The alien in the cornfield (Halloween horror short story, Write Anything challenge)

It was a rainy afternoon, the kind that makes you put on your coat, open the door, sigh heavily and then turn back to flop down on the couch and stay there. But not for Bill. At least not this time.

Halloween Week!!!

Hooray, hooray, it's (almost) Halloween!

Convinced as I am that one day just isn't enough for this glorious event, there will be a full week (and a few days) devoted to my favourite part of the year (f*** Christmas).

I added a new 'Halloween Week' page that lists all of my own Halloween-ish posts (and will remain available till somewhere in the first week of November).

Basically, every post of this week will have to accord to the Halloween theme.

Feel free to join me with 'Halloween Week' and leave links to your own scary stuff in the comment section or in this forum thread. I'd like to read me some scary stories too, so if you've got some, help me find them ;).

After all, life's too short to do without a good scare...

The Surgeon's Assistant (A Halloween horror short story)

The Surgeon’s Assistant

Her quick feet thudded through the empty corridor. The wind howling through the broken windows could not drown out the distinct clang of metal against metal behind her as he ran his scalpel across the cracked wall.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He bellowed, bursting into hysteric laughter.

“Please let me go!” She panted, her back against the wall.

He gestured with his smoking cigar and leisurely puffed the fumes in her direction, filling the hall with a breathtaking heaviness. Lightning set a ghastly light to his blood-stained scrubs. 

Blogger Wonderland

Exactly one year ago, little Stories - isn't it wonderful how you can always patronise a (slightly) younger self? – inadvertently hopped into Blogger. There a little orange rabbit popped up. ‘Do you want to create a new blog?” The button-rabbit asked tentatively.

“Hey, what’s that?” Little Stories asked *self and clicked it. With a dizzying fall, the noob writer plummeted through the rabbit hole where (s)he beheld a world of miracles, where people from all over the world could converse and laugh together as if there was no distance between them, where the wonderful people and skilful fellow-writers were suddenly only a link away.

Stories ‘ooh’ed’ and ‘ah’ed’ through the year, pulling some leaves aside and surprised to find a jolly little coffee shop where people who never met sat together nipping delicious chatter. 'Booh!' Stories cried. 'What are you doing?' And then the new comer soon joined the regulars for thee.

There at that table, (s)he met the most interesting creatures, a boy with a gigantic hammer longing to smash something, a witch-doctor with a wicked pen, The Red Queen of Ranting, a high school girl writing by the sea side, a boy who spoke only one hundred words at a time, a multi-talented lady buttering toast, an active pilgrim on a path to enlightenment and enlightening others on the way, and many many others aside. Stories stumbled into a decorated Hall where the walls were full of marvels and – perhaps a bit too little lately – stood awed leafing through the tales that seemed to just rain from the heavens and fluttered down in the Blogger breeze.

And this, my dear absent friends, is the story of how Stories ended up in Wonderland. And never since did (s)he want to go home again.

Yes, people, today is this blog’s ANNIVERSARY. Woot, woot!

Hard to believe a whole year has gone by, it feels like just 6 months ago. The month long lapses could have something to do with that.

Either way, virtual cake and drinks on me!

Help yourselves to a drink and as we say in Dutch: 'Proost!'

Confessions of a chocoholic: I really want this cake. Badly...

Cin Cin!

Faery, part II (epic fantasy novel excerpt)

Part 1: http://storiesinc.blogspot.com/2011/10/faery-part-i-epic-fantasy-novel-excerpt.html

II

“Wait, wait, little bird!”

She cried after it, but it kept speeding up. Not once taking her eyes of the curious birdie, she chased it across a meadow full of fragrant flowers. The little bonnet slid from her head and unleashed a wild abundance curls. Running and crawling through the field, her fancy black varnished shoes slipped off in the high grass and green smudges formed on her freshly-washed Sunday dress. Smeared with grass and dirt, the child ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her and reached for the creature. Finally, she managed to poke it with a fingertip and startled. It was so warm.

Faery, part I (epic fantasy novel excerpt)

On a Sunday stroll through the park, an exuberant young lass finds herself drawn into the Land of the Fairies.

In this world of magic, Macy is swept up in an epic quest that will determine the fates of the fairy world as well as her own.

On this journey, she and her friends will have to pass numerous tests and discover as well as surpass their own limits in order to literally save the day.