Tag Archives: horror

The Backyard Pond at Dad’s House

ice pond

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

“Oh, crap.”

Jeremy had been surprised when he was given Dad’s house in his will. They hadn’t even talked in ten years. Then he visited the property and found out why.

“You died on Christmas and are making me deal with your junky place for New Years,” he said.

The backyard pond was not only filled with trash and frozen over, but something was strange.

“What is that, plastic mesh?”

He kicked at it with his shoe and it grabbed back.

“No! What?” Jeremy was pulled off his feet as something cold and hungry sucked him into the small abyss.

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The Phantom of Dark Lake

dark lake

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

The kiosk to the park was long deserted when Charlotte pulled up alongside it. She was surprised that it was so easy to get here despite its reputation.

“Thanks for getting me hear across that crappy backroad.” She slammed shut the door of her ancient four-by-four.

It was still cold an hour later when her booted feet hit the sandy beach. Dark Lake was filled only by underground springs from deep caves. She watched her white breath swirl.

“I know you’re still down there, Mark,” she said. “I’m coming to take you back from that bitch mermaid.” Charlotte stepped forward.

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Relaxing at Sunset

pool

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Harold thought it was great that his friend Jimmy let him use his place in the Arizona desert while he had to stay in Phoenix. At sunset, it was still warm enough to relax in the pool with a drink, and in November, too.

“This is the life,” he said sipping at another bourbon. “At least while the food lasts.”

The emergency news channel was coming across his phone. The narrator was describing the vampire plague sweeping every populated area in the world.

“It’ll take ‘em a while to find me. After Jimmy turns, I wonder if he’ll come home?”

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“Far Futures Book Four” On Pre-order Now!

far futures

Cover art for “Far Futures: Book Four”

Update on the anthology Far Futures: Book Four published by Blue Planet Press. It’s available for pre-order NOW for download onto your Kindle device November 25. Yep, it’s could be a great Christmas gift.

The anthology required all stories to be written on or about Saturn’s moon Titan, so I wrote “Awash on Titan’s Shores.”

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We’ll Come Back To Wake You Up

graveyard

PHOTO PROMPT – © J Hardy Carroll

“Where are we, Sarah?” Five-year-old Emily sat in the grass with her best friend from kindergarten.

“The old graveyard,” said Sarah. “It’s where you find dead people.”

Emily’s mouth gaped. “You mean like my pet turtle that Mommy buried in the backyard?”

“I mean like Great-Grandma who was so old she didn’t know her own name anymore.”

“She’s under here?” Emily touched the flat stone.

“They’ve been dead lots longer,” said Sarah.

“Are we supposed to be here?” Emily looked to see if Mommy was watching.

“No, but it’s okay. We’ll sneak back tonight and wake one of them up.”

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Film Review of “Sketch” (2024)

sketch

Promotional poster for the film “Sketch” (2024)

My ten-year-old granddaughter and I just got back from watching the 2024 movie Sketch, which just had its general release to U.S. theaters yesterday.

Spoiler Alert! This is a brand new film, so if you don’t want to know more, stop here. Well, actually, you should know up front that the PG rating pushes right up against PG-13 for violence and horror. It is actually a children’s horror movie but without the blood, guts, and killing. However, it’s pretty intense.

The story surrounds a Dad Taylor Wyatt (Tony Hale) and his two kids Amber (Dianca Belle) and Jack (Kue Lawrence). The mother has died (no details) and the Dad’s response is to pretty much bypass the anguish and grief and try to push the family beyond it.

That doesn’t work out so well for Amber. She’s always liked to draw, but now, her creations take on a much darker tone including depicting a monster attack on a bullying schoolmate (Kalon Cox as Bowman Lynch). This comes to the attention of a school counselor who actually encourages Amber to draw her darker feelings rather than acting on them (such has having her monsters suck out Bowman’s eyeballs).

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The Patchwork Man

stuff

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

“What the hell is this?” Matthew’s new eyes flickered across the macabre collection of “get well” gifts by his hospital bed.

“I would think it’s obvious, Sir.”

He called her “Big Nurse” but the woman’s nametag said “Louise.”

“I’m back from the dead and my friends send me crap?” He tried to sit up in bed, but morphine-blunted pain restrained him.

“Sir, you have no friends,” said Louise bluntly. “You’ve outlived them all. These are from your doctor.”

“What’s his problem? I pay him well enough.”

“It’s just that he doesn’t like harvesting your clones merely to keep you alive.”

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And the Sea Shall Claim Her Dead

roger-bridge

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

“We came to take nuclear torpedoes from an old submarine, not hunt for ghosts.” Simon, in the pilot’s seat of the deep-sea submersible, sounded almost panicked rather than his usual assured self.

“I can’t help that,” yelled Cora at the hydrophones. The banging I hear from the inside of that sub is an SOS. Someone’s still alive in there.”

“That’s bloody impossible,” snarled Vic. He was working the manipulators trying to free the first torpedo. “We’re 10,000 feet deep and that sub sank 60 years ago.”

“Tell that to them,” Cora shrieked. Then the sea’s dead came for the pirates.

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“Haunted Places” Anthology is Here!

haunted places

Promotional cover art for “Haunted Places” volume 2

It’s here!

The Haunted Places (universal link) anthology featuring my short story “Haunting Chloe” is now available!

Here’s a sample of my story:

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Coming Soon in “Haunted Places”

haunted places

Promotional cover art for “Haunted Places” volume 2

My short story “Haunting Chloe” will be featured in the upcoming anthology “Haunted Places,” edited by Jamie Ferguson.

Jamie’s probably one of the best fiction publishers and editors I’ve worked with. She is very keen on details and proverbially holds my feet to the fire to make sure I turn in the best story possible. She also provides exceptionally helpful feedback on my writing including how (thankfully) it has improved over the past few years.

Here’s the promotional blurb:

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