Ah! Halloween! My favorite time of year! People rushing to the stores to stock up on candy, children dressing up as monsters to scare people, the many horror films shown on TV and in cinemas… In short! A dream come true! I can’t think of a more effervescent festival than this one! That was the case a year ago, but not anymore. This year, nobody celebrates Halloween anymore. The streets are completely deserted, and the city’s stores are all closed on this day. So much so that even the word “Halloween” has been banished from the locals’ vocabulary. I think I’m still one of the few people who fantasize about this holiday. The police and the city did everything in…

This whole story started three days ago. I was on the bus, listening to music, when I spotted a black umbrella on one of the empty seats. At first, I hesitated to take it. It may sound strange, but I always feel a little guilty taking something that doesn’t belong to me, even when it’s abandoned. However, it never lasts very long and I end up taking it home. If I don’t get it back, who will? I grabbed it as I got off the bus. It was a bit of a windfall. That day, it was pouring with rain and, like an idiot, I had come without my k-way. As I began to open it, I was surprised to…

What is more loyal than a friend but also as sticky as chewing gum? At first glance, the question may seem strange. Well! OK! It’s strange. It was asked of me by a drunk friend in the middle of a New Year’s Eve party. Let’s just say it quickly left my mind. And yet, as short and abstract as it is, it has the merit of resonating with my situation. Before getting to the heart of the matter, let me tell you more about it. I am a director of shadow plays, also known as “shadow puppetry.” These are those famous silhouettes that you create using your body or objects. For my part, I have chosen to prioritize the use…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of flying. I mean… who hasn’t dreamed of flying? It’s the most wonderful thing there is. I still remember, as a youngster, my afternoons spent scanning the sky, trying to make out shapes in the clouds. Who hasn’t? A rabbit, a dragon, a monster or even a car. Watching the clouds has never been so stimulating for our imagination. However, I wanted to be more than just a spectator. I wanted to swim in this ocean of lightness, to split the skies like a bird: free as a bird and with no one to disturb you. What a wonderful feeling! I even remember believing that clouds were actually made of cotton,…

I remember when the nightmares first started. I think it was ten, maybe twelve years ago. We had just gotten a new house, one of those old buildings that cracked and groaned when anything moved inside it, the ones they sell real cheap to poor families like mine instead of demolishing. I was only 16 at the time, and my dad thought that he, my brother, and I could use a rest start away from the city. Sometimes I wish we never started, I wish we never moved out of our old apartment, but sometimes, I understand that maybe it was fate that brought me here, fate that dragged me to the front steps of a nightmare. I remember that…

Eric, my precious little boy. Just look at those precious eyes! They’re big and bulging out of their sockets, staring in opposite directions. He has such a nice face—sure, he’s missing a nose, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Now, look at that wide smile and those white, clean teeth. I helped brush them yesterday; don’t they look nice? They look nice to me! See that striped sweater of his? Yeah, I bought it for him at a thrift store, but he doesn’t seem to show any emotion towards me, even though I got him some good clothes. I told my wife about our son, but she said something I wasn’t aware of: “Dear, our child has been dead for…

What is more loyal than a friend but also as sticky as chewing gum? At first glance, the question may seem strange. Well! OK! It’s strange. It was asked of me by a drunk friend in the middle of a New Year’s Eve party. Let’s just say it quickly left my mind. And yet, as short and abstract as it is, it has the merit of resonating with my situation. Before getting to the heart of the matter, let me tell you more about it. I am a director of shadow plays, also known as “shadow puppetry.” These are those famous silhouettes that you create using your body or objects. For my part, I have chosen to prioritize the use…

Through these old records, I will inform you of the incident that occurred years ago in a small village named Crete. I am a scholar and investigator who will notify you of the research I have gathered about the local college in Crete. I will give the reader a brief overview of the school’s origins. Built in the 1760s, the University of Crete became the village’s first to offer academic programs. In 1765, it was built as a fully functional institution that the Board of Education authorized. The workers hired to build the halls were instructed not to venture unnecessarily through the tunnels within the basement. At first glance, the school appeared to be like any other. Through further view,…

The village of Driftwood Cove sat at the edge of the world—or so it felt. Waves crashed endlessly against jagged cliffs, their spray licking the stones like hungry tongues. The cries of gulls mingled with the low whispers of old sailors’ tales, carried on the wind like secrets best left unspoken. Here, the sea ruled everything, its storms a reminder of its unrelenting power, its rare moments of calm a fleeting grace. At the heart of the village, an ancient inn leaned against the wind, its timbers groaning with age. Inside, villagers gathered in uneasy silence by the hearth, their words low and deliberate. They spoke of a thing—a presence—they called the Lantern Man. “Don’t follow the light.”, muttered old…

My fingers shake involuntarily as I slouch like a giant insect and type this on the computer. I don’t want to write it, but I have no choice but to document what happened here. I could write it slowly, thoughtfully, and clearly, but I can’t—I’ve never been a writer, and I’m in no position to turn this into a professional essay. After all, I have to hurry, we all have to hurry. The pieces of plaster that have fallen from the walls are starting to move like little cockroaches, which means I don’t have much time left. I have to finish this before it gets to me. I can hear the crackle of iron in the pipes behind the wall…

When I was a kid I used to play down by the creek that was behind my house. I’d throw rocks, play with plastic army men, make little houses out of mud and sticks having them sink into the creek. On a particular hot day in July when I was about nine I was sitting by the edge of the creek. I had my feet in the water trying to cool down as the day was unbearably humid. I had my eyes closed and didn’t hear her walk up. “Hello” I heard an older voice say. I open my eyes and see a thin middle aged woman wearing a thin white dress, walking barefoot carrying a box under an arm.…

Its been 6 hours since I sent my message. Seen, but no reply. Something must have happened. Maybe he’s hurt? It’s not unlikely that he tripped and hit his head. His apartment is a mess after all. I push my chair out, arising  into a panicked loop as I walk a figure eight around my room. My feet kick against bottles and cans, my foot swings and an old pizza box is sent flying, launching stale crusts across the room. Maybe he’s ignoring me? No, of course not. He’s not like that. I grab the keys to my car from their spot next to my laptop and head for the door, my foot slipping as I grab the handle. The…

I’ve worked as a lunch lady/cafeteria worker for close to a year now and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. Originally when I applied for it, I was beyond disappointed that my endless job searching had concluded with not only the high school I despised going to, but easily the worst position in it. I would’ve taken the school janitor if they had offered but I didn’t have any options. I was broke, had to look for new employment since the diner I previously worked at had multiple health code violations. And since I was a high school dropout and never went to college, finding a well-paying job has proved difficult. Normally a school cafeteria position requires a high…

Since the 1990s, people from all over the world have received a series of strange phone calls dubbed the ‘Wake Up Calls’, from an unknown caller. These calls at first, according to witnesses, seem like mundane calls from telemarketers or people calling the wrong number. Though shortly after, usually after the 3rd or 4th call, the calls seem to take on a more eerie and bizarre air about them. Regardless of the ringtone of the phone, these particular call’s rings seem to be off. Most accounts claim that the ring will seem to contain, although faintly, people calling their name, or meowing and/or barking, or beeping or ringing of an alarm, though others recount bubbling, odd mechanical noises, and what…