I grew up in a small, out-of-the-way town. One of those places where folks only stop by to ask for directions. I know that’s how a lot of scary stories tend to start, but if you think about it, there’s a good reason for that. Before the internet, living in […]
I knew I was going to hate it the moment I walked through that door. The cramped entrance hall was already thick with the musty smell of old carpet. I kicked off my boots and stepped into the living room-bedroom hybrid, taking in the depression that seemed to emanate from
I killed my first crow when I was nine. I wish I could say it was an accident, but that’d be a lie.I’d been watching it for about a week. It came to our yard around the same time each morning. It knew it was the same crow, because of
We don’t celebrate Halloween where I come from. My main exposure to it as a kid was through Western media, and while I didn’t fully understand the premise, I found the general aesthetic of the holiday pretty neat and wished to experience it someday. Fast forward about fifteen years and
My uncle was an eccentric man. An accomplished physicist, he was at the top of his field when he abruptly decided to end his career and retire to his villa in the French countryside. His friends and family couldn’t even begin to guess what had prompted the drastic shift. He
Back when I was still in high-school, I wrote and published a short fantasy novel called Legends of Ravengrove. It was supposed to be a bleaker, more cynical take on the sword-and-sorcery genre that was popular at the time. The story revolved around a cast of unlikely adventurers that were
As anyone who is or has been the “nerdy kid” growing up can attest to, you can’t help but assume the worst when the biggest bloke in class suddenly walks up to you. It took him calling me by name several times for me to stop pretending like I was
It was a breezy September evening. The yellow glow of street lights reflected off the rain-slickened sidewalk. I was making my way back from volleyball practice. I usually took the bus, but I ended up missing it that day and didn’t feel like waiting another twenty minutes for the next
A Face In The Dark Read More »
I’m sure there isn’t a single person reading this that doesn’t know what liminal spaces are by now. But, just in case: The concept of liminal spaces relates to physical locations that are typically transitional in nature. Hallways, waiting rooms and parking lots are classic examples. The liminal aesthetic can
I made a horror game about liminal spaces that nobody will ever play Read More »
American writer of horror fiction, best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos, H.P. Lovecraft once said: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” An iconic quote, to be certain, yet I must respectfully
It may be hard to believe, but before I became the bloated old drunk you’d see camping outside your local liquor store, I used to be quite the stud back in my prime. I was young, athletic; had a full set of long sandy hair and a jawline so sharp
I joined a hedonistic cult in the 80’s. It’s time to pay my membership fee. Read More »
For those not accustomed to it, life in rural Eastern Europe can feel very lonely and isolating. I’ve spent all of my teenage life and most of my childhood in London, but recently, about a year ago, we were forced to move back to the old country due to financial
There’s something haunting the Eastern European countryside. Don’t let it see you. Read More »
It was around lunchtime when Noah and I arrived at the base of the hiking trail. He practically ejected himself from the car the moment we were no longer in motion. His enthusiasm was infectious. I retrieved our backpacks from the seat behind me and stepped outside as well. Noah
Don’t go to Wilhelm Bridge. There are wolves out here. Read More »
Between 1991 and 1993, American author John Anthony West and his team of archaeologists conducted a series of geological and seismic surveys around the Great Sphinx of Giza. The resulting seismographs indicated the existence of several unexplored tunnels and cavities in the bedrock beneath the monument, the most notable of
What We Found Beneath The Great Sphinx of Giza… Read More »
We awoke around midnight to the incessant blaring of sirens. Donned in their slippers and nightgowns, a few brave souls ventured onto their porches while most of us remained inside, glued to our windows. Jacob, my husband, asked me if he had still been dreaming, to which I replied with
Night of the Burning Men Read More »
”Angels, mommy, look!” I glanced away from my sad excuse for a sand castle and back at my younger brother, who was standing at the edge of the beach in his bright yellow trunks and leaning forward as if trying to make out something in the distance. ”Look, mommy, look!
I hate snow. I hate the way it silently descends from the sky, I hate how cold it is to the touch, I even hate the puddle it leaves behind when it melts. But, most of all, I hate it because it reminds me of the night my husband was
The Real Reason my Husband Shot Himself Read More »
It was around noon when the rust-coated sign that marked the town’s entrance came into my view. Sighing in relief that Google Maps hadn’t failed me, I guided my car off the main road and down one of the concrete paths that lead through the woods and into Orbita. For
This Ukrainian ghost town wasn’t as abandoned as I thought… Read More »
