Five Stories for Halloween

 Five Stories for Halloween

It’s that time of year again. Autumn is “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” according to Keats, but to me, it is the season of things lurking in the shadows under the eaves of forests, under tables and beds, and certainly in the back of our minds. To celebrate, I’m sharing five more short stories at this, my favorite part of the year: Scary Season. Each Thursday in October, I will be posting a brand new short story on my blog, Shadows Lengthen.

This year's collection is listed below. Read them and enjoy ... IF YOU DARE (insert maniacal laughter).

Punch Buggy

Two sisters embark on a tense road trip to visit their ailing grandmother, navigating sibling rivalry and the stresses of the journey. But as they near their destination, a mysterious vehicle with a single headlight looms behind them, turning their drive into a chilling fight for survival.

Improv Cats

When jazz prodigy Wen-Dawg unleashes haunting, otherworldly music from his mysterious silver saxophone, his amateur bandmates find themselves drawn into a mesmerizing world. As the power of the music grows within them, they must confront the cost of brilliance and the truth lurking behind the notes.

The Downfall of Roddy Merton*

Roddy Merton, once a feared school bully shaped by his own violent upbringing, finds himself haunted by the memories and victims of his past in a chilling reckoning that forces him to face both his former deeds and the darkness in his own soul.

*Sensitive themes include emotional and physical abuse, homophobic language, neglect, violence, and deep psychological wounds—reader discretion is strongly advised.

“On a Country Road”

A man walks a lonely country road. Another man stops to change a tire and finds that his fascination with the walking man is a deadly thing.

“Gancho’s Haul”

Gancho, an ancient imp, moves in the shadows of life, stealing what we lose and feeding forces beyond our understanding with our sadness and disappointment. Mischievous and older than time, he keeps the balance between order and chaos delicately poised—beware what vanishes, for it may mean more than you realize.

As always, if spooky short stories aren't your cup of Irish breakfast tea, please feel free to scoop back through the previous DRO essays you may have skipped or missed. Back to my regular fare, come November.

Happy October!