With clenched fists, I pound on your door Shrill cries unlike you’ve ever heard before Mustering all the strength I have left in my core Frantic and desperate screams, you ignore In the dead of night, the world is without colours A twig cracks, a bush shudders Gasping for air as my heart flutters As shadowed beasts encircle me like vultures With a menacing grin and eyes of jade Slowly approaching, each wielding a sharp bl...
In the cold dimness, I hear it shriek A single tear runs down my cheek As it approaches, the floorboards groan and creak I hold my breath and dare not to speak I crawl to a corner in which to hide in Sweat binds clothes to my skin My heart pulses, my vision spins Time is running out and I cannot win With each passing moment Bone-quaking footsteps boom from my opponent And with it, a slow eternal torment I recite a silent...
The road before you is perilous What lies beyond the fog is dangerous Legends of creatures ever so treacherous Shall you choose to be cautious or adventurous? Nothing can truly prepare you for this journey You pray that the gods may show you mercy Your hands shake as your heart fills with worry Shall you be triumphant or return on a gurney? Something just moved in the trees, You hope that it was only the breeze Yet your u...
The giant blades of the turbines cut through the air almost silently despite their looming, ominous presence. Katarina stared out the window at them as she drove along Highway 402. This stretch of the road seemed to be littered with futuristic-looking windmills. Kat could swear they had doubled in number since the last time she’d driven on this road. Then again, it had been nearly four years since she’d last traveled acro...
It comes to me in whispers, Tapping at my unconscious window Peering from behind frozen glass Wriggling around the outskirts of my mind It comes to me in waves, Clawing at my insides one minute Gone the next Intervals of frantic flutters and static bristles It comes to me in droves, Hurls me to the ground, Leaving me windless in a storm of hooves Trampling over my heart It comes to me naturally, Every step is taken breath...
Focus on the beauty, the geometrical phenomenon of frozen water in spectacular crystallized form. Each one appears different from the next and captivating to behold. And while these minuscule bits of ice appear white due to the diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light through each tiny facet, they are actually quite clear. As she sat staring out the window into the great expanse of snow, she allowed herself to dr...
Labels. There are so many labels now. And it's confusing And scary And amazing Because I finally know where I fit These didn't exist when we were all finding ourselves Though I paused finding myself to hide myself in the identities of others. We, not me. I'm still finding me But I know pieces I am a business owner I am a writer I am a line cook I am a bookworm I am she/they I'm somewhere in the Rainbow Club I want to shou...
"Beep!" A coke can. "Beep!" Rusty barbed wire. Every time Derek got a response from his metal detector, it turned out to be another worthless item. The farmer always gave him permission to check out his field after the autumn ploughing, and all day he had been working back and forth without a single meaningful find. As dusk was approaching, Derek decided it was time to give up for the day and head home. But as he collecte...
The Halloween season was full upon us when my stepdaughter asked me to take her and one of her friends to one of the local haunted attractions. Now my background in planning and executing my own haunted house left me kind of jaded and I rarely ever visited any other attraction. The asking turned into begging that started with the phrase of pretty please and eventually I gave in. Now my stepdaughter despite her love of hor...
It’s that moment when you know you’re being watched; when an invisible hand reaches into your dreams and drags you back to reality. The shock sends your heart racing, the panic intensifying when inner voices whisper, Don’t make a sound, something’s not right. We’ve all experienced that prickling sensation as the hairs on the back of our neck stand to attention while our ears burn, straining to pick out the tiniest of soun...
The impact was sudden and fierce. But the fear didn’t set in until I saw the vehicle that rear-ended me rolling toward me. “I’m not ready to die,” I prayed out loud. Then I closed my eyes and let faith wash over me. When I opened my eyes again, the silver SUV was inches from my door. Miraculously, it was standing on its side instead of on top of me. I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding and let fat tears roll...
Pop! Pop! Pop! She flung herself off her bed, hitting the ground with a thump! Two black furballs became airborne, startled by their human's sudden movement. Thankfully, cats always landed on their feet. Her pounding heartbeat annoyed her as she struggled to listen for more pops. As a further upset, her constant companion, Anxiety, screamed, "You're gonna die! You're gonna die, woman!" Becoming one with the carpet, she l...
Something flew past the bedroom window as Shannon closed it for the night. The dark shape went by quickly, so quickly that Shannon could not really see what it was. Startled, she jumped back. “Probably just a bat or bird,” the young woman muttered as she quickly closed the window and curtains. She did not quite believe that. The shadow passing through the night had seemed too big for any wildlife. Shannon scurried to the...
‘What a view.’ Felix never imagined that thought would ever cross his mind while looking down from a Ferris Wheel, probably because he had always kept his eyes shut. Earlier, the yin and yang of excitement and trepidation had pulled at him when he and his dad arrived at the summer carnival. Like any boy, he loved the atmosphere, essentially a kid’s version of Nirvana: the lights, the sideshows, the games, the rides, the j...
Early 1940. Siren’s mournful wailing, signalling, Our first air raid. Fearfully looking at me, she switched off all the lights Then she came to hug me close, her body trembling. I’d never seen her like this, so full of fear and worry. “It’s all right,” I reassured her. A distant bang, surely approaching thunder “Oh, God.” Her voice displaying her terror. “Down the stairs,” she urged. The steps down from our flat were soli...
