Phil had excellent hearing. He could, for example, hear Mrs. Polsgrove’s cat clawing at discarded tuna cans in her recycling bin two streets away. He heard Lisa’s feet tromping off mud and rocks. He recognized the jerky swish and scrape of a carryall being emptied of evidence. Phil heard many […]
The Rose and the Open Window Read More »
Endings, such horrible and dark things that plague our lives. Some people say that the end of one thing is the start of something new. However each and every person must stare down the final end. I stand on the edge of my own. With every tick of the clock
After the night I just had, I do not know whether I should call the cops, roll up in a ball and cry myself to sleep, or call my therapist. I am still trying to decide the best course of action. I already talked to my friend Kyle, and we
As she parked her Corolla, looking up at the old, weathered house looming above her, Madeline wondered if she should have taken up her friend’s offer to smudge it with sage. The two-story construction had been a lucky find scouring HUD listings, at least according to her husband. She had
I killed my first crow when I was nine. I wish I could say it was an accident, but that’d be a lie.I’d been watching it for about a week. It came to our yard around the same time each morning. It knew it was the same crow, because of
When Jade was only twelve-years-old, her father came home one afternoon with his arms and legs covered in claw marks. Jade felt confused and excited about his appearance. While she didn’t like seeing her dad hurt, she wondered if he finally bought her the cat or dog she wanted. He
Buried in Hanging Hills Read More »
I live in a small, rural town that was nestled away from the hustle and bustle of city life in an area not that far from Richmond, Virginia. It’s the kind of town that would take about 20 mins to drive from one end to the other. There’s this main
Three years ago, a serial killer terrified my small hometown. He was referred to as the Chase Pond slasher. He was called that because he murdered four people near a pond with that name. Three bodies were found in the forest, and the other was in the pond itself. The
My best friends Darius and Jordan learned about my fear of swimming during an impromptu tubing trip on the Farmington River. The summer after I turned twenty-six, Darius and Jordan took me to Foxborough Park, a park that ran alongside the river. Foxborough Park had recently undergone improvements as a
It appeared just after sunset, as darkness began to permeate the woods around my family’s hunting cabin. I wouldn’t have seen it in time if it weren’t for the silver beams emanating from the full moon, which streamed into the clearing around the cabin and bathed the ground in their
Beneath the Veil of Shadow Read More »
It was a dark, foggy night, as it really should be whenever something eerie happens. I was walking from my dad’s house over to my mom’s. I’d had a fight with my dad about something, the topic of which I’ve since forgotten, and realized at 17 years old that I
The Grim (Black Shuck) Read More »
Melody wakes up screaming. It’s midnight. Her body jolts up. Eyes shut tight; mouth open wide. Screams rip from her throat. They turn into sobs as Buster jumps onto the bed. He nestles his head in by her side, purring and watching her catch her breath. “You’re okay,” she says.
Miss Green wiped away the thick layer of condensation that had gathered on her classroom’s paper thin-window. She flicked away the droplets from her hand, peered out into the misty morning schoolyard, and was instantly stalked by Toothless Joe’s big cartoon eyes. The great, dumb statue sat smack-bang in the
The first time Sasha got high, she stood face-to-face with a black bear in the backyard of her friend’s house. She was giggling while her two best friends Jade and Colt stood behind her absolutely terrified. She wasn’t sure why this was her reaction or what other drug those edible
The Winsted Wildman Read More »
Charlotte woke early in the morning on April 25th, 1678. She rose from bed, brushed her usual mess of blonde hair, and put on her favorite red dress and matching red shoes. She had always loved the beauty of the color red, the vivid hue of roses and red cardinal
The Leaves Told Her So Read More »
He really couldn’t blame the car, could he? His ‘76 Chevrolet Caprice was little more than a shadow of its former self; its edges had been reduced to rugged sanguine strips of rust over time, now only lightly obscured by the few chips of scarlet sun-bleached paint that still clung
Midnight in the Bayou Read More »
As soon as my Master Octavius let me outside, I felt the breeze of the wind touch my whiskers. I cared for him, and the rest of his family as if they were my blood mother who I unfortunately never met, or at least I don’t remember her face. She
I never understood why my father brought it home with him. I was entering college at the time and the week before I departed on my seven-hour car ride to Maine, my dad went on a hiking trip to one of our state parks. I often went with him as
Curse of the Bear Paw Read More »
A man’s shift at the flour mill ended, and a woman approached to speak with him. He noticed sand in her hair and brushed it off. She blushed, dipping her head, embarrassed but thankful. The woman, a Scottish lass whose name she did not give, walked home with the man,
A Tale of Dark Waters Read More »
I buried my dog last month, I think. There was so little left of him, and his once golden rich coat was so faded and sallow that this empty, sickly canine corpse hardly seemed to be the same cheerful, energetic good boy who had run after the neighborhood cars so
Why I Buried My Dog Read More »
When I was young, me and my childhood-best friend were writing diaries. “Childish” you’d say? Maybe. To be fair, we were children back then. We used to go to the same school and were really close. Even our teachers joked about us never separating. We really never did. Always together.
My friend’s diary ends differently than I remembered Read More »
Gunnar Viermetz, a hunter for a specialized organization, scanned the side door of his reinforced white van. He looked at his contract for details about the animal his bosses wanted him to hunt. It was large, covered in fur, and was killing people. “Helpful.” He mumbled, shaking his head and
A Hunter in the Dark Read More »
I’ve recently realized that the older you get, the fewer close friends you retain. You get so caught up with real-world stuff that you forget about the people who’ve made monumental impacts on your life. That harsh reality hit when one of my closest friends, whom I hadn’t spoken to
I Hate My Friend’s Pet Read More »
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” says Oliver to Peter, as they stand at the entrance of one of the many openings of the Clintwood City Sewage System. The entrance has a thick metallic wire fence covering the hole with an opening that has been cut with
