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Showing posts from May, 2023

Short Story Excerpt: Borrowed Time

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  I wrote this story based on a couple I knew in real life many years ago. They were the perfect personification of the “Ken and Barbie power couple” of the 90s. Whatever image comes to mind when you hear that phrase is exactly who they were. When I knew them, there came a time when they were on the outs, constantly fighting even in my presence. When I was alone with “Ken,” he would confide in me that he was absolutely certain “Barbie” was cheating on him. Even though he was sure of her infidelity, he couldn’t provide any justification. Just like the protagonist in Borrowed Time , “Ken” said it was just a feeling, or a sense that something was off. I don’t know if Ken & Barbie ever split up. Who knows? They may have gotten married eventually. I like to think that’s what happened. As for Borrowed Time , I can’t guarantee such a happy ending.        Brent had never had much faith in the supernatural. He’d scoffed at self-proclaimed psychics more times than he cared to count

Short Story Excerpt: Night Terrors

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  This was another story that I had written years ago and lost when an earlier computer crashed. I’ve rewritten the story and I’m still amazed by how much of it I remembered. The plot and characters all seemed to flow from my fingertips just as though they would have if I’d had the first copy as a reference. Night Terrors is more of an urban horror, dealing with the consequences of moving people in and out of tract housing as though there’s never anything left behind. Lydia and her neighbors quickly discover that some things do get left behind. When that happens in Night Terrors , Lydia quickly finds that it’s the new occupant who is left to deal with the ethereal fallout. Get a glimpse of that which gets left behind in Night Terrors here:         Her first glance told her that everything seemed normal. Jacob was sleeping soundly and everything else in the room appeared still and silent. Releasing a sigh of relief and silently chiding herself for letting her emotions get so w