Category: Fantasy

Bite-Sized Halloween #4: A Town Alive

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With bags full of sweets, Charlie and his daddy meandered into the town square, to see the parade.

“Great vampire guise, Graham!” said a stranger.

“Fangs!” replied his daddy, sounding like Dracula.

Charlie grabbed fistfuls from his haul, filtering out the those which had no wrapper by touch alone. He shovelled the sugary goodness into his mouth – knowing he’d have to brush his teeth extra hard tonight.

His daddy guided him through the crowd. So many people, thought the boy, as he munched on the candies. Every resident wore a veil of the macabre.

Not everyone was in costume.

 

This is part four of a larger story for Halloween. All sections are in the form of a 99-word story. Check back tomorrow for part five!

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3

Bite-Sized Halloween #3: An October Evening

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“Don’t be too late, okay?”

“Sure, Honey.” There was a smack of a kiss.

And then they were outside, the air crisp and cool – the way a Halloween night should feel. Charlie sniffed. He could smell smoke and bonfires. He grinned.

“And have fun!” said his mother – the last words he’d ever hear from her.

“Will do!” his daddy called back, as he opened the gate.

The pair slipped out onto the street; father and son. In every direction, Charlie could see colourful lights, draped decorations and candlelit pumpkins carved into faces.

“Now this,” said his daddy, “is Halloween!”

 

This is part three of a larger story for Halloween. All sections are in the form of a 99-word story. Check back tomorrow for part four!

Previous parts: #1 | #2

Bite-Sized Halloween #2: Daddy

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Daddy was home, at long last. He entered the front door like a whirlwind, kicking off his shoes, wriggling out of his coat, dropping his briefcase right there. Charlie knew he was equally as excited for that evening.

Graham hugged his son, cheeks rough like sandpaper. “Ready for tonight, Charlie?” he asked with a grin.

“Yup!” Charlie said, dancing on the spot. In his arms he cradled his outfit.

“Got your costume sorted?”

“Uh-huh!”

A pause. “Is that one of the good sheets?” He chuckled. “Don’t tell mom!”

“Okay!”

“Let’s get ready! We’re going to have a boo-tiful Halloween!”

 

This is part two of a larger story for Halloween. All sections are in the form of a 99-word story. Check back tomorrow for part three!

Previous parts: #1

Bite-Sized Halloween #1: Preparation

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He spent all day snipping away at the blanket – it had to be just right, and it had to be done by him alone. The boy even refused his mother’s help. When he tried it on in front of the mirror, he squealed with glee. His vision was partly obscured, but that was okay. It was the look that mattered. “A ghost,” he whispered to himself.

Charlie could feel the restlessness in the air. His treat bag was ready, as was his tummy. He kept checking the clock for when daddy would be home.

Tonight, they were going trick-or-treating.

 

This is part one of a larger story for Halloween. All sections will be in the form of a 99-word story. Check back tomorrow for part two!

It’s That Time of Year Again!

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What’s that I hear you say? “Josh, we had no idea that Halloween was your favourite holiday! That’s so unexpected! Who’d have guessed that the lunatic who has an unhealthy obsession with horror likes Halloween? Not me!”

Alas, it is true. Halloween and October are my most treasured times of year. The burnt-orange leaves that scatter and make skittering noises as the wind ushers them down the streets. The acrid perfume of bonfires and fireworks lingering in the air. The cooler temperatures, the thick jumpers, the hugging scarfs. And, of course, All Hallow’s Eve.

I love all things Halloween. The movies, the music, the TV specials, the books, the decorations, the costumes. All of it. All of it. From the legitimately terrifying stuff to the kid-friendly goofy stuff. It simply warms the cold, cobwebby recesses of my heart.

So, to celebrate, Bite-Sized Horror will undergo a special Halloween theme for the rest of this month! I’m not sure how many posts there’ll be, but there’s going to be an underlying connection to them — perhaps even one overarching story. I think I may stray from my two-sentence rule — maybe I’ll play around with the 99-word structure I’ve recently come to love (check out CarrotRanch’s weekly prompts!). If I (temporarily) abandon the two-sentence shocker, I’ll probably not post every day, due to time constraints… But we’ll see — I think I’m going to wing it, and see where my dark, rotten soul leads me.

Additionally, I’ll be sharing parts of my other creative passion as well: music. I play a few different instruments and I love composing. Unsurprisingly, I adore horror soundtracks — particularly the works of John Carpenter. Writing music (especially creepy, horror-themed electronica) is one of my most enjoyable pastimes — so I’ll be posting tidbits, here and there, when the mood is right and the moon is full.

So keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the ground — terrible things are lurking in the shadows.

My entry for this week’s Reedsy contest: ‘A Village Under the Purple Moon’!

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Well, hello there! Fancy seeing you here. How’ve you been? That good, huh? Well, actually, I’ve been quite ill, but it hasn’t stopped me from working. I’ve done some writing, but it was done whilst in a state of delirium, so…

This week’s Reedsy theme was the literary classic, Little Women! I chose prompt #4 — “Write a story that uses flowers as a symbol.” As mentioned, I wrote this piece whilst not entirely here on Earth. I found the finished thing on my desktop, once I’d recovered, with only a vague memory of writing it. I tweaked it a little, once I was better — but for the most part, I left it as it was. I think it’s got a ‘woozy’ sensation to it, probably imbued from my fever! The title of the story is A Village Under the Purple Moon, and you can read it here on WordPress, or over here on my Reedsy profile. It’s a kind of fantasy story, which I never really write — so that’s a first!

Marianne felt the eyes of the townsfolk upon her; hatred intermingled with fear. Although they’d never know it, the people of Maydale had played a role in their own demise.

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As always, I hope you enjoy the piece! And remember: never exile a witch!

If you’d like to read Astro Naught, my winning entry for last week’s Reedsy contest, you can find it here on WordPress, or over here on Reedsy, where it has been published!