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...
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...
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...
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...
Well, let’s get one thing out on the table, right at the start. I recognize that this explanation here is likely going to be fairly difficult for you all to believe, and the last thing I want to do is make this even harder to...
Marisa had the nightmare again. It was the same as always; she was only seven or eight years old. She was at the big park down the block, and there was an enormous garden with a hedge maze. At the entrance to the maze stood...
Chapter 1: A Chill In The Air Everyone has a moment in life where they claim to have frozen with fear, but unless you have stood in the presence of death, clawing your way out of the grave, the true gravity of that statement alludes you....
Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. For me, it has never been about the money spent, no, it’s about the love and joy you share with those around you. It's about charity and goodwill towards mankind, as the saying goes. Nothing is...
The whale pod of water tankers flowed past Sophie as she sheltered in the verge of the hard shoulder. A piece of plastic from the ditch propped beside her kept away the worst buffeting of the wind. Vast wheels of the trucks hit the road...
Do you believe in miracles? It’s Christmas, and this is the time of year folks invest in miracles. They hold out for them. Something like an annual Jubilee. No matter how bad the year, they hope that everything will somehow snap together and be made...
17-year-old Marco Romano lifted the metal baseball bat over his head. It felt heavier than it should have, but he tried his best to hold his arms steady and tightened his grip. He was about to bring it down on a whimpering and writhing girl...
