Halloween Horror

This is my contribution to the 1000 Word Meme this week. I thought it was fitting.



“This is why I hate Halloween,” Stan remarked, gazing at the mutilated bodies in the bedroom.”All the crazies come out of the woodwork.”

His partner was examining the body of the lady of the house. She used to be quite beautiful according to the picture by the bed. Now it was all he could do to look at her. Her face had been carved up. It looked like someone had tried to make her look like the Joker off the Batman movie.

The man wasn’t any better. His nose had been cut off and his eyes poked out.

“I don’t understand why there aren’t signs of a struggle,” Stan said. “It looks like someone just walked in, did the deed, and waltz out pretty as you please.”

“Chief, you need to see this,” a deputy called from the kitchen.

“What ya got,” he asked upon entering the kitchen.

“We found this sitting on the counter beside the booze,” he said, pointing at a box of rat poison.

“You got to be shitin me. Nobody uses rat poison to kill these days.”

“Seems somebody did. Looks like it still works too,” the deputy replied.

Stan made his way back to the bedroom shaking his head. Rat poison. Haven’t had a case of that in years, he thought.

“They were poisoned, John. Rat poison, if you can believe it,” Stan told his partner.

“Guess that explains why they didn’t put up a fight. That stuff’s lethal.”

***

“Holy Shit!” someone in another part of the house muttered.

Stan and John made their way to a bedroom down the hall. As they entered they saw a deputy staring into the closet. He was stock still with a shocked expression on his face.

“What is it, deputy?” Stan asked.

“A kid,” the deputy replied.

“A kid? Well, what are you doing? Get him out of the closet.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chief.”

“Why the hell not?” Stan asked as he made his way to the closet.

What he saw inside chilled even his hardened heart. A child of about ten was sitting crossed legged in the closet floor holding a small dog. In the child’s hand was a knife. He was busy carving the dogs face.

The chief heard him say, “I’m sorry, Toby, but Mom wouldn’t get me a pumpkin. I asked her and Dad both but they wanted to get drunk as usual. I just wanted one normal Halloween like all the kids at school talk about. I wanted to carve a pumpkin! I think yours is going to look the best. I practiced on Mom and Dad first. I wonder if I can cut the heads off and sit them on the porch?”

Wasting Daylight

This is my contribution to the 1000 Words meme for the week. You really should go check out the picture they have up, it's beautiful!


Annabelle couldn’t wait to go outside. She was literally hopping from one foot to the other waiting on her mother to get ready. She’d been ready for hours. She didn’t understand why her mother had to sleep so late, and then take so long getting ready.

“Come on, Mom, we’re burning daylight here,” she cried.

After her mother finished laughing she asked, “Where did you hear that, Annabelle?”

“From Daddy.”

“It does sound like something he’d say,” her mom agreed.

“Are you ready, Mom?”

“Ok, come on I’m ready now,” her mom said as she grabbed her coat.

Annabelle already had her coat on. She’d been wearing it for the last hour, even though her mom said she’d get too hot. She wasn’t worried about that, she just wanted to go.

She was in the car and buckled up before her mom even got down the driveway. Her foot was swinging back and forth against the seat as she waited impatiently for her mom to back the car out. She just couldn’t wait to get there!

Once they got to the park, she jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. After running around to her mom’s side, she grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Once they rounded the bend she stopped with a gasp.

“Oh, Mom, isn’t it beautiful? God painted the trees again. I just knew He would!”

Locked Away

This weeks story for the 1000 Words Meme.

Alisa sat looking out at the dreary afternoon. Rain pelted the window, the teardrops washing the grime away. How she wished to be outside! She only felt alive when she got to leave this room. Inside, her spirit was weak and her thoughts ran away with her. She feared what might happen if she were locked inside too long.

“Alisa, are you still sitting at that window?” her mother called from the kitchen.

Alisa didn’t answer. Her mother knew she was at the window. She was always at the window when she couldn’t be outside.

“You know, they said it might rain all week. You can’t sit there and do nothing all that time,” her mother went on.

“All week!” Alisa squeaked.

There was no way she could go a whole week cooped up inside. She’d go crazy! She had to be outside and breathe the fresh air. See the birds flying, and hear the squirrels scampering. Her soul would wither and die if kept inside that long.

“We need the rain, Alisa. We’ve been in a drought in case you haven’t noticed.”

Alisa had noticed. She loved the drought. It meant she got to go outside every day! She didn’t have to come in until supper time. For a whole month she’d been able to sit beneath the trees and smell the grass. She loved taking her shoes off and scrunching her toes in the grass. She knew there’d be no grass without rain, but somehow that wasn’t as important as going outside.

“Can I go play in the rain, Mom?” Alisa asked plaintively.

“No, you’ll catch cold.”

“It’s not cold outside, Mom. I’ll wear a coat.”

“Alisa, you know how your dad feels about you going out in bad weather. He thinks you spend too much time daydreaming outside anyway.”

Alisa knew what her Dad thought. He’d told her often enough. He didn’t understand the pull of nature. The only time he wanted to go outside was if he was going to a ballgame. Her mom wasn’t much better. She only went out to do the grocery shopping.

Alisa remembered the time she’d asked if she was adopted. The stunned expressions on her parent’s faces were comical. They really had no idea why she’d asked. When she tried to explain, talking about all the differences between them, they just got more confused. She finally gave up; although she still wondered from time to time.

“Ok, Mom,” Alisa sighed, turning back to the window.

The rain continued to hit the window. Alisa watched as the drops slid down and disappeared. Disappeared just like her soul was. Slowly, one drop at a time.

Around the Bend

This is my contribution to the 1000 word meme for the week. I hope you enjoy it!

I wonder what’s around the bend. You can almost see, but not quite. Ah, the unknown! It beckons, and yet frightens at the same time.

Do I have the courage to go around the bend? It doesn’t look threatening. Then again, looks can be deceiving.

There could be treasures around the bend; flowers in perfect bloom, kittens playing in the leaves, children laughing and dancing. Or there could be a mad dog.

My true love might wait around the bend; with long flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and lips of luscious red. Ready to take me in her arms forever and carry me away on the winds of passion. But what if there’s a mugger there instead?

Around the bend. What waits around the bend? Life is full of uncertainty. Sometimes it really is a matter of faith. Take the first step! Go around the bend.

Playground Dreams

This is my contribution to the 1000 words meme contest. I love finding all these new places to write for. I hope someone likes the story!



The clock was stuck at 1:55. Charles was sure of it. He’d been staring outside at the playground for hours, but the clock hadn’t changed. He really wanted to go outside and play. School work was boring!

“Charles, are you finished with your paper?” Mrs. Sutton asked.

“Yes Ma’am. I finished it a long time ago. When can we go outside?”

“At 2:00, the same time we go for recess every day.”

“Is the clock broken, Mrs. Sutton?”

“No, Charles, the clock isn’t broken; just like it wasn’t broken yesterday or the day before. Just be patient.” Mrs. Sutton sighed.

Charles wasn’t good at being patient. He wanted to play now. He didn’t understand why the other kids couldn’t get done faster. If they did he was sure Mrs. Sutton would take them outside earlier.

“Hurry up, Terry, I wanna go outside,” Charles said to the friend sitting in front of him.

“Charles, that’s enough. Quit bugging people. If you disrupt the class one more time I’ll have to send you to the principal’s office.” Mrs. Sutton warned.

Charles sat back in his desk and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to go to the principal’s office again. His parents didn’t like that at all. He’d just have to wait on all the slow pokes to finish. Hopefully tomorrow they’d be faster.

***

The next day when Charles got to class he saw that the clock was missing. He knew it was broken! Mrs. Sutton must have taken it down to fix it.

“Mrs. Sutton, when will the clock be fixed?” Charles asked.

“The clock is not broken, Charles, I told you that.” Mrs. Sutton replied.

“Where is it then?”

“I took it down. Now you will just have to wait until I say it’s time to go outside.”

Charles didn’t like this at all. It’s not fair to take the clock down! He needed to know how long he had to wait. He would be sitting here forever now!

“Ok, Charles, quit brooding and do your assignment.” Mrs. Sutton ordered.

“Yes Ma’am.”

The next thing Charles knew, Mrs. Sutton was standing up and saying it was time for recess. Charles couldn’t believe it. He knew that stupid clock had been broken. He hadn’t even finished his assignment today, and he always got done before 2:00 according to the clock. He should know, he looked at it often enough. Now he’d get an even worse grade!