Enter 2024 ... if you dare

Dark and deadly tales up ahead - plus a free 100-word story

Thank you for navigating these strange, dark tales with me, dear reader. There’ll be lots more of the same in 2024, with a free short story each month.

It appears that the most favoured tale of the past year (or at least the most eyeballed) was the short and sweet cosy gothic, The Ghost Tour.

In contrast, my latest story is a beast (7k plus!!) so I shall be whittling that down to size. It’s a tale of how one woman’s vivid dream snowballs into a story so big, it threatens to destroy her boyfriend’s life forever.

My new year’s resolution is to keep up with the Substack, while writing shorter stories (for the sake of my wrists mostly, writing 7k in a day hurts).

In that spirit, here is my answer to the challenge of writing 100-word story from my writing group, inspired by the phrases ‘Holiday / Strength / Science’ (thank you to the marvellous V.L. Augustin for the prompt!)

When I went on holiday, you said, send something nice to remember you by.

I didn't think what you meant. Or why you didn't answer my calls. Now I know phone signal doesn't penetrate reinforced steel.

My summer snaps aren't pretty. Seagulls ambling across corpses, sun shimmering on crimson sands. Did you hear the screaming, my love, nestled safely in your stronghold? In a world of science, only you predicted monsters.

I wrote you a postcard. Propped it by your bunker door. Maybe one day you'll come up and get it.

I'll be waiting, darling. Watching with blood red eyes.