Waylan stood in the dim light of the early morning, his truck parked at the edge of a forgotten dirt road. He bent down and laced up his knee-high snake boots, pulling the strings tight to make sure they fit just right. The boots were tough and made for rough […]
I’m not what you would call a particularly smart individual. I generally like to think it’s my ADHD that caused me to perform so poorly in school. But I haven’t exactly been diagnosed with it or anything. My dad is about as much of a dumb ass as me, but
The Night my ADHD Almost Got me Killed Read More »
“The penguins are coming.” An old man rocks in his chair and takes a drag of his cigarette. “What?” “The penguins are coming,” The old man repeats. “What penguins? We live in Missouri.” The other gentleman, Gerald, shrugs as he leans against a supporting beam of the porch. “Penguins going
While I was getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts back at Woodbury University in 2006, I and a few of my classmates got the opportunity of interning at Disney Animation Studios for about 6 months. In that time I got to speak to a lot of heavily talented animators, even
As soon as Paul Anderson walked into Bennett’s Bait and Tackle, I immediately thought of the homemade missing persons sign stapled on the corkboard by the bathroom, constructed with the hope of it aiding in finding his missing son. Then my mind drifted to an image of the poorly written
Derrick comes back from the daily meeting with coffee in a styrofoam cup balanced on top of a folder marked “Third Quarter Staff Feedback Report”. The coffee, filled with a mix of brown sugar and powdered vanilla creamer, is what will make or break his mood for the day. It
The Framing or: The Conundrum of the Singing Heads Read More »
In the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where rugged ridges jutted upward like the ancient, weathered spines of slumbering giants, and the valleys plunged into deep shadows that clung stubbornly to the earth, the forest guarded its mysteries with a quiet, unyielding vigilance. The people who called those mountains home,
Monday:This was supposed to be my one day off. But, when you have a skeleton crew and someone doesn’t show up, you get called to come in. Not by the manager or a coworker, you sort of just… know. I can’t explain it- like a lot of things around here.
The blood dripped down the chest of the woman, her body limp in my arms. My teeth released her neck, leaving behind two dots of red. I let her fall to the ground, her thick clothes muffling the thud. The life I had taken now reverberated within my sterile veins.
All the Legends Say So Read More »
In the desolate and decayed outskirts of Harbor Point, where shattered hopes and forgotten desires mingled with discarded remains, an awe-inspiring scene unfolded under the perplexing night sky. A mysterious alien creature, originating from a distant celestial realm, hid itself in secrecy and emitted a captivating light. It moved gracefully
It wasn’t a big wedding. It didn’t take place at a fancy golf course or five-star hotel. Just a small community center on the outskirts of a quiet mid-western town. Family, close friends, an officiant, and serving staff were all that could fit inside those walls. The ceremony went by
When the fog first came, it loitered around the coastal towns and cities, occasionally venturing inland, out of its comfort zone, to cause problems for a few hours each day in the early hours or late at night before retreating back to the safety of the sea. The long, oppressive
I was not planning on facing my potential demise when I started on my stroll, that chilly late December night. My intention was no more than to find something to quench my very pregnant wife’s cravings, along with some desperately needed solitude for myself. I don’t mean to sound insensitive
Late-Night Cravings Read More »
It’s Halloween eve. The night is delightfully crisp, with a bright, low-lying moon. The thrill of anticipation can be felt in the air. The autumn leaves blow with a scritch-scratch along the pavement outside, accompanied by a moderate wind that chases them playfully into every corner and crevice, around trees,
When Doug Fletcher opened his eyes he knew exactly two things, the first being that it was either incredibly early and the sun hadn’t risen yet or the more likely answer which was he’d slept the majority of the day away and it was now dusk and the second was
“Why aren’t you writing?” “I’m getting there. I just, um, I just haven’t figured out a good starting point yet.” “Excuses…” “I’m not making excuses! You want this done right, don’t you?” “I want it done! Period!” “You can’t rush the process, man. It’s not as if writing your story
Writer’s Block is a Bitch Read More »
The hammering from upstairs shook the walls of his bedroom. James Ricco leapt from his bed, the thought of earthquakes at the back of his mind. He glanced at his window and the sunlight streaming through. It was a spring day on Staten Island that suggested planting perennials and backyard
The Unusual Companion Read More »
I fear that by the time you read this . . . it will be too late. Forgive me, Vanessa. I am so sorry. As you are reading this, your fiancé is lost—caught in an act of obsessive compulsion that I, too, have fallen into. There was no malice in
At the Salmon Cowboy: A Found Letter Read More »
Being a live-in caretaker or gravedigger as the cool kids typically term it, for a historic cemetery that has been a part of our community since colonial times isn’t all glitz and glamour. Every so often it can be a genuine pain in the neck; well more like the lower
Gravedigging can be a Pain Read More »
The say the only certainty in life is death and taxes. Well, I probably know better than most. You see, I had a run in with the dread angel. Am I alive, you ask? You may be querying, ‘Has this person’s words been transcribed by a medium?’ Well, to tell
It began as a lark, really. I woke up one morning from a dream about the apocalypse. No, not a wild west apocalypse. Exactly how the world was ending wasn’t clear, I just knew that it was, and so I enrolled in the autoshop class at my local tech education
I Made a Computer Program To Predict the Apocalypse; It’s Not What You Think. Read More »
I was born on January 13th 1989 at six past seven pm. Why? Why that day? Why that hour of the night? Had I been born earlier or later, what differences would it all have made? Would it have made my parents happier? Would it have prevented their ineluctable separation?
Age Is Just A Number Read More »
CREEPYFACE: Is it ready? 3… 2… 1… Welcome back, Creepers! It’s your demon host, CREEPYFACE, and this is Episode 101 of Para-Hunt! Me and the Crypters are coming at you live from Backwoods, Louisiana! Tonight, we have ourselves a lovely trio of Hunters planning to check out a local cemetery.
Para-Hunt: Episode 101 Read More »
It was October 26th, and I was at the supermarket grabbing a few things I would need for Halloween, before it closed. Specifically candy to hand out to the kids in my neighborhood. While I was there, I picked up a few other things that I needed, as well. I
Expires October 31st Read More »
