Ghost Story - Blog Posts

Chapter 1

An unusual friend

Briar Sanders was in the lunch room, waiting on her best friend John to sneak past the grumpy old lunch lady, find the mini fridge, and get back with the chocolate pudding he keeps claiming the lunch lady hoards.

“Dude, really?” She said, in a “you must be joking” tone.

“I’m telling you Bri; she keeps a whole stash of it instead of giving it out to students,” John said.

“You know if you get caught, she’s going to kill you right?”

“If she does, please surround my grave with the very pudding, I tried so hard to get.”

“Okay, would you like for me to play despacito at your funeral?”

“Please.”

Bri giggled. John was always overdramatic. But if he did get caught the lunch lady would kill him. Maybe then he’ll stop leaning on me for help. He needs to learn to clean up his own mess, Bri thought. “Psst! Bri!” Bri turned around and saw John with an armful of chocolate pudding. Bri’s eyes widened. Holy Peck! He was RIGHT?! “I know what you’re thinking; the noble hero has slain the beast and brought back the monster’s treasure,” John said, using a silly deep voice.

“Not even close,” Bri said smiling, “but I hope you plan on sharing the beast’s treasure with a fellow citizen, brave adventurer,” Bri used the silly deep voice as well. John laughed, “be my guest.”

As Bri picked up a cup of chocolate pudding, she turned to John. “I hope you’ve been working on your parkour,” she said smiling, knowing what John would say, “I’ll be testing you after school today.”

John stopped and froze as his eyes widened with a spoonful of chocolate pudding hovering just outside of his mouth. He forgot… again. What else isn’t new? Here comes his ‘see what happened was…’ Bri predicted. “Well… see what happened was…” John set his spoon down.

“Called it! You forgot!” Bri said smiling smugly.

“No! I didn’t! I just… forgot…”

“You’re the one who asked me to teach you parkour, so why?”

“I just did okay? You can teach me after me and my family get back from spring break.”

“Fine!” Bri said, rolling her eyes. She didn’t know how anyone could NOT be so excited by parkour. Bri’s father, the chief of the town’s police, was someone who she looked up to, someone who she wanted to be when she grew up. So, she tried to learn all there was to learn when it came to police work, including tracking, laws, street smarts, she wanted to learn parkour to use when it came to catching crooks, and many more things that she needed to learn in hopes to fill in her dad’s shoes one day. Her dad and his partner, her godfather, Deputy David, taught her almost everything they knew at the age of at least six. John thought it was awesome and begged Bri for two whole months to teach him how to parkour like her.

Bri brushed off her thoughts and picked up her can of Grape Soda. What could go wrong with some fizzy grape juice and some chocolate pudding? “Ew,” John said.

“Oh hush. Or should I remind you of the time you ate ketchup with salad?” Bri said this, knowing he would be quiet.

“Never mind it’s cool,” John’s smile all of the sudden faded when he saw what was on the can. “Look, another one,” he said sadly. Bri turned her can to the side. On the side was a little girl, who looked about nine, with strawberry blonde curls in pigtails, she had an orange top with a red skirt. She was hugging a fully grown man who had a strawberry blonde beard and work duds. On the photo said:

MISSING CHILD! Elaina Everheart. Call Police if you have any information.

“Yeah… Another one,” Bri said with a sigh, as she set her can down, “I’m getting a little scared John. Kids under fifteen are disappearing left and right, and this is one of those towns where nothing happens!” John looked at his friend. He was hardly ever serious, but even he could not deny that this was terrifying, that and he hated seeing his friends scared or sad. Then an idea popped into his head, remembering his best friend’s favorite candy.

“Hey you like taffy, right?” He said. Taking out some taffy that was purple and pink out of his pocket. “Um hello? I don’t like taffy, I LOVE it!” Bri took a piece out of his hands and took a bite. “Mmmmm! This is so good! Where did you get this?” Bri asked. It tasted more like bubble gum than taffy. I don’t see a wrapper, or what company it’s from. Wait… now it’s starting to taste a little weird. Which it was, it was now tasting like the after taste of cheesecake. Bri looked over to John, he was chewing some of the taffy too, and he had the, “this tastes super weird” look on his face. “I found it in the mini fridge along with the rest of the chocolate pudding,” he answered. “Is it tasting weird to you as well?” Bri asked. John nodded as he put the rest of the taffy down. Yeah, good idea. I can’t eat this either.

Bri heard giggling and looked up, no one was there. She looked at John, he heard it too. They were both expecting the popular girls to come over and make fun of them again but, there was no one. Guess we just imagen- Wait! What’s that?! There was a black figure that went past the janitor and into the hallway. “Did you see that too?” John asked. Bri nodded. It could just be another student. But it was way too short. “You think we should check it out? It’s too short to be student,” she asked. John looked happy. “Something exciting in child prison? Let’s go!” He said. They got their stuff and walked towards the exit.

“Hey! You punks better get your butts back into those chairs!” The janitor said.

“But we need to go to the bathroom,” Bri lied.

“Then why do you have your stuff, hmm?” He asked.

“Because we only have four minutes left in here?” John said.

“… fine,” the janitor gave in.

Bri thanked him and the duo hurried down the hallway. After three lefts and a right or two, Bri held out her arm to stop John. There was a little girl with black braided pigtails, a very old black dress, and pale skin. She was turned away from Bri and John and was walking off. She looked too young to be in junior high, she looked about eight. “Excuse me, little girl?” Bri said, grabbing her attention. She jumped and turned around. Her eyes were really blue, most blue eyed people Bri has meet or seen were usually like a grey-blue color. But this little girl’s eyes were as blue as pool water. She had a necklace that was as deep blue as her eyes, and a soft, sweet, and gentle voice. She looked at them for a moment and then she shook her head, muttering the words, “nah, no way.”

“No way what?” John asked. The little girl looked shocked. “Are you lost? Where are your parents?” He asked.

Bri kept looking at the dress, she’s seen a little girl in a dress like that in a history book somewhere before. “We can help you,” Bri said bending down to meet her level. She’s quiet, I hope we don’t scare her. “Nice dress, are you part of a school play or something?” She asked conversationally.

The little girl leaned to the left, they still stared at her. Then she leaned to the right, they still stared. Finally, she screamed, “AAAAAAHHH!” John and Bri jumped back. “NO WAY! CAN YOU GUYS REALLY SEE ME?!?!?!?!” She yelled.

“Uh, yes of course we can?” Bri answered. What kind of question is that?

“AAAH! How is this possible?!” She asked. Bri and John looked at each other with confusion.

“Eyesight?” John guessed.

“No! Humans can’t see ghosts! Not unless- unless- how- wha- did you-“ the little girl stuttered.

Bri and John looked at each other again, confused and shocked. “Did you just say ghost?” Bri asked. Is she trying to pull a prank on us or something? The little girl started to say crazier things and she didn’t know what was going on. Neither did Bri or John. Ok! This is getting us nowhere. “Alright well, little… girl, child-“

“Agatha, or Aggie,” she said.

“Aggie, we’ll help you but you don’t need to make up things like you being a ghost. Come on, we’ll take you to the front office, we can call your parents there, and-“ Bri reached for Agatha’s hand but it went right through. Bri jerked her hand back, she looked at John, who was just as stunned and shocked as she was. Bri reached out again, trying to touch the girl’s face, her hand just passed through just like it did before. “I’m not making this up!” Aggie said. Clearly! “I’m dead! I’ve been dead for- what year is it?” She asked. “2017,” John answered. “Right so that’s-…Wait WHAT?!?! That’s, that’s………… that’s three hundred years,” she said in disbelief. “You’ve been dead for that long?” Bri asked.

The bell rang. Time to go to class. “Hey we’re off to class, do you want to come with us?” Bri offered. Aggie started to float, “Yes please! I love learning!” She said excitedly. Huh, I guess that makes sense, since only boys could go to school to learn things in her time. But still, this is the first time I’ve ever met a kid her age that wants to learn.

“Hey Briar,” said a soft but evil voice. Bri knew that voice, Addison. Her backpack was ripped off her arms and Bri turned around. It was Addison alright, and her “friends”. One of the most popular girls in Bri and in John’s grade. “What are you guys doing? Making out?” Addison asked in an obnoxious tone. EW! John and Briar were always assumed a couple, Bri never knew that being best friends with a guy would be such a big deal. “Ew!” Bri and John said in unison. They looked at each other, it wasn’t often that they said things together, but then they turned back to Addison. “We’re just friends! For the bazillionth time!” Addison laughed, “well I’m sure you won’t be needing this Bri.”

Bri got annoyed and felt her temper rising, “I said my FRIENDS call me Bri, those who aren’t my friends just call me Briar.”

“Sheesh, so formal,” Addison said, “oh, wait.” Addison reach into Bri’s backpack and pulls out Bri’s phone. “I need another of these,” she said.

Bri got really mad, her whole life was in that phone. Texts from her dad, photos of family, and what happened to her mom. “Why do you need another one?! Your Dad has already bought you several other phones!” Bri exclaimed.

“And I need some gossip, your phone has some right?” Addison said. She tried to get the face ID for the phone by holding it in front of Bri, but as soon as she held it out, Bri tried to snatch it away. Addison held the phone up. “Don’t make me drop it!” She teased.

“Give it back PECK NECK!!!” Bri swore. Now it was Addison who got mad this time. Addison pushed Bri on the ground and kicked her in the stomach. Even for a spoiled barbie doll, Addison’s dad made her take self-defense classes in his paranoia that she would get taken one day for being a rich kid. Of course, Addison never used it on anyone bad, she only used it to beat up other kids when she didn’t get her way. The fact that she was a cheerleader and was used to practicing and using her legs didn’t help either. She could easily beat anyone up, whether it was other girls or boys.

John ran up and shoved Addison to the ground, Addison’s friends were cheering her on as she got up and punched John. “Wow! Your weak Sanders. Guess it is like mother like daughter, no wonder she died from tha-“ Addison had the wind knock out of her as something punched her in the gut. Bri looked up to see Aggie floating and shoving the big bad bully on to the ground. Addison’s friends were frightened, not seeing the source of what happened, and they ran down the halls screaming. “He- HEY! Don’t leave me here!” Addison yelled at them as she joined the screaming girls and ran off too.

“Peck necks,” Aggie said. Aggie looked at Bri and got a worried look on her face. “Are you okay Briar?” Aggie asked. She held out one of her hands to Bri. It was a habit so Bri took her hand, and it didn’t go through. “How?” Bri questioned when she was on her feet. “I can decide whether or not I want to touch something or someone,” Aggie explained, “sorry Briar, I didn’t want to hurt her I just got mad at the way she was treating you.”

Bri smiled. “It’s okay. Normally we would get in trouble for this but the fight ended early. John, you okay?” She asked.

John got to his feet, “I think one of my tooths are loose but other than that I’m fine. Also, Aggie, don’t say Peck necks.”

Bri rolled her eyes, “she’s already dead, let her some fun.”

The bell rang again. “Second bell we might want to go,” John said. He kneeled to meet Aggie’s level, “do you still want to come to class?”

Aggie floated again and laughed. “Yesss! Let’s go!” Bri picked up her backpack and her phone, “Alright, follow us Aggie. History class is next.”

“Coming Briar!” Aggie squealed in delight. When Aggie flew next to Bri, she smiled as she held her hand. Bri looked down and smiled back at her.

“Call me Bri,” she said.

My Pichu-hating ghost

Hi.

I have a ghost, and his name is Jerky. He’s an ass, hense his name. I enjoy pokemon and have a good amount of pokemon funko pops. One of my first ones was a Pichu (the evolution before pikachu). I have about 5 other funko pops on the same shelf as my Pichu one, yet the only one falling almost constantly is Pichu. One time it flung itself across the room and hit my desk (A good few feet away). Multiple times I’d find it in the trash or underneath my couch somehow?? (I have a couch cause I sleep on a futon very comfy btw). Also sometimes when i’m up late at night questioning my exsistance when I’ll see a figure standing in front of my door. You know how in the dark your vision is like a bunch of tiny dots? Yeah, near my door a bunch of them will get darker than every other one and look like a person. It’s moved as well, liked walked around and stuff. One time It was right in front of my face when I saw it. 

He hasn’t done anything other than be an asshole about my pokemon choices. He just kinda vibes most times. He also moved my curtains a couple times. I want to use a spirit box but I don’t have one lol. Have a good night, and whatever weird drink Steven made u all.

(bring back the professor please)

Dear @ilikeblue​ asked me for an art to her fic and I said yes! Actually, few months ago, it was supposed to be posted on Halloween, but better later than never, yeah? I had so much fun to work on this piece! I love doing research, challenging my skills and learning new things. Armor is bloody heard and I think I still don’t understand how it works, but who knows? :D

Anyway, this drawing is based on beautiful and bit spooky (a lot, check the tags, please) story about Brienne and Jaime. If you are fan/or not of Game of Thrones, go and read! There are three chapters already!

all the ghosts of me

The diver

Another short horror story I wrote.

Word count: 2339

"Are you ready?" Bob asks us in an excited tone.

I nod anxiously, but in truth that simple action is an enormous lie.

We have never been this deep before, no one has and the things we might come across at the bottom is a mystery to us.

Still, we have been training for this for months now. I should stop worrying and just dive down with my team.

Our heavy diving equipment gets their finishing touches and we are ready to go.

"Alright, you guys know what to do if something goes wrong, right?" James asks us.

"Yes." I answer, just nodding won't do it now. They won't be able to notice it with my helmet on.

The others let him know they know as well, it's just pressing the red button after all. Then James and the rest of the crew, still above water, will get us out.

If something does go wrong however, it will take a while for us to get back.

But I don't want to think too much about it.

With a loud splash my group and I jump into the water, slowly they let us down with the ropes attached to us.

I peer out of the small window in my helmet, watching everything slowly growing darker and darker the deeper I go.

Fishes rush away from me, while the seemingly unending plant greets me to come further down.

"Liam, You good?" Bob asks me.

"Yes, I'm okay. You?"

"That's good to hear. I really wonder what we will find down there." Bob still sounds as excited as before. Really that man knows no fear.

As it gets darker, we turn on our lights. But even so, there isn't much we can see except for each other.

Finally my feet touch the ground and we decide to look around to put everything we see on film.

We fasten the ropes to some rocks that seem sturdy enough, our suits are made especially for us to spend longer underwater.

Not only has it gotten darker, it has gotten much colder as well.

"Guys, you should come see this." I hear Kimberly say through the radio.

"What is it?" Asks Kyle, while walking towards her. I carefully follow them.

Finally I see what Kimberly wanted to show us.

It's a building.

A building made of old bricks, taken over by nature, but still standing in great condition.

A building underwater.

Unfortunately it's too dark to make out what kind of building it might have been.

"This is so strange, the robots we sent before didn't show anything like this." Kimberly says, astonished.

"They could have missed it, but I guess we have to call for archeologists now before we can continue." Kyle sighs.

"It shouldn't be a problem as long as we don't enter it." Bob suggests.

As we make our way around it, I take notice of the fact that there seems to be no fishes down here. Only plants.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Kyle suddenly asks, clearly afraid of something.

Bob looks around: "No, I didn't hear anything." If it wasn't for his heavy suit he would have probably visibly shrugged.

Quietly we move our flashlights around to see whatever Kyle could have heard.

"Where did it come from?" Kimberly asks.

"I-I think it might have come from the building."

"Ah, not used to the sounds of old buildings underwater yet?" Bob shares, but gets no answer except an annoyed silence from Kyle.

I look around further, letting the light of my flashlight slowly pass over all my surroundings.

There are more buildings.

A lot more.

And on the ground.... This almost looks like an asphalt road... like one used nowadays.

I call the others over to inspect it.

"Creepy... it looks just like above.... But wrong." Kimberly says reluctantly to go further.

"Yeah, I think we should go back." Kyle agrees, not trying to hide his fear anymore.

Something is wrong.

Not just this place.

But where the hell did Bob go?!

I look around.

The other two seem to have noticed as well: "Did you think he went inside one of the buildings?"

"Goddammit! We can't just leave without him. If he is just pranking us, I will-"

"He is not that kind of person." I answer quickly, I've known Bob for a while now. He might like to joke around sometimes, but this is beyond him. Something must have happened!

We search for our lost friend and call out to him, but no matter how well we look, he just doesn't seem to be around.

"Alright, I'm pressing the button." Kyle says, already holding the thing in his hand.

Kimberly agrees: "Yes, I will try to get in touch with the ship."

Then I can suddenly hear Kimberly saying in a panicking tone: "Guys... I can't contact them."

Kyle starts to panic as well: "FUCK, I knew this was a bad idea!"

I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel it as well, but there was something else that took my attention from the two.

I think I know this place...

These buildings... They are so familiar.

Carefully I walk towards one, the one that gives me this feeling the most and shine my flashlight just above the doors.

It's in a language I can read.

And it clearly reads 'Hospital'.

"Guys." I mumble to them, but they are too busy arguing.

A sudden idea enters my mind.

What if I enter? And go to the highest spot I can get... will I be able to get into contact with the others on the boat again?

I walk towards them: "Hey, I think we can still get help."

I explain my plan to them and at first they think it's ridiculous, but there isn't really any other option.

We have to enter.

The doors to the hospital are open, so getting in isn't difficult.

An eerie feeling creeps over me as I see the interior.

It looks just like the hospital I know, one I would rather not remember though.

"I think I know this place." I mumble to the others.

"You know this place? There is no way. This has been down here for god knows how long." Kyle answers me.

I turn towards him: "Couldn't you read the text above the door? Or really any of these nameplates?"

He looks at me confused: "Man, is your oxygen tank already malfunctioning?"

So they don't see it? But I can see it all so clearly.

"Liam, are you okay?" Kimberly asks.

"Yes, I'm fine."

I hate that they doubt me so much, but if I think about it, I would probably doubt me too.

Even so, I take the lead and thanks to me seeing the things they don't, find the stairs without problem.

It doesn't take long for us to reach the second floor.

"Bob?" Kyle suddenly asks.

"Wait, did you hear him?" Kimberly looks around.

"I'm sure of it. I heard him over there!"

Before we can stop him he walks towards where only he heard it come from.

"Kyle, did you hear his radio? Or his voice?" I ask, but receive no answer in return.

We follow him quickly.

Kimberly stops for a second to check if she can contact James again, but seemingly to no avail, as she continues on soon after.

As I turn back to look where Kyle went, I don't see him anymore.

"Kyle?" I call out to him.

"Shit, did he leave without us?"

We run towards the place we had last seen him, but it doesn't matter how many doors we open.

He is not there.

"Bob! Kyle! Where are you two?!" Kimberly yells.

"I think we should go further to let the others know." I tell her as we have searched the entire floor.

She sighs, but follows me back up the stairs.

We skip the next floor, since this door does seem to be locked.

I wonder how many floors this building has...

"Hey, Liam... I think I smell something..."

"What?"

"It smells like blood."

"We are really deep underwater right now... how come? Did you get wounded somehow?"

"No, I'm fine." She mumbles as I check for blood.

This is so strange... Kimberly smells things here, Kyle heard things here and I see everything different from them... just why? Are we all going crazy?

"Let's skip this floor then... it might be something dangerous."

"No, Kyle and Ben might be in danger! We have to find them." Before she can run ahead of me I stop her.

"Alright, but I will go first. Otherwise we will lose each other as well."

Luckily she seems to agree and we walk to the place where she smells blood.

"It's here." She whispers as we stand by the door.

"Alright."

Carefully I open the door and shine my light inside the dark room.

"Bob? I-Is that you?" I ask the man sitting slumped over on a chair, wearing a familiar diving suit.

"Liam..." Kimberly tries, but I ignore her and step into the room.

"Hey, wake up. We gotta go!"

I place my hand on his shoulder and give it a hard shake.

His head slowly rolls off and falls onto the ground, leaving me in a dark cloud of red mist.

"Liam!" Kimberly yells, but I can't locate her.

Blindly I stumble around, until I can clearly hear something break from beneath me.

I curse loudly, as I can feel something stab me and fall down.

I fall pretty fast, but water is still water, so it's at least a little bit slower. Yet not slow enough to fall multiple floors down.

As I finally stop falling, I open my eyes, cursing the fact that I'm still alive and that this isn't some terrible nightmare.

This place is awfully dark, just like the rest of the bottom.

It luckily doesn't take long for me to find my flashlight.

"Hey Kimberly! I'm okay!" I yell at what I think is above.

I shine my flashlight around me, is this... a morgue?

It sure looks like one.

Did I fall into the basement?

And are the floors that weak?

Then I hear a noise.

Something behind the table.

For a moment I hold my breath, something is there. I know it and it might be dangerous.

In the dark I hear the moving of a creature.

Quickly I shine my flashlight towards it.

It feels long that I'm standing here, it's slowly getting colder.

The creature seems to have stood still for a while, but then it moves into the light.

Out of the darkness appears a young boy, about ten years or so, teddy bear in his arms.

No diving suit, nothing that could help him breathe. He slowly walks towards me, not even swimming as if there is no water here at all.

But even stranger than all that is... I know him.

I know him.

Why? From all the people that it could have been... Why does it have to be him?

Carefully I take a step back.

"But... you're not here anymore..." I utter.

The child before me takes another step closer to me and I another back.

"Are you scared of me?" He asks in a rather sad tone, somehow also sounding as if we are above water. The expression on his face is one of deep sorrow.

"Y-yes." I answer honestly, but my answer makes me feel guilty immediately.

I can't think straight anymore, am I really underwater? Or was that a dream?

Is that child before me really...?

No that can't be...

Ronan has died long ago, I know it, I was there when it happened.

I wonder what would have come from him had he survived.

Would he have been taller than me?

Would he have become the person he wanted to be?

"Is something wrong?" He asks, this time without getting closer.

Suddenly I feel a burning sensation on my lip, I must have been biting it and causing it to bleed.

Without thinking my hand goes up to my helmet, I want to loosen it.

"DON'T!" Ronan suddenly yells at me while rushing to me, trying to pull my hand down: "If you do that, you will certainly die!"

I push him away.

"Don't you even remember me?" He asks in tears.

"Of course I do, I'm sorry... just how...?"

"I can't answer everything, there is something here. A monster. And I need to save you." Ronan puts on a brave face.

I shake my head: "Why? Just why? How can I be certain that you will? For all I know, you might be the monster."

For a moment he looks down, but quickly he turns his face back to me again: "Because I promised I would protect you."

"When?"

"Always! Since you were a baby. I always said that I would protect my little brother!"

"But now you're-"

"Yes, I know! No need to remind me. I'm sorry I left so early, but even so, I never stopped caring for you or watching over you! You don't deserve to die down here!"

Before I know it my vision gets all blurry from my tears.

It's really him.

How could I forget that determination from him?

But with the good, the bad memories return too.

The reason why he went to this hospital.

"Liam, we need to hurry." Ronan pulls me back to the present.

"You're right."

"Please take this." He says as he hands me his teddy bear.

"Thanks... but why?"

"It was meant to be given by me on your birthday, but you know I couldn't."

I don't answer, I just can't.

"So... will you trust me now?"

"Yes." I whisper as he takes my hand.

.

.

.

A search has started for the missing group.

Even the police and the army have gotten involved now, searching desperately.

As the sky slowly turns dark, there is still no sign of the divers.

Despairingly James helps with the search, checking every second for one of the missing to send an SOS. But even the location sharing that should have worked just fine has stopped functioning.

Adding insult to injury, there even seems to be a storm approaching.

"Goddammit." James curses quietly, frantically looking for another way to be useful in helping.

As the first few drops of rain come down, they are still searching.

"You still haven't heard anything?" One of the officers asks James.

"No, I haven't. I just hope those guys down there are okay."

"They have been down there for more than six hours, right?" He asks: "Sorry to say this, but it would be a miracle-"

A loud beeping suddenly interrupts the officer.

James rushes towards the machine.

"We found them! Or at least one of them."

An hour later they pull out one of the men of the group.

They remove his helmet to see that even though he is wounded, he is still breathing.

Though there is something strange about him.

He is holding an old teddy bear in his arms.

For a super unique twist on the haunted house trope, I’d recommend this short read, Haunt Sweet Home, by Sarah Pinsker. It’s specifically about a woman working for a reality TV show, whose goal is to make a house seem haunted for new buyers.

I enjoyed this! It was short and not too complicated. I’d recommend skimming over it for some light edits. Also just personal preference but I think this would so so well with more imagery and maybe a poetic prose-ish, if that makes sense. Good story!

I wrote a little short story

'I heard that when you can't fall asleep at night, it's because somebody is dreaming about you.'

'Cute,' I replied, wishing she would stop pushing silly superstitions on me. Eleanor was only trying to comfort me by trying to set meup with someone, but it was just too soon after my husband had died.

I guess she thought that because I pulled myself together pretty quickly after his death, I was ready to find someone to fall in love with.

But, anyway, it's not like I ever had any trouble falling asleep. No thoughts roamed my mind because it was empty. No thoughts troubles me to keep me awake. This was just one of her ploys to imply a random guy she thought I would like was interested in me.

I tried to tell her this, but she would never listen. But around the one year anniversary of my late husband's death, I started having feelings for someone. And i started having trouble falling asleep.

I told Eleanor about the guys, David, and how I felt... guilty. When we started dating, my mind became heavy with the guiland mythoughts denied any fraction of happiness to be savoured.

My sleeping became even worse. Most nights, I didn't sleep at all.

As the months went on, I felt crazier and crazier. I thought that if I seeked medical help, it would be a relief. But that wasn't the case.

Not until one night, when I actually slept. My dreams plagues me as much as my days did. I dreamt of my husband talking to me, telling me how ashamed he felt of me for loving another man. I couldn't distinguish this dream from real life.

I woke up, panicked. I must've been in between wake ad sleep, because I thought I saw my husband standing over my- what used to be our- bed. Not truly human, but not truly dead either.

My panic turned to terror as he said 'I've been keeping you awake for months, how kind of you to return the favour.'

ghost city

SIDLE CREEK by JOLENE MCILWAIN (REVIEW)

quickly: stories of heartbreak, hard times, happiness, and folk magic, in the hills of West Pennsylvania (a creek with healing powers / cattle on the loose / child birth and death / grieving with nature / healing through helping / crazy old ladies / a father’s fight club / bad happenings in dark woods / working men / divination by egg shell / shell shock / secret obsessions / stolen babies). 

This book is a small creek-side town, packed into several stories from various lives. These people go to work, and their kids go to school. They stop at the local diner every so often, and they handle public matters privately. Some of the people live in the hills, hunting, trapping, and grieving. Some live in town, where they can gossip and shop. 

The writing is clear and direct, and the focus is always Life. The births, deaths, sicknesses… happiness, grief, and miseries. There is beauty in the perfectly captured mundane. Some of these stories are just moments, flash fiction (some maybe too short), whispers in time. Others are encapsulating and momentous pieces that could be expanded into their own works. Appalachian still-life in literature form.

I loved everything West Pennsylvanian, rural, and small town about this book. My favorites were You Four Are The One (young girls help a grown woman give life), The Loosed (a father is left to raise his sons alone), The Less Said (darkness in the woods), and The Red Boots (the violence of men’s obsessions). 

★ ★ ★ ★

THE BURNING GIRLS by C. J. TUDOR (REVIEW)

quickly: a woman of the cloth relocates to small-town England and uncovers a long-kept community secret. (single mom with a repressed past and a rebellious teen daughter / creepy blair witch stick dolls / ghostly apparitions / family secrets turning into community secrets / rich men controlling local government / a random spree killer).

quaint, quiet English towns are some of the most dangerous places on Earth. this is what The Burning Girls confirms in a story that feels like the UK version of a Fear Street novel. the chapters are short and quick, often ending with a cliffhanger. ‘good vs. evil’ and ‘nature vs. nurture’ are major motifs in this story, sometimes stereotypically so, sometimes uninspired. i wish there was more thrill and horror… with the lore behind what a ‘burning girl’ represents, there was the potential to go so much further. while i love the author’s tone and style, the substance lacked.

★ ★ ★

more thoughts: SPOILERS!

Some personal context… I picked this book out based on a search I did for ’theological horror’. I was trying to decide whether or not I was going to read the non-fiction book “Heathen: Religion and Race in American History”. As I’m already reading a non-fiction book on Indigenous American history, ”Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America”, and I just completed the lengthy “The Books of Jacob”, I was hesitant to read another lengthy non-fiction book.

My thought process was… I can soothe my horror itch and my religious history itch by reading a book that combined both. If the book was intriguing enough, then I’d move on to Heathen by Kathyrn. I found several books that fell into the theological horror genre, and ‘Burning Girl’s’ was a newer one, so I picked it. Sadly, it did not inspire me to reach for non-fiction theological history. While not bad, it didn’t capture what was interesting about the religious lore of Sussex England that the title and cover art so openly refer to.

The title is what truly caught my eye: THE BURNING GIRLS. That, paired with the promise of uncovering church mysteries, pulled me in.

The story opens with Reverend Jack, short for Jacqueline, who is being informed that she is being relocated to a distant Sussex community after an unfortunate occurrence at her church in Nottingham. Essentially, she wasn’t able to save an abused child from their parents and was partially blamed when the parents murdered the child. 

She moves to Chapel Croft with her 15-year-old daughter, a small village where everyone knows everyone, and her arrival is big news. Immediately, both mother and daughter have separate encounters with appearances of ‘burning girls’, ghostly apparitions who appear to be on fire, and missing bodily limbs. Reverend Jack is coincidentally informed that the creepy stick dolls everywhere are to commemorate the girls and families burned during religious wars back in Olde England. She’s also informed that seeing a ghost of a burning girl is a warning of impending danger.

As the story goes on, Revered Jack’s back story is unfurled. She comes from an abusive home with a psychotic spree-killing brother who is responsible for the death of her husband (who was also a pastor). Just before her move, she was informed that her brother was released from prison. While she thinks she is evading him by moving to Chapel Croft, unbeknownst to her, he is ruthlessly and methodically making his way to her and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

All the characters are dealing with some form of ‘good vs. evil’ struggle, most evident in Reverend Jack’s brother, who seems to have a voice within that he compels him to do evil deeds. There are also several references to the great question of whether or not people can be born bad, and what it means to be bad vs. being a good person doing a bad thing. To be honest, the word count could’ve been better spent exploring the wild history of the burning girls. 

Anyways, fast forward past two girls who went missing long ago being discovered in a well, the dead body of a missing priest being found buried under the church, a devious teenage boy found living with the dead body of his mother, and that same boy plotting the killing of Revered Jack’s daughter simply to please his equally devious killer girlfriend. Oh yeah, I forgot, did I mention that randomly, in the background of the main events, Reverend Jack’s brother has been traveling the countryside on foot and killing anyone who crosses his path?

The story ends in the loud gory cacophony of noise and violence that most B-level thrillers tend to end in. The psycho-killer teens confront Revered Jack and her daughter in the church for the big climax, which results in Jack killing the teens, and the church being set on fire in the process. At the last moment, just before Reverend Jack is engulfed by the flames, her psycho-killer brother rescues her. The people he killed to get to her kind of fade into the background as if his character’s sole purpose was to represent the bad person who does a good thing (in contrast to Reverend Jack being the good person who does a bad thing).

The miasma of “Good and Evil” that this story exists in is muddier than it is inspiring. Too many angels and devils in this garden if you ask me. And again, the gem, the burning girls, barely get any page time! Three stars. Not horrible, but not anything I am compelled to recommend. That said, I’d still love to try THE CHALK MAN, by this author, and give her another chance.

HIDDEN PICTURES by JASON REKULAK (REVIEW)

quickly: a recovering addict gets a new job babysitting a haunted five-year-old. (a young woman trying to live a sober life / a child with a questionable existence / homes that come with guest houses and hidden gardens / disturbed suburbian parents / physical and spiritual battles with sobriety / weird and quirky superstitious neighbors / wickedly beautiful artwork from the spiritual realm / gardeners who make you want to break rules)

not too shabby. not too complex either, honestly. the tone sits firmly in the mystery genre, for me. the ghosts in this story don’t scare or thrill me, but they don’t bore me either. stephen king is quoted on the back cover as saying “the language is straightforward”, and that is absolutely correct. not much poetry or soul to the writing, but it was a full story! it was compelling enough to pull me to the end, but not my favorite ending. it has the kind of ending that you find in most “B” level thrillers (which is no shade, i love b-movies). the ending is a resolution, but it doesn’t take my breath away.

★ ★ ★

more thoughts: SPOILERS!

Some personal context… after a reading sprint that began sometime in March, I spent the past few weeks with THE BOOKS OF JACOB. It is a tome of a book, 900+ pages, and the most time I’ve spent with a book in years. It was an interesting and detailed world to be in, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the thriller/mystery/horror genre, and HIDDEN PICTURES is my return. I read it in less than 24 hours. 

The artwork really pulled me in, and wasn’t as gimmicky as it could have been.

The story opens up with Mallory reflecting on a paid health study she participated in which involved her being blindfolded in front of a group of men. She was instructed to raise her hand if she felt eyes on her, testing her ability to sense the male gaze. She was insanely accurate, telling the instructor that she felt a buzz in her mind whenever she sensed looks. The instructor offers to do more research with her, but Mallory trades her phone for Oxy and the lady is unable to reach her.

After this, we are immediately thrown into the present where Mallory is now sober and has been for 18 months. She is preparing to interview for a babysitting job with The Maxwells, youngish parents living in an affluent suburban enclave. After an awkward and stressful interview that involves her pulling out a piss test to prove her commitment to sobriety, she is hired. Caroline, the Mom, says they believe in giving people second chances, but you learn fast that you can’t believe anything they say.

Soon enough, five-year-old Teddy has formed a close bond with Mallory. The creepy pictures he draws always seem to show an entity hanging around him that no one else can see (but Mallory can sense). Teddy’s mom brushes the pictures off and tells Mallory not to encourage him. After the quirky next-door neighbor tells Mallory about the ghost stories surrounding the guest house where she lives, she eventually convinces herself that her guest house is haunted and the ghost is speaking through Teddy. Half right.

Of course, her pursuit of this tightens the underwear of The Maxwells, and so she begins to investigate under the radar. She enlists the help of The Maxwells’ gardener whom she’s told that she was a local student (and not a recovering person being given a second chance to get her life on track). Fast forwarding past the awkwardness of living with a married couple whose marriage is a thin facade of happiness, the “hauntings”, the creepy photos with the Samura-like girl in them, Mallory trying to confront the super rationalist parents about the supernatural realm, and Mallory trying to make contact to the ghost by ouija board… eventually the ghost jumps into Mallory’s body while she is napping and causes her to draw all over the walls of The Maxwell’s pristine white walls.

The rest is a loud and gory climax with a small scoop of falling action on the side. The parents fire Mallory because of the “artwork”, attributing it to some sort of mental break caused by recovery, and they give her 48 hours to get out. Alex, the gardener, is told about her true background as a recovering addict (but still wants to help her). She miraculously solves the mystery at the last minute and proceeds to do the dumbest thing that characters can do in a mystery/thriller… confront the bad guys with no backup, collateral, witness, or weaponry. The Maxwells reveal their devilry… they are kidnappers who stole a little girl and made her disguise herself as a boy. The child’s real mother, whom Caroline Maxwell killed, is who has been haunting little Teddy.

Caroline Maxwell plans to kill Mallory by drug overdose, but she’s saved by Ted Maxwell who secretly hates his kidnapping murderess wife (but has done nothing but enable her). A delusional Ted is killed by Caroline, in the midst of some pipe dream of him running away to some foreign land with Mallory. A chase ensues, with Mallory running into the woods with Teddy and hiding in a tree. Just as Caroline has hunted them down, the spirit of Teddy’s dead mother possesses her, getting Teddy to kill Caroline with an arrowhead conveniently found earlier in the story. 

That’s how most elements of this story felt. Convenient. The end, while loud and gory, seemed staged. Like I could see the beginning from the end. All the little easter eggs stood out like they had billboards above them pointing out “CLUE HERE”, or “FORESHADOWING”. Yet, I still enjoyed it. Like I would an R.L. Fear Street book. Three stars, but a high three. 

ADDENDUM: seeing from other reviewers how this author's work includes, deceptively, various ideologies used to other and vilify trans children and their parents (which makes me think back to that errant Harry Potter reference). Unfortunate and gross. Knowing makes the work even cheaper than it already was. Keeping my same rating, which was written and determined before I found out. I will definitely be more critical in the future.

To Catch a Ghost - A Paranormal Vlog AU

To Catch a Ghost: The show where two (not) supernatural entities are on a quest to prove (or disprove) the existence of the paranormal. Without letting their unspoken feelings for each other get in the way.

Enter: a mad (?) old lady, an unassuming (haunted?) country cottage, and a nice-and-accurate book of prophecies that definitely can’t know their secrets (right??). Will they catch a ghost? Or (even more unlikely) talk?

Enjoy the show! Or else.

***** To Catch a Ghost – Read the full fic (human au, rated T) on ao3 now!

Written for the Great Omens Big Bang. Incredible artwork done by @cakegnome, beta work by @ineffablerainstorm and @beerok23. Thank you all so, so much!