Tag: ShortStory

Bite-Sized Halloween #18: Shadows and Light

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With sorrow in his soul, Charlie pressed on. He carried the jack-o’-lantern, casting its glow whenever they approached.

Something with long nails and sharp teeth popped up behind a headstone. “Hey, kid!” it said, in voice that was far too deep. “Got some real nice candy, for ya!”

Charlie shone the light in its face. It screamed, swore at him, and then went skittering away into the darkness.

He walked on. How far should he go? Marion had never said. And it looked like Marion wasn’t coming back…

Minutes later, he found the crypt with the flashing neon sign.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17

Bite-Sized Halloween #15: By the Light of a Jack-o’-Lantern

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Marion’s grave was a sad sight. 1811 – 1833 read the dates. “How did you die, Marion?”

“Now’s not the time!” whispered the skeleton. “Take this! It’ll ward them off!”

He handed Charlie a pumpkin. Carved into it was a simple smile. “Here!” said the skeleton. He opened the sculpted head of the jack-o’-lantern and placed a single candle inside. Then he blew a small gust of air between his all-too-prominent teeth, and the flame whumped into life.

“How did you—”

“Not the time!”

“Where are you going?”

“To stop The Collector… if I can! Don’t stop, Charlie! Run!”

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14

Bite-Sized Halloween #14: Land of the Dead

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“This way, this way!”

Charlie followed the skeleton.

“What’s your name?” he asked, in between breaths.

“My friends used to call me Marion, once upon a time… And you?”

“Charlie!”

“Charmed, I’m sure! Now, quickly! No time for dilly-dallying!”

“Where are we going?” whispered Charlie.

“Away from him. Away from them. Bad, bad – they’re all bad!”

“Who are?”

Marion stopped and placed a skeletal hand on his shoulder. Charlie shivered. “Why, the other dead, of course! Today is their day. I—well, our day, I suppose… And if they catch you—oh, no!” He squeezed. “You have to hide!”

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13

Bite-Sized Halloween #12: Welcome

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They all noticed the child in their midst. Their cloudy eyes and rotten brains had perceived him from his first step onto the revered grounds.

“Boooooyyyyyy,” said one.

“Youuuuunnngg,” replied another.

“Freeeeeshhhhhh…”

“…sooouuuulll,” said the other, finishing the first one’s sentence with a nod.

They could sense the others stirring around them; they didn’t have much time. The pair began closing in, when they saw that Marion had already gotten to him.

“Noooottt faaiiiiirr,” pouted the initial speaker.

“Weeeee saaaawwwww hiiimmmmm,” said the second, “fiiiiiirsssttt!”

But then the gate squeaked again.

“Cooolllleecctooooor,” they whispered, grinning.

They disappeared like smoke.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11

‘Watching Jeremy’: My bleak entry for this week’s Reedsy contest

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https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/joshua-insole/

Well, here we are again. It doesn’t seem quite right that we’re halfway through October 2019 already, does it? But as they say, time waits for no man. As with last week, you’re getting twice the Josh today — Bite-Sized Halloween and a short story!

This week’s theme was ‘childhood meets adulthood’. I chose prompt #4 — “Write about a parent who sees pieces of a family member’s (or their own) personality in their child — whether this brings them comfort, terror, or something in between.’

I wrote my story in a frantic rush once I’d read the prompt. Sometimes I have to think about the story a bit, before putting words on paper. This was not one of those occasions… The words came rushing out of my fingertips in a frenzy. I feel as though the story is quite a bit darker than my usual fare, even though it’s not straight-up horror. It’s called Watching Jeremy, and you can find it here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile.

Dad had killed people. Before, I mean.

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I hope you find it to be an entertaining read, despite its dark tone. Writing this was one of those rare experiences where you don’t even think about what you’re doing, it just… happens.

You should definitely check out some of the other entries over on Reedsy’s site — there’s really something for everyone, regardless of your genre-specific tastes.

Until next time…

Bite-Sized Halloween #9: Concern

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Charlie gulped breaths of fresh air as he watched the undulating crowd of zombies, ghosts and ghouls. He scanned the throng, looking for black capes, white-painted faces and bloody fangs. He spotted twelve different Draculas before giving up. I’ll wait here, he thought, sitting down on the stoop of a shop.

“Are you lost?” asked a voice that sounded like crunching gravel.

Charlie looked up, only to see the man from before. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Before he even knew he was going to do it, Charlie had jumped up and was running.

The man followed.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8

Bite-Sized Halloween #8: Boy Alone

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Charlie was jostled as he tried to break free from the gathering. He couldn’t see any signs of his dad.

Everyone was too tall. And too drunk. As Charlie navigated the sea of legs, the grownups shoved and kicked him. They either didn’t see him or were too inebriated to care.

Nobody asked if he was okay.

As the claustrophobia began clawing at his throat, Charlie spotted it – the edge of the mob. The crowd momentarily parted as a group shuffled past, loftily carrying beers. He darted through their legs, escaping into freedom.

Charlie hadn’t slipped away entirely unnoticed.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7

Bite-Sized Halloween #7: Little Did They Know…

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As the townsfolk laughed and danced and drank, something was happening up on the hill of the cemetery.

Things were waking.

Soil shifted. Coffins creaked. Tombs groaned. Crypt doors squeaked.

Moans filled the quietness.

The crows cawed and fluttered their wings and ruffled their feathers – almost in anticipation of what was to come. But the birds kept their distance. They had learned their lesson.

As the clocks ­tick-tocked their way towards midnight, the things long-dead rose from their slumber. Their time was drawing near; the point when the veil between worlds was the thinnest.

The witching hour fast approached.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6

Bite-Sized Halloween #6: When Fingers Slip

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People were pushing and shoving; trying to get a better view. Charlie had lost sight of the man. Why had his face frightened him so? After all, everyone here was dressed as a monster.

Charlie was shoved from behind. His father’s hand tightened around his own. “Stay near me, Charlie – it’d be easy to get lost here!” he shouted over the racket.

As if on cue, a group of teenagers dressed as werewolves barrelled into the crowd, knocking the child and separating the pair.

Through all the commotion, nobody heard the quiet voice, wracked with despair: “Have you seen my daddy?”

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5

Bite-Sized Halloween #5: In a Heartbeat

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The music was upbeat and infectious. The drums thudded – he could feel the thundering bass inside his chest. There were also brass instruments filling out the upper frequencies – trombones, horns… and was that a saxophone?

Charlie was engrossed in the booming parade of family-friendly horror and knee-slapping comedy. He didn’t notice the man staring at him. At least, not right away.

When he did look around, Charlie instantly locked eyes with the stranger. His stomach dropped and the hairs on his body stood on end. The parade’s din faded as if it were underwater.

The man had dead eyes.

 

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4