#EverydayIsHalloween… Costumed Creepies

Tags

#EverdayIsHalloween, costume, scary, story

Hello, dear friends of the creepy.

I was out of the house all day, but not to worry, I was with writers, reading and critiquing. So happiness!

But back to the task at hand. A few days remain until I complete my mission (mostly) of a story-a-day for October. If we ignore the fact that I started the challenge on the 6th (I didn’t see the list until the 5th!) and missed a couple of days (real life, people, real life)… it’s still a lot of stories. Right?

Thank you to The Midnight Society for today’s word, costume. Hmmm…

Transformation

I wanted to be a vampire. So that’s what the little, old woman made me.

The cape flutters at my ankles as I stride into the party. The hunched, gray-haired lady informed me that the best costumes were kept in the back… her special costumes. I didn’t want to be just any vampire. No glittery skin or fake plastic fangs. I wanted to transform into Dracula himself. The original.

A curvy Cleopatra slides her fingers along the edge of my collar as I pass. “Whoa, Jerry, is that you?”

I flip my cape and weave through the crowd. This party will be different. I won’t stand in a corner, hoping someone will talk to me.

A fairy queen winks at me. “Great costume!”

Pride fills my chest.

A scantily clad Viking shield-maiden points her sword at my throat. “Must be the cape, it brings out something…” She narrows her blue eyes, inspecting me. “Irresistible.”

Power crawls through my mind. My heart thumps with self confidence. No woman had ever found me attractive.

A witch stares at me, her black fingernails tapping against the buttons on my shirt. I take a deep breath. The scent of desire mixes with her perfume. The party thrums around us, yet the sounds of beating hearts rises above the music and laughing.

Throbbing veins in their necks draw my gaze. A low growl rumbles in my throat as yearning seeps into mind. A darkness settles in my soul.

The witch gasps. “Your eyes! How did you make them black?”

“What?” I ask, stepping towards her.

My fairy queen shoves the witch out of the way and gazes into my eyes. “Exquisite.”

Leaning forward, my lips brushing her neck. My stomach twists with desire. I straighten. My green-eyed witch, warrior, and winged beauty flock to me, cling to me like cobwebs.

A cowboy passes, raising his brows in approval. “How do you do it, man?”

My tongue passes over fangs as they form in my mouth. “I am Dracula.”

End

Good thing I don’t have any Halloween parties to attend.

 

 

 

#EverydayIsHalloween… Don’t be Afraid of the Dark.

Tags

#EverdayIsHalloween, Midnight Society, night, ProjectREUTSway, scary, story

It’s story time! Everyone gather around, pull up a chair or a pillow and have a seat.

A shout out to The Midnight Society for putting forth the challenge! Check it out here. Even though I think I am the only one out here in the web verse doing this. I am having a great time!

This helps me prepare, flex my creative muscle, for ProjectReutsWay, a short story competition, which begins in November. Read about it here and sign up. What do you have to lose?

The inspiration word for today, that I looked at two hours ago, is night.

Ooooohhhh, the possibilities! My brain has latched onto an idea, so we’ll see where it goes.

Darkness

The alarm blares as sunset coats the sky with red. I jump out of bed, my mind spinning. Moments. Minutes linger before my work begins. Every night. The ritual, the madness.

My hand shakes as I crunch on dry toast and stare out the window. The edge of the sun dips below the horizon. Twilight. My last seconds of peace… before night.

As the light fades from the sky, I flip on the light over the sink. Two steps to electrify the light over the stove, another step and the overhead blazes to life. I follow my path, the seven steps to the living room. The bulbs on the ceiling fan brighten. Two steps to the end table. Six more steps to the other end table. Five steps to the hall.

The spare bedroom.

The bathroom.

My room.

I stand in the hallway. Warmth spreads from every doorway. My trembling body screams that I don’t have the strength to continue the struggle. How many nights do I have left?

As soon as night falls, a click sounds from the living room. My heart leaps as fear takes hold of my mind. I race down the hall, searching for the extinguished light. I nearly knock the lamp over as I twist the knob.

Click.

The kitchen goes dark.

Click.

My bedroom door becomes a black hole.

Like some kind of trained animal, I sprint around the house, chasing the dark. I can’t let it win. For in the blackness, it will come to pull me into whatever hell it comes from.

Click.

Click.

Tears steam down my face. Every night. I fight. But every night, my body grows weaker. My mind threatens to shatter into a million pieces. My legs quiver with every step. I stumble in the hall, falling to my knees.

Click. Click. Click.

Panic drives me to stand, and I trip into the living room. My breaths come in ragged gasps. A fog creeps through my brain. Maybe I have reached the end.

I collapse to the floor.

Click. Click.

With a roar, darkness claims me.

End

Tonight, I’ll be sleeping with the lights on. Pleasant dreams!

 

 

 

 

#EverydayIsHalloween… October Terror for all!

Tags

#EverdayIsHalloween, October traditions, pumpkin carving, scary, story

*inhales*

Smell that? The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. The marvelous aroma of fires. Listen to the browned corn stalks chatter in the air. Watch the leaves fall to the ground. Orange pumpkins wait silently in fields. And that brings me to our inspiration of the day brought to us here by The Midnight Society.

October traditions.

Immediately I think of carving pumpkins. I LOVE creating a creepy face that will flicker all Halloween night.

My creation from 2013

Here’s a little story to make you think twice about sticking  a knife in a helpless pumpkin.

My Jack 

The newspaper crinkles as I plop my pumpkin on the kitchen table. The carving knife shines in the light. My finger caresses the smooth orange skin as I gaze at the monstrous orange vegetable… or is it a fruit? Chewing on my bottom lip, I inspect my choice.

“You’re kinda funky shaped,” I mutter. “So creepy face it is!” The pen glides over the surface, leaving lines that form sharp points of teeth and crazy narrow eyes. Standing back, I critique my work and nod in satisfaction.

“You’re perfect.”

A low gasp creeps through the air as the knife makes the first wound. I stop and glance around the kitchen. “Pixie? Are you in here, kitty-kitty?”

Nothing.

With a shrug, I continue my work, giving my pumpkin life. Diligently, I clean out the inside, the sound of metal scraping against the rind filling the room. Glee swirls in my mind as I sit to add his features. Slow and steady, the knife reveals his character. Evil. Dangerous.

“You’ll keep the ghouls away, won’t you, my Jack?” The smooth, moist edge of his mouth grins. With the discarded pieces, I painstakingly whittle horns to circle his head, like a crown. The prince… no, King of Halloween. A few extra pumpkin bits make fangs. Deadly. The knife slips, slicing into my finger. Blood drips onto my creation.

I hiss, grabbing one napkin to wrap my injury and another to wipe the imperfection from my pumpkin. Too late, the red stain seeps into the skin.

“Well, I guess that makes you scarier.” A stray seed sits on the inside. “That has to go.” I reach my hand into his mouth and scream as Jack’s fangs sink into my arm.

Blood, my blood, trickles from his mouth as the pumpkin clamps his mouth tighter. Fear rushes through my body, a knot of panic forming in my stomach. I beat at the pumpkin, pushing away from the table and falling out of my chair. Frantically, I swing at the devil vegetable still attached to my arm. My knees connect with its tough exterior. My heart pounds as I fight through the pain careening along my arm. A glint of light catches my attention. The knife blade peeks over the table edge. Determination flares as I lunge for the weapon. The metal bites into my palm when I grab it. Tears course down my face, blurring the world and my attacker as I plunge the blade into its skin.

Shrieking, it releases my arm. From the stab wound, yellow puss oozes, sizzling onto the floor. My arm throbs. Sobs pour from my lips as I sink onto the floor, my head fuzzy, the world darkening.

End

And that’s that, I guess.

Seventeen more days to go! Halloween is almost here. Maybe skip the pumpkin carving, or stick with happy faces.

 

#EverydayIsHalloween … *cackles*

Tags

#EverdayIsHalloween, challenge, crazy day, story, witches

long Hello! It’s late… I have been out all day and participated in an online video show about writing… #WWW (Whiskey, Wine, and Writing) with the fabulous @ThiryNerdy and @ELWicker … follow them! Whew! I was nervous! Check it out here!

Anyway, all day I worried… when would I get time to celebrate the Midnight Society’s writing challenge? Would I miss a day? *gasp* *panic*

Go read about it and join in the fun… here.

NO! I shall not surrender.

Today’s word is witches. Hmmm… this one has me stumped. I love magic and spells. Please, having my own cauldron and cabinet of potion ingredients would make my life. But a story inspired by witches? I fear I will grab onto the cliche. I fear I have little to say, but I suppose it’s not about the amount of words as the emotions and images they send spiraling into our brains. Right? Soooo… let’s see where the single idea in my brain takes us…

The Coven

I woke and blinked at the star-filled sky. Sitting up, my fingers dug into damp ground. Wild grasses scratched my skin. Moonlight crept across a clearing, leading my gaze to a line of trees. A hooded form stepped out of the shadows. My heart raced as I leapt to my feet, my hands twisting in my long, brown hair. Silence drifted through the air, settling like death on the ground at my feet.

I chewed on my fingernail, the red polish chipping under my teeth. Panic struck my mind. Where was I? How had I gotten there?

A whisper announced the arrival of another figure as if arising from hell. I spun in a circle as one by one more figures appeared, surrounding me. All cloaked. All silent. They stepped forward, their robes rippling like ghosts. Mist stretched out from their bodies like claws.

Holding in a scream, I snapped my head around, my gaze falling on one then another then another. Closer and closer they stalked, flickering in and out of view, speeding up and slowing down as if time held no meaning. A low hiss crawled from their hoods. In a blink, they surrounded me, blocking out the trees and field.

I huddled on the ground, the mist swirling around me, filling my nose and mouth, clouding my vision. My chest hitched as I fought to breathe. Fear and panic gripped my heart.

Sisssssster…

My thoughts cleared. My body relaxed. The scream lodged in my throat transformed into triumphant laughter.

I embraced my sisters as darkness wove through my soul.

End

And that would be that. Twenty more to go. *takes a deep breath* I wish you all a fabulous weekend with a bit of creepy thrown in … for fun. *bows*