Elsie stood on the front steps of the mall, her brunette hair waving in the wind as she gazed at the fading storm, the clouds illuminated by the sunset. The air still smelled of petrichor and wet concrete, a nostalgic, earthy scent that brought her back to the first time […]
The Mannequin Does Not Move Read More »
The first tooth arrived in the heart of a pear. Years later, whenever Adeline tried to explain everything that had happened, she always found herself returning to that afternoon, though she knew the true beginning might have been much earlier. Perhaps it began in the graveyard behind her grandmother’s house,
The Girl Who Kept Finding Teeth Read More »
Farmer Adams was a grumpy shell of man. He treated anyone who trespassed on his property as hostile enemies. He wasn’t the violent type to pull out a shotgun or pitchfork. His bark was worse than his bite but his bark was powerful. His angry yells traveled miles and his
September 17, 20– To whoever is reading: Please pardon my recollections and remembrances, as the events that have occurred in the past 24 hours have been the oddest, most appalling, and most confusing that I, and perhaps any other man, have experienced. The consistent knocking and banging on the other
ORDINARY FOLK had no reason to fear the Moon. Or so they thought. It hung in the sky as a welcome guardian, pale as paper in its various phases, providing light to travelers and highwaymen when it was full. It meant no harm and could do no harm. Yet tonight,
Blood Moon: Bound in Blood and Magic Read More »
ON SEPTEMBER 22, three harbingers of death arrived at the same time: the Autumnal Equinox, the stopping of the Astronomical Clock in Old Town, and the arrival of TB-9000 in Prague. No one paid much attention to the first event, but the second and third brought great concern. Legend said
The apartment was quiet at 5:47 in the morning. The kind of quiet that sits in a room like a held breath, broken only by the quiet drone of the refrigerator and the distant moan of traffic on the street below. Clarissa moved through it the way she always did,
A Mirror In The Bathroom Read More »
I just couldn’t do it anymore. After thirteen long years on this road, it was time for a change. I’ve been all over the country. I’ve seen the flat lands of tornado alley, from Wichita Kansas to Canadian Texas, where the windmills turn like silent sentinels, and the milky way
The first time Alice saw that inkwell, she was in the old attic of her grandparents’ house, a dusty, forgotten room where time seemed to have stood still. It was tucked away in a dark corner, half-hidden under a messy pile of old books, whose yellowed pages smelled of mold
It was a rainy Saturday morning, and I could hear the rain tapping against my window. I looked up from my laptop and let out a soft sigh. The sound was somewhat annoying, yet also oddly soothing, and I thought it might help me focus on the history essay I
Isabella walked to the front of her grandmother’s casket. Her grandmother looked peaceful in her repose, wearing her favorite dress. Isabella guessed that she just didn’t understand what had happened. It felt as if she had just visited her grandma for afternoon tea not long ago, and then days later
We moved in right after Thanksgiving. It was right after my recently divorced Mom finally got her job promotion at work. It had been a long time coming but finally it was here. I was so deeply proud of her! It’s not easy for a single mom out there to
The Bells On Christmas Eve Read More »
My wife had been on me about my weight for a while. Said I needed to start taking my health seriously — “for our children,” whatever that means. I didn’t argue. I just started going to the gym after work. Seemed easier than fighting about it. She was so happy
My Watch Thinks I’m Nameless Read More »
The Tuscan villa was a postcard come to life, a sprawling stone residence nestled among rolling hills thick with cypress trees and the silvery-green olive groves. For Tom and Linda Patterson, a middle school teacher and an office manager, and their friends Mark and Jennifer Walsh, a retail manager and
Lady Vermella’s piano was large and black. It was covered in a thick, feathery layer of dust. Its keys were turning yellow. It pounded out a strange, haunting melody every night under Lady Vermella’s fingers.Lady Vermella lived in an ancient manor on the top of a hill above the town
1 I’ve never been the most sensible person. My mother would always tell me that I was “the dumbest smart person she knew”. I always figured that was just classic mom razzing, something that happened to every kid when they made some silly mistake that was easily avoidable. I recently
The day began like any other as Carrie Sumter made breakfast for her husband and son. Part way through the crackling sizzle of eggs, the husband made his way into the living room and collapsed on to the couch. Carrie smiled at him, as she always tried to, but he
Uncle Carter’s Gift Read More »
Read Part One here Read Part Two here * * * HELLO AND WELCOME to our pre-Halloween sale at Cinderella’s Curios and Pawn! I’m Katrina Overman, and I’m so glad to meet you. You might recognize this place as having been owned by a woman named Sophie Tafus. My late
My name is Lydia. I’m 30 years old, and I love celebrating Halloween with my best friend, Martha. Martha and I have been best friends ever since we were ten years old. We do everything together, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. You see, when I
Riley, My Haunted Halloween Doll Read More »
If you’re reading this, you know what sorry state you have found me in. I pass on my condolences for whatever trauma I may have predisposed upon you, and it is with my deepest sympathies; for it is a fate that we shall undoubtedly come to share in kindred. However,
The Astronomer’s Painting Read More »
I feel compelled to tell you all a story. One about mirrors. They are so much more than you could ever imagine. They aren’t simply vessels for reflections. They are a gateway into an entire world, a dying realm on the brink of collapse. My friends and I call it
I am my own Worst Enemy Read More »
I always thought the old TV in my grandmother’s attic was broken. It would never receive channels, only emit a hiss of static when you tried turning the dial. But last December, I discovered it wasn’t broken after all. The first time I ever laid eyes on him, I figured
After it all happened, I could never explain just what about the little wooden jewelry box had caught my eye. It was simple and unornamented. When questioned about what was inside it, Maggie, the antique shop’s keeper, hesitated before speaking. “That’s a collection of old silver, mostly jewelry and coins.”
All the riches in the world Read More »
The following are a collection of journals and reports pertaining to a series of strange and tragic occurrences befalling the Carter Archaeology Institute. Journal of Arnold Higgins, Archaeologist: July 7th, 2025 Today is a major day for our beloved Institute. We recently translated an ancient journal of an Egyptian royal
The Black Sarcophagus Read More »
