Dreary apartment, Manhattan, NY. Do you ever get this uneasy feeling that you’re constantly being watched? At home, at work, when you’re eating, sleeping, watching TV, making love … it’s always there, the faint voice in the back of your mind, whispering in your ears that something is not right. […]
In early April of 2016, a study was conducted on the psychological effects of solitary confinement under the influence of lights. It was on a Sunday morning when tragedy transpired for Guy XXXXX*. *At their request, we have omitted the names of those involved who did not wish them included.*
The Lighthouse Project Read More »
The head of yet another six-inch nail is forced crudely into the hard flesh of what feels like the millionth wooden plank, its end contorted by the panicked blow it had been dealt by my shaking hands. There must have been about forty or fifty wooden boards covering every possible
It Had My Mother’s Voice Read More »
Room 371. Some hotel near the Cape. I was on a business trip with my boss, closing in on the final set of investors we needed to launch our latest start-up. That’s all I could remember. Then this. Waking up in a bedroom next to an unfamiliar woman with a
I Think I’m Trapped in a Sitcom Read More »
I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to sleep. Sleep has eluded me for several days at this point, but to sleep is to give up and let guilt destroy me. That’s what I call it anyway. Guilt. It’s as plausible an explanation as anybody has ever had for explaining this
Unconscious Objection Read More »
“The 6:13PM service from Penrith to London is delayed by 23 minutes, Grand Central Trains apologises for any inconvenience caused,” mumbles a distorted voice over the Tannoy speaker. Daniel clutches his weekend bag in one hand, the tattered leather handles worn away from excessive use feeling uncomfortable in his sweaty
You Can’t Argue With The Statistics Read More »
Winona Worlds was the girl everyone wanted to be. She had it all. Fantastic grades, excellent painting skills, great looks, popularity, and the most loving boyfriend one can have. Girls and boys envied her equally. Everyday, she’d sashay down the halls, silently boasting about herself. She’d arrive in denim mini-skirts
Around five years ago, my sister graduated from college with a master’s degree. She was always wicked smart. She graduated not only with honors, but six months early as well. Instead of graduating in the beginning of summer, she graduated in the middle of winter. I promised her we’d do
My Sister And I Went To A Cabin In The Middle Of Winter Read More »
My Mother has been acting strange lately after coming home from meeting her friends. She’s no longer been her bright cheery self. She sits in her chair crouched in a fetal position with deep sadness carved into her face. If she’s ever walking, she’s pacing slowly and shifting her weight
My Mother thinks She’s Dead Read More »
He tried not to get too close to the man because he smelled like salty chum and rotten fish. Eventually, the scent receded as he went inside the cabin for a nap, leaving Dr. Peters alone on the deck with his pen and yellow-paged notebook. The marine biologist sat by
I am out of time. I have to tell all of you before it is too late. For weeks it has been following me everywhere and now it is here, in this very room. I don’t know where, it can be in the closet, under the bed or under the
The Looming Person Read More »
Every day, the same client visits in different forms, and every day this metamorphic changeling wishes to have his or her head rubbed, hair played with, or to be read to. When will it be enough? When my fingers are worn down to the knuckles? When I refuse to drink
An Afternoon Appointment Read More »
What, exactly, is it that scares us in the night? What is it that so totally envelops a person in shadowy darkness, reaching through the darkest corners of the mind, and pulls out monstrosities so real, so incredibly detailed and hideous? Is it our imagination, or is it perhaps a
What Lurks In Shadows Read More »
Part I: The Snow Fort Christmas was always a whimsical time for young Christopher. For as long as he could remember, Santa Claus came down the chimney, left gifts, ate cookies, drank coco, and fed his reindeer. Then, he was gone without a trace left behind, with the exception of
A Snowflake’s Descent Read More »
I’m not a violent person. I never have been. I know that may sound strange given the current circumstances, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I actually try to avoid confrontation as much as possible. I’ve always been sort of timid, almost to a fault.
Gotta be honest. I think the worst day I’ve had all year was the day the voice in my head told me to keep running. I’m not schizophrenic or anything, I mean it in a more gut feeling sense. The day it screamed at me to keep going, to sprint
I don’t remember the first time I heard the tapping. As far as I know, it’s been there all my life. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been stirred awake a couple of times a month, still hazy with sleep and delirious with dreams to an almost imperceptible
Tapping at My Chamber Door – Only This and Nothing More Read More »
I killed my best friend when I was thirteen. It wasn’t what I wanted, or what the others involved wanted, but that doesn’t matter now, he’s gone. Most people look back at their childhood and realize that there was a day they went out to play with their friends for
The Farmer and the Scarecrow Read More »
Several months ago, I sought out professional help for a traumatizing experience I’ve gone through, and so my colleague recommended to me a local psychiatrist that was best suited for me and my experiences. It seemed at first I could trust this psychiatrist, but now after recent events, I’m unsure
I Think My Psychiatrist Broke Confidentiality Read More »
…I give up.…This is my eighth day in quarantine. More like solitary confinement, because I have lost track of time and I live alone in a bachelor apartment. I am stuck ordering groceries online, getting food delivery—even succumbed to having my brother deliver some wine for me to get me
I Must Have Gone Mad During Quarantine Read More »
This is a story that goes back to my time in college at the University of Oregon, back in the 1980s. Eugene then was the quintessential college town and well known as a refuge for the surviving hippy culture of the 1960s. The counter culture is part of the city’s
The Beatles Butcher Album Cover Read More »
I hold with the pillow around my head so she won’t hear me crying, and to block out the whispering.We moved out of the city a month ago; an old detached house in the suburbs was all I can afford now after paying for her treatment. Thin wooden walls make
He could feel his stomach almost twist as the aircraft started its long ascent into the sky. He was already holding onto his seat, yet now he couldn’t help but tighten his grip even more. How long had it been since he’d last been on a plane? A good fifteen
It Came From Above Read More »
My wife and I moved into our new apartment just a few months ago. Before this, we lived in a large cottage overlooking a beautiful lake. It was my wife’s dream home for the three years we lived there. We didn’t want to leave, but it was a necessary step
My Wife Won’t Stop Sleep Talking Read More »
