Writober Days 26 to the enddddddd

Day 26: Hole in the wall, sucking a man in (1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1)

   Hole,

   Is there

   In the wall,

   It is just there,

   Right where I am standing for the subway.

   A breezes rushed up, pulling me towards the hole.

   I cannot stop it.

   A slow fall

   Into

    Hole.

 

Day 27: Face coming out the wall (Villanelle – aba / aba / aba / aba / aba / abaa)

 

    The wall has a tear

    The paint slowly peeling away,

     It is more than my mind can bear,

 

      But still I stare

     With my hands folded to pray,

     Yet I want nothing more than to tear.

 

      A quick movement, I swear

      I grab a corner that began to fray

      And tug a little on that square.

 

       A moment longer and I wouldn’t care

      Peeling the paint, dare I say

      Would hardly be a nightmare.

 

     As a pulled the paintm I am caught unaware

    With eyes staring at my way

    Caught in their glare.

 

    What do I dare,

    But to rush myself straightaway

    And in no time I will forswear

    The peeling paint affair.

Day 28: Weird Goblins riding Strange Creatures. 

            In the world after there was no sunlight, no daylight, only darklight. Most who lived after took to underground as food was scarce. Hunting parties were organized to leave the home cave to search for food and to protect against the child-like darkness trolls. These trolls steal what is left of our livestock food stores. They use our livestock to hunt us. You would be surprised how fast pigs and goats are when they are starved and hungered for flesh. 

             This is where we were after the first night in the cave. The darkness goblins were assembling, and we could hear them through the walls, calling with choking laughter. 

            “Do you think this sounds like a good enough story?” asked Shannon from her bed in the corner of the room. 

            “I don’t know, but they say, write what you know,” I said back from the other corner. The room was dim with only a small lamp to light the bedroom. The outside was dark. Laughter surrounded the room, and small scratchings against the wall. Shannon lit a small candle to make the room feel larger and keep the darkness as bay. 

 

Day 29: Ghost Train with Bug Legs.  

             It was late as I stood in the subway station. I was waiting for the 5C3 train bound for my neighbourhood. There were only a few others waiting with me: an older man reading a newspaper and a younger woman stretching after a run. ‘Why would someone be out for a run this late at run?’ I thought myself. 

            Glancing at my phone, the time showed 8:15 pm, but the station clock showed 8:12 pm. That wasn’t surprising, what was surprising was the station clock was ticking, loudly. 

            Tick! Tick! Tick! 

            I checked my message, Loni messaged me, ‘Dinner is here. Please try to get home soon.’  

           ‘At the train station atm. I messaged back. 

          No response.  

          The station clock now read 8:13 pm. Tick! Tick! Tick! They sounded faster. BING! A message, another from Loni. 

          ‘Hopefully your train will be on time.’ 

          “I hope it is too,” I said aloud. 

          “What is?” said the old man. 

          “Nothing,” I said. Tick! Tick! Tick! When I looked up, I saw a train pulling up. Its face resembled a skull, and it had legs instead of wheels. Tick! Tick! Tick! 

          “I guess I’ll wait a little longer,” I said. 

Day 30: Abandon Cabin with Tentacles, surrounded by Cats. 

          “Hurry up, Bobby,” called Jacob. “We have to get there before sundown.” 

           “Why?” called Bobby, pulling at the briars and thorny weeds that grew across the path. 

           “Because, after dark you don’t want to be there,” he said. 

            Bobby stepped over a log, “I don’t want to be there now,” he said. 

           “Almost there,” said Jacob and Bobby toppled over a large rock, falling into Jacob’s back. “Look!” he said, pointing ahead. 

           Bobby followed Jocab’s fingers line and saw an old house in a clearing. It was about twenty feet away. The roof was partially caved in, but the windows were intact. “See? Cool, huh?” asked Jacob. 

           “Uh, sure,” said Bobby, untangled himself from the weeds, “but why are there all those cats sitting around the house?” when Jacob turned back to the house there were about two dozen cats lounging in the clearing. There were cats of every colour: black, orange, white, tabby, tortoiseshell, grey... “Answer me that, Jake.” 

             “I don’t know,” he said. 

Suddenly a loud roar ripped through the air and the cats all stood up as one. The roar came from the house. Bobby started to back away, reaching for Jacob. 

             “We should go,” said Bobby. A Siamese cat stood next to Bobby, clear blue eyes looking straight at him. It pushed against his shins. “I get it, we should go.” the cat meowed in response. 

              RAWR!!! 

              Another roar echoed in the clearing as the cats marched closer to the house. “Jake! Let’s go!!!” Bobby saw something long and thin pushed through the collapsed roof and jut out toward the small feline army. The cat continued their trek towards the house. “We need to leave, Jake,” said Bobby and he pulled on Jacob’s arm. 

Day 31: Possession/Obsession 

              Here I am, alone on Halloween. I have the night off, but everyone else is busy with kids or handing out candy. I am here alone with an empty house. 

               Tick. Tick. Tick, goes the clock in the hall. 

               Click. Click. Click, goes the kitchen ceiling fan. 

               The TV is playing an older movie, but the sound is turned far down, some of the figures are just miming in the dark. Strange haunting figures lumber across the screen. I feel disconnected from the zombies in the movie as they are chasing a woman through a graveyard. 

               Tick. Tick. Tick, goes the clock. 

               My mouth opens and I say, ‘Tick. Tick. Tick,” though I don’t remember speaking the words. 

               Click. Click. Click, goes the ceiling fan. 

               Again I feel my mouth open, “Click. Click. Click,” I say, though I swear it wasn’t me speaking. I try to say anything else, but nothing comes out. I try reaching for the remote control to change the channel or turn off the TV, but my hand won’t move. 

              “UIhhhhh” I let out a small moan to the empty living room. My heart begins to race. It is the only thing I am aware of even though I cannot control it. My mouth begins to move, “Uhhhhh...” Panic set in, my hands won’t move, my wrist, my fingers won’t either. Nothing! 

              My eyelids flutter closed, making everything dark. There is no sounds, no light, no body. I sit... 

Writober Days 22 thru 25

Day 22: Cows float in the Moonlight (Cascade – abc / deA / fgB / hiC

     Upon a dark night,

     A light flashes out of nowhere

     A moment that seems to stand still.

     No explanation given,

     But the humming is very loud—

     Upon a dark night.

     Where have the cows gone,

     The pastures are empty,

     A light flashes out of nowhere.

                                                                          

     Standing with a hear of cows

     Floating in the air—

     A moment that seems to stand still.

Day 23: Multiple Faces, Side Views (Etheree – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

    

     Face,

     Watching

     Eyes follow—

     Not blinking back.

     A chorus of mimes

     All stand in a line—

     Don’t you dare blink back or they will

     Cross closer to the meeting place,

     Silent hall, filled to capacity,

     Leaving only elbow room while you wait.

Day 24: Cat Face with Skull Nose (Pantoum – 2, 3 4, 1)

                In the early morning hours

                My cat will slowly creep

                Paw by paw she walks across

                My chest to have a peep…

                My cat will slowly creep

                As a means to awaken my sleep on

                My chest to have a peep,

                Staring wide into my face.

                As a means to awaken my sleep on

                A mission she is set upon,

                Staring into my face

                “Time for something to eat, Human.”

                A mission she is set upon

                And my eyes will blink awake,

                “Time for something to eat, Human”

                As I stare at my kitty’s nose.

                And my eyes will blink awake:

                Paw by paw she walks across

                As I stare at my kitty’s nose

                In the early morning hours.

 

Day 25: Giant Mushroom Guard (Terzanelle – ABA / bCB / CDC / dED / eFE / fAFA)

   Upon the road we go,

   Traveling to someplace new—

   Upon the road we go.

    Through the muddy track we slew

    Upon our arses we did fell,

    Traveling to someplace new.

    “My lord,” he then did yell.

    “Gandrel, my man, help me up,”

    (again) upon our arses we did fell.

    The man called out, “I am in a pile up,

    As mud was flung across the track.

    “Gandrel, my man, help me up!”

    “Sir!” called Gandrel, “this is all whack,”

    “for nay, I cannot stand upon this road,”

    As mud was flung across the track.

    One day the lord and his man did told (that’s)

    Upon the road (they) did go,

    For nay, (they) cannot stand upon this road,

    Upon the road (they) go.

Writober Days 18 thru 21

Day 18: Red Door with Figure Crawling Out.

        The house had a red door. It was why she wanted to buy the house, even though all of the other realtors told her there were other houses she could look at, other houses with red doors. “I want this one,” she said. 

       Every last realtor, save for myself, walked away from the potential commission. I didn’t and now I wish I had. 

       We closed the house with the red door on Halloween. I pulled up to the address 15 Mockingbird Heights, staring at its bright red door, winking at me. My client stood on the stoops wearing red heels. “Oh good, you’re here. I thought you’d ditch me like the others.” 

       “Me? No way. I gotta earn my commission,” I laughed, holding up the keys. The red key tags shining in the sunlight. My hand shook somewhat. “Just excited for you.” She grabbd the keys and I left a jolt up my fingertips. “Go ahead, then,” I said. 

        “Oh, but you must see it,” she begged.

        “But, I saw it during the last three tours of the house.”

        “Not when it was mine,” she said, laughing, turning to the door. The key clicked the lock open and pushed the door open, “after you,” she said grabbing my hand as she pushed me through the door, slamming it shut. 

Day 19: Faceless Figures made to look like a Face.

Front row center. 

       That’s where I was sitting. Never do I get tickets this close, but there was a question on the radio.

       “What are the names of the spooky trio in the Nightmare before Christmas?”. I dial so fast that I was surprised when it rang through and was answered by an intern.

         “What’s your answer caller number three?”

          “Uhh, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.” 

          “You’re correct,” interjected the radio DJ, “You’ve won tickets to tonight’s show. Front row, center. Whatdya think of that?”

           “Wow,” I said. Pretty big stuff. Now I was sitting in the audience, waiting for the show to start. “Funny,” I thought to myself, “I don’t even know what I am seeing.” 

           The house lights flashed and slowly dimmed. The crowd grew quiet as the curtain opened to see myself watching the show.

Day 20: Creature with long tongue and glowing eyes.

          My puppy had gotten out one night.

          It was as I was patrolling the streets in my neighbourhood with a flask, calling for her, I could hear the other neighbourhood dogs barking as I passed them.

         “Steelllllaaaaaaaa!” I called. Echoing my voice into the night. It sounded strange to be calling her as she typically never left my side. The nearby dogs barked, but as I stood on Hickock Hill Road on the sidelwalkless side of the road, the air seemed to echo with any noise. Stella was a black puppy, and it was after sunset, so much harder to see. “Stella?” I called again, “Where are you?” Brutus the pit-bull in M. Delaney’s yard was barking, it sounded like a warning.

          “Hush, Brutus,” called Mr. Delany from his porch. “Find her yet, Allie,” he asked, sipping from a teacup.

           “No, not yet,” I sighed as I scanned the yard across from Mr. Delaney, though it was mostly dark and my flashlight didn’t reach far.

            “I doubt she is in Mr. Yoshi’s yard,” said Mr. Dalaney. I shrugged, I could see the forms of Mr. Yoshi’s tuxedos cat, Pip and Pop. They were sitting in his flower bed, Pip yawned in the bean of my flashlight and Pop let out an eerily quiet yowl. “I wouldn’t worry, Allie. She’s come home, especially when she is hungry.”

           “I hope so,” I said.

            I continued walking further up Hickock Hill until I ran out of streetlight and it was quite dark that the flashlight was my only way to see anything. “Stella?” I called, swinging my flashlight left and right, when I hit something reflective. I stopped. “Stella?” I called again. I heard shuffling and paw pads on the gravel in front of me. “Stella?” 

           Suddenly there was a pool of light around me and a large creature with strangely glowing eyes. A long, wet tongue flicked out and brushed my face. “Stella!” I called, wrapping my arms around the creature. “I found you!”

Day 21: Clown in a bunker with a ‘Free Hugs’ sign.

           First day of bootcamp and after a lengthy orientation I was advised to take my bag to my bunk around at Bunker 3.

           This was the normal procedure, but I had arrived late to the orientation and didn’t have time to drop off my gear.

           No one else was in Bunker 3. There was a soul around and was surprised by this. The gravel crunched under my feet, “Home Sweet Home,” I said, “for the next year, I guess.” Smiling at the empty bunker door as I pushed it open. A chill ran up my spine.

            The door squeaked upon opening, stepping through the door I saw a figure in the middle of the main bunker room. It was a clown. It was smiling, and holding a sign that read ‘Free Hugs. Today!’

             “Um, no….thanks,” I said and slammed the bunker door closed.

              “No thanks, Sir?” a voice said behind me. I turned.

              “Captain Grant, uh, Sir,” I said, saluting. “Um, yeah, there is some…thing in Bunker 3.”

               “What?” said the Captain, lifting his head and stepped toward the door. As his hand touched the door another chill went down my spine. Captain Grant pulled the door open. The clown still stood in the middle of the main bunker room, holding its sign. “Oh, that’s just Carl. If you aren’t into hugs just let him know.” Captain Grant walked out of Bunker 3, leaving me alone with Carl and the sign.

              I smiled at Carl. Carl smiled back at me. He pointed to a bunk that appeared to be free.

              “Hey, thanks,” I said as I dropped my bag on top of the bunk.

Writober Days 13 thru 17

Day 13: Shadowy Figure ripping open a Person’s Chest.

                It was hard to tell what someone was thinking, especially if they were arguing with themselves. Gerald sat on a bench in Hathorne Park, eating his Reuben and people watching. Most of the time it was fun coming up with back stories for the people walking in Hathorne Park while on their lunch. Gerald would sometime jot down these mini stories in his notebook for a possible story. Today was a little different.

                A man was pacing in front of Gerald, who was writing frantically, the man was scratching his arms and shaking his head. There was no voice coming from the man, but his lips were moving.

                Gerald paused in his writing, taking another bite of his sandwich. He couldn’t think of why the man was so agitated. He watched the man. The man was pulling at his shirt and there appeared to be tears in his eyes. A cloud passed overhead, dimming the light in the park. The man stopped, he suddenly ripped open his shirt and collapsed.

                                Gerald just sat there watching the man. Someone rushed up to the man and started CPR. He picked up his pencil and started writing again, scratching words onto the paper of his notebook, “there was a form standing over the still man. The form was humanoid, but with long nails that were dripping with blood. The still man’s chest was deeply scratched and was red. Gerald looked at the figure, it was looking at him. 

 

Day 14: Hands Playing the Piano; Keys become Hands Grabbing Back.

Saturday

                Halie sat at the piano in practice room 12. She shook her head as she stared at the sheet music in front of her. “There’s no way I’ll be able to play this for Friday’s concert” Flipping pages, “I don’t ever know arpeggios…”

                The clock on the wall clicked loudly to the next minute. “I only started learning this piece on Wednesday.” Her hands shook as she set her metronome; tap, tap, tap! The rhythm match her heart race, ”oh help me,” she whispered to the empty practice room. Her hands on the keys, “Help me…”

                She closed her eyes and began to play, swaying in time to the metronome. When she tried to open her eyes to see what the next part was, they were stuck fast. Panic seized Halie.

                “Just follow me,” a voice said in her ears.

                “What?” she asked.

                “Shhhh…Let it happen,” the voice said, and she felt hands upon her hands. They were guiding her fingers across the keyboard. “Just follow me,” the voice said. The music spilled out from the piano, dancing around her ears.

                At the last arpeggio, Halie felt her hands released, her eyes opened. She was alone. The clock clicked another minute.

Day 15: In a car, parked in an empty lot with creepy cat figures walking around.

                There was no reason why she was still sitting in the parking lot of the Safeway. The store was closed, and the lamppost lights were all on, yet she sat there with hands on her steering wheel, not moving.

                What compelled her to stare past the empty lot when the last employee had already left her alone in the parking lot. There was a fog rolling in. It wasn’t raining, but the air felt damp.

                She looked to her right, nothing, then to her left, not expecting anything to be there. There was a slight movement, her eyes caught it. A quick turn to see a figure trotting up to her car. She slammed her automatic locks: click, click! The figure continued to trot up to her car. It stopped right in front of her and smiled a large blank smile.

                She smiled back and the figure nodded. There was a rush of movement and a herd of figures rushed in, crossing in front of her car. The lead figure was a giant cat with black dead eyes, it is waiting patiently as the herd passed her car. It nodded again as the last figure passed and then trotted off.

                She blinked slowly, but the herd of dead eyed cats were gone. Her hand turned the keys and the engine turned over. “Time to go,” she said.

Day 16: Hands coming out of a fridge.

                I learned a hard lesson once.

                It was after a dinner party with friends, were like a potluck with a little bit of everything. It was the best time, but man, was it a hard lesson. We played Cards Against the World and hastily made cocktails. Everyone brough so much food that there were leftovers.

                It was late when I stumbled home, practically falling into my apartment and ruining the leftovers. I grabbed at the fridge door, sliding the tub of chicken wings into the middle of the shelf. That was until three weeks later…

 

3:04 am.

 

                I heard shuffling downstairs. No one was home at the time except me and I was wide awake. The shuffling came from the kitchen. Grabbing an umbrella, I snuck downstairs, at the bottom of the stairs I saw a dim light reach around the corner. It was louder as I came down the stairs.

                I peeked around the corner and saw long claws coming out from the fridge’s dim light. “Shit,” I said, louder than I thought as the shuffling started to come towards me. “Those chicken wings went really bad.”

                I closed my eyes, hoping for a miracle.

 

Day 17: Laundry Machine filled with blood; Figure sitting on the Washing Machine with Red Eyes.

                I hate laundry day, especially when I must bundle up seven loads and take them down three flights of stairs to the laundry room in the basement. Thankfully it doesn’t cost me a single quarter to do my laundry like my friends’ buildings do.

                Of course, I always decide I need clean underwear at midnight. So, here I am lugging seven loads down three flights to the basement to clean my unmentionables.

                I have to fumble for the light switch, which is about three feet into  the laundry room. It is quiet except for the furnace running quietly in the corner. Setting down my hamper and large laundry bag at the doorway, I walked into the laundry room, about three feet, feeling for the switch.

                CLICK!

                There is front of me, sitting on the washing machine is a woman, reading a magazine. “Sorry,” I said, “I didn’t realize anyone else was up. She turned to me, her eyes were glowing red. “I, I, um….I didn’t realize the machine was busy.”

                I moved so fast out of the laundry room and up three flights of stairs, slamming my door with a thud. “I didn’t see that. I didn’t see THAT!” I said as I sat on my bed.

                I don’t remember anything else, except that my laundry was washed, dried, and folded right outside my door.

Writobers backlog (Days 8 thru 12)

I am finally getting my Writober pieces typed and posted here. It's a good thing that I consider early November extra Halloween time. Enjoy today's writing fare.

Day 8: Figure made of string, blowing away in the wind.

                It was the first day of September and Ariel was out in the yard. School was going to start in a week and she was feeling sad the summer was almost gone. She only had a few days, a couple of candle ends, and a Diet Pepsi. She didn’t like Diet Pepsi.

                “I wish summer didn’t have to end,” she said to the emptiness around her. Placing a candle end, one by one around her, making a circle. The circle was barely wide enough for her to sit in. “I don’t even have anyone to enjoy the last few days with me.”

                The bottle of soda ‘shhht’ her as Ariel opened it. “I wish I had someone here with me.” A fresh gust of wind blew over her candles and a ring of light surrounded her. She couldn’t feel the sun anymore, but the breeze was cool around her. There also appeared to be no sunlight out. “Hello?” she called.

                “Come here,” a voice called.

                “Who are you?” Ariel asked, as she stood up, breaking the circle of light and candle ends. She felt her arms turn to string and slowly began to unwind. “Wait! What is going on?” screamed Ariel. “You asked for someone to cone, Ariel, did you not? We have come. For you.”

                Ariel tried to scream, but all she heard was the breeze and her body blowing away.

~~~~~

Day 9: Rubix Cube with windows.

                Raymond looked out his window from his balcony, there she was, She, being Cassie. She was out in her garden, pulling weeds. “Hey Cass!” called Raymond.

                Cassie looked up, dark brown hair tied in a bandana, smiling.

                “Cassie! Up,” he called. She tilted her head at the sound of his voice, upwards and smiled.

                “Hi, Ray!” What are you doing?”

                “Oh nothing. Just staring out of my balcony at the pretty flowers.” He smiled.

                Oh, I see,” said Cassie smiling even more. She giggled as she wiped her cheek, leaving a dirty smudge of dirt. “You should come down for a bite,” said Cassie, picking up her trowel and basket of flowers.

                “Is that an invite?” asked Raymond, leaving over his balcony railing.

                “Oh course, silly. Now, come on down,” she said as she walked into her back door out of sight of Raymond.

                Raymond bolted from the balcony into his apartment. He barely took a step, when he was on his balcony, looking down at Cassie.

                “Of course, silly. Now, come on down,” said Cassie.

                Raymond bolted for his apartment from his balcony, only to see himself reappear on the balcony, looking down at Cassie. Again…

~~~~~~~~~

Day 10: Woman coming out of the pupil of an eyeball.

                All the Elders used to say that she has stars in her eyes.

                Janie would sit for hours watching the electronic vision box as programs danced around, the singers drifting across a celluloid screen. The Elders warned her about watching the electronic vision box, that nothing good would come from those abominations. She only replied, “It’ll be fine!”

                One day, while an electric storm raged outside, Janie sat watching a rerun of the Rockettes Christmas program from a long time ago. Elder Jean walked over to the vision box, bent down to turn it off. “No! Not yet,” screamed Janie, reaching for the dial at the same time, but it was too late. A bolt of lightning hit the vison box and both Elder Jean and Janie. I flash of light resounded and Janie could only see the faint vision of Rockettes kicking higher.

~~~~~~~~~

Day 11: Man in a suit standing in a pool of light.

                It was times like this one that Randell disliked. He disliked the dark and it was dark, except for the streetlamp that cast a green glow around him. He was waiting for his bus.

                “I wish I had a car,” he muttered to himself, instead of this waiting. The night air was cold, but not uncomfortable. He could hear the crickets lightly chirping and is seemed to ring around the streetlamps green light. Randell turned from the busstop’s sign. “Hello?” he called to no one in particular.

                The crickets stopped their chirping, “don’t let me bother you,” a voice called to Randell from the darkness beyond.

                “Who are you?” asked Randell, eying the darkness but couldn’t see anything. He took a step close to the darkness.

                “You shouldn’t leave the safety of the light,” said the voice, “Not right now, anyway.”

                Randell took another step, titling his head, “Are you waiting for the bus too?”

                “Waiting? Yes. For the bus? No.” the voice said.

                The air was quiet, the crickets had stopped completely. Randell took another step, only one step away from the darkness. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

                “Waiting. For you, Randell,” the voice said.

                “Why?” asked Randell, he lifted his foot to take another step.

                HONK!

                Randell turned to see the bus coming right at him. It stopped with a screech of rubber and asphalt. The voice was silent, and the crickets began chirping again…

 ~~~~~~~

Day 12: Swinging Doors with Handprints.

                “Meet me in the basement,” Bernie said to herself. “Why of all the terrible ideas should we meet in the basement. Greta has the most terrible ideas,” thought Bernie. The sound of her footfalls on the tiled floor gave the hallway an echo. Bernie was sure she heard a second set of footsteps behind her, but when she turned there was no one there.

                At the end of the hallway was the stairwell door, down to the basement. Down there was the morgue, where Greta worked. “I don’t know why we can’t meet somewhere, like maybe the coffeeshop upstairs.” Bernie pushed the stairwell door open. There was only one dim light that illuminated the stairwell this far down.

                Step.

                Step.

                Step.

                Down walked Bernie, down to the basement. She could definitely hear another set of footsteps on the stairs. She was sure of it, because as she picked up speed, so did the extra steps.

                Bernie rushed the last few steps and flung herself at the door towards the morgue, rushing into the hallway and the only less dim light of the morgue’s hallway. Turning around, Bernie still saw no one. She was breathing heavily as she ran to the morgue’s door. There were handprints on the windows of the morgue, bloody? Handprints. Bernie pushed the doors with the bloody handprints open, bracing for whatever was on the other side. The doors flew open.

                “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” called Greta and all of Bernie’s friends.

last Halloween Photography Challenge post, I promisr

Last 3 days: Night, Blood, and Swamp. Whew! I made it through....

Halloween Photography Challenge (days 26 thru 31)

Sorry for the photo dump, but finally getting around to checking up on my challenges. This post includes days 31 through 26: costume, cat, party (pumpkin carving party), scream (cover of an Edgar Allen Poe anthology), Forest, and Haunt (haunted side porch).

OctPoWriMo end of Halloween Poems

I have been keeping up with my poetry entries for OctPoWriMo, just not as good as posting lately. I really tried to follow the daily prompts, usually writing something loosely around the theme of the prompt, but using the poetic form suggested. There were a few that were either a bit to hard on a particular day, or the prompt was a bit different than I planned for. This usually meant that I wrote a haiku about the prompt for the day. Haiku is and probably always my go to poetic form, that and pantoums.

Here are days 30, 31, 29,and 28.

Thank you to Maria Berg for keeping OctPoWriMo alive.

Halloween Photography Challenge (dump post)

Another bit of Halloween photos for the challenge and I have lost most of the days, but the prompts were remembered. This batch is haunt, superstition, spider, and vampire. 

Truth, I have enjoyed doing this challenge and trying to find ways to multiple the subject matter or the settings on the pictures. I think it's the month, all the spooky and spoopy things are helping bring out the creative.

Enjoy!

Halloween Photography Challenge (backlog)

This is a long post, because I am trying to get caught up on my days. Here's the calendar I have been using, bright to you by Maria Berg over at Experience Writing. What you see here is the entries for fog, scream, zombie, veil, moon, jack-o-lantern, and one that I don't remember what I was trying to do. Also, it appears that scream is further along in the month, whoops, AND twice. Ha! Anyway, please enjoy my noob photography. I will be posting the last of my backlog this week. Stay spooky, Dear Readers!

Halloween Photography Challenge days 13 and 14

Clouds that look like ashes, and a grave stone from Howard Street Cemetery in Salem , Ma.

October Photography Challenge

Playing catch up with the photography challenge gifted by Maria L. Berg over at Experience Writing. Flexing my ability to take pictures. I don't always know what to use, or take a picture of, but I and trying. Sometimes I think it works. Maria had been helpful In boosting my artistic drive. Much thanks. Here's my entry for Bones, Owl, Shadow, and Mask. Enjoy!

Writober 2023 (7 days of micro fiction)

Day 1: Floating Mask in the Dark.

         Stanley was walking home from work. It was a typical after work night. It was dark, because of course is was, it was dark at five in the afternoon. He passed Mr. Lester’s house and then Mrs. Casey’s which was on the right. Mr. Lester’s walkway was lit up with those little sidewalk lamps. Mrs. Casey’s dog, Barkley, a shih tzu, weas barking.

           It was a typical day, I mean night, and an especially typical walk home with leaves blowing across the street and the standard neighbourhood noises of children screaming and dogs barking. Stanely would usually glance at the houses as he passed them, sometimes stopping to pet on of the many stray cats that lived in the colony next to Mrs. Casey’s house.

          The cats liked Stanley, especially the little grey cat with the blue green eyes. He would stop and feed the cats some of his leftover ham or chicken. Today there were no cat to be seen loitering on the sidewalk or in the colony, not even the little grey one. Suddenly, Barkley stopped barking!

            He stopped and looked around. The empty yard where the colony lived, he saw large and small glowing orbs floating in the yard. There were some that he could make out faces on, with eyes and some mouths.

            “Um, hello?” he called, but the face just floated and danced in the yard. “ Okay, I’ll leave you to it then,” he said, turning to walk away.

            “Okay, bye Stan,” said a voice, but when he turned the faces were gone.

Day 2: Woman and Cat with Glowing Eyes and Coffee

            FRIDAY at 7:57 pm.

            It had been a long week and the coffee maker was brewing. I can smell it; dark and nutty. I am leaning against the counter staring at the empty dining room and the boxes against the far wall. “Need to get to those boxes, Nyx,” I said to the yellow eyes on the counter.

            Nyx was staring at her, unblinking on the counter. “Mrrow,” said the white cat.

            “Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It can wait until morning.” Nyx turned at walked behind me. The coffee maker beeped.

             I turned with cup in hand to see the completed coffee and it was glowing red. “Mrrow,” said Nyx.

             “Um, Nyx?”

              Nyx walked to the edge of the conter, turned staring at me. Her eyes were now glowing green.

             “If you say so,” and I poured myself a cup. The cup lifted to my lips and I drank. The warmth rolling into my mouth, down my throat. I stopped.

              I turned back to the boxes against the wall and saw little dark mases open and closed the box lids. “Yeah, Nyx. It was wait until morning.”

Day 3: Guitar with Multiple Hand and Skulls.

          “Do you hear that?” asked George.

          “What?” asked Damon.

          “That!” as said George as he pointed out into the dark. “The music. Don’t you hear it?” George stood up, “Who’s playing the guitar at midnight?” trying to locate the direction of the wild guitar playing.

          “It’s after two in the morning, awfully close to the witching hour,” said Damon. “And it is coming from the graveyard on Silas Hill."

          “Oh stuff it, Damon. It’s Silent Hill, not Silas.”

           “No, it’s Silas Hill. Jerk. Up Birch Creek Road and named after Silas Hill, the founder of the town. Don’t you know your history?” Damon stood up and walked out into the dark leaving George alone in the circle of light of the small fire.

            “Where are you going?” asked George.

             Damon called behind him, “To investigate, you coming?”

             “Not fond of the dark, graveyards, or dying. So, no.”

             “Shuck off, George! There is no one up there,” called Damon as his voice disappeared into the dark.

             George stood along in the campfire light. Shadows were dancing around him. He listened to the guitar music, it was Spanish sounding with quick strumming and chords. It suddenly stopped, everything was still, “Damon?” called George, then a violin started playing and guitar resumed its frantic playing.

Day 4: Gas Mask Suit

             What do you do when you are home alone, watching scary movies in the dark and you hear a doorbell ring?

             Me? Well, my first thought is that I have no doorbell, so what the hell is that at my door?

             You stand, stretching, spilling the large metal bowl of popcorn across the couch. Your cat is unphased and continues to sleep. The TV is quietly playing some older zombie movie. You pull on your extra-large college sweatshirt and grab the nearest weapon, a volume of William Shakespeare. The cat is still snoozing.

             You slowly creep through the living room and towards the front door, but you don’t hear anything, except the movie still quietly playing on the TV, muffled speech and thumping. Then you hear a thumping from the front door. You stop.

             “Hellooooo?” you call to the door, as you are still not at the door. You walked into the vestibule and the doorbell rang again. The doorbell that shouldn’t exist. “Hi! Who’s there?” as to tightly grip the book in your hands. There is another quiet thump from the door. 

              At the door, you grab the light switch, setting down the book and grabbing the door handle. One, two, three…on goes the light and the door is flung open. No one is on the front stoop, but there is a loud thump coming from the living room. As you turn, you see a figure on the TV wearing a gas mask suit and the volume is turned way up.

              Your cat dashes from the couch.

Day 5: Fire Dancer

             All was quiet in the dance studio. Nellie closed the door and turned on a small lamp in the corner for some light. The light spread in a small circle around the polished wood floor. She turned on CIRCE and music floated down and across the floor in a rainbow of audio mosaic.

             “I wish I had someone to dance with,” said Nellie to the empty studio. The dim bluish light cast her shadow as it moved in time with her across the floor. She moved her feet. The drumming vibration of the music melted into the floor and lost to the movement of her feet.

            Tap. Tap. Swoosh. Nellie danced, losing herself to the music. Spin. Spin. Tap. Tap. She felt her body warming up as she moved. A smile spread across her face. The studio was no longer dark as she danced. The lamp light swirled like flames, making larger shadows that danced with Nellie.

            “Spin me,” she called.

             The walls blurred, the light blurred, even the music began to blur and started crackling like flames licking the walls of the studio.

Day 6: Decapitated Woman / Doll

           “Can you imagine the settee in the corner?” asked Cordelia.

           There was silence and then a rustle of fabric. “Oh, you’re no help,” she said. Another rustle, almost like a whisper, but unintelligible. Cordelia just sighed.

            There was a movement out of the corner of her eyes. She could still hear the rustling, but she didn’t see anything. “What are you doing?” asked Cordelia.

            No answer.

            “Just answer me! What are you doing?” Cordelia shouted. It was then that her view changed, spinning the velvet grey wallpaper into a blur. She shut her eyes.

             There was a thump and when she opened her eyes there in front of her was the green and gold settee, it was sitting in the corner. A hand waved in front of Cordelia. “Oh!”

              The hand turned Cordelia towards the headless torso of her own body.

               “Thanks!” said Cordelia.

               The torso bowed at the waist.

               “The settee does look good in the corner.”

Day 7: Rubix Cube with Eyes and Hands

            Laney had a Rubix Cube on her desk. It just sat there, untouched, with its rainbow of colours all jumbled up. She never played with it. Her aunt gave it to her when she was in the hospital.

            Laney wasn’t puzzle inclined, but her aunt had given it to her, and she loved her aunt. It was late and she couldn’t sleep. Her cat Chester was lying on her grey fuzzy pillow, breathing gently, relaxed. Laney was not relaxed, though her breathing was gentle. She suffered from insomnia since being in the hospital. Nothing seemed to help, not tea, music, meditation, alcohol, or pills. Even when Chester started sleeping in her room, she was only able to nap for maybe an hour.

             “Maybe I’ll try reading,” she said to a snoozing Chester. But the book was not interesting, nor did it make her sleepy. Laney laid the book on her desk and picked up the Rubix Cube. In the pale light of her desk lamp she studied the cube. She saw an eye on a green square. She touched it and the eye moved. “Whoa!” said Laney. “I think I need sleep,” but she moved the cube pieces, following the green eye, and then the eyes moved the blue square. This continued.

  

             In the morning her mom found Laney asleep on her bed with a complete cube in her hand.

OctPoWriMo Days #2 and 3

Talking the theme of fears for this month, works really well, as I have had a full year of fears, tears, anger, and the like. It is turning into a bit of therapy as I dive in. I am doing some of these prompts out of order, as I don't always feel inspired when the Pantoym prompt came out. I love pantoums though. Their ability to tell a story within the confines of the prom is natural for me. also, I also, love haiku. Haiku are super easy to write.

Today's fare is haiku for day 2 and pantoum for day 3. The pantoum is based on a lot of what I have been feeling lately, and it's been very therapeutic to write it.

Haiku:

Pantoum:

Battle Fears

Feel the sharp pain,

A reminder of mistakes--

Don't want to remember,

Like a bad dream.

A reminder of mistakes

Could it happen again?

Like a bad dream,

Turning up in my head.

Could it happen again?

A whirlwind of images, 

Turning up in my head

And I cannot sleep.

A whirlwind of images

And I am now dizzy

And I cannot sleep

As the tears shower my face.

And I ask now dizzy,

Don't want to remember

As the tears shower my face.

Feel the sharp pain.

10/3/2023

~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, time for Inktober/Artsnacks prompt, path and books. I had fun drawing this one and colouring it in too.

October is Art Challenge Month

Day number One: Spooky

This is Spooky! She is a cat. She is quite photogenic too. While I am not a good photographer, I thought I would try a photo challenge this year. The one I found has "Spooky" as a prompt for today. It seems fitting, doesn't it.

Now on to the poetry...

OctPoWriMo: Fears (Day #1)

Written at the end of September, because I realized that October is the month of art challenges; and I wanted to get a jump on them. I cannot locate this year's OctPoWriMo, but have found a fellow writer who is posted and sharing their artistic endeavours. So, I will post all of them from poetry to illustration, and maybe a little in between.

Today's date is inspired by Maya Angelou. While not quite of the same caliber, it certainly feels the moment. 

Repeating Nightmares

There are many times,

Of things I have tried

That I could repeat.

Chosen to quickly

Not chosen fast enough,

That I could repeat.

Treated people wrongly,

Bullied or badgered.

Maybe, I could repeat.

I wish to try again

And only do I know

If I could repeat.

I do not want to try again

Only to know I have failed,

They I did repeat the mistakes.

Less likely to try again,

Afraid of what might begin

The future repeat mistakes.

Yet, if I don't know, or try

How will I escape the repeat fields

That I dread to repeat.

I fell in love again

Build a life again,

But this time I try a different step

To avoid repeated mistakes, again.

8:15pm 9/30/2023