Past As you probably know, Christmas is indeed a time for reflection. A time to revisit memory and times gone by with those you've loved and those you've lost. I should know. I am, as it happens, the ghost of Christmas past. Ugh, the ghost of...
I was headed toward the airport to catch a flight, driving down a country road that my GPS claimed would serve as a shortcut when my luck officially ran out. A sudden flat tire caused me to swerve off the road, slamming my rental car into...
In the late 1800s, set against the raw beauty of Lake Michigan, if you looked across the water, you would often see a dazzling spectacle. Sleek, three-masted schooners were running smoothly on a western wind day in and day out before the days of motor vehicles....
Everyone in town knew my family, the Bowers. We are considered cornerstones by some. Never wavering in any community activity. Until this year. We experienced a tragedy, one that only now with the holidays past us I can talk about. It’s an event that changed the meaning of this...
Eggnog, the Guinness of dairy products, There are two types of people: those that hate it, and those that love it. I was born on December 22nd, just three days before Christmas Day. I can remember my mother talking about how she drank it by the...
Her shoes were too tight. The coat was too itchy. And by god, if Zoe heard ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ one more time, she’d go postal on everyone here. That would be a memorable visit to the mall’s North Pole- seeing one...
My very first Halloween, I wasn’t on the schedule. It was my first year as an EMT. I had a calling, to attempt to resurrect the dead for minimum wage. I was interested in the busy shifts, but apparently Halloween is one of those days...
My family still visits now and then. They check-in, a text once every so often, an email. I don’t blame them. They act concerned but keep just enough distance not to become wrapped up in the stench that follows me. My parents still hold onto...
There are numerous games that circulate the internet. Most are written for fun. A rare few are written based on real experiences of those who found the worn corners of reality. Some are trying to quantify it into a recipe as a way to process...
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” John 3:13 CHAPTER 1 Devon, England. October 1991 The Duke’s Head pub had been derelict for two years now; boarded up, condemned; but no one missed it. It had never been a...
If you see this man on the side of the road, don’t drive home. We have this urban legend in my city called the Wrong Way Man. Supposedly, you might see him standing on the side of the road when you’re driving. Some say it’s always...
My first memory is of loneliness. Sitting forgotten on a shelf, detached from the world. Unloved and abandoned. I suppose it was sometime around 1934, although I couldn’t recall the exact day. Like anything else in this world, I don’t recall the start of my own...
“With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Detective John McCarthy stood in the ankle-deep snow. Blowing hot air into his cupped hands while examining the scene. Christ. Why’d he...
His name was Connor. Dustin Connor, but he never went by that name. Some called him Con or Connor. I called him Mr. Connor. Mr. Connor was the bravest and most imposing man that I and many have ever known. He stood well over six feet...
There was no longer any joy to be found in All Hallows Eve; not for Ash, not this year. What was, once upon a time, his very favourite holiday and time of the year, was now a time of despair and desolation, all pleasure and...
The road was long and winding, curling like a restless serpent through the thickly wooded foliage of the forest. Towering monumental trees marched ever so vigilantly alongside it, green and bristling, as if they were hairy green giant soldiers standing guard over the lonely strip...
Dak and Chadwick each lit up a smoke and cracked their windows, the excitement of a good day fishing warming their spirits despite the cold wind that suddenly filled the cab of Chadwick’s truck. The sporadic raindrops that began to fall as they left the...
Darren stood at the bow of the boat, staring at the beautiful topless woman that floated and bobbed in the water nearby, her fire-red hair fanning out into the sea around her. She was smiling at him. It was the most gorgeous smile he had...
Gary came out of his house, letting the screen door slam behind him. His best bud/ultimate nemesis, Ray, was waiting on his bicycle at the edge of his lawn. Gary ignored the spitballs Ray was sending his way and went around the side of his...
December 25th, 2018 was the worst day the town of Brigantine had seen since its founding. People call it the Christmas of the Lost. My heart still stammers just writing about it. Hundreds of parents laid out gifts under their Christmas Trees the night before. Each...
