Mount. Vesuvius - A Short Story

“Ouch!” I screamed when a small plank hit me hard on the head. I was confused and dizzy. I looked up… and that ‘s when I saw the majestic Mount. Vesuvius erupting. Thick plumes of smoke and sky-high fog was emitted from it’s core. I gaped in awe.

It fell like a deja vu since just a few minutes ago, Mr. Montgomery and I were staring at the painting down the school library hallway. It was surreal.

Here I was staring at it in real life. Mr. Montgomery was lying face down by a giant boulder. I ran to his side, calling out his name and I could not have been happier when I saw his fingers moving weakly. I helped him to his feet and by that time, we could see Vesuvius leaking tiny streams of lava. There was chaos all around; some were running with their precious belongings, some with their pets and some just looking delirious.

We started to dash in the opposite direction, away from Vesuvius who was now raging with fury. The air was densely laden with toxic fumes and we were choking and gasping for air at the same time. Mr. Montgomery had difficulty catching up with me. He gave an apologetic smile and mocked,” I shouldn’t have had that burrito for breakfast!”

When I looked back, hope was slipping away as the lava gathered speed and engulfed us. I prayed that it was just a bad dream and sealed shut my eyelids helplessly.

There was a blinding bright light and I bumped onto something hard. “Ouch!’ I screamed. When I came to, a pang of relief swept over me. We were back at school! My first instinct was to look for Vesuvius and a gentle smile flashed across my face when I saw it safely secured under the frame and back into the painting.

The Mysterious Creature

"Alex, come look at this mess!” I yelled out to him. He came running into the garden. I pointed at the green pieces of shed skin on the grass. It was all over the garden. 

At first, I was too afraid to go near it, but Alex was adventurous enough to take a few steps forward and kneel next to it. My thoughts wondered to all the extreme possibilities - what if it moved? what if it could talk or make sounds? It has only been three days since I brought it home from the morning fair. 

His hands were trembling but he was too curious to stay back. He stretched his hand and gently stroked its exterior. It instantly shriveled back. “Lets pour some water on it and see what happens!” he cried excitedly. I didn’t quite like the idea but there was no stopping Alex. My eyes were fixed on this strange thing. 

Alex came back with two big bottles of water and poured them right onto the creature. It let out a few purring sounds and nuzzled. It gently lifted its head from hiding and looked directly at us. I was petrified. My jaw hung loose in disbelief.  

I dashed into the house, ran up the stairs and stared pounding on my parents' room door. My dad flung open the door. “I didn’t like it when you bought it from the gypsy!” I blurted. I ignored the shocked expression on his face and marched into the room.

 As I had suspected, I saw the portrait hanging on the wall. It was just an empty canvas. The adorable creature that was painted on it was gone ... It was now alive in our garden, and we knew that some mystery was about to unfold…
                   

Patches - A Short Story

            It hadn’t rained for months; the rivers and lakes were dry and the land was parched. The trees were looking haggard and naked without leaves. Many of the farm animals died of dehydration and Silver city was almost a graveyard. Many of the farmers and villagers had abandoned their lands and moved out… Everyone except Mystique and her two brothers along with their farm animals stayed back.

            One blistering hot night, Gordon couldn’t fall asleep and came down for a nightcap. He heard strange rustling sounds and the wind was gently howling. He heard bending and crackling sounds of twigs and straws in the cornfields. He gently peered through the kitchen window and beads of sweat trickled down his temples as his heart pounded in fear. He gasped in horror as he saw Patches, their scarecrow, twitching and stretching itself as if it was coming to life.

            Just then, its black beady eyes rolled like giant globes in the dark and Gordon knew that Patches was looking straight at him. He yanked out the stick that was restraining him in the air and flung it towards the house angrily. He started marching towards the front door.

            Gordon raced upstairs. He was frantic. He yelled out Mystique and Richard’s names whilst he looked under his bed for the sniper.

            Half asleep, Mystique and Richard followed Gordon down the stairs. Gordon didn’t have to say anything as Patches was almost halfway through the door, ripping it with his straw hands. They tried to get out through the back door.

            “Stop! It’s pointless guys. Look…” Mystique pointed towards their farm animals. They were all bulldozing their way into the backyard. They were in a trance-like state. Richard’s mouth dropped open as Patches grabbed him away from the others. In a split second, Richard lay on the floor lifelessly.

            Mystique and Gordon watched helplessly as their brother died and stood there motionless as Patches gently waltzed towards them…

  

Haunted House - A Short Story

             Luke Kendrick parked his old Range Rover under the oak tree and started unloading the car. His wife, Kylie and seven-year old daughter, Claire, were too impatient and ran towards the lake without helping.

            This was their first time leaving the big city and moving into a quaint neighbourhood that was a two-hour drive away from the nearest town. The price they paid for this lakeside villa was way below the market price and the Kendricks grabbed it immediately… But little did they know that they wouldn’t be alone.

            The furnishings were covered with heavy drapes and a thick layer of dust on it. Claire sneezed a number of times. The musty smell was overbearing for their city noses. Kylie started cleaning up and unpacking whilst Luke went to pick up some hardware from the basement. Claire was making a mess with her toys and raising Kylie’s temper.

            “But Mom … Mack wants to play too. She’s bored and lonely,” Claire pleaded. Kylie paused a moment and glared at her. Just then, she caught Claire’s reflection in the mirror; she was not alone. There was a small girl a few years younger than Claire sitting next to her. She had dark circles under her eyes and her gray eyes were staring at Kylie and her chin lowered.

            Kylie’s jaw dropped along with the steel bowl she was polishing. That instant, the reflection went missing.

            That night, they had prepared an extravagant feast, hoping that The Pandolfos would join them. Unfortunately, they picked on some cheese and crackers and hurried off with just a glass of wine each. Luke and Kylie were puzzled by their bizarre and odd behaviour; they kept staring at the clock and left just before the clock struck seven.

            Luke and Kylie were kept awake all night by the creaking sounds, water droplets and the owls’ hooting.

            Kylie was up early to pick some fresh blueberries from their garden and was planning to make warm pancakes for breakfast. As she walked back in with her basket full of berries, she dropped it and started trembling.

            ‘THE GAME HAS STARTED. YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS TO HIDE’ was scribbled in blood on the mirror. Kylie shouted to everyone to hide. She heard Claire and Luke scrambling everywhere.

            She immediately ran to the bathroom and hid behind the toilet seat. Kylie tried her best to pant silently. She saw Claire running in too, and instructed her to hide behind the door.

            A few minutes later, she saw the same girl walk in. But this time with a lady who looked like she was in her thirties. They both wore a white nightgown with lots of dried blood on it. They held hands and walked towards Kylie. The little girl had a small knife and the lady had an axe in her hand.

           

“Do it, Mommy, do it!” the little girl screamed in excitement. The lady raised her axe and looked around for people. Kylie cupped her mouth to prevent any sound. They walked around. Claire, who was hiding behind the bathroom  door, let out a horrifying scream in fear.

            They both turned at once. Eerie grins spread across their faces. They lifted their weapons above their heads, whilst the mother’s axe buried itself with a sickening crunch in Claire’s head. Blood spattered out forming an arc on the wall behind her. The little girl, with a satisfying grunt, pushed the knife into Claire’s mouth, severing her spinal cord. Kylie watched as the knife became visible behind her back.

             Claire fell like a rag doll to the floor. The blood congealed as Claire’s eyes clouded over.

            Kylie’s eyes opened wide with fear. She watched them approach her, eyes fixed on her. She closed her eyes. And waited. And waited…

Bibo's In Town - A Short Story

             The alarm was blaring and the emergency red lights were flashing in the Hamilton Research Centre. Everyone outside the maximum security cage was in fear  as they heard the creature bending the metal bars of the cage.

            “Someone get me the tranquiliser. We don’ t know what it will do next. Let’s  control the situation before it gets too violent,” Professor Yackaranda commanded without taking his eyes off the creature.

            In an instant, the creature fell asleep as the tranquiliser took its effect. It was sleeping peacefully and everyone adored it. Its fur was fuzzy and white as snow, it had big, round and piercing icy blue eyes with a tiny triangular nose with a short bushy tail. Its size was nothing more than a newborn baby. Like a human, it snored gently and breathed rapidly. The Professor knew that it was scared of them as they were afraid of it too. Just a few moments ago, it seemed so deadey…

            “Bibo!” Professor Yackaranda announced, “That’s what we will name him. I’m taking him home to study. Take him to the unbreakable glass cage.”

            That night, the Professor was reluctant to go to bed. The blood and tissue sample results were not out yet. He was worried that Bibo was hungry or thirsty but he knew that it would be risky to feed it. He went to bed with a heavy heart. His assistant, Pandolfo, was on duty that night.

           

            The next morning, the Professor was horrified to see his lab in a topsy-turvy state; there was shattered glass everywhere, broken machines, shrapnel, bloodstains on the wall and floor. The glass cage was open and empty…

            “What?! Pandolfo! Bibo! Where are you guys?” and the Professor’s voice went silent as he spotted  Bibo in a corner of the room under the table. He was chewing on a bone and his mouth was covered in blood. The Professor gently carried Bibo and locked him again in the cage. He was clueless about how it all happened.

The Professor had an idea and decided to replay the footage of what happened last night in his closed circuit television camera. What he saw sent a chill down his spine … he saw Pandolfo mopping the floor and going closer towards Bibo, opening its cage and stroking it gently. He carries it out of its cage and places it on the table counter. Unexpectedly, Bibo opens his mouth wide to reveal four rows of razor-sharp teeth. He starts salivating and attacks him brutally. Pandolfo has no time to eve react as Bibo goes for his head first. In a flash, it ate him up and spat out the bones.

Professor Yackaranda shook his head in disbelief and called President Lucas, “Send me backup now… I can’t do this alone.”