When I was a little boy I once went with my father to call on Adrian Borlsover. I played on the floor with a black spaniel while my father appealed for a subscription. Just before we left my father said, “Mr. Borlsover, may my son here shake hands with you? […]
The Beast with Five Fingers Read More »
I. Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary
One of my least favorite parts about being a middle school history teacher is the bullshit “Living History” assignments we give at the end of every school year. Kids are supposed to sit with their grandparents and video tape, voice record, or transcribe their oldest memories for posterity (and for
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The Old Lie of the Dead Lands ‘frankness as never before, disillusions as never told in the old days, hysterias, trench confessions, laughter out of dead bellies. There died a myriad, And of the best, among them, For an old bitch gone in the teeth, For a botched civilization.’ –
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Part 1 There are only a handful of events in your life that you remember where you were. For many Americans such as myself, 9/11 was one. For the older generation, the assassination of John F. Kennedy was another. For me? The day my parents died. I hope no one
I Found a Series of Video Tapes in My Basement Read More »
I’ve been completely clean for about two years, now, and I owe it all to the last drug I ever took. It apparently goes by many names, and it’s not easy to get your hands on it. The people who use it only give it to close friends, or people
I found it three weeks ago, or rather, I found them. A knotted circle of fur, claws, and death. Six rats, tangled together by their tails, thrashed about my front lawn with little direction. Their shrieks pierced the air of what was normally a quiet street. I was going outside
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What do people usually fear when moving out to live on their own? What sort of problems does one normally encounter when finally venturing from the safety of their parents’ home, into a place of their own? Perhaps it’s paying their rent on time, or having to do all
Everyone has their fears, whether they are rational or irrational. Mine has always been dolls. Not all dolls, mainly just the ones that are a bit too human. I think it’s mainly the eyes that get to me. So I’m sure you can imagine I was ecstatic to find out
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My son is 2 years old and does. Not. Sleep. So when I saw an ad online for Goodnight Precious: the only book GUARANTEED put your child to sleep, I clicked. I was skeptical — but there was a video demonstration on the website. “I’m going to show you how this works.
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My parents own a Santa animatronic. I think it tried to kill us. Now, I know what you might be thinking. This story already sounds like a kid’s overactive imagination during a season that relies on the magic of imagination. I don’t mean to oversell it either, this wasn’t some
Better Watch Out, Better Not Cry Read More »
“So… what are we doing here?” “We’re uh… appreciating art.” “How do you appreciate art?” “I think you just stand there and look at it.” “That’s it?” “Yeah, pretty much.” “Danny we’re staring at a nine foot painting of a triangle. No offense, but even your hipster girlfriend knew this
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“Holy shit…Gary? Is that you, Gary?” Gary quickly spun around to face the voice he’d immediately recognized, although he was far from convinced that it was actually coming from the form of his brother and best friend: Mikey. It seemed fairly obvious that since he was most likely losing his
Teddy Wilson rapped one knuckle against the smoked-stained glass door adorned with the worn, white letters that announced, “Martin Croker: Editor” before popping his head into the room. “You wanted to see me boss?” The man who served as his immediate supervisor for the last decade was on the phone
Just to preface, I have a lot of scars on my arms. Not because I harm myself, but because my father likes to get wasted and beat me. Sometimes with the beer bottles he smashes after he’s done drinking. So yeah, I have scars. Scars from all of the horrible
I Will Never Work For McDonald’s Ever Again Read More »
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
INCIDENT ONE The Chinese Dream Tin is a thing of evil nature, a relic easily overlooked by the foolish, and feared deeply by the wise. Sometimes, it decorates an office, and others, it marks a grave. But never, even once, has the Tin opened to reveal the same thing twice.
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Of the early days of the world, after our ancestors crossed the Bering Straight and millennia before any of the tribes we know of today existed, very little is actually remembered. Sure, there are tales of the beginning of Man, and of the Earth, but those are only fables… legends
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It started sometime before the sun rose, during that time of the night that brings such a profound silence that you start hearing those eerie, high-pitched ringing noises that remain indiscernible while the light of day shines. They’re faint, like little rainbows made by a cloud of mist in the
The scene was the Savant Club in the last years of the 19th century. Despite the extreme lateness of the hour, a few of the regulars were gathered there for cards and conversation. The latter turned, as it often did, to the uncanny. “H’m,” said Nelson Hayes, one of the
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I do not know where to start. Usually, this would not be written for someone to read. However, I cannot trust my own judgement. What I write here is for you to discern. I will not have sufficient time to thoroughly document everything, nor is the true intention for this
An army of birds sat in the branches of an old oak tree. She walked quickly, carefully, quietly, cautiously, cradling the duffle bag she held in her arms like a mother cradles her child. In front of her, the old warehouse loomed. Broken glass and rusting metal glinted in the
“Hello, my old friend,” Griffin said aloud as he stared out the window at the dark spot. It had been at least two decades since he had seen the shadow-man. A moment later, Julie came into the bedroom and stood next to Griffin at the large bay-window.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was a story that became well known in all the kingdoms of men. It started as a whisper in the back of ale-houses and progressed to the point of street-corner news barkers. No one knew if the story was
Another Fairy Tale Read More »
