I have been a 911 dispatcher for about three years now. I don’t know how my life eventually led me to work in this field, but somehow it happened. As you can probably imagine, it is not the best job to have. The pay is not good at all, and […]
Derrick was very tired. He had stayed up for most of the night watching tv show reruns and flicking through his high school yearbook. It is now 6:30 in the morning, and he had to get ready for school. Rising slowly out of bed and trying his best to keep
One Squinting into the late afternoon sun, Mel swung her Toyota Camry around the corner and onto the Main Street of the small town. Trying to keep a firm hold on why she was there, Mel studied her surroundings with a critical eye. The center of the town consisted of
My grandfather never spent that much time with me, growing up. When I heard the news of his passing, all I could muster was a tone of indifference in the form of empty condolences. My lack of sympathy turned to guilt when I heard he left me everything he owned.
My Grandfather’s Ouija Board Read More »
My mom hates her father. Grandfather Jack’s name might as well have been a swear word when I was growing up. Dad told me the story once, on the condition that I never tell mom I knew. Jack was married to my Grandmother Kathy for 22 years before he
Self-Portrait of the Dead Read More »
*** *** When I was a young girl, I developed a love for plush. Large, small, velveteen, cotton – no stuffed animals were off limits. I received one on every gift-giving occasion; before long, I had quite the collection. Though I loved all of my stuffed animals, one in particular
My Plush Kitten Came To Life Read More »
Father O’Brian- You’ve asked me to keep a journal, and here it is. It seems that relocating to Maryland was a waste. Moving from one house to another doesn’t seem to stop anything, and the police are at a loss. If you are unable to help us, the
He Comes Closer When I Blink Read More »
There I was, scratching my ninth scratch-off ticket in a row at my local convenience store. My eyes widened with hope, but also sank in with the anticipation of disappointment. The other eight representations of my gambling fuel rested in pieces inside the store’s waste bin. Revealing each number using
The Cat With Human Teeth Read More »
I graduated from high school a few years back. I still live with my parents, but I’m using this time to my advantage. They’re kind enough not to charge rent and that allows me the ability to save up almost every penny I make. The hope is that I can
I Dug Up a Grave for $10,000 Read More »
I stepped up to the dilapidated red building, grinning from ear to ear. This is what brought me thrills in life; abandoned structures across America. This particular one was in Stoneychurch State Park, located in a rural town just south of the state border. I had been dreaming
Never Explore Abandoned Buildings Read More »
I was almost friends with a monster when I was eleven years old. I would have preferred a human friend, but my family had just moved to a new city where everyone was cold and distant. My father promised that I would meet new people at school, but
Late one night, I found myself driving down what seemed like an endless stretch of road. I was on my way back from a week-long business trip, facing at least a twelve-hour drive home. Having always been scared of flying, the monotonous trek was unavoidable. Though tedious and sometimes downright
A Diner Open 25 Hours a Day Read More »
I don’t know when you’re going to read this, but I can tell you when it started: I was out for a walk alone in the woods when the entity came for me. It was beyond a blur. It was, for lack of a better term, absence of
Unexplained phenomenon is a staple in human culture. Strange goings-on, paranormal in nature, are prominent in our lives, in one form or another. You may not think about them all that often, but there’s always a piece in the news or a crazy story from a friend or passerby that makes you recall such strangeness. No matter how many times you forget about the subject, there will always be a moment that drags the notion back to the surface of your memory. For several years, I had forgotten all about the monster living in my mom’s pantry. I had forgotten all about it, that is, until now.
The Monster in the Pantry Read More »
I am a chronic sleep talker. Always have been. Everyone who’s ever slept in the same house as me will tell you that. My parents, siblings, friends, and especially my exes. They’re the ones who got an ear-full. It was something we’d laugh about in the morning, because most of
Never Use a Voice Recorder While You Sleep Read More »
(A short film based on The Attic in the Basement, winner of Best Director in the BC Student Film Festival) “Quiet down, back there!” I yelled whilst driving down an all too familiar road. My best friend and his girlfriend wouldn’t stop laughing loudly with each other, much like young
The Attic in the Basement Read More »
It was the year of my 25th birthday that my dad told me he was sick. It was hard to hide, really. Obvious. But I suppose it would be hard for such a mountain of a man, someone who’d never needed help from anyone, to admit that, he was, in
The Lights in Papa’s Room Read More »
The roaring twenties became a different time for all of America as the economy took a massive plummet. The depression sank about every industry like a stone and families of every class felt the impact. Throughout the Hoovervilles set up around Riverbend, there was one man who seemed prosperous despite
The Legend of Carter Bale Read More »
It had been six months since the accident. I remember because Elizabeth was helping me sign my name in our daughter Jenny’s birthday card. Slowly she guided by hand, helping me create some legible signature rather than the scribbles of a child in kindergarten, the best that I was able
Saturday This sounds absolutely idiotic. I know you’ve all heard this kind of thing before – someone thinks her house is haunted, everyone else assures her that she’s just paranoid, and all kinds of terror and gore follows. It’s the stuff of every campy, B-list horror movie. But I swear
There’s a Dead Girl in My Mirror Read More »
Mark is not my real name. I’m changing the names for others’ privacy too. I’ll tell you why I can’t sleep. You’ll find this a bit strange but I swear it’s all true. I’m friends with a guy, call him Bill, I worked with at the Crab House back in
The Shimmering Statue Read More »
Well you really screwed up this time, didn’t you? You found a gnarly deal on a beautiful home that almost seemed too good to be true, and you jumped at it. And now that you’re all moved in, you’ve started to notice some anomalies. You know the type: the spooky-dooky
11 Rules for Idiots Who Bought a Haunted House Read More »
It was the Christmas season. It had just gotten dark, as I was finally able to leave the office that night after working overtime. The streets were damp from the heavy rain; it had been an unusually warm winter. I stopped downtown for some Christmas shopping for the kids, just
Let me just make something clear: I never get to go out somewhere nice. Like ever. My best friend and I struggle just to pay our bills every month, so anything fancier than McDonald’s is usually out of the question. We’ll save up for months to go on one of our “roommate
