My first regularly scheduled post

I hope you all had a good holiday. Mine was great and I am thankful for everything except the snow that Indiana was given Tuesday morning. Sorry, I just don’t like snow. For everyone out there that oohs and ahhs about it, we will just have to agree to disagree.

I recently submitted a short story to the Hoosier Writers anthology. I won’t find out until the first of June if I will be included or not. So, I get to wonder and worry for six glorious months about that one. I have three shorts currently submitted to magazines and I am also waiting to hear from those.

Man, waiting for rejection sucks.

Oh well, time to move on to the next project. I need to do the second draft for my submission to the City of Hell Volume two anthology. If you haven’t read volume one you should give it a try. I was lucky enough to win an ARC and I loved it. My review was actually the first thing I posted on this blog. I have a few other anthologies I would like to submit entries to and a short story series to work on before I start shopping it around the magazines. I have more to write than I have time. With that in mind, I will leave you with a little bit more flash fiction.

L.E.White

Something Under the Bed is Drooling

He had been asleep when the bedroom door had opened and his little sister came in. Something must have scared her because she always came in when she had a nightmare. As she got close to the bed he had raised up to tell her to go back to her own room. She walked up beside his bed, stopped, and then she disappeared, drug under the bed so fast that neither one of them had made a sound.

That was the real problem. She hadn’t made a sound when she had disappeared, but now he could clearly hear something chewing.

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Happy Holidays and Congratulations

Well, The 12 Days of Creepfest have come and gone. The holiday is here and my haiku contest has come to an end. Honestly, I am a little disappointed. Only three brave souls actually put pen to paper and gave me a haiku.

So, Three prizes shall be awarded. Each of you will receive a copy of my Novella, The First Door from Smashwords via my freebie coupon. I will also need an e-mail address to send you a copy of one of my new short stories in a PDF. I really appreciate that you took the time to write something. Every comment is great and I am always excited to see what others think of my work.

Thanks to everyone who stopped in. Double thanks to everyone who left a comment. Finally, deep personal thanks and prizes to everyone who entered. I truly appreciate that.

Start looking for updates every Wednesday. I will be back after the weekend.

L. E. White

Waking up on the wrong side of the bed

The tiny clicking noise woke her up. Someone was typing which didn’t make any sense. She was alone. When she tried to sit up she found that she couldn’t move. Numbness lived where her hands and feet should be. She started to yell but the gag over her mouth stopped her. Panic took a vicious hold as she struggled to get free. Then the clicking just stopped, replaced by heavy footsteps coming closer. She nearly vomited when she felt the bed shift. The warm moist air that brushed her face smelled rotten. A single cold touch screamed the future.

Not Another Another Day Post

I feel a little silly.

I just looked through the titles that I have written for these daily blogs. I never intended to try to post this much originally, but with the hop I wanted to offer as much content as I could while trying to hook new readers. With all of you coming in from other places I wanted to roll out the red carpet.

I managed to come up with new material for every day. I still have flash waiting to post so I feel pretty good about that. What I don’t have is a new title. I just discovered how much I used the word ‘Another’.

At least now I have my new years resolution. I resolve to stop using the word another in the title of every second post I make.

On to other things, today is the last day of the contest for the 12 Days of Creepfest. At the stroke of midnight, I will be asleep, but tomorrow I will select the winner of free copies of my stories. If you would be interested, just leave a haiku in the comments.

I haven’t decided if I will be moving to once or twice a week for new content yet. To be sure I can manage to keep going I am currently willing to commit to a new post every Wednesday. Hopefully, that is enough for those of you that actually like what I have been writing. Thanks for your time and I will see most of you again next week.

L. E. White

Nightmares

I sit up in the dark, a fine sweat on my body that chills the moment I am out from under the blankets and in the path of the damn fan that she just can’t sleep without.

The problem with nightmares is that the darkness you lie in while you try to go back to sleep feeds them. You don’t escape them by waking up; instead, you analyze them in a half sleep where your mind draws lines that make sense at the time. These feed more fear, making it harder for you to get back to a full sleep.

You always tell me to snuggle up to you, to use you to make myself feel better. That is a lovely idea until the nightmares are about you. Dreams of terror that are inspired by the vengeful actions of the one person that means the most to me in this world. How do I snuggle up to the person I just watched stab me, literally, in the heart? How in the world do you expect me to find solace by wrapping my arms around a monster?

At least I realize that this was a dream. That is what keeps me from wrapping my arms around your neck. That is all that saves your life after the terror that you just spawned.

I take a few deep breaths and try to calm down. Then I roll over and put an arm around you anyway. It helps a bit, I love you.

That is when I begin to get really scared, because you feel way to cold to be under the blankets.

Dear?

The winter solstice is here

It is the yuletide season and today is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. I hope you have been enjoying the 12 Days of Creepfest and the different fiction I have been posting. Most of it has, as most of my writing does, leaned towards the macabre.  Today is a little different, its a seasonal special.

Have a good day.

L. E. White

Solstice

As he came home he looked at the darkening sky with anticipation. It was way too early to be getting dark but it did that every winter.  Today was the worst, the sun hiding away for the longest rest that it would ever get. Today was the winter solstice and there was so much to do.

She wasn’t home yet when he got there, so he set about doing all of the little tasks alone. First, he gathered sticks to build a tiny fire. This fire wasn’t supposed to get them through the night; instead, it was for the night. This fire would burn bright and hot in their home as a gateway to their gods.

Tiny plastic shot glasses were brought out and filled with Eiswine. As far as either of them was concerned, this was the nectar of the gods on earth. The sweet frost wine would be shared, thrown into the flames in thanks for the blessings that they enjoyed. He picked up a small marker and wrote names on the sides of the cups, as if he were getting things ready for a child’s birthday party; allowing him to insure that none were forgotten.

Food would also be shared. It just wouldn’t be proper to invite someone in without offering food and drinks, the old courtesies are still important after all. So he went through the kitchen, shooing the cats off of the counter, to get a knife and spread slices of bread with butter and honey before placing them on a tray beside the cups.

When she arrived he met her with a smile and a kiss. Another little ritual, but this one was daily, although just a special. They lit the fire, burned the offerings, and celebrated the turning wheel with a family that was larger than is commonly understood. The night got cold and dark, but they didn’t care. Incense burned, filling the air with sweet smoke, the fire crackled and outside, the wind blew softly around their home. They sat alone, snuggled up on the couch, yet the room was filled with presence. A gathering of family to be felt, even if it couldn’t be seen.

Intense Whisper

I got the chance to do a guest blog over at Intense Whisper. Go and take a look at both my post and all of the other fantastic work by Robin.

L. E. White

Another day

Another Day and another small blurb from the fiction running through my mind. I hope you enjoy this one to. Don’t forget to enter a Haiku in my 12 Days of Creepfest Contest to win two free stories.

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Her Treatment

She was lying with her raven black hair spread out on the pillow like a peacock fanning its feathers. The thin white blankets piled on to keep her failing body warm. Far too young to be in this condition, I didn’t want to go in and talk to her about it. How was I supposed to explain to someone who was practically a child that they were dying? How in the world did you look at a beautiful woman, a bright future still clearly painted on her face, and tell her that the experimental medicines she elected to take were going to kill her?

I walked into the room and laid the clip board down at the foot of the bed. She was sleeping quietly and I couldn’t stand to wake her for bad news. Her name was Melody and she had been admitted for an experimental gene treatment about six months ago. I had explained to her what the risks were. I had covered the fact that this process could cause a mutation that would lead to death.

I had also told her the odds, playing it off as a one in a million chance. It was my job to sell the patient on the therapy. I was a closer, just like some kind of legal contract negotiator. I had sold other patients that had gone terminal. That didn’t bother me as much as this did. She was young. She was beautiful. She should have had at least another sixty years ahead of her. Now, she was going to start suffering; a combination of pain and organ failure that would force her to waste away in this room. That was part of the deal. They get to monitor the results of the treatment no matter how it turns out.

I picked up the board and left the room. I couldn’t do this to her. I couldn’t tell her what had happened and I couldn’t watch this happen. She was such a beautiful girl. The first symptom was the migraines and then the fatty cyst on her forehead had caused her to come in. That was when we discovered that the treatment had failed.

I was a coward. I might have been a good closer but I couldn’t stand by and watch what this did to her. I might have trouble living with myself for not being here but I knew I could not live at all if I watched it happen. I put the clipboard down on the nurse’s station and left my access badge with it. I had just quit. I was done.

She was my girlfriend and she had trusted me to get her through this.

A sudden change of pace

I have to say that there are times when people surprise you. They do something out of the ordinary and you just don’t quite know what to make of it. Other times, it is life that throws you for a loop. Random chance and happenstance gather together and slap you. These things happen all the time and if you watch you can see it happen to others.

When you do something yourself though, then you have to wonder where that came from. Yesterday, I started writing slightly longer flash fiction pieces. I have been sticking to the 100 word format and it isn’t bad but I would rather say more. Then, I found a couple of magazines that are looking for flash fiction up to 1000 words. Time to start writing bigger.

So I began like most of my short stories do. I just dive in and see where it goes. Suddenly, I have a whole lot more written than I thought I would and it isn’t done yet. I see this moving to a series of shorts about one character. Maybe even putting them together as a collection.

I surprised myself and that was kind of nice. In what was an otherwise dreary and disappointing day something interesting took root.

But enough about me, here is your daily dose of flash fiction for the 12 Days of Creepfest. I hope you enjoy it.

L. E. White

My Favorite Magic

She withered and wiggled in front of me as she responded to the rhythmic motions of our bodies. She enjoyed this and was happy to be of assistance since I had already gotten her off. I was glad she was okay with it. Not everyone would be willing to do this. So many people were afraid that something like this would condemn them to hell.

I focused on the squiggles I had drawn on her back. I raised the power and with my release she gasped, telling me it amazed her that what I drew grew hot when I finished.

 

Another Monday is here

So Monday, we meet again.

I don’t know about all of the rest of you, but Monday just isn’t any fun. Ever.

Unfortunately, we can’t devise some form of evil genius trap to do away with Monday. This is worse than trying to get rid of James Bond. Monday has more determination and gadgets to get out of a sticky situation than any secret agent has ever dreamed of. No matter how many shark filled pits you have, Monday always escapes.

Maybe I need to name a character Monday. Either because s/he will be impossible to kill despite everyone in the story hating them or I will get that tiny spark of pleasure when Monday truly dies. Muahahahaha

Oh well, for now, this Monday is here and I won’t be getting rid of it any time soon. Until Tuesday finally arrives to banish Monday back into the darkness of waiting for the sequel I have another piece of flash fiction for you for the 12 Days of Creepfest. I hope you enjoy it.

L.E.White

Fear of the Unknown

I had my back to the wall as I fought to control my breathing. I didn’t know where they were or how many there were but I knew they had come. I had heard them enter. Walking softly but not really trying to be stealthy; assuming that everyone would be asleep at this time of night. Normally, they would have been right.

My hands were sweating where I had pressed them against the wall; my knees locked like I was holding the building up. I was terrified and thrilled by this moment.

I stepped away from safety and into adventure.

Another day in the Creepfest

Gotta keep this short. I promised to take the wife Christmas shopping for the kids and she will be telling me to get off of the computer in just a minute. Here is another piece of flash fiction in my effort to provide new content for every day of the blog tour. So far, so good.

Don’t forget to leave a haiku in the comments to be entered for a chance to win two free stories from me for the 12 Days of Creepfest. Have a good weekend and I will be on here again tomorrow.

L.E.White

Fuzzy

Terry was lying on his stomach in the dirt. Flashes of light exploded in front of his eyes like fireworks; marching in time to the pounding in his head and the throbbing pain in his cheek.

He had never been hit so hard before. Not while growing up as his step fathers punching bag and not while boxing in the gym. He hadn’t even hurt this much in the car accident.

The gravel crunched as a foot came to rest behind him. He briefly wondered if the foot was covered with the same course fur that the hand had been.

Ahhh. Saturday

Funny thing about a Saturday. I have more work to do today than what I do on any regular business work day. Life is full, which is great, but man is the lack of down time hard to handle.

At this moment, I am finally eating some breakfast after doing the morning chores. My oldest son is out and working with a friend somewhere while the younger two are in the living room fighting. The daughter had a sleep over so they are still out.

If only the parents life was anywhere nearly this simple and worry free.

Enjoy another piece of flash fiction for the 12 Days of Creepfest. Have a good weekend.

L.E.White

Writers Block

It was a dark and stormy night.

Except that it was just past noon on a bright and sunny Tuesday in July.

I ripped the page out of my typewriter and crumpled it up. I shoot and miss. Another full sheet paper wad joins its brothers on the floor of my office. “I hate starting new stories. I never know what to write.” I say, thinking that I am alone.

“I know what you could write about.”

I turn to find my wife standing in the doorway; a towel around her head and smile on her face.

“Tell me more.”