Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Best Entertainment


Anna sat on her bed, her shoulders hunched over and the darkness pressing against her. She was tired of getting up and crossing the room to flip the switch, only to have him turn it off before she got back to her bed. She'd screamed at him, and threatened him. And he'd laughed at her. Sometimes he'd hide under the bed and wait for her to forget; then she'd dangle her legs off and he'd grab her feet and tug on her just enough to slide her to the edge of the mattress. She'd kick and holler and curse at him and he'd let her go. He'd scratch the wall and hiss, keeping her awake for the rest of the night. And on the worst nights, he'd lay on top of her, whispering horrible things into her ear; how he would torture her family forever; didn't she know there was nothing she could do about it? He'd spent the last three years tormenting her, and he thought it was just as much fun today as it had been on that very first night. It was the best entertainment he'd ever had.

Elias Emerson. He'd died in that room over thirty years ago. He'd been the last of the Emersons; the estate had been auctioned off, and then the property had been sold to one young couple after another. They'd all had good intentions; a nice big country house to raise a family, or the ambitious ones in recent years with plans to "flip" it. Each of them discovered it was truly a money pit, as one by one, the improvements fell through. And then there were the accidents. Bad luck seemed attached to the house, so it went unoccupied for a long time. Then the Morgan's moved in, and for about a year, all was quiet. Then Anna, Brett and Taylor's only child started having nightmares. She was up all hours of the night, and she became terrified of being alone in the house. She started getting bad grades and acted out at school. She had changed. She complained about seeing a man in her room, and they called the police. Then they had a security system installed and her father began sitting with her at night until she fell asleep. But no one ever saw a thing. No one except Anna.

But it would get worse long before it got better. She would awaken in the middle of the night and throw things at him; books from her nightstand and the flashlight that never worked. Nothing made any difference; it was just a loud clattering against the wall and then her worried parents would come rushing in to check on her. She always heard his wicked cackle just before her mom or dad would open the door. But all they'd see was Anna sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up, rocking back and forth; and crying.

After the first couple of episodes, they had hauled her to the pediatrician, (never mind the fact that she was almost sixteen, she'd been seeing Dr. Mason since she was born, surely he could fix her). But of course, he found nothing physically wrong with her. Then had come the medications, the psychologist and that one psychiatrist. She'd passed all of their tests, taken the medicine, followed the diets, all of it. But her nightmares remained. Because he remained. Finally she'd stopped talking about it; she refused to talk about it. No one believed her anyway; and no one really cared anymore. It had become part of their life; a disturbed young girl that had violent outbursts in the middle of the night, and sometimes even during the day. They ignored it. They ignored her.

Then as suddenly as they had started, the fits stopped. Her parents were amazed and promised to lessen her medication, pending of course, Dr. Mason's approval; and eventually life returned to a happy and stable flow. No one asked why, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that life seemed quiet and normal again. Anna was so very grateful; and she owed it all to Freya. Elias was afraid of her.

One night as Elias scratched along the wall making his way toward her bed, hissing and breathing his foul breath into the air, Anna watched in shock as he was flung across the room, his ghastly form pinned to the door. Anna blinked her eyes and sat up as another form appeared above her bed. It was a woman, in a long flowing white dress, hovering over her, spreading a pale blue light around them; protecting her.

Freya Emerson, Elias' wife. She whispered the same words over and over until Anna began repeating them as well. She could feel Elias struggling, and he began a low pitched howl; he was in pain. She saw the darkness of his form slide down the door to a heap on the floor and she could hear him screaming. Freya knew her stuff. Now Anna had a new friend. And together, they would torture him, like he had tortured them.
That was the night Anna smiled for the first time in three years. Life was going to be different; it would be fun. Freya knew all of Elias' tricks; and Anna was willing to do anything to punish him. It was going to be the best entertainment they'd ever had.


©2013 Garden Summerland



Friday, March 29, 2013

The Last Time



"Are you seriously that much of a controlling bastard? You can't even let me have an opinion that differs from yours?" I stepped towards him, taunting him further. I could see the anger flooding into his brain as his face contorted into an malicious grimace. I stood motionless; waiting. He paused dramatically and rolled up the sleeves of his striped button-down shirt. He always wore dress shirts; he made me press them on Saturday afternoons when I should have been out with my friends.

"You little bitch..." He hissed at me and I closed my eyes. Waiting.

Then I felt his hand come across the side of my face, cruel and unyielding. I counted to myself; one, then two. And then I laughed. He had done exactly as I'd expected.

I had braced myself, so it hadn't knocked me to the floor like it normally did. I stood firm, staring at him with unfeeling eyes that for once weren't filling with tears. I didn't even flinch.

He was caught off guard, and I waited for yet another moment, then I brought my arm around and leveled the gun at him. Pointed it right at his head and cocked it. I didn't wait for him to speak. I'd taken his abuse since my mother had passed fourteen years ago. And every day since, I'd swore that this day would come; that one day he'd touch me and it would be the last time.

I squeezed the trigger and he dropped to the floor. The recoil jammed my wrist. It wasn't the first time I'd sustained injury because of him, but it was damn sure the last. 

 ©2013 Garden Summerland




Friday, March 22, 2013

Latest Release!

I just wanted to let everyone know that my latest release, Flash Fiction Addiction: 22 Short Short Stories Volume III is now available on Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble!! It will also be coming out as a single volume in print and in addition all three collections will eventually be combined into a single book. Also watch Sony & Kobo as it will be released on those as well.
This will be the last volume in this series, but definitely not my last collection of flash fiction.  I am currently working on a sequel to my YA novel Sister Sugar as well as two novellas, an adult vampire novel and I am always, always writing flash! Please check back often, as I hope to be updating the blog with MORE micro-fiction & regular flash fiction stories!

Thank you to all of you that have supported me & encouraged me along the way! I appreciate you all!


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Alone



I sat with her in the dark as the chill of the house settled into my bones. I had been holding her hand for hours. Her limp wristed hand. Her cold hand. Her dead hand that was attached to her dead body. I was determined to keep that hand warm, it was all the comfort that I had left in the world. She had belonged to me, as I had to her. We had always had each other. And now everything had been reduced to tears and cold flesh. I sobbed into her hand. I had been crying throughout the night as I held her and then she had died in my arms.
I set it all straight in my head. I knew they would come for her in the morning. The city people with their suits and questions. They would come to take her away, but I wouldn't let them. I promised her that I'd never leave her, and I wouldn't. I promised her that I would never abandon her like my father had. I was her only child. I was all she'd had.

And now it was just me. It was nearing dawn, and I would have to watch the sunrise alone; for the rest of my life.

©2013 Garden Summerland

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Have a Heart



"Paul always said you had his heart, and now you do...literally." Spencer held a pink wrapped box with a big red bow on it close to his chest. "Here ya go Lily... enjoy." He dropped the box onto the table and smirked. I felt bile rising in my throat. This was insane... Spencer was insane. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. It couldn't be true... it just couldn't. Paul was dead because he had loved me; because Spencer was jealous. Spencer had gone berserk and cut out Paul's heart, and boxed it up like it was some demented Valentine gift. I stood helpless as Spencer turned and walked casually out the door.

I raced out of the room down corridors that seemed to never end, frantically chasing after him, but he was gone.

I dropped to my knees and started screaming. My chest was tight and I couldn't catch my breath.
I was gasping for air and it woke me up.
It was a dream; it was just a dream. I cried in relief.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, looking around the room, blinking repeatedly, making sure I was awake. And then I saw it. A pink box with a bright red bow was sitting on my desk next to my laptop; a small card dangled from the side. I could see the meticulously neat black print from across the room:
Have a heart.

©2013 Garden Summerland




Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Mine



"I hate pink and purple mother, don't put those in there."
She pretended not to hear me as she kept arranging pink tipped roses and ugly purple flowers into a vase.
"No!" It seemed like I was screaming at her, but the silence between us remained unbroken. She wouldn't look at me, she wouldn't speak to me. She acted as though all the decisions were hers, like I wasn't involved in any of it. But it was my day. Mine.

I tried another tactic. I spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
"Please mom, just this once, can't you do it like I want. Just white flowers, that looks tacky." I wanted something elegant and understated; something simple.
She turned towards me; yes, I had gotten through to her. I smiled briefly. And then I watched in disbelief as she carried the arrangement right past me. I lunged for the flowers and they slipped right through my fingers.

I lay on the ground helpless, watching as my mother bent down to place the arrangement on the headstone. It was my headstone. Mine.

  ©2013 Garden Summerland

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Delivery


I ran my fingers across the large red cross and the raised black lettering on the plate glass double doors.
"Templar Industries"
I counted the people at the front desk; seven of them. I couldn't risk being recognized. Slinking back into the shadows, I leaned up against the granite building clutching the two cardboard boxes.
I waited almost twenty minutes before peering through the glass again. I saw Barrett standing at the front desk giving instructions to one of the interns. He patted the young blonde assistant on the rear and she scurried into one of the offices giggling. As she closed the door, I entered and casually made my way through the lobby to the reception area. I set the boxes of pizza on the black marble counter and waited.
He held out a twenty.
I shook my head. "That's not gonna cover it."
He looked puzzled and I nodded my head towards the conference room. He glanced down the hallway cautiously then followed me inside, gently closing the door behind him. I ran my hand along the roughness of the stacked stone wall, amazed at the extravagant amenities; an indoor rock garden and a fireplace. Probably a jacuzzi somewhere.
"Vivian, what the hell are you doing?" He sounded angry.
"I had to see you. And, ah...I figured everybody orders pizza, so here I am. And now... you have to pay me."
His face broke into a smile and he playfully stuck out his tongue.
"Don't do that unless you intend to use it."
"Oh I do..." He grabbed me and kissed me long and hard; just enough to leave me gasping for breath as he pulled away.
"Is that enough?" he asked gazing into my eyes; hypnotizing me.
I paused for a moment, "maybe just a little more."




 ©2013 Garden Summerland