When people ask me about how it is to live in my neck of the woods, the Carolina Piedmont, I’d like to tell them of the rolling hills that lead up to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I’d like to tell them of the somewhat eerie and rather endearing orchards […]
White Eyes in Bright Lights Read More »
Two days passed. He still hadn’t returned. We weren’t sure which of the five family members had left the kitchen door open. But our beloved twelve year old golden retriever found his way out and hadn’t come back. It wasn’t the first time. He’d find his way out and run
The GPS display cast its glow on Ralphie as he slept in the passenger seat, the half-empty box of Entenmann’s Minis still clutched in his hands. Powdered sugar around his mouth made an amusing contrast to the deep brown of his face and served as a reminder, not that I
Only A Little Pinch Read More »
Intense, sticky, long and uncommon are just a few words you could use to describe the summer I’ve been having. I don’t believe it to be an entirely unique experience, though.I had decided to return to my hometown in the big city to reset and reflect after being laid off
The Kokopelli of the Black Mesa Read More »
“Wanna see something interesting?” Mark asked as he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. Even in high school Mark was always the adventurer, and I was the sidekick. He was the extrovert, and I was his adopted introvert; following him along with whatever plan, scheme, or escapade. We were
Part 1 – The Drop-Off That’s what our first scuba instructor drilled into our heads. A family of 4 with underwater cameras was bound to take pictures, and most people instinctively held their breath when snapping them. But most first timers also think they can save the oxygen in their
Never Hold Your Breath 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 »
One No wind blew on the fields that morning. The distant trees stood still and the grass was stiff on the hillsides. The overcast sky stood fixed in place, and the usual sound of rustling and whistling was absent, as if the air above the hills had become a noiseless
In many communities, urban legends are a right of passage. Most of us have grown up with some form of tall tale. Whether it was something as ridiculous as growing watermelon in your stomach because you ate its seeds. Or downright terrifying, like being taken by a demonic woman because
When I was a little boy, something happened to me that I would never forget. I was only six years old, I think. My behavior was typical for a child of that age. I liked to run, scream, play, and get into all kinds of trouble. I remember one particular
“The sea absolves all things, so too does the passage of time. The sea allows us to understand time and see it as the Gods do. Forever swirling, twisting and flowing above a bed of darkness”. The old man’s voice tremored slightly as he spoke those last words. ..a bed
The Ripple on the Sea Read More »
One of the first kids to hear the bouncy calliope music was six-year-old Lisa Reid, who was sitting on the front porch of her house with Becky Briarwood, her best friend in the whole world. Lisa’s long blonde hair, held in place by the pink scrunchie her mom helped her
Scream for Ice Cream Read More »
The roads are different at night. It’s something my mom used to say all the time. She said it when I was a child in the back seat, and she said it when she was teaching me how to drive. Every stretch of highway or backroad turn was different under
Below the peaks of the Catskill Mountains you will occasionally find an ancient and gnarled apple tree. Such a tree is a reliable landmark; signaling that an early American farmhouse sits, or once sat, nearby. Sometimes only a single shoot of the old tree remains, yet the ancient life persists
Hello there! Look what the cat dragged… oh my! Are you alright?! Hurry, get inside! … You need to get here earlier if you’re gonna pay regular visits! Just because you’re safe inside doesn’t mean you can be roaming around outside all willy-nilly. Judging by the mud on your clothes,
The Growing Settlements Read More »
Grandpa Cobalt hated letting things go. Whether it was the wobbly chair he kept in his study or his favorite warped record he fed to the gramophone—looping the same groove over and over. He was a tall man with a frosty thin hairline and a nose capable of the most
Looky here! Trish! Ethan! Our friend is back! Shame it had to be another cold, stormy night like this. Just once I’d like to enjoy some company under the warm sun, but I guess that’s not how this place works. … Goodness, where are my manners? Come on in here
The New Settlements Read More »
Tony peeled the rotten banana skin off his arm while pieces of unidentifiable litter trailed behind him as he stumbled towards the school building. Billy and his asshole friends had dumped him in the dumpster for the third time this week alone. People began to stare and whisper among themselves
The sea forgives all. That’s what they say, thought the tall, dark-eyed man standing vigil at the stern of the Aquilon. His eyes were set on the waves trailing them in the fading light of dusk. Every ripple was another step away from his mistakes; another moment away from the
I threw a rock down the well. It clattered against the walls as it bounced from one side to another. I waited, straining both ears. No indication that it had reached the bottom. “Hello?” I whispered tentatively in a low shaky voice as I peered down into the darkness, my
The Wishing Well of Heathenberry Forest Read More »
I live alone in a one-bedroom apartment. So can anyone tell me why there was a woman sitting on my couch watching TV? I was in my room getting some work done when I had gotten a bit hungry and planned on walking to the kitchen to get some leftover
I Live Alone but There’s a Woman Sitting on My Couch Read More »
Have you ever heard the idea of spirit guides or divine protectors? How about the idea of long deceased family members watching over you and guiding you through life? I’m sure you have, I mean haven’t we all? Well mine is, different. For the longest time I assumed I was
Something watches over me and it is not an angel Read More »
In a town kept alive by retirees and tourists looking for a cheap scare, we knew a place hidden from their money was bad news. Plebes are paraded around in horse drawn carriages through the dead of night. If there’s a storm, all the better. In the dim glow of
Have you ever heard the legend of Abhartach, the Irish vampire? Probably not. But no doubt you will be familiar with Bram Stoker and his seminal work ‘Dracula’, first published in 1897 and adapted so many times since in literature, radio, TV and film. Stoker’s famous tale was of course
An ancient terror is stalking the Irish countryside Read More »
