Every year since my son Lucas turned 10, he, my wife Jennet, and I have taken a week-long vacation in Vermont. Years ago, my wife’s father left her a small cottage by a lake I had never heard of, in a town I had also never heard of up to
A Town Where Strange Things Happen Read More »
Ever just stand back and admire the presence of even the simple atmosphere around you? The aroma, the embellishment, or the hands in motion on an old antique clock, making the room seem alive? This was my reaction as I stepped foot into my newly purchased house, with
There’s Something Living in the Wallpaper Read More »
Hello… Static….error Hello, is this damn thing on, how in the hell… Static….error This is Captain William Brink…. Static…. Ok, got it. This is Captain William Brinkman of Boson Fleet Nova transmitting. We’re on an exploration and retrieval mission for Tula 13. We’re scheduled to arrive on the planet in
The Lost Transmissions of Captain William Brinkman Read More »
Have you ever heard of the GPS Game? Before you type it into Google, let me save you the trouble – you’re not going to find much. If it’s not on the internet, I must be full of crap, right? You can believe what you want. The fact of the
A few years back, I worked as a nurse in the geriatric unit of the hospital in my hometown. There was one old woman there with pale blue eyes whose mind was still fantastically sharp, and her desire to socialize and make new friends set her apart from most others
No Eyes, No Tongue, No Fingertips Read More »
I awoke lying face down in cool, black sand. The air smelled strongly of ocean, yet when I sat up and wiped the dirt from my face, there was no shoreline in sight. Instead, what I saw was an endless horizon of black desert. Every direction was the same; a
My Memories Vanished Beneath The Black Sand Read More »
One night outside Longfield, Massachusetts was all it took to never feel peace again. The little town is not too far from Thoreau’s famed Walden, and curiosity drove me and some like-minded friends to make the trek one hot summer. It’s a little place, and so secluded that you won’t
New England Residents Beware Read More »
We were at the bar for Connor’s twenty-second birthday when the world first began to fall apart. It started with an absurdly small detail; I ordered two Blue Moons for us like always, but he picked the orange slice off the rim of his glass with a frown. I looked
Samantha told me about it on our third date. We were watching a movie on her couch when I made my move to kiss her. She whipped her hand in front of my face and blocked me. “There’s something you need to know,” she said. I braced myself. Here it comes.
My Wife Has a Removable Face Read More »
My grandfather is 95 years old and doesn’t have long left in this world. There’s nothing but a mess of tubes and wires to tether him here with us. It’s difficult for him to speak, but each rasping whisper carries a severe weight that cannot be interrupted. My
An Old Man’s Last Secret Read More »
That first night, I knelt in the soil and said the words aloud. “This is my wish. This is my want”. Elewyn had nodded, in approval of the words. I knew what I wanted. I knew what I was saying. Somehow though, even then, it felt wrong. I first went
Every city claims to have them, and every city will tell you that theirs is the best. Most larger places will lay claim to having quite a few. I am of course speaking of secret bars. The kind of bars with no name out front, where a secret password is
3:30 p.m., 1-September: One three-person party entered the Rio Grande National Forest in Hinsdale County, Colorado. They consisted of Trevor Nyson (37 years old) and Matilda Nyson (33 years old), a married couple, and Benny Nyson (8 years old), their only son. 5:31 p.m., 1-September: Trevor and Matilda, highly distraught,
Monster Hunting and Other Inadvisable Behavior Read More »
It was one of those nights where nothing went according to plan. An evening out with friends, but I couldn’t find a parking spot anywhere around the place. Two blocks down the street, then hustling through the chill, puffing breath like smoke. All that only to discover I’d shown up
From Inside a Human Zoo Read More »
So, I discovered the meaning of life. Or at least, that’s what my eager customers are led to believe. You see, two or three times a month, I post a listing titled “The Meaning of Life” to various auction sites. I couple it with a sappy picture of a sunset
I Discovered the Meaning of Life Read More »
“Drip, drip, drip…” The sound of crystalline orbs of sweat dripping from my skin delivered an internal soundscape. The first few moments, I wasn’t bothered, but the repetition became increasingly unpleasant – especially when combined with the intense heat; a feeling reminiscent of a campfire invading my privacy. Needless to
No one knows where it came from. No one knows why it showed up in our little town, of all places. The only thing we knew for sure was that it was bizarre. The statue appeared in the town square about 2 weeks ago. It sits in the
Small Town Mysteries Read More »
So… I stole a laptop from an internet cafe. Judge me all you want, but times are tough and that’s hardly the point of what I’m about to tell you anyway. Apparently the owner of it was quite adept at navigating the deep web, because a Tor browser page was
I am a chronic sleep talker. Always have been. Everyone who’s ever slept in the same house as me will tell you that. My parents, siblings, friends, and especially my exes. They’re the ones who got an ear-full. It was something we’d laugh about in the morning, because most of
Never Use a Voice Recorder While You Sleep Read More »
(A short film based on The Attic in the Basement, winner of Best Director in the BC Student Film Festival) “Quiet down, back there!” I yelled whilst driving down an all too familiar road. My best friend and his girlfriend wouldn’t stop laughing loudly with each other, much like young
The Attic in the Basement Read More »
This is roughly a true story. True in that it was told to me by my father, rough in that his memory had decayed with age, leaving his recollection of the year 1975 a bit scarred. He asked me to write it down a few years back, but I never
Just the concept alone was enough to draw me in. “An internet underneath the internet. The dark web,” is how my old friend Kyle described it to me. It wouldn’t be until he gave me a list of links that I would truly understand just why people referred
The red lights are only making the pain worse. It is an immense, earth-shattering pain, in my midsection and in my head. I try to move, but I can’t; I try to speak, but I can’t do that either. It hurts too much, and my voice obeys me no more
What Happens When the Stars Go Out Read More »
In my hometown, there is a unique shop of oddities called “HexWorks” that I frequent. It’s an old-world boutique that specializes in niche products that I’d describe as being vintage-style with a modern spin. Their items include cloaks, pocket watches, lapels, bizarre art prints, lavish jewelry, and Victorian
Never Use Cheat Codes on a Ouija Board Read More »
