Should be in bed right now

Just got back from a friend's birthday party and I've got a hangover like you wouldn't believe. Before you ask, alcohol was not involved, I'm just really tired from it being so late and laughing so much. Also I'll have another story or a snippet of one soon here in a few days for you guys to read. Right now though, I need to sleep. Night folks.

-Alice

The Lynching Tree

The following story is an exert from my work in progress short story collection, Something In the Mist. Enjoy!

It was a well-known fact, that just north of the old covered bridge, there was an old oak tree that was once the scene of many-a-lynching in the town. Most of the townsfolk who knew of its history did well to stay away from it. After all, death in that large of a quantity in one spot can cook up some bad mojo over time; and bad mojo can do any number of unpredictable things; and people who went to the tree had a habit of not returning. I had heard those old bedtime stories more times than someone cares to admit, and I’d never believed a one of them before. So naturally, a friend and I went down to that old oak tree one day to have some fun. It’s a day I’ve never forgotten.

When we got to where the tree had laid its roots I was surprised at how large it was up close. It was quite an imposing tree, to be sure, but it did not scare me. My friend looked up at the tree as well before turning to be and saying with a slightly conceited tone, “Wanna see that can make it to the top first? That is…unless you believe those old fairy tales?”

Not one to be called a chicken, I agreed to the challenge. We both chose a branch to start from and climbed as fast as we could. I would have beaten him to the top had I not slipped and fell down a few branches. I could hear him taunting me from the highest branches, but I ignored them and said I’d be waiting at the bottom. I’d hurt my wrist in the fall and knew I wouldn’t be able to climb up there with him.

As my feet hit solid ground I looked back into the tree’s leafy top in search of my friend, but he must have been so high up that I couldn’t see him, I thought, and so I waited a while hoping that he would return down the tree soon. After a time I looked back up towards the branches when I felt a drop of something hit the top of my head. Another drop landed on my upturned face. Wiping it off, my hand came away bloody and I felt a pang of fear shoot through me.

My friend’s pale, lifeless face was there looking back at me. One of the tree’s branches had opened up and was slowly pulling his lifeless body into it, like a snake devouring a mouse. I looked no more at the gruesome scene before me and ran as fast as my legs could carry me and did not stop until I reached home. I never returned to that tree; whatever bad mojo that had created it was still there, and I prayed to the good Lord that I never would have to face it again.

When my friend’s parents came looking for him and started asking questions, the words that tumbled out of my mouth were thus, “He’s at the tree, and he’s there to stay…”

I hope everyone enjoyed that one. In my opnion it's not one of my stronger stories, but I find it's subect matter to be interesting. What do you guys think? I showed it to Claire and Shellie eariler today; Shellie seemed to enjoy it, Claire thought it was 'creepy as fuck'. But then she scares easily so I'm not surprised by that. Now then, it's off to bed as I feel like I've been hit with a truck from staying up too late last night. I really need to stop doing that.

-Alice

Long Day

I finally got everything in my room situated and got to spend some time with my friends. It's only been four months but it feels like four years since I've seen either Claire or Shellie. We've only been friends for about a year but I feel like I've known them forever. They're just those kinds of friends, you know? My boyfriend I saw a few times over the summer because he lives closer so it wasn't really all that exciting to see him again when I returned.

I'll have another story post up here in a day or so once I get back into routine, but for now I'm going to go catch some sleep because I'm exhausted from setting up my room.

-Alice, over and out

In My Restless Dreams...

Perhaps it was too many late nights of reading Stephen King novels, or perhaps it was that five day old pizza she'd been eating over the last two days; whatever it was Heather had been having trouble sleeping for the past week. Luck would have it the one night she was finally managing to catch some decent Z's that there would be a knock at her bedroom door. At first she ignored the sound, thinking that it was merely an illusion of her mind's wandering eye, but when the noise came again accompanied by the voice of her five year old son calling out her name she reluctantly, yet willingly, hauled herself out of bed.


She opened the door and bent down to his level and asked him what was wrong. She figured it was probably just a bad dream or a bad tummy ache, but what came out of his mouth when she asked was not what she expected to hear.


"The shadow man is keeping me up. He goes away after I talk to him a bit mostly, but he won't stop standing at my bed."


"Sweetie, I think you were just having another bad dream..." Heather cooed, petting her son's hair lovingly until he pulled away flustered.


"But mommy, he was really there. Come on, I'll show you!" he urged, grabbing her hand and pulling her in the direction of his room. She followed, hoping to put his mind to ease and put him back to bed so that she could get back to her much needed sleep.


The little boy opened the door to his room and pointed towards the foot of his bed, "See, he's right there!"


But Heather did not see. There was nothing there to see at all...




Finally got my blog up at the last minute. I say last minute because I was hoping to get this thing started before having to return to college tomorrow. I realize I should probably be sleeping right now but to tell you the truth, I can't sleep at the moment. Probably just a case of before move jitters even though I've moved more times than I care to share, but then again I'm glad to be returning to college. It keeps the brain from going to mush and gets one away from home and the parents. When you're the 'baby' of the family, parents tend to treat you differently than the older child without realizing they're doing so; and my mother is a prime example of this. But that's a story for another time I suppose, isn't it?

Speaking of stories the paragraphs in italics probably look irrelevant to the rest of this post and some of you may wonder why. Well I'm working on getting a collection of short horror stories, called Something In the Mist, that I've been working on for about a year now to publication. I was hoping to gain some feedback on some snippets and full stories from the collection from people other than my close friends and family to see if anyone would be interested in buying the book once I am able to get it out in the world. I guess I also plan on using this as a bit of a d-stressor since I had a bit of trouble with that last semester at college. So if I seem to bitch at times please forgive me.

With that I should be getting to bed as it is getting late, and I hope you'll all enjoy reading what I have to offer in the near future.

-Alice