I filled up the bowl to the brim with live meal-worms from the fridge, watching them squirm and slither over each other as if they believed they could escape. It was gross and it made me want to gag yet I stomached the feeling. Just as I had many times […]
I sleep with my window closed now. Not out of habit, out of fear. There are monsters in the world, real ones. Serial killers, rapists, the kinds of things we can name and lock up. But the supernatural? That’s different. It’s older. Quieter. Easier to keep secret. It hides in
I Sleep With My Window Closed Now Read More »
My name is Omar Sanchez and I’m a 17-year-old high school student living in a small town in rural West Virginia. My life over the last number of years was unextraordinary and until recently I considered myself a normal American teenager. Although I’m an only child, I grew up in
It was a typical fall morning- I sought out my usual seat at the local bistro down the street; the previous day had been an excruciatingly long one, and the one thing that got me through was knowing I always had my solo-breakfast date in the morning. I sat down
A loud sound woke him up, “A chair falling, maybe,” he thought. He could hear the sound of the living city coming from the window on the other side of the apartment. Next to him on the bed, was laying the girl he loved. She looked so peaceful while asleep.
Kenneth Mathers loved Beauty. He adored the very aspects that Beauty presented. Beauty was loved by all. Beauty was welcomed in every gathering, celebrated by the people and requested in all circles. Beauty was perfection, something that Kenneth valued and swore to protect with his life. Beauty was
Of Beauties and Beasts 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 »
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 »
Dating sucks as an adult. The only way to meet new people is either on the internet or in a bar, and I’m not comfortable trying to start a relationship with someone I’ve come across in either of those scenarios. At 28 years old, not being romantically interested in any
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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 »
Have you ever wanted to love someone, but couldn’t? That’s how I felt about Tammy. We never should have gotten together in the first place, but it was her birthday and I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for. She invited all five of us from the office
My Wives Don’t Get Along Read More »
I remember Alice. It was the summer of 2004 when the two of us first met. I’d just started at university. I was a dorky, somewhat awkward-looking girl, too skinny, too flat-chested and with hair that was basically uncontrollable. I was neither particularly athletic or the first one to come
My first love was Misty from Pokémon. Those legs, that sass, she was absolutely perfect. No one else could ever compare. When I played the games, I’d hang around her gym and pretend that we were on a date. I built my team to be strong against her weaknesses so I could always protect her. I used to fantasize that she’d become intrigued by me when I had beaten her. That she’d become obsessed and fallen head over heels in love with me. It was just a silly fantasy, but I enjoyed it when I was younger.
I’m awoken by Rebecca’s sudden lurch upward. The whole bed’s shaking from it. My mind’s jumpstarted awake. Immediately, I’m feeling disorientated. Inactive for many hours, my brain now has to remind me where I am. The information floods in: I’m in my bedroom. In my house. It’s dark. I instinctively
A Loving Ruination Read More »
The trail was too quiet. I knew she was watching me from somewhere either up the steep slope to my right or from the tangle of undergrowth to my left. I would have welcomed the snap of a twig to alert me to her position but she was the apex
The Watching Woods Read More »
“Damn, Valentine shit already?” I asked my friend Gabriel as we were walking inside a Wal-Mart post Christmas. “Yeah, bro, and it’s still December. It’s like they’re completely ignoring the months in between the other months that have major holidays.” “True, true, annoys the shit out of me though, you
The Valentine House Read More »
The first time I saw Bret, I was nineteen. I’d found a job working security at Dave’s Storage Unit. My duties included keeping vagrants and thieves from disturbing the 40 rental units that were laid out in five neat rows in the middle of downtown Atlanta and helping customers with
Dear Friend, This is not a confession. There is nothing to confess. I would have to feel guilty for that. Let me be clear; I do not feel the slightest bit of remorse for anything. What happened was not my doing. I just feel as though writing to you, getting
My best friend, Kyle, was the first one to bring up the idea to me. A dating app. I had never really thought about trying something like that before. I guess I always liked the idea of meeting a girl out in the real world, having an old-fashioned love story
Someone is Killing My Tinder Matches Read More »
My mom died and I could not accept it for nine years afterward. Declared a suicide. Went mad looking for what happened, until one day I resigned to it and decided what happened happened. I let my mind rest in this house, away from all the possibilities that I could’ve
I’m Where I Should Be Read More »
This is not meant to scare anyone. Calling it a creepy story would be a bit of an insult, because it isn’t one. This is an expression of gratitude toward a friend, a friend who was always there for me. He watched over me as I was growing up and
As the last of the crisp brown Autumn leaves fell to the worn pavement, the young man let out a sigh. So much had happened in the time since he left in the spring of 2001. His home, his workshop, even his favorite stores and restaurants were gone. Walking past
The Forgotten Hour Read More »
