PART ONE At the edge of our town, there’s a shitty gas station that’s open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If you were to go inside, you’d see row after row of off-brand chips, cookies, potted meats and ramen. Expiration dates suspiciously missing from canned goods like […]
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When Alexis Blakely arrived at the home of Phillip Kramer, the rain was falling in long diagonal slants beyond the windshield of her car and the whole street lay half lost in rainy haze of the cold, gray, and dismal winter afternoon. Mr. Kramer lived in a large three-story house
Her World Painted Black Read More »
The following narrative was discovered written on the pages of a sodden logbook that had been rolled up and crammed into a plastic bottle. The bottle was found on the shore of Easter Island on November 3, 1999, and its contents have since become the subject of serious interest among
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My grandfather loved music. No matter what time of day, or what he was doing, something was always playing on the old phonograph in his cozy living room. I used to come over and help him with little things around the house like fixing the pipes under the sink or
I never understood why ghosts are always depicted as creepy little girls in Victorian dresses. Real ghosts are never like that…. Or at least, my ghost isn’t. My ghost killed herself in my sorority house in the eighties, so it would be weird if she was wearing a Victorian dress.
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If you are reading this, then it means Malachy Locke has chosen you. I write this so that when the time comes for you to make your decision, you will be fully informed. I wish you all the best, my dear. I know you will choose right. Malachy will come
Sacrifice to Malachy Locke Read More »
I call myself a collector of sorrows. As a teen, I felt alone and ignored. My classmates bullied me, and my parents spent most of their time at work. They didn’t have the time or care to hear how Brett pushed me on the playground or how Tommy joked about
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Ever wanted to meet an extinct animal? Once you’ve heard my story, you might want to think twice about that. Ever since my childhood I had a huge affinity with dinosaurs and other extinct animals. Whenever a movie or documentary about the subject was to be aired or announced, I
I grew up in a small town in the mid-west. While there is a great variety of outdoor hobbies to immerse oneself in, little happens around here and life can quickly start to feel mundane. Lets just say that the local university is what keeps us on the map. Regardless,
I was playing with my hospital badge as I stood in line ‘Jonathan Villanueva’ Johnny V that’s me. I had just finished my shift as an emergency room nurse. Not my usual spot, but it was the Fourth of July, they were understaffed. So after ten-hour overnight shift of
Let me start this out by saying I am a very rational person and i believe there is always a rational explanation for almost everything that happens. Now with that being said let me tell you a story about an experience I have had in the past I would not
Roy’s hand dripped over the chalice. Crimson drops made black in the dimness, echoing as they mingled with the blood of everyone else who had preceded us. “What the—” I began, grabbing for Roy’s arm to pull him back, but he shoved me away. “I don’t even feel it anymore.
When I was a child I realized quickly that I was the youngest in my extended family by a large margin. The way I figured this out was that it seemed that whenever we had gatherings I was usually the only child attending. The other members of my family, aside
I love my son, I truly do. There’s nothing in the world I would wish for than my parents, my wife, and most importantly, my son. His name is Oscar, and he was a well-behaved child, even at the age of five, he knew better than to do wrong. That
“Hey, Ashley. Look! Theres a flyer for a carnival! It’s in town and not that far from here” “A carnival? Isn’t that kind of childish..?” “Ashley.. How long have we been dating? Everything about me is childish! Plus I bet it’ll make for a great date!” “Hehe, yeah.. You ARE
After only three months of preaching in Versailles, France at the Parish church, Bernard Reason had taken a ferry back to England and was now on a train back to his hometown and family in Skegness. While he had been away at France, he had been replaced at his local
“Alright, can you count backwards from 50 for me please?” The nurse asked sweetly. I nodded and opened my mouth. “50, 49, 48, 47…” I could barely remember finishing the numbers, as all I could suddenly see was darkness, as my mind succumbed to the anesthesia. Before I knew it,
If I Only Had A Brain Read More »
Crunch. The day was perfect for a walk. The crisp autumn air, the blood-orange tint of the leaves, and the slight breeze made me realize that I needed to spend more time outdoors. Crunch. The sound of stepping on a leaf was a satisfying delight I forgot existed. Another leaf
The image above is a sketch by Maximilian Schäfer, a criminally insane arsonist formerly committed to the now-defunct Gelassenheit Asylum outside the city of Linz, Austria. Weeks previous to his violent suicide, Max began complaining to staff about an unpleasant visitor who was arriving daily to harass him. According to
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The summer that I was eighteen, I was trying to find something bigger than myself. I was a dumb kid, but dumb in the sense that I didn’t understand when I was in too deep. Ask me anything about literary devices in storytelling, and I could write you a thesis
The Summer I Was Eighteen and Saved Read More »
It’s was a chilly but sunny day in the middle of October. A little five-year old girl with short black hair while wearing her white Sunday dress was walking hand in hand with her mother. The woman’s name was Julie Fairbanks, and her little cheerful cherub daughter was a
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The wind was blistering cold, the kind of wind that would pierce any clothing you happen to be wearing no matter how thick. Something about cold air makes sound travel further, especially high-pitched screaming. Even today, with our substantial medical advances, giving birth can be quite a trial. A couple
Miranda’s toes curled slightly as her bare feet slid out of bed to go check on her children. It was about 11:40 at night and they had been in bed for a few hours, but she felt too restless to get any sleep herself. She turned on the hall light
Light! Searing, brutal light awakens you, pulling you from the dark oblivion you didn’t even know you were in. Screams echo around you, long and pained, and it’s only after a few moments that you realize one is coming from your lips as well. You ache all over, your very
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