The mind. A realm that is mysterious to me even to this day. Though I take refuge there during long, hot days to get away from the bright, burning sun, escape there in the afternoon, when the sky is gray with storm clouds and the sun has all but receded, the mind’s true nature eludes…
This is the first time I’ve told anyone this story, and it may be the last, because they’ve found me. The year was 1994. I was a 15 year old who lived in a small town mainly dominated by church goers and elderly couples who didn’t get along, so there was never much to do….
Rain fell in small silver pools in the bottoms of potholes that lined the city roads, and bejeweled the apartment windows with tiny liquid beads. On her wooden desk, old turpentine-soaked rags and crusted paintbrushes cluttered the space. The room was dim, except for a light that was clamped on her easel, pointed toward an…
There was no doubt – my mouth had moved a centimeter to the left overnight. I check between reflection and picture before accepting the impossible. “Hitler, you gotta see this,” I call to my roommate, nicknamed for being the image of Arian perfection – blonde hair, blue eyes (the works). I find him in his…
The audience laughed as the young man in the top hat smiled. The trick he had just completed had apparently been more than enough to please the crowd. As the man slowly walked away from the almost blindly bright spotlight, he kept his face focused on the crowd, continuing to smile. He attempted to focus…
It’s that time of year again. Any day now the earth around me will be covered in snow. Children, who are not fazed by the cold, will spend hours outside playing In it. Building snowmen, having snow ball fights, and going sledding. And of course they will be looking forward to snow days where they…
The teacher strode across the front of the room, looking out at her class. “And so with the invention of Concordance 5 true peace finally enveloped the world,” she said with a serene smile. “For one hundred years we have lived without conflict. The dream of world peace that so many strove for before is…
I think you misunderstand what I mean when I say dark. I don’t mean the night time, when the sun goes beyond the horizon, with the light fading into bruised decay. I don’t mean when the electricity goes out and you’re in the shower, soap in your eyes, frantically searching for a towel. When I…
This morning I stepped out of the shower and this bathroom was fine: white walls, white tiles, sink and counter with toothpaste crusted all over. Three out of the four lightbulbs over the mirror were still good — 100 watt, clear bulb, blinding bright in the small white room. Like always I was late, so…
I am astonished that this reached you. Keep reading. You have found this because you must read it. This will be difficult to accept, but you have been preparing yourself. Without knowing. Your interest in unusual stories was no accident. That trait was woven in to the fabric of your being. A subconscious drive to…
It was a beautiful morning when I woke up that day. The sky was clear and the weather was perfect. It had been a hot summer, much more so than usual, and I like so many other residents of my town had decided the best place to be was inside an air conditioned room. It…
Joan was not in the mood for the early shift. In a sleepy daze, without much (if any) mindfulness of what she was doing, she clutched her cell phone resting on her nightstand, and, after a few failed tries, dismissed the alarm that had been ceaselessly blaring for five minutes straight. Rather than taking heed…
By the edge of the cliff sat the man without wills. I approached him reluctantly while the mountains were asleep. He turned his head to face me and his expression was blank. “Have you come to ask me your one question?” asked the man. “Yes,” I replied. It is known that in the Universe exists…
My house doesn’t have a garage. Instead, it has an undercover car port. The front door is at the opposite end of my house to the car port. Once I park my car it’s a short walk from the car port to the front door. On the short walk, because my house sits on a…
In the skies over Ontario, Frank Ryker and Stanley Dawson flew in their plane, heading home. The two men had been on a business trip in Alaska, deciding the fate of their company. The company was doing well, and the men were offered money to sell out. The meeting in Alaska had not been a…
Liam looked down, shaking as he glared at the blood encrusted on his hands. It was not his own. The infernos of the destruction before him were nailed into his brain. He felt lost and confused. He did not mean to do it; he was just tired of the pain and misery that his parents…
You stumble out of your nightmare. Your leg cramps. Your room is dark and void of any light, except the soft red glow of your clock. 3:30 in the morning. Thought you were going to get a good night’s sleep? Not now, you have to get ready for work at 6. Perfect. What’s to blame…
Sleep, strangely, is seen as the best refuge of the sufferer. You’ve never understood why this is; it’s the place where your subconscious has reign – that alien, unknown part of you that hides out of sight and has total control over your body. If anything, sleep frightens you. Having a stranger living in your…
From the Case File of the Marquis Manor Massacre Suspect: Nicholas Jacobs Investigator: Michael Wells The audio tape clicks on and a voice comes in… It does not matter what more I say or add to my testament. You and the others will not believe me, and perhaps it is better this way. The saint…
Introduction I had always questioned whether or not I truly believed in the paranormal, and sometimes I wished that I would have stayed strictly to my stubborn attitude. However, that was not the case a month ago. The event that I want to inform people about has shook my grounded reality like an earthquake, and…
Around my area there’s an old urban legend of a condemned tunnel that used to be a part of the railroad that ran throughout my town. It was really active until the 80’s when the train derailed in a freak accident, and killed everyone aboard. The tunnel the train ran through was devastated, only made…
I’ve been in this room for what seemed like days sitting in an uncomfortable chair, leaning over my desk. I was trying not to think about it; trying not to look in the corner of the hallway. Why had I not closed the door? I was too frightened now to even get out of my…
Hank walked through the grounds of Cluain Mhic Nóis, trying to enjoy the beauty of the monastery’s ruins despite having been up for over 24 hours. Hank had flown into Dublin Airport via Aer Lingus at five o’clock that morning from Boston, Massachusetts. He was part of a university class visiting from the United States…
You’ve never liked the silence. Ever. At first you thought it was just something you were scared of. For no reason. But as you grew older, you realized that there was a reason. There had always been a reason. You’ve always slept with your creaky ceiling fan running. No matter how cold it was. You’d…