Ahh Fall. A time of crisp leaves, cozy sweaters, and cups of steaming cocoa.
Or a time to watch the slow decay of life around you as Winter claws its way ever closer.
However you look at it, big things are happening. And while the world quiets under a blanket of leaves, my mind has been in a frenzy.
A writing frenzy, that is. The Fall Writing Frenzy 2022 Contest is here! While I normally detest all things horror, my mind was pulled down a creepy path for this entry. It is my first attempt at a spooky story, so hopefully it carries over to you, dear reader.
Challenge: Select from 14 Fall-themed photos and create a story, poem, or blurb in 200 words or less.
Thank you to Lydia, Kaitlyn, and Alyssa for this amazing competition! To read the other entries, click here.
Fall. Credit: Daniele Colucci for Unsplash.
GLASS
I don’t know why I followed the little girl. Maybe it was her tearful plea for help. Maybe it was the cider.
But I let her pull me from the festival’s glow to an alley—too quiet and empty.
I shuddered. “Where did you drop it, exactly?”
She stopped beside a puddle and pointed down. “My favorite new doll!” she wailed. The cobblestones hurled back her cry, slicing the silence to pieces.
“Okay!” I rushed forward. “We’ll find it!!”
But looking down, I knew something was wrong. The puddle was shallow—too shallow to hide a doll in its depths.
“You’re sure this is the spot?”
She nodded.
I crouched down, peering into the puddle. The moonlit water was smooth as glass. I could see my face as clearly as looking into a mirror.
Then her face was behind mine, her tears gone.
Before I could shout, hands shoved me face-first into the puddle, and everything went dark.
*************************************************************************************
When I woke, massive fingers stroked a glass wall surrounding me. A box, I realized with horror. The girl, now towering, smiled down.
“My favorite new doll,” she purred.
I screamed, but no sound passed my porcelain lips as she turned off the light.
THE END