in the mirror today for the first time and did not recognize the woman in my reflection, perhaps there is just too much light up here for my eyes to handle. Now that I own everything, perhaps I shall return to live with my friends, after all, I was happy with them. And I don’t quite like it up here, there are too many people making too much noise and there is far too much light for me. No, I think I shall return to what I know and to the friends that I love and miss so much.

Bone Deep

This is only about a third of the story, the rest is part of Fate’s Darkened Beauty V1 #2.

 

In the 1960’s, a boy named Howard Jones was born. He didn’t develop like the other children and when his parents became concerned they took him to see a doctor. They found out he has a very rare disease that caused his bones to reabsorb into his body during adolescence. As he slowly disappeared into himself, he was subjected to ridicule and teasing by the other kids in his neighborhood and school. They made up stories that he was some kind of a monster that would come into your room at night and steal your bones. They would say to him, “Howard Jones will steal your bones. It is yours that he now owns. He’ll come for them while you’re in bed. He’ll take them all and leave your head.” Howard was tormented by this up until his body collapsed in on itself and he suffocated when he was sixteen. Even then, the kids would still write the saying and other cruel things on his headstone. His younger brother Harlan would clean off the headstone every day until his parents just couldn’t take the constant harassment any longer and had to move to another town.
Years had passed by but Harlan never forget about his brother and would make trips back to his hometown to visit his grave and clean off the graffiti. One day while he was visiting Howard’s grave, he saw that someone had actually tried to dig him up and wrote the old haunting saying that hurt him so much on his stone. He was overcome with grief because he realized this would never end and his brother would never know peace. His desperation filled the air as he wished there was a way to get people to just leave Howard’s grave alone, that desperation was picked up by something. As the light began to fade, a tall man in a hooded cloak approached Harlan. He said, “I can bring you your dreams and seek revenge if you like.” Harlan was numb to the world and didn’t seem to pay attention to the tall man’s orange eyes when he asked, “Oh yeah? How the hell can you do that? I just want people to leave him alone, that’s all.” The tall man laughed and replied, “I am known as the Dream Giver. At times, I collect only fear as payment and this can be one of those times.” Harlan scowled at the Dream Giver and said, “I’m not afraid of you, I have no fear to give you.” He laughed again saying, “No, it’s not your fear I’m after. I want the fear of those who hurt your brother.” Harlan looked him in his orange eyes and said, “I do want everyone that ever hurt him to feel the fear and the pain that he did but, how am I supposed to do that?” He removed his hood and cracked a smile then said, “I am the giver of dreams. If your wish is to exact revenge, I can give you what you need to do so. All you have to do is wish for the power and it will be yours.” Harlan thought about everyone from his childhood that picked on Howard and felt an anger unlike any he had ever felt before then he raised his head and said, “Fine! I wish I had the power to seek revenge on the assholes that messed with my brother. If you’re happy now, I’d like you to please go away. I have a lot to think about.” The Dream Giver Laughed once more, waved his hand and said, “Granted,” as his eyes glowed a bright orange.
Moments later, Harlan awoke in the graveyard next to Howard’s stone. “What the hell happened?” he asked himself, “Was it a dream?” Then his head began to hurt as it was crammed with information and memories that were never there before. One memory was burning in the back of his mind until he played it in his head like a movie. He saw the young men who dug the hole, he watched as the three of them wrote on Howard’s stone and urinated on it. He was filled with pure rage and had an idea of how to exact his revenge. Harlan blinked his eyes and was startled to find he was no longer at the grave site but in front of a house. Though he had never been there before, he knew exactly whose house it was. It belonged to one of the three teenagers that desecrated Howard’s grave. His name was Jim and Harlan knew exactly what he was going to do to him.

The Silent Walk

Jennifer, Brian and Stacey were walking to a friend’s house after a night of clubbing. There was supposed to be an after-hours party going on and all of their friends were going to be there. Becky’s house wasn’t too far from the club they were at so they all decided to walk to the party. While they were walking, they were reminiscing about what happened that night, talking about who they saw, who they didn’t want to see and discussing which rumors they thought were true. Then out of nowhere, Brian jumped in front of the girls to shield them. “Oh my god Brian,” a puzzled Stacey said, “What the hell are you doing?” Brian was confused because he knows he saw something and said, “I swear I saw this…this, I don’t know, this dog in the corner of my eye.” Jennifer being very sarcastic said, “Wow, really? Thank you! Oh wait, there is no dog. You doing alright Brian, because you had a lot to drink and we don’t need you acting like an ass at Becky’s party.” Feeling a little embarrassed but still trying to defend himself he said, “Hey, at least if there was a dog, you know I would jump in front of it for you.” They all just laughed and continued walking.
After a few minutes, there was a very quick flash of light. “Brian? What was that?” a worried Stacey asked. “Um, I don’t know,” he replied, “maybe lightning. Who knows?” Jennifer happened to blink at that moment so she didn’t get to see what Brian and Stacey were talking about. “Did I just miss something? What are you guys talking about?” “Jennifer!?” she cried out, “Don’t tell me you didn’t see that bright light. How could you not see that?” She just shrugged her shoulders saying, “Whatever, it was probably a street light blinking or something, doesn’t matter. Let’s get to the party! Whoo!” While walking, they all started to notice that it was very quiet. There were no cars driving, no other people walking and there was no wind. It was so quiet they could hear themselves breathe. Brian was the first to bring it up, “Hey, have you guys noticed how quiet it is? It’s kinda creepy.” Jennifer chucked before she said, “Yeah, so don’t fart Brian.” He shot her with a mean look while Stacey agreed with how quiet it was. “Jen, this is kind of creepy. I can’t even hear the wind, let alone feel it. Maybe it has something to do with the flash.” “See!” Brian said feeling full of himself, “I told you it was lightning. It’s always quiet before a storm.” They began to believe that it could be possible until they heard the growling coming from behind them.
They slowly turned around to see what looked like a large dog snarling at them from the shadows. “Um, Brian,” Jennifer said trembling, “Is that the dog you were talking about? Because I would really like it if you got in front of me again.” As soon as she finished talking, the dog bolted towards them. They turned and ran as fast as they could and they kept hearing the dog’s nails clacking on the sidewalk, getting closer and closer. They turned into a blind alley hoping to escape only to find it was fenced off, they were trapped. Stacey began to climb the fence hoping she could get out of the dogs reach and the others followed. When they got up as high as they could the panic they felt dissipated while the fear remained, the dog was no longer there. “Shit! Brian!” Stacey shouted, “Is it gone!? Is the dog gone Brian?” Out of breath, he replied, “How the fuck should I know? I don’t hear it if that’s what you mean.” One by one, they slowly climbed off the chain link fence looking around, hoping their eyes wouldn’t meet with the dog’s. Brian crept through the alley towards the street leaving the girls behind in case the dog showed up again. As if he wasn’t scared enough, when he neared the entrance to the alley, he heard someone whistle a creepy sharp tune.

The Moment Tree

Erica and her son, Ethan, had just moved in to an old farm house after the loss of her husband. The house belonged to her close friend, Sara, that had no use for it and rather than just let it sit there, she let Erica move in. Her heart weighed her down as she unpacked, thinking of how unprepared they were for any kind of tragedy. When the first set of bills came in after Mark’s death, she didn’t know what to do. They had no life insurance and no savings, so she would put the bills on the kitchen table and hoped they would just disappear. Eventually, her only choice was to sell their house.
Everything she took out of the boxes brought back memories of Mark, so some things just never got unpacked. One day while she was searching for a job on her computer, Ethan went to her begging for the toy he had just seen on a commercial. “Mommy, mommy” he said tugging on her sleeve, “I want the new Gojijo Man toy. Can I have it please mommy, please.” In a very consoling voice she said to him, “I’m sorry baby but we just can’t afford it right now.” Ethan gave her the saddest face he could conjure up hoping that she would change her mind. He was still very young and didn’t have much of an understanding of how money works yet. She felt so bad that she couldn’t get him the toy so she made a deal with him, “I’ll tell you what, if you let mommy look for a job, then as soon as I get one we will go to the store and get you the new Gojijo Man. Does that sound ok to you?” He smiled wide and did his little happy dance. “I’ll take that as a yes, for now you can go play outside, ok baby,” she said before continuing her job search.
Erica and her son, Ethan, had just moved in to an old farm house after the loss of her husband. The house belonged to her close friend, Sara, that had no use for it and rather than just let it sit there, she let Erica move in. Her heart weighed her down as she unpacked, thinking of how unprepared they were for any kind of tragedy. When the first set of bills came in after Mark’s death, she didn’t know what to do. They had no life insurance and no savings, so she would put the bills on the kitchen table and hoped they would just disappear. Eventually, her only choice was to sell their house.
Everything she took out of the boxes brought back memories of Mark, so some things just never got unpacked. One day while she was searching for a job on her computer, Ethan went to her begging for the toy he had just seen on a commercial. “Mommy, mommy” he said tugging on her sleeve, “I want the new Gojijo Man toy. Can I have it please mommy, please.” In a very consoling voice she said to him, “I’m sorry baby but we just can’t afford it right now.” Ethan gave her the saddest face he could conjure up hoping that she would change her mind. He was still very young and didn’t have much of an understanding of how money works yet. She felt so bad that she couldn’t get him the toy so she made a deal with him, “I’ll tell you what, if you let mommy look for a job, then as soon as I get one we will go to the store and get you the new Gojijo Man. Does that sound ok to you?” He smiled wide and did his little happy dance. “I’ll take that as a yes, for now you can go play outside, ok baby,” she said before continuing her job search.
While Ethan was outside, he tried to find ways to entertain himself. He dug a hole and threw rocks at an ant pile, then he saw the perfect tree for climbing. Towards the bottom of the tree, there was a big dark knot and branches that led all the way up like a ladder. He climbed the tree and pretended he was Gojijo Man’s sidekick fighting off evil monsters and saving the world. Then he slipped and fell out of the tree landing on his knees. He gave the tree a mean look and rolled up one of his pant legs to inspect his knee for any cuts or bruises. He had some blood that formed around a small cut but it was nothing too bad. He wiped the blood off his knee and smeared it on the knot of the tree then ran inside. After finding a bandage for his scrape, he decided that playing inside would be much safer and he played until it was time for bed.
The next morning when Ethan woke up, to his surprise, there next to his bed was a brand new Gojijo Man still in the box. He jumped up and did his happy dance then took it down the stairs to play with it. Erica was awakened by Ethan stomping around the living room screaming about killing monsters. She smiled when she saw him be cause he hadn’t been that happy since his father died. “What are you doing Ethan? You look so happy this morning.” He ran over to her, toy in hand, gave her a big hug and said, “Oh thank you thank you thank you mommy. You’re the best mommy ever.” She giggled and ask, “Oh really, and why is that, baby?” He held up his new toy and said, “Because you got me Gojijo Man!” Ethan spread the toy’s wings and began flying it around the room. Erica was confused and puzzled with a hint of concern because she knew she didn’t buy him that toy.

Without Eyes

A horror rock band by the name of Drowning Glory, set out on their first tour. They weren’t very well known yet but had already put out a few albums at their own cost and were gaining popularity. Darren ‘Hells’ and Matt Ryder were brothers that started the band in high school, they played lead and bass. Their close friend Damon, who at times went as ‘Demon’, took interest in the band and started singing for them. When they found a drummer, John ‘Murders’ Wheeler, they began to play shows and picked up a good following. It wasn’t until they brought in Jared Burns on rhythm and Karla ‘Kills’ Smith with keyboard and backing vocals that they really took off. The six of them maxed out credit cards and emptied their savings to buy an old school bus to go on tour with the determination of getting their music out to the world.
In the middle of their tour, their path led them through a mid-west town by the name of Staff. The town was small and the buildings seemed to have been very old. Something struck them as very odd; there were cars around but no people. Right away Damon exclaimed, “This town is so damn creepy, we’re staying here tonight.” Of course, as they were fans of all things creepy and morbid, they all agreed.
As they pulled up in front of an old inn and entered, Karla grabbed her camera and started snapping pictures. The inn looked like it was an old mansion at one point in time and had paintings of the original owners hanging up. It had many rooms and the wall panels and doors were all crafted out of a hardwood. “Look at this place!” Karla said with such enthusiasm as she continued taking photos, “I bet this place is haunted!” When they reached the front desk, they noticed it was covered in a fine layer of dust and had cobwebs hanging off the pen to sign the guest book with. Repeatedly ringing the bell, Damon called out, “Hello? Anybody here? Hey! We need a room! You bastards, there’s no one here guys.” “But there’s got to be someone around, I mean the place just can’t be empty, can it?” Jared said with a slight concern. Darren smiled and jumped over the counter. He then grabbed some room keys and handed them out saying in horrible spooky voice, “Here are your room keys. Please, enjoy your stay. Oh, and be very careful my friends, this place is known to be haunted.” He trailed it off with a creepy laugh then signed his name on the dusty guest book before jumping back over the front desk to join his band mates in getting settled in.

Man of Hell

I awoke in a poorly lit cave having no idea how I got there. My head was hurting something terrible and felt like I had just been hit by a bus. When I got to my feet, I had a vision, a flash of thought enter my head and I saw myself climbing on top of a roof. I remembered seeing my girlfriend next to me, then nothing. “Megan,” I thought to myself, “where am I? Are you here somewhere too?” I started my search to find out.
The cave was warm yet very cold in some parts and what little light that was in there, did not keep me from stumbling around. I walked for what seemed like miles until I finally saw a light coming from an opening in distance. “I’m coming Megan, I will find you,” I said to myself as I moved toward the light. As I moved closer to the light the walls of the cave became more and more illuminated. I could see what looked like crude cave paintings but they were symbols that I couldn’t understand or make sense of. I just kept moving towards the light knowing I need to get to her. Thoughts of her being hurt, scared and alone scratched at my soul and I picked up my pace.
When I finally reached the glowing opening, I was in awe. There, I saw that the light was coming from molten rock and a few fires that seemed to be burning nothing. Then I heard the screams, the whimpering and moaning beyond the lighted chamber of the cave. Through the waves of heat that warped my sight, I began to make out bodies. As I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t just seeing things, I caught sight of where my feet were placed. I was standing on what appeared to a pile of bones. Taking a second look around me, I noticed in horror that the entire cave was constructed of bone. I had to push back my fear and find Megan.
As I made my way past the ledge I was on and moved towards the exit of the glowing room, the moaning bodies began to grab at me. “HELP ME! HELP US! IT BURNS!” the voices cried. My only thought was that of getting to my love so I left them to their torment.

Wish Four

 

 

Brent Underwood was a college student like any other. He went to school, worked a crappy part time job, he lived off of noodles and whatever he could sneak out of work in his back pack. The two best parts of his day were getting off of work to live out his obsession with video games and the other was passing Carrie in the hall way at school. She filled his every thought but in the back of his mind he just felt he was never destined for love especially with her, she didn’t even know he existed. He was the awkward nerdy type that only talked to girls when they thought he was smart enough to help them with their assignments. Brent would always sit and eat outside the cafeteria hoping to catch another glimpse of her before going to his next class. He would fantasize about asking her out and sweeping her off her feet wishing he knew what to say to her. Sometimes he would wish so hard that he would sweat and one day something picked up the scent of his desperation.
On his way from school to work, he kept getting the feeling he was being watched but blamed it on his games and blew it off. After his shift at Burger Brigade he stuffed some of the leftover burgers in his backpack and started walking to his apartment. On his walk home, he was coming up with a plan for his next move on the game that he played online but he started getting that feeling again, like someone was watching him. He tried to ignore it until he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see no one was there. He just shook his head thinking maybe he was just tired or something and kept on walking. Once he heard the footsteps again he just started running, he had watched too many movies and knew never to turn around and look for a second time. When he got to his door he unlocked it and dove inside locking it back up again before looking out the window.
When he was sure no one was there, he let his beating heart calm down and said out loud, “Yeah, I wasn’t scared anyway.” Then he turned around to see a tall figure in a hooded cloak.

Heart Broken

Amy was a young woman who seemed to have a normal life. She worked during the day and took classes at the local college in the evening. On the nights she didn’t have school she would have coffee at a nearby poetry lounge called The Written. Like a lot of the people there she was brokenhearted and began to write about what she was feeling. When she had found that place, she felt like a great weight had been lifted off her heart. Amy finally had a sanctuary where she could fit in, share her feeling, her thoughts and not have to worry about being judged as she let her bottled up emotions out, this became her way of coping with heartbreak.
After going there for a few weeks she made quite a few friends and began getting close to a young man named Aaron. His writings were so similar to hers that she instantly felt a connection with him and soon after, they began dating. She kept writing and reciting her poetry and stories at The Written only they began to change as did her feelings. Her words that were once dark and full of pain and anger began to show a cryptic form of hope.
Being with Aaron, she felt that she not only picked up the broken pieces of her life but built a castle out of them. When they began to perform pieces together she felt that it was time to let down the walls she built around her heart and let him in, she was falling in love. She decided to tell him on stage, the same stage that put her on the path to heal her heartbreak, the stage that brought them together.
That night she was very nervous during her performance because she brought Aaron up on stage to reveal to him and everyone else there that she has fallen in love with him. When Amy finished reciting her work, she put her arms around Aaron, kissed him and nervously said to him, “You make me feel a wonder I’ve never felt before. You helped me pick up the pieces of my shattered life and rebuild them into something incredible. I love you Aaron.” He closed his eyes and took in a very deep breath through his nose and held it for a few seconds. The feeling of terror began rising in her blood until, he let out his breath, opened his eyes and stared into hers saying, “I love you too Amy.” The crowd stood up and cheered for them. To her, life couldn’t be more marvelous, this was everything she had been dreaming about.
In Amy’s mind that night was absolutely perfect, it was magical in every way but the night was reaching it’s end and they made their way back to Aaron’s apartment. Inside she threw herself on his couch and affectionately said, “I can’t believe it. I even love saying I love you.” He sat down on the couch next to her gently placing his hand on her leg then stared into her eyes. At this point he knew she was genuinely in love with him so he decided it was time to let her in on his little secret.
He tapped her nose with his index finger and revealed his intentions. “I love you too! I can smell the love in your blood, now I have to spice it with fear before I consume it.” She became very confused by this and even a little frightened when she asked, “What do you mean by that?” He laughed and simply replied, “Oh I intend to drink your blood, all of it. It’s my life force, that’s how I survive.” “Are you like a vampire or something? Are you really going to kill me?” she asked with terror in her voice. The smug grin on his face was instantly replaced with angry eyes as he struck her cheek with the back of his hand and yelled out, “How dare you compare me to such a filthy creature, I am divine! I waited so long to fill your blood with love, the endorphins mixed with adrenaline is unlike anything else. And now that you are filled with fear, it’s time to dine.”
“Wait” she cried out as she wiped away her tears still holding her bruised cheek. “I have a secret too, I’m not really scared … at all. I really love you, I do and that’s why I get so heart broken, when I have to kill my loves. I feed off of the fear that gathers inside their heart.” While he was in complete shock she walked right up to him and as if to mock him said, “It tastes unlike anything else in the world.” She then pounced on him and proceeded to tear into his chest ripping off the flesh and pulling apart his rib cage. The sound of bones snapping filled the room along with his ungodly screams. He lived long enough to see her pull out his heart and bite into it. Looking as though she felt pure ecstasy she said, “Oh my god, I love you.” then smiled wiping the blood from her lips.
Moments after she devoured his heart, Amy was on her knees next to his mutilated body crying into her hands. She was heartbroken.

Haunted Ivories

Our story begins with a man who owns a piano shop. He had built and played pianos his whole life and every day in his spare time he would work on what he called his greatest creation for himself. He carved every detail of this piano from the scroll work on the frame to the names of great piano players scribed on to every key. This would be his masterpiece on which to play a masterpiece. He was hard at work on completing the last keys he had shaped, scribed and polished then placing it on the piano. There were still a few keys missing but he pressed his hands together and looked at his creation with such an overwhelming joy when he heard the bell at the front door ring. He quickly scrambled to put his tools away so he could greet the customer.
A young woman stood in the show room, her face had soft features and she had very long and slender fingers that she ran across the top of a soundboard. She looked around for a moment then noticed she could not find any one so she called out, “Hello? Is anyone there? I need some help please.” Then suddenly the double doors toward the back of the room sprang open and out comes a very well dressed middle aged man with white gloves. He seemed quite nervous and jittery but he was always like that even when he was by himself.
“Yes, yes. I’m here. I am Tavarius. Welcome to my shop and showroom.” he said then took a bow, “How may I be of service to you?” She saw how squirrelly he was then smiled saying, “It’s nice to meet you Tavarius. I’m Sharon. I am actually looking to buy a piano. Yeah, my keyboard just isn’t doing it for me anymore. I’m looking for something a little more real you know.” He clapped his gloved hands together with delight and said, “Oh yes yes, sometimes keyboards are so overrated and there’s nothing like the sound of a real piano. Let’s get started shall we. Now let me see your hands.” She looked a little confused but gave him her hands anyway. “Why would you need to look at my hands, they’re nothing special.” He tilted his head as he replied, “Nothing special? The hands are very important, you see I build all of these pianos myself and each one will fit certain people like a glove.”
He inspected her hands thoroughly looking at the muscle tone and structure, the bones in every finger occasionally saying “yes yes,” and “oh my!” until he put down her hands and said, “Yes I’ve got it. I know exactly the right model for you. Come this way please.” He led her over to nice looking upright with a dark finish and sits her down. “Now then let us see if this glove fits you comfortably. Well come on come on then, try it out.” he said anxiously.
She gently placed her fingers on the keys and when she began to play, Tavarius’ eyes lit up in wonder and amazement. “Oh my! Oh dear! Such marvelous talent, such grace and beauty. The way you play is so magically. The loveliest sound I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.” She was pleased by his complements but in her mind she never really thought she was that good. “Thanks,” she said with a smile, “but I don’t think I play that great. I just like to play.” “Oh nonsense, you were absolutely stunning,” he said as he placed his finger over his lips, “Curious, have you ever performed to an audience before?” Still smiling she shook her head and replied, “No, nothing like that. I’ve never really played in front of anyone before.” “Very interesting. Well then, if you practice for my concert coming up in a couple of months I just may have a part for you.” he said. With a sheepish grin she asked, “Yeah? You really think so?” He quickly clapped his gloved hands together and said, “Oh yes yes, I absolutely have the perfect part for you.”
She became very excited until he started to tap his finger on the price tag saying, “Now about the piano.” When Sharon saw the price she almost choked. “Oh wow. I guess I didn’t even think about the price. I’m so sorry, I could never afford that.” Tavarius threw his hands in the air and said, “Nonsense! We can come up with some sort of payment plan and for the meantime I can set your piano aside in its own room and you can come in and play it whenever you like.” Unsure she asked, “How much would that cost?” He threw his hand up in the air again and voiced out, “Oh! I’m offended. I would do this for no charge of course, it would be an absolute shame to waste such talent. Besides I would love to hear you play the part I have in mind for you. In fact that will be payment for the room rental. You shall practice your part and allow me to listen to you play your beautiful music.” Sharon was overwhelmed with joy and accepted the agreement.
Two months went by and every day Sharon would show up to play her piano and practice the music that Tavarius had given her and every day he was delighted to hear her play. Tavarius would also practice the piece he wrote on his personal grand with the missing keys. Two day before their performance he went into her practice room to see how she was doing and as always he was very pleased. She asked him, “So, how am I doing? You really think I’m ready for the performance?” He pressed his gloved hands together and said, “Oh absolutely. I’m sure the crowd will absolutely love your part, in fact I would love to hear you play the piece on my personal grand that I will be playing.” she stood up and bowed saying, “Thank you Tavarius, it would be my pleasure.” He began clapping, “Oh splendid, splendid. This way, come.”
He led her through the double doors where she was first introduced to him and stopped at a red door at the end of the hallway. “Well,” he said pulling a key from his pocket, “This is where all the magic of my piano crafting happens” Then he unlocked the door holding it open for her to reveal the most beautiful piano she had ever laid eyes on. He walked over to his piano and wrapped his arms around it, as if he were giving it a hug and said, “Magnificent isn’t it? This is my greatest creation.” “Yes,” she said in amazement, “It’s so gorgeous. I love it… but there are a few keys missing. Are you going to be able to play it at the performance?” His eyes widened when he said, “Oh my dear Sharon, let’s just say the missing keys are on their way and everything will be in place by show time, yes yes. Now then, have a seat. I’m so anxious to hear you play.”
She sat down and could barely contain her excitement. Sharon gently placed her fingers on the scribed keys and began to play the piece. Tavarius closed his eyes and said, “Exhilarating yes yes. It sounds as if angels were singing through your fingertips.” He listened for just a bit more saying, “Now I know your part will be an absolute perfect fit.” He then raised an axe behind her and delivered a single fatal blow to the back of her head.
On the night of the performance, he played the greatest music anyone had ever heard before and the audience was in tears. He play his piano with a full set of 88 keys and there on the keys that were once missing, Sharon’s name was scribed.