11:52:58 PST / 0:00:00 BVST I forced my eyes from the stage. They landed on the place setting before me. I saw the envelope propped against my wineglass. She’d written just one word on it: my name. She always had the most beautiful cursive. My nausea doubled. Why would Tina write me a letter? I… Continue reading The Ballroom Bubbleverse – Part 2
Tag: Horror
The Ballroom Bubbleverse – Part 1
The shift happened sooner than we’d planned. I was sitting in the ballroom, and I’d just found the envelope, and that was when it happened. I wished I could unsee the letter. The love I’d had for Tina dissolved. In its wake, I was learning how to hate her. So, I closed my eyes and… Continue reading The Ballroom Bubbleverse – Part 1
The Mother of all Misaligned SI Joints
POP! What the hell was that? The older I got, the more I realized the importance of discipline. The son of lazy people, I grew up to be a lazy, undisciplined man. Are you surprised? Yeah, me neither. Three months before I began practicing discipline. In all areas of my life, I began rituals and… Continue reading The Mother of all Misaligned SI Joints
The Quiet Place
When at last, the manservant left me in my drab quarters, I sat on the one chair in the cabin and thought long. There was something peculiarly amiss about this place. It was more than the leaden skies overhead through which I was convinced the sun never shone on the estate my master wished me… Continue reading The Quiet Place
The Conductor
The bus jerks me awake. Or that is what I tell myself. I harbor a tendril of hope that I am still sleeping, that this is only a dream. Awake. Asleep. Is there a difference? Or some method for knowing which is which? This bus is a train. Or is this train a bus? The… Continue reading The Conductor
Ezekiel’s Tea
My morning routine is to double-check all the equipment. The lantern is rotating, shooting its penetrating light through the morning fog. Most of my work takes place at night, but on overcast days, I like to be extra diligent. I stoop and exit through the tiny door and walk the balcony around, checking for breakages… Continue reading Ezekiel’s Tea
Ezekiel’s Stairs
I look down for brother’s blue and white ceramic teakettle, but it’s no longer in my hands. Then I think something that’s not quite a memory; it’s something more akin to an echo of a memory. I dropped the thing hours ago. Maybe it was only minutes past. Surely climbing the stairs to Ezekiel’s lofty… Continue reading Ezekiel’s Stairs
Penguins in the Penumbra
The heat from the parabolic space heater feels good on my bare legs. I’m wearing shorts while I meditate. The only problem is my mind is wandering. Are you surprised? Yeah, me neither. It happens. And what am I doing instead of following my breath? I’m thinking about the penguins on the far side of… Continue reading Penguins in the Penumbra
Under their Bed
It was Timmy’s cries, not Tommy’s screams, that woke Maddy. The three of them had anticipated a typical Saturday morning in the Balkman household: hugs, pancakes, chores, a little TV, some more hugs, and then a hike in the park near their house. No, no, no, no! Her heart was in her heels as she… Continue reading Under their Bed
The Figs of Fellsgrove
When they offered me the job, I thought it was a prank. It sounded like something Cynthia might cook up. I laughed at the caller and said something like, “Nice try. I’ve got a lot to do here, but you have a wonderful day wasting people’s time.” Luckily for me, they called back the next… Continue reading The Figs of Fellsgrove
My Last Pair of Shoes
I slid my feet into the new shoes. They were bright yellow, festive, and fun. Just looking at them made me happy. Something was not quite right with the fit. Also, the shoes felt vaguely squishy and wet. Like I’d shoved my foot into an animal carcass. It was cold and slimy. But then Hank… Continue reading My Last Pair of Shoes
Storage Unit
I’m stuck in a simulation. That’s what this must be. This can’t be real. My legs ache. And for good reason. I’ve been walking for hours. If the sun is in the sky, I can’t see it, but that might be somewhat due to the orientation of the storage unit buildings. They are continuous and… Continue reading Storage Unit
Basilisk
The question hung in the air, unanswered. I couldn’t tell if this was one of Pete’s pranks. With social media paranoia being what it was since 2031, I screened all my visitors for recording devices, of course. I mean, I loved Pete, but I was nobody’s fool. “Come on, Tim. Either you know, or you… Continue reading Basilisk
Be Right Back
Oh, thank God. I remembered my inner atheist and cringed. But that was definitely a bus a few hundred yards away. I thought I might die out there, a slow, agonizing death of dehydration in a desert. Please don’t be a mirage. Please. My car had broken down several miles back. In Death Valley. That… Continue reading Be Right Back
Wormhole
The exterminator wipes his brow, pockets his grease-stained handkerchief, and checks his tablet again. “Yeah. We don’t see a lot of these. If I’m honest, they told us about these in class, but I swore the instructor was pulling our legs. Pranking us. You know? That it was a joke to see which of us… Continue reading Wormhole
Lou Cypher
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 12 The first thing I noticed about him was that he dressed impeccably in a black silk suit, the whitest shirt I’ve ever seen, and a red silk pocket square. His beard was salt and pepper but neatly maintained, and he carried himself with crazy confidence. His eyes were friendly… Continue reading Lou Cypher
Blythe
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 6 It is surprising how much misinformation the media and books have regarding monsters. The idea that the only way to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet? Laughable nonsense. Or that vampires can’t go out in the sunlight? Silly and baseless. Most of them don’t like being in… Continue reading Blythe
Papa
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 3 Uncle Kenny never rises before noon on the camping trips. So far now, it’s just me, Cheryl, Adam, and dad, finishing our breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. The cool air and the smokey smell usually make me feel giddy in the mornings. That isn’t the case this morning.… Continue reading Papa
Stories by Shawn 