I awoke in a standing position, my eyes suddenly shooting open and my legs weakening as I began to stumble. I panicked as I felt myself falling forward, instinctively reaching out to grab the nearest thing to hand, which happened to be the shirt of the guy standing in front […]
I awoke upon a field of frozen ground, shivering in the bitter cold as I tried to find my way in the darkness, and stumbling across the pitch while my eyes tried to adjust. It was almost pitch black, the only illumination coming from a pale orb in the sky
I was the leader of a hooligan firm in the 90s. Now I’m cursed for life. Read More »
If you walk through a certain run-down, inner-city area located in a working-class northern town, there’s a chance you’ll stumble across a terraced street like none other. I say there’s a chance, but in reality it’s a slim one. That’s because – technically speaking – Purgatory Street does not exist,
The doctors told me it was normal. Sometimes, babies just cry. After over a week, I’m telling you now…this is not normal. My baby isn’t crying—he’s screaming. Constantly, through the endless days and everlasting nights, and I’ve tried every tidbit of parental wisdom anyone has granted me to help him:
My Baby Won’t Stop Screaming Read More »
Those of a certain age who grew up in the UK will remember the old-style, red phone boxes, emblazoned with the Royal Crown and with the motif ‘Telephone’ written above their glass panelled swing doors. In fact, you’ve probably seen photographs of these booths which are regarded as quintessentially British,
Read Part One here Read Part Two here Greetings readers. Thank you for joining me for the third part of my hellish odyssey. If you’ve stuck with me this far, you’ll realise it isn’t going to get any easier. When I last left you, I was curled up in a
Into the Inferno – The Lower Levels Read More »
I know Death. I know Death very well. I’ve known Death for eleven years and three months now. Ever since the car accident in 2006 I’ve been on the run from Death. I’m convinced it’s a mistake, a mix up somehow. I am alive, I survived the accident but yet
You can read Part one here And so, my torturous tale continues…When I last left you, I was still in the early stages of my unplanned and certainly unwanted journey through Hell – a latter day repeat of Dante’s Inferno. Why was I chosen for this unenviable odyssey into the
Into the Inferno – The Middle Levels Read More »
“Elizabeth!…” I hoarsely shouted as I shot up into a sitting position in the bed. I awoke and found myself drenched in sweat, a massive headache and with the worst scratchy throat I’ve ever had. I couldn’t help but just cough and cough, similar to the experience when you inhale
Don’t ask me how I got there, because I can’t remember. I’d been drinking heavily that night, out on a bender to end all benders. I was angry, and the booze didn’t help. It never did if truth be told, but I couldn’t stop myself. I vaguely recall downing shots
The Bar at the Edge of Eternity Read More »
I’ve always held a fascination with the sea, the vast blue oceans that account for two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. I grew up on the west coast of Ireland, enjoying pristine and almost abandoned beaches facing out onto the cold and wild waters of the North Atlantic. My father served
For thirty years, I’ve been receiving letters from a land that doesn’t exist Read More »
Coffee Man is the only one who says he can see them. Other inmates have stayed up dead into the night, pressing their ears to the concrete of the floor or the walls, slipping their hands through the bars and waiting for something to touch them in the darkness, and
We’ve all been there. Unable to sleep and in a zombified state, channel surfing in the early hours, searching in vain for a program that will distract from our stresses and worries, if only for a short time. It was during one of these late-night sessions that I discovered a
I watched Hell’s version of a classic television show Read More »
“Get the paddles!” I remembered falling. It was nice at first. The air rushing past me as the butterflies in my stomach multiplied with each passing second. “CLEAR!” Then, there was the screaming. Not from my mouth, but from the pedestrians below, scrambling to run away from the landing zone.
My Guardian Angel Doesn’t Protect Me Read More »
It all started when I was a little girl. Christmas Eve, 2004. I was eight years old. “Santa, is that you?” Footfalls on the staircase echoed through the house as I jumped out of bed and ran past the doorframe to catch a glimpse of the man himself. CREAK CREAK
A Box of Light Among the Stars Read More »
“. . . He then fell upon the Kingdom of God, . . . and waged War; with His Minions and their Generals . . . against His Holy City in the Heaven, and His Hosts. . . . Struck down in the battle, Lucifer was bound, . . .
The Forgiveness of the Fallen Read More »
I want to tell you the story of a bizarre thing that happened to me five years ago. It was what you might call a life changing experience, a metaphorical kick in the balls that put me on the straight and narrow after years spent in a vicious cycle of
The Man with the Woolly Face Read More »
I was a bloody mess. After the twelve car pile-up on the freeway, it was a miracle I was even conscious, albeit just barely. There was only one hospital within a thirty mile radius, so all of us were sent there; some via ambulance, others by helicopter. Overwhelmed with the
Stay Away From the Angels Read More »
“Alright, Jack. Are you ready?” After being strapped down by the orderlies, an older gentleman with a white coat stepped over and looked down at me as my back caressed the cold, metal slab I was fastened to. I presumed this was Doctor Covenwood, the lab’s head of operations. “Uhhh…
I was in a room. It looked like the ground floor of an office building. There was a desk with a receptionist, tapping away at a keyboard, and stairs leading up to the next floor. But the design… it was all white. I had to turn away at first, blinded
Your Memories Don’t Die With You Read More »
As I slowly regained consciousness, I felt a wave of dullness wash over my fractured mind. I couldn’t move, much less remember what had happened before I passed out. My eyes burned as I opened them. I’d spent too much time in darkness to quickly adapt to the incessant flow
The World’s Quietest Room Read More »
“Maybe the world would be better off without you.” These were words I never expected to hear from my therapist. Up to that point, she had always been on my side, despite the many flaws that made up my character. I had fleeting thoughts of suicide, but it was never
My Therapist Wants Me to Kill Myself Read More »
Today marks my fortieth birthday on this Earth, and rather than contemplating how to deal with the typical, mid-life crisis, I’m deciding whether or not my time here has ended. It’s sort of a family curse; For as long back as my family tree stretches, the men of the family
The car accident was a blur. A symphony of shrapnel flying across the highway; the debris of at least three vehicles. At the time, I didn’t know who was at fault, or what exactly happened. I just knew pain. Immense, searing pain. I was in and out of consciousness for
When You Go to Heaven, They Take Your Skin Read More »
