I do not know if it’s just always been there or something I only noticed as I grew up. As of late, it’s become more present. I just call him the shadow. The shadow is nothing more than it sounds: a deep black figure with no distinguishing features. For awhile, I would just feel his…
“Beatrice!” Hughbert yelled angrily from the kitchen table. “How many times I gotta remind you that I want my gravy on the mashed potatoes only? Never on my chicken!” Beatrice stood silently wide eyed near the kitchen sink, as her faded floral dress hanging loosely from her thin frame. Her tawny shoulder dull hair did…
Alone in a dark wood one night, a young boy walked anxiously down one of the gravel paths. His parents had always warned against his journeys there, worrying constantly of the notion of him staying too long and becoming hopelessly lost in the dark of night. He never once imagined they’d be right. He continued…
You volunteer at the mental health clinic. Given the dangerous nature of the residents, they assigned you the rooms of the less violent patients. The suicidal. Those who hear voices. Those that don’t say anything at all. You become close to a mute man named Arthur. He is a rapt listener, willing to nod his…
December the 11th 2012 I need to write this down. I woke up in panic early this morning. A dream, it was only a dream. But it seemed so real. The earth shaking, a loud roar. It’s all blurry in my mind now. I sat on my bed. My alarm clock didn’t show anything. I got…
The leaves seemed to fall slower, now that only a handful adorned each tree. The gnarled fingers of each branch were almost bare and the majesty of the autumnal colours had made way, shifting into naked trees that varied only slightly in colour. Browny grey, browny grey with a hint of black and just, plain…
This story is a Crappypasta Success Story – it got such a positive reception (additionally, the author has reworked it somewhat after taking his received feedback into account) over at Crappypasta that it’s being moved here to the main site. You may read the original Crappypasta post and comments here. Congratulations to the author and…
I didn’t ask for this, you know. I mean, sure, I was curious about what it would mean to be “enlightened,” but meditation was never a means to end. It was the end itself. Plus, I always thought you had to be in a state of complete detachment in order for this shit to actually…
The night was painted like a scene in a bad horror movie, the wind howling through the cracks in the windows sounding like the screaming of a tortured woman. The house vibrated with each crack of thunder and the lightening lit up the house as if it were broad daylight . Jacob, Alex and Kaya…
My name’s Charlie, and I’m 15-years old. I’ve lived in Chicago for just about my entire life before my entire family moved to the small town of ********* (I’m not going to name it for personal reasons). There’s been a story going around this little town, something about children getting taken away by these things…
Cora ran home from school that day with a knapsack full of half-nibbled biscuits and more questions than her mother had answers. It had started with a music lesson- she took piano from Mrs. Morris, twice weekly and once on Sundays after church. Old lady Morris was given to flights of fancy and known to…
Dried husks scratched their arms as they squeezed through the narrow isles of corn. Finding the entrance was a miracle as the pathways are barely discernable from the rows of planted corn. Every year, Old Man Hanky builds a corn maze for the local kids, but hides the entrance. The farmer never had any children…
When I was a child I lived in a rented two-floor house. Both my parents worked so I was often alone when I came home from school. One early evening when I came home the house was still dark. I called out, “Mum?” and heard a voice say “Yeeeeees?” from upstairs. I called my mum…
Yarrow was in the garden planting garlic with her seven year old daughter Sophia when the old man appeared, ranting and raving, screaming bizarre premonitions and strange warnings, scaring the living shit out of both of them. It was winter in Humboldt County, California, but it was one of those rare days when it was…
I just got my computer privileges back. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been without it, but it’s amazing to have my laptop back. You might think I’m some young fuck who’s gonna tell you how much my life sucks because mommy took the computer away cause I did something bad or some bull…
It was a hot summer afternoon, my friend and I decided to go to the river for a cool dip, a refreshing swim was a welcome break from the stifling heat. We packed a lunch, some drinks and I brought my camera in case I saw something interesting to shoot for the art college project…
The following interviews were conducted with the foreknowledge that names and locations would be kept private. Therefore, they have been changed to respect the privacy of those involved. Every night before I went to bed, I’d research odd phenomenon in small towns. Towns so small that no one would have even known they existed if…
I’ve been blind since birth. This in and of itself is not what this is about, but it’s a crucial part of the story. Throughout my life, I’ve used lots of different kinds of assistive technology; braille keyboards, voice command apps, adapted smartphones… Recently, I tried human echolocation for the first time in my life….
The flutters appeared, as they always did, when the noise of confessions ceased and gave way to silence. When the rectory’s door blocked guidance-seeking and pardon-thirsty parishioners from reaching their priest. When Father Doug was allowed a moment of his own and could shed the coat of sins and guilt his followers had spewed on…
My older brother is a cop. Naturally, he has a protective instinct over me, his little, only, sister. The cop factor does not help. I was always babied by my family, but me and Greg, my brother, always had a closer bond. Whenever one of my other brothers picked on me, he would get super…
Charlie Marsh entered his apartment, reviewing the target’s details given by his anonymous employer. Someone put out a hit for the serial killer named Jamie Martin. Charlie gazed at the picture, committing it to memory, a man with dark brown hair, a pale complexion, brown eyes, and a thin body type. Each victim suffered multiple…
Being shackled beneath the moonlit waves, still breathing, still screaming, is an odd sensation. I know that’ll be my fate soon, if I don’t act quickly. So, I want to get my story written before that happens. I’d always been a swimmer. It was just something that I enjoyed. I was on swim team at…
You stand in front of the alleyway, slowly stepping into the darkness. You have always hated this part of your walk home from work, but every day you gather up your courage and ignore your instinct to be afraid. Walking quickly, you keep your eyes fixed on the ground. But as soon as you hear…
Remember this – Should you ever despair of life so much that you want to die, you have the means at hand and yearn to end your life, you have written a suicide note to those you will leave behind and you are prepared to die… at that moment, stop. Get a pair of scissors….