I was about 8 years old when it all started. I was always a quiet child, never wanted to be the centre of attention. My mother on the other hand was a happy, loud woman with so much power inside of her and she was never afraid to show it. […]
Part 1 It was a typical day at school when I heard that Jessica Braymer had disappeared. That’s not to say that there was anything especially “typical” about Jessica herself. She’d been one of the most beautiful girls in school. She’d been in virtually every organization, her grades were good…
The Legend of Shuffling Joe Read More »
Frank’s heart sank as low as it could go before he even finished reading the email. Another job opportunity was out of his grasp before he even had a chance to make it to a second interview. And he knew why. “It was Rudy. I know it was. That fucking
My friend Kerry (names have been changed) told me this story many years ago. While its details might have imperfections here and there due to its memory fading slightly over time, I can assure you, it is completely true. Ann and Kerry lived near one another in a quiet suburban
Have you ever had a dream where you were somewhere you did not belong? Perhaps you were back at your childhood home, school, or old Job. You panic as you’re unsure what you are supposed to be doing and everything seems off. Soon reality seeps its way into your dream
By Route Obscure and Lonely Read More »
I first knew something was wrong when John didn’t return before the first snow. I woke up and looked out the dull, pitted glass window to see white clinging to tree limbs and dusting the barn roof. The image of him smiling as he slung his rifle across his back
Humanity has been long destroyed, decimated by its own ego and thirst for power fueled by the ignorance of man. How I pity for those who sought after authority and instead received the full force of the atom exploding in front of their very eyes, obliterating everything they know and
The Last Man on Earth Read More »
It was cold the night it happened. The air was heavy with a thick fog, the likes of what I’ve never seen before. It felt unfamiliar and foreign and it burned my lungs a little. I took a deep breath, new smells I had never experienced before wafting into my
I scare pretty easily. It’s not quite pathetic, but my husband is always laughing at me for it. Such as whenever the music in some scary movie crescendos, and there is obviously a jump-scare coming up, but I jump anyway. Despite this, I’m drawn like a magnet to scary stories
The Cookie Monster at Night Read More »
Every summer camp has their legends, and ours was Camo Boy. A borderline recluse in a camp filled to the brim with over-energized kids. The nickname came naturally, given the boy’s predilection for only wearing faded sets of camo. His father dropped him off at the foot of our cabin
Every Beast May Be Conquered Read More »
Dear Mr. Livingston, I understand that you are a man of business, often solely occupied in the matters that bring such a lively income to our estate. My good sir, I write you at this time imploring you to return home at once, for we have been visited by a
I have never learned if those creatures have a name. It has always been just “they”. I first learned of them when I was very young and lived in a warmer place, that now I can barely remember. From what I can recall, it was because of them, that we
My hands are shaking. With every key I type, I feel this letter’s conception will attract them to me. You may wonder, dear reader, what I mean by, “them.” That is what I wish to tell you about. There are things in the night that haunt the very corners of
Josephine Richardson woke up. With a great gasp, she sat upright. It took her a moment to recognize where she was: her room, in front of her typewriter. She laughed at herself for falling asleep at her typewriter again, but it did make her wonder how long she had been
There’s too much choice. I can’t possibly decide. People hurry past me; all sorts of people of different heights and skin tones and shapes and faces. Every single one of them seems to be in a rush. And they all seem to know where they’re going. I am a statue
The spacious room was nearly silent, save for the cuckoo clock ticking away above the repainted fireplace. Both of them, among other little touch ups, were meant to make the once foreboding house seem a little more inviting, but all the cheerful clock did with its incessant ticking was accentuate
Late August, 2005, 8:00 A.M, New Orleans I woke up to one of the more valuable things I own in my apartment. A crappy alarm clock from a nearby store. I was extremely poor. The apartment wasn’t too nice, I had no TV or a car. I lived alone, so
“God have mercy on me…” he whispered, stepping through the hallway lined with loud gossip. “It’s been too long. Almost a week. I know I’m-” “Surprise!” the gargantuan hands grabbed him from behind, slamming him against the locker. His books crashed to the ground with a thud, and he stared
There are some stories that should never be told. Tales that should never see the light, or reach the eyes of the weak-hearted, innocent, frail. I relate this to you only in the hopes of protecting others from the same fate my friends fell to. College is supposed to be
The Amphitheater Tunnels Read More »
I found myself having to make a massive effort to be able to see though the dust that sailed through the air. With each tiny sand grain hitting my cornea it became harder and harder to see anything clearly. I held onto my mother’s hand tightly and not too long
Dreams of Blueish Tears Read More »
He couldn’t see, or so I thought. How wrong I was. Nothing seemed wrong when I met him. My parents said it was normal for kids to have imaginary friends, but he didn’t seem so imaginary to me. Besides, if he was, then why can I still see him all
The Man Who Couldn’t See (My Guardian) Read More »
My dad built his dream cabin in the southern Ozarks back in 1991, a reward to himself for achieving early retirement. The damn thing took nearly a year to build, what with the county having to actually build the road to my family’s property at the top of a small
About eight years ago, my great-grandfather, Everett, passed away. Initially, you might say, that doesn’t seem like something worth writing down, but you see, he was 126 years old. Guinness World Records had published him for the last nine years as the oldest living man on the planet (that could
The Last Pine Barrener Read More »
For the thirtieth time, they pulled the book from its place on the shelf. He blew a year’s worth of dust from the cover before smiling at her and leading her to the sofa. They sank into the tired cushions, wiggling closer to each other as together they pried the
