“Alright, let’s get this started. Incision time, 9:45,” a manly voice said loudly, jolting me awake. I felt groggy, and my eyes were kept shut by tape covering my eyelids. I tried to call out for help, but quickly realised I couldn’t form any words, nor move a single muscle. […]
I Woke Up During Surgery Read More »
This week, I was supposed to digitize all of Dr. Marnen’s patient files. I was feeling good about my progress when I saw it. A second filing cabinet, hiding behind the shelves, that I’d never noticed before. Sighing with fatigue, I yanked open the first drawer. I plucked out a
I am a musician. Not a terribly great one, but still, I consider myself a musician. I can play with the best of them, and I know my way around an instrument or two. More importantly, I am a collector. A collector of various items ranging from the odd to
I Bought a Haunted Piano Read More »
When I was a child there was nothing to eat. I was the eldest of five, so it was my job to make sure that I always let my brothers and sisters eat before me. War was inching inward from the coast, and as it marched closer, our food grew
Concerning the Masquerade Sara Stonewood Global News 09/05/18 [Sensitive Content] Halifax, NS So with the Halloween season close at hand, many police departments are bracing for an upswing in crime, particularly reports of pranks and practical jokes taken too far. As many of my readers may know, in previous years
Concerning the Masquerade Read More »
I’d always known that my great-grandma was an orphan, but in late October of last year, she decided to tell me the truth about what happened to her family. We were visiting her for her birthday. It was a tradition in our household; a road trip we knew in the
A Peculiar Kind of Madness Read More »
I’ve never much cared for religion. I mean, it’s interesting and all; the old parables and philosophic insights from people two millenniums removed from the present. I particularly enjoy the books of the Apocrypha, and the Bible’s magnum opus of Revelation, if for nothing else than the interesting stories. Even
When Science Found God Read More »
Jobs come and go. That’s part of the beauty of living in America – you can change jobs freely if you aren’t happy. It’s a luxury not everyone in the world has. For years and years, my life was consumed by business – retail, specifically. It wasn’t my plan…I sort
I Picked the Wrong Profession Read More »
My grandfather never spent that much time with me, growing up. When I heard the news of his passing, all I could muster was a tone of indifference in the form of empty condolences. My lack of sympathy turned to guilt when I heard he left me everything he owned.
My Grandfather’s Ouija Board Read More »
Constance would not tell anyone who the father was. Not when her mother cried nor when her father yelled. Not even when her older sister, Emily, sat on her bed and held her in her arms – rocking her gently. Constance was four-months pregnant when she told her family, and
Another Hungry Mouth Read More »
We had all liked Mr. Winscot. He didn’t mind when we used the sledding hill on his property and he always gave out the best Halloween candy in the neighborhood. So when we heard he’d been taken by the Tall Man, everyone was really bummed out. You wouldn’t have heard
The Tall Man of Briarbell, Missouri Read More »
Do you know what it’s like to live without a soul? Because I do. It’s like watching a romantic movie that’s so perfect you find yourself falling in love with the character. Then the lights come on, and you suddenly remember that person doesn’t exist. And even if they did,
My Soul is in a Paper Lantern Read More »
There it was. A fragment of the universe, hurtling through the cosmos. And there I was, gazing up from the comfort of a farmhouse rooftop, built by my father’s hands smack dab in the middle of nowhere. In all the years we lived out there on the countryside, not a
A Strange Object Fell From Space Read More »
I must warn you now that every detail included in this account is not of my own invention – though I wish from the bottom of my heart that it was exactly that, an invention – and that none of it is at all pleasant to read, so if you
My mom hates her father. Grandfather Jack’s name might as well have been a swear word when I was growing up. Dad told me the story once, on the condition that I never tell mom I knew. Jack was married to my Grandmother Kathy for 22 years before he
Self-Portrait of the Dead Read More »
I’d been depressed for a long time, mostly since my dad died. All his friends called him a hero; he was a cop and he sacrificed himself to save the lives of 23 people being held by an active shooter. I was 9 when that happened, I remember it like
I Don’t Think My Friend Ran Away Read More »
*** *** When I was a young girl, I developed a love for plush. Large, small, velveteen, cotton – no stuffed animals were off limits. I received one on every gift-giving occasion; before long, I had quite the collection. Though I loved all of my stuffed animals, one in particular
My Plush Kitten Came To Life Read More »
Guys, I need help. I’m posting this from my car parked at a truck stop just outside Keiser, Arkansas. My parents own a cabin in rural Tennessee. Since they’re getting older, we’ve been splitting the responsibility of caring for the property. I go down there by myself a few times
Let Me Take Your Picture Read More »
“The water is perfect at this time of night.” Shana lifted her long, white dress over her thin shoulders and dipped under the cool depths of Lake Diamond. “Don’t be such a baby, Freeman. We didn’t come out here at two AM for nothing.“ She smiled when she spoke. I
I Met Someone Who Makes Me Feel Seasick Read More »
Father O’Brian- You’ve asked me to keep a journal, and here it is. It seems that relocating to Maryland was a waste. Moving from one house to another doesn’t seem to stop anything, and the police are at a loss. If you are unable to help us, the
He Comes Closer When I Blink Read More »
Freedom, contrast, and relief. These words described the start of a particular May day in 2009. I stepped foot outside my house to see the bold, glowing sun escaping the somber clouds in the sky. Intruding through this sight was a collective of royal blue-colored balloons; a color that fit
I Used a Ouija Board to Summon UFOs Read More »
I had nightmares about the place for weeks. Every time, it was exactly the same. I stood before a large oak tree, alone, in a vast field of dead grass. Roots from the tree wove in and out of the dirt, far from their source, twisting in unnatural ways. Its
The Tree From Which Dead Things Grow Read More »
The things that haunt a man the most, are not usually the choices that he’s made, but rather the choices that he never did make. I’ve lived through some of the worst hells that you could ever imagine. 9,490 of them to be exact. Every night when I
I’ve Had the Same Dream for 26 Years Read More »
