The man that has been haunting Tyler’s nightmares for the past several days takes the same bus as him.
Tyler jolted awake, with sweat on his chest. The breeze from the overhead fan barely cooled him down. It was that weird time in March where the weather couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to be hot or cold, so Tyler simply slept with only the fan.
“Fucking stranger again,” Tyler whispered, keeping his voice low as not to disturb his lover.
Tyler placed his arm around his partner, falling into a calming embrace to ease his mind away from the recurring nightmare. It was always the same theme. Tyler would be running away from a tall man in a dark suit, like something from the 1920s, and every time, this stranger would catch him and graphically kill him. The locations and deaths would vary, but the figure was persistent. Tyler’s partner had shrugged it off as him playing too many video games, but Tyler felt there was something more to it. He thought it might be a result of anxiety from his new job and the world crisis.
The next morning, Tyler waited on the street outside his apartment for his regular bus to take him to the downtown luxury hotel. The day had an eerie vibe, but the past several days had felt ominous. He figured he would eventually become accustomed to the new reality of living during a pandemic virus outbreak. On the positive side, he was grateful his work got deemed essential, although he couldn’t work from home.
As the bus came to a stop, Tyler strapped on his homemade face mask, and climbed inside. Every other seat was blocked off with a yellow sign warning, “FACEMASK REQUIRED.” The bus was empty save for one man standing near the back dressed in a black suit with a matching fedora. Tyler froze in the aisle when he saw him. He couldn’t help but stare. Even with the mask on, Tyler’s gut knew it was the stranger from his nightmares.
“Take a seat,” bus driver ordered.
Tyler snapped back to the present. “Sorry.”
As Tyler took a seat, he could’ve sworn the man winked at him, like he was trying to say, “Yes, it’s me.” Tyler faced the front of the bus and browsed his social media feeds to forget. The news was the same – doom, gloom, and blame. He switched over to his camera to spy on the stranger in the back who was starring soullessly ahead.
The bus announced Tyler’s stop. It was a few blocks away from the hotel, but he was at his favorite coffee shop. He wanted to help keep them in business. As Tyler got off, so did the stranger.
“Be cool,” Tyler told himself. “He’s not following you.”
Tyler stepped inside Clarity Coffee while the stranger walked by. He let out a sigh of relief. Tyler kept his social distance, got his to-go-coffee, and made the journey to work.
Downtown was quiet. Most everyone was working from home after all. As he crossed a street, he got a feeling he wasn’t alone. He looked behind him and saw the stranger in the dark suit.
“It’s just a coincidence,” Tyler assured himself, “but to be sure…”
Tyler turned the corner down an alleyway. He looked behind but didn’t see the stranger. Tyler turned forward. The nightmare stood in the center of the alley with his arms crossed, and his eyes fixated on him. Tyler turned around and ran, but he ran right into the stranger.
The stranger lifted Tyler from the throat. Tyler screamed, but everyone was hiding from the invisible threat terrorizing the world.
“I’m only going to warn you once,” the stranger spoke with military firmness. “Tell anyone that the hotel you work at is haunted–especially journalists–and I’ll make your nightmares of me a reality.”
The stranger dropped Tyler, who collapsed to the pavement with fear. When he looked up, the man had vanished.
This short story was inspired by current events and the following writing prompt: “You have a recurring dream of being chased by a mysterious man in a dark suit almost every other night. This morning when getting on the bus to work, you see him sitting in the back and make eye contact. He winks at you.”
Story Artwork by Keith Zarraga at Design Pickle. Get a discount off your first month of Design Pickle via this affiliate link, which full disclosure, I earn a small commission as a discount for me as well.
A freelance private investigator is hired to figure out if a client’s wife was transformed into a statue.
The sun was out without a cloud in the sky, but Psychon’s enormous umbrella protected him from the deadly-to-him UV rays as he strolled through Riverside Park. After his last job solving a missing person’s case, he asked his client for recommendations for scenic spots. They urged him to explore the park and smell the Blue Hibiscus flowers, which only bloomed during the day. He stopped and smelled the mild sweetness of the blossoms as suggested.
“Kay, you would’ve loved this place,” Psychon said aloud to no one. “Maybe I’ll get a shuttle to the Blue Planet next and visit the beaches there.”
Psychon’s networker on his wrist vibrated with an incoming commutation. He pushed aside his jacket sleeve, allowing the network to cast a holographic screen. A Karviná Uvae listed the incoming call as a job request with a nearby location in the park. He tapped on the green accept button, connecting the call, replacing the screen with a video of an ghaukvoi woman. The ghaukvoi were similar to humans but taller with varying shades of blue skin and pointy ears.
“Detective Psychon!” Color returned to Karviná’s blue face like she had been holding her breath in anticipation. “Praise the goddess. Are you available? I saw you’re one of the best detectives in the Five-Following Planets, and this might be beneath you, but I really could use your help.”
“I’m available. What problem may I solve for you?”
Karviná turned the screen to a statue of a young adult human woman. “I believe someone turned my wife into a statue.”
Psychon started to walk in the direction of the caller’s location. “You know, you could call the protectors and get her cured.”
“I could, but I don’t want to embarrass myself if I’m wrong.”
“Understandable. Every interaction with the protectors does become public record.”
“Exactly! Plus, you see, my wife is part of the arts council. She met with the rest of the council to discuss some public art projects, and I decided to take a jog while she worked. When I finished, I came back here where I found this statue, and I cannot get in touch with her.”
I wonder if she is the kind of person to allow herself to be temporarily transformed statue for art, Psychon thought. No, judging from how worried Karviná is, she would’ve told her in advance so she wouldn’t panic.
“I’m not cheap.”
“Your rate won’t be an issue, especially if you save me from embarrassment.”
“And if your suspicions are correct?”
Karviná paused to think. Her worry shifted to anger. “Then I’ll want you to hunt down whoever did this.”
“Very well.” Psychon chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm. “I think I see you now.”
Karviná waved, and Psychon ended the call. Her outfit was the opposite of his in every way – bright, floral patterned shorts, a matching sports bra, and running shoes. Still, she didn’t have to worry about catching on fire in the sunlight.
The two stood facing the statue of Karviná’s wife. With one hand holding his umbrella, Psychon glided his fingers over the surprised facial expression. The texture of the stone felt like the work of a gorgon, but he had to be sure.
Psychon pulled off his pointy black hat. The detective decorated the outside with an eclectic assortment of patches he sewed, while the inside featured spatial revamping technology. He could store items ten times the hat’s size, such as his umbrella and anything he needed for work. He dug around inside and pulled out a material analyzer. The gray cylinder device was about the size of a flashlight.
After putting his hat back on, he pressed the device against the statue’s neck and tapped the red button. The device emitted three quick, high-pitched beeps.
Psychon glanced at his client. “Looks like you’re right. Your wife was turned into stone by a gorgon–a human one, to be precise. Does she have any enemies, Karviná?”
His client scoffed. “Sometimes she would complain about rejected eccentric artists, but she always made the matter seem like no big deal.”
The detective put his analyzer in his jacket. “Anyone who would want to turn her into stone?”
“I don’t know! You’re the detective!” Karviná took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s the love of your life. You’re allowed to snap.”
Karviná smiled.
Psychon looked down the urban wilderness trail, noting the other sculptures decorated along the path. Various species stood with nothing in common other than what he interrupted as an expression of fear or surprise on their faces.
“By any chance, do you recognize any of the other statues?”
Karviná turned away from her wife and studied the others. “Oh. I’ve been so focused on my wife that I didn’t realize someone turned the rest of the arts council to stone.”
“Let me confirm.” Psychon went to the nearest statue and performed the test. “Same result.” He checked another one. “Also, same.”
Karviná pointed to a statue. “I don’t recognize that one.”
Psychon tested the statue. “Interesting. Someone turned this person to stone before the arts council members.”
Karviná crossed her arms. “What do you think is going on?”
“I’m not sure.” Psychon kneed down for a close inspection of the ground, mindful of the umbrella’s location as not to damage the statue or get himself roasted. By the statue’s feet was a golden plaque with the engraving, The Horrors of Corporations. “Curious…”
Karviná jogged to the detective. “What? What did you find?”
Psychon pointed to the plaque. “This statue was deliberate. We should get the protectors out here to get everyone to a hospital for treatment. Once restored, they should be able to tell us what happened.”
“But that process takes time, and whoever did this is still out there!”
Psychon paused. His client had a solid point, and so he constructed a plan.
“Very well,” he announced. “I have a theory, but I’ll need your help.”
* * *
Karviná jogged along the paved trail as the route came out along a river. She hadn’t seen anyone for several minutes. She resisted hard to look over her shoulders constantly, and with the upcoming stretch having no statues, she was on high alert. The detective’s instructions to “act natural” kept repeating over and over in her head.
She focused on the river’s flow, hoping the sight would relax her like the waterfall white-nose she listened to at night. She took a deep breath to center her mind when a human woman jumped out in front of her.
“Hello, there!” the stranger greeted with an extensively cheerful smile. Paint splatter covered her long-sleeve shirt and well-worn white jeans. Only her rainbow pattern beanie cap was free of paint. “Would you like to make some art with me?”
“I’m just out here enjoying a jog,” Karviná stumbled to explain.
The artist pulled out a large knife from her belt holster. “But my project needs more volunteers.”
The artist’s beanie flicked off her head as several gorgon snakes hissed to life. Karviná screamed, prompting Psychon to jump down from the treetops. While floating underneath his umbrella, he landed directly on the artist, knocking her down. He immediately handcuffed her, which neutralized the snakes.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Karviná said, coming down from the adrenaline rush.
“I already called the protectors to treat those transformed and make an arrest.”
“Why?” the artist cried. “All those people with increasing terror on the faces as they got closer to the big corporate complexes. This project was going to be beautiful. The stupid arts council would’ve seen the genius of my work!”
A pair of uniformed protectors spotted them and rushed their way.
Psychon gently forced the artist up. “Maybe next time, don’t build statues out of people.”
This short story was somewhat inspired by the following writing prompt: “A man discovers that a statue in a public square has something strange. She seems way too real. He discovers that there is a corpse inside it. A detective is called to see this, and he figures out that every single statue in this square hides a corpse.”
I thought it would be fun to write a short story featuring Detective Psychon, who is a minor character in my book, The Crashing of Heaven and Hell, and from a TV series I once attempted, but still plan to do. Since I’ve originally published this story, I’ve written more about the detective. You can find all of them in chronological order on his profile page.
Thank you to Janine De Guzman at Design Pickle for bringing this beautiful scene to life. For inspiration, I gave Janine a photo of the Tulsa, Oklahoma rival trails. In my mind, as I was writing this story, I even pictured those trails. If you ever find yourself in Tulsa, I recommend taking a hike or bike ride along there.
During a morning jog, two friends take a detour to explore a mysterious spiral staircase that leads to a trap.
Sydney had long since accepted Chloe’s need to pause, change course, and explore during their weekly jog together. In the beginning, Sydney was annoyed by her friend’s curiosity as she preferred to keep a steady pace. After several exciting detours, she grew to love the deviations as they added a sense of adventure. Sydney often found herself jogging alone for brief periods before realizing Chloe wasn’t by her side, but this time, Chloe put her arm in front of Sydney to stop themselves.
“Look at that,” Chloe said, pointing out toward the woods.
Sydney scanned the scene. Behind a battered and boarded manufactured house stood a spiral metal staircase that reached up into the treetops.
“That’s weird,” Sydney commented. “It reminds me of that suspended staircase public art piece in Automobile Alley.”
Chole raised both arms into the air. “We should climb it!”
“I don’t know if that’s safe…”
“I bet it was put there on purpose so you can see the birds. Don’t you want to see the birds, Syd?”
Sydney sighed. “I’ll do it for the birds.”
“Yay!” Chloe cheered as she jogged to the staircase.
Sydney followed. Without a second thought, Chloe ran up several steps while Sydney stopped to inspect the staircase for safety. The staircase didn’t fall with Chloe going full force, but Sydney wasn’t sure how exactly the steps were standing as she couldn’t see any wires or beams holding the structure in place.
Chloe ran up several more stairs. “Come on. It’s safe.”
Sydney chased after her friend, who ran up higher, giggling. They reached the top, which led to a metal-enclosed balcony capable of holding a small group of visitors. The sun started to rise off in the distance as Sydney stood next to Chloe.
They soaked in the warmth of the sunrise as the sun painted the sky a vibrant orange. Neither of them said anything to each other. Sydney glanced over at Chloe, watching the sunlight glide over her freckled face. She turned back to the sky, searching for any birds.
After a moment, Sydney could sense Chloe’s restlessness. “Ready to head down?”
Chloe bolted. “Last one down has to buy brunch!”
“Cheater!” Sydney shouted as she after her friend.
Chloe only managed to stay a few steps ahead. Sydney knew she could beat her, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t seem to get past her. She kept running and running and running, never gaining on her.
Sydney stopped to catch her breath, and so did Chloe. “Shouldn’t we be down by now?”
“Yeah, going downstairs is always easier and faster.”
“I see the bottom,” Sydney said, trying to rationalize their predicament.
“Me too,” Chole said as she started to walk down. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
The two walked down the stairs, keeping an eye on the grassy floor. Neither could explain the phenomenon, but the more they went down, the more they did not get any closer to the bottom.
“I’m starting to freak out a bit now,” Chloe confessed.
Sydney looked over the rail. We’re too far to jump safely, she thought. Out of a sense of placement, she looked up. There were two people on the balcony.
“There are people up there.”
Chloe looked up. “How did they get there?”
“Let’s go find out.”
In the balcony viewing area stood a tall, slender man in a white and pink suit with a woman of a similar build, but a little shorter and in a red dress holding a tablet device. Their similar hair and face structure made Sydney assume the two were siblings. Behind them was a white metal door with a golden accent strip.
“Looks like they found us, Raven,” the man said as Sydney and Chloe reached the top.
“Indeed they have, Loki,” the woman said.
“Do you think they know what’s wrong, Raven?”
“I think they suspect something, Loki.”
“I think you are correct, Raven.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” Sydney demanded.
“Shall we tell her, Raven?” Loki asked.
“I think you should tell her, Loki,” Raven responded.
“But you have a way with the words, Raven.”
“As do you, Loki.”
“Would one of you explain what’s going on?” Sydney interrupted. “I don’t care who. Take turns if you must.”
“This staircase is a construct of your fears, Sydney,” Loki explained.
Raven tapped on her tablet. “Like any fear, the only way to break free is to confess your truth.”
Loki opened the door. On the other side was an impossible night scene of a series of office cubicles. Raven stepped inside, followed by Loki. “Good luck.”
Loki closed the door behind him. The door disappeared in a blink the moment the door shut.
“What truth do you need to confess?” Chloe asked, visibly freaked out.
Sydney looked into Chloe’s eyes. Actions are more powerful than words, she thought to herself right before she kissed Chloe. Chloe returned the embrace. When they parted, they discovered they were on the ground where the staircase once stood.
“Been waiting for that,” Chloe admitted.
Sydney smiled. “So, who has to buy brunch?”
“I think we’ll count that one as a tie.”
Out of sight in the abandoned home, Loki and Raven watched as Chloe and Sydney jogged off together. Loki tossed Raven a golden coin, which she caught and put in her dress pocket.
“You won that one,” Loki admitted. “I thought it would’ve taken them much longer to escape.”
“Don’t worry. You got more opportunities.”
This week’s short story was inspired by the following writing prompt: “You’re walking home and you see a solitary staircase in the woods behind an abandoned house. They go up into the treeline. Out of curiosity, you start walking up them. After walking up for a while you decide to go back but never reach the bottom. When you look back up again you see the top.”
Thank you to Janine De Guzman at Design Pickle for bringing the platform scene to life. If you want to read another story with Chole and Sydney, check out The Oak Tree Box.
While several deities prepare for game night in Hades’ library, an angel crash lands in the underworld, bringing a mystery.
“Hades, can we keep him?”
“Persephone, it’s not a small pigeon to nurse back to health, it’s an angel.”
A chihuahua bolted between Hades’ feet to sniff the slightly crumpled angel lying on the white-marble floor in front of them. Several more of Hades’ dogs popped their heads out from around the library to investigate the commotion.
Hades looked at the pieces of the stained glass window scattered around the library. At least the angel didn’t crash through my favorite window, Hades thought on the positive side although the angel did leave a streak of blood on his clean floors. Hades suspected some of the blood that covered the angel came from whatever he fought before the fall.
“He’s so precious,” Persephone whispered as she glided her fingers over the angel’s smooth, youthful face. “I wonder where he came from?”
“I’m sure someone will be here shortly to collect him,” Hades assured as he picked up his chihuahua. “Leave him be. Our guests are about to arrive for game night, and I, for one, would like a break.”
“Ho, ho, ho,” a joyous voice announced.
The chihuahua barked and jumped out of Hades’ hands. The tiny dog ran to a white-bearded man dressed in red shorts and a topical button-up t-shirt while carrying a large red sack. Dogs of various sizes and breeds rushed to the newcomer with their tags wagging. The man opened up his bag and tossed out dog cookies.
“Santa, you jolly bastard,” Hades greeted with excitement. “What games did you bring for us today?”
“Depends on who ends up joining us,” Santa replied while petting all the dogs. “I got Ticket to Ride, Cards Against Humanity, Catan, Midnight Zombie Sabotage, and a bunch more. I left Pandemic at the workshop. Seemed a bit too real given current events.”
All the lights and flames in the library flickered off then returned with a gradual spread away from a midnight-skinned goddess with a glittery dress.
“You’re here, [Goddess of Shadows*]!” Persephone shouted with glee as she ran over and hugged her friend. (*Persephone called the goddess by her true name, but her name becomes her title for those not allowed to know it.)
As the two embraced, the Shadow Goddess caught sight of the fallen angel. “Are we doing a murder mystery game tonight?”
“Ooh! Yes! Let’s solve the mystery of who killed the angel,” Persephone encouraged. She put on a gray deerstalker cap that she conjured from her purple dress pockets. “The game is afoot.”
“I told you,” Hades spoke in a calm tone, “someone will be here for him any—”
Flying down from the hole the angel made, a green dragon landed next to the injured angel. The dragon morphed into a humanoid form.
“Neon!” Persephone cheered. “I thought you were working?”
“I’m technically here for him,” Neon said as he lifted the angel. “This human wished to be an angelic warrior. Obviously, that had consequences. Thank you for not tossing him aside.”
“I knew someone would be here to collect him,” Hades said with a modest tone. “Wasn’t expecting it to be you. The kid made a wish, huh?”
“Yeah, around Volo Grant.”
“I’m sure Volo feels awful,” Santa commented. “That kid tries so hard, but he can’t control the wishes.”
Neon stretched out his wings. “Thank you again for watching him. I’d better get back to Earth.”
Dionysus joyfully strolled in the library with a case of wine as he watched Neon fly away through the ceiling with an angel in his arms. “Did I miss anything?”
This week’s short story was inspired by the following writing prompt: “Hades can we keep him?” “Persephone, it’s not a small pigeon to nurse back to health, it’s an angel,” the discussion goes as they look at the slightly crumpled figure laying in front of them.
Thank you to Mikey Marchan at Design Pickle for bringing this scene to life!
Gia is brought back to the end of time by a friend to investigate the new windows at The Last House.
“I think we should kill it.”
Gia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at Slayer. “That’s your solution to everything.”
Slayer floated in front of Gia. Slayer’s ghostly, black-draped crystalline form would’ve given anyone the chills from its presence. However, being a fellow end-timer herself, Gia was able to turn that feeling off. In contrast to Slayer’s form, Gia took the appearance of a human with the charming beauty of an actress dressed in a black cocktail dress with matching stockings, a short leather jacket, a jade bracelet, and red sneakers. She also only had two arms compared to Slayer’s four.
“Why are we here?” Gia inquisitively asked. “There’s nothing left for us here.”
There was almost nothing left. All the stars had burnt out. All the planets had been destroyed or withered away ages ago. All the end-timers born on this rock floating through an endless black swamp of rolling midnight had all scattered back in time to periods where there was still life. What did remain was a structure they referred to as The Last House, which stood before the two end-timers.
The Last House was a dilapidated three-story mansion. Gia was always impressed that the building had managed to be still standing and retained its purple exterior paint. As Gia looked at the house, she had a feeling the structure had changed since her last visit.
“Do you notice it?” Slayer asked.
“I’m not sure,” Gia replied. “Is there something different about it?”
“The windows. They’re solid red now.”
“They are. How’d you notice this?”
“I like to come back here from time to time to see if anything is different – if any one of us had managed to change the end.”
Gia always liked to think of endings as the start of a new act, a new story, but being here, Gia felt the true grim weight of the end. She shifted the subject. “Why bring me?”
“You’re the most creative of us,” Slayer unashamedly admitted. “If I investigate The Last House with anyone, I want it to be with you because if something does go awry, you’ll find a solution.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Slayer.”
“Don’t make me regret this,” Slayer said as they led the way to the front door with Gia following beside him. “When was the last time you were here?”
Gia sighed. “It would’ve been lifetimes ago.”
Gia stepped on the wooden porch. The porch responded with a creaky hollow that she ignored as she opened the eggplant-colored door. To Gia’s surprise, the golden door handle had a pristine shine. The inside was a chaotic collage of architectural styles from various time-periods from numerous planets. Her eyes darted all over the place, trying to make sense of the building. She ran her finger on the red glass windows. The color wiped away with her stoke, leaving a tacky reside on her fingertip.
Slayer did the same with one of their hands. “This is blood. Fresh blood.”
“How is that possible? Are there any other end-timers around?”
“No, we’re the only ones here.”
Gia flicked the blood off her finger. “I don’t think we’re alone.”
The ceiling began to pour down with blood. It washed over every surface of the walls, reaching the Milky Way color marbled floor. It drifted around them, as if it was sentient, and pooled together in the center of the room. From the ground, the blood stood up, taking a humanoid form with dragon-like wings.
“Freedom is mine,” the blood creator roared as it bolted out the open front door.
Gia and Slayer looked at each and shrugged.
“Not very many places for it to go,” Slayer commented, unworried.
“Yeah, you said it,” Gia added. “The question remains, which one of us locked it up here and why?”
“It could even have been us, but it hasn’t happened in our timeline yet.”
“That’s true.”
Gia and Slayer casually strolled out of The Last House, with Gia closing the door behind. In the foggy field before them stood two free-standing doors. One was green and the other red, with the green one being Gia’s time machine and the other belonging to Slayer. The blood creature was nowhere in sight.
Slayer opened his door. On the other side was a sunny, sandy desert. “Until our paths cross again.”
Gia nodded goodbye as Slayer went through their door. The moment the door closed, it blinked out of existence as if it was never there. Gia opened her door, leading to a theatre stage. As Gia closed her door, a small puddle of blood slipped its way through.
This week’s short story was inspired by the following writing prompt: “Creation is no more. What remains is an endless black swamp of rolling midnight. Terrible and boundless. The only thing that persists, that continues on into the darkness, is the Last House, an old construct that harbors all those that are left from the feast of Night.”
