For all of Liz's life she was the perfect suburban housewife however her life is over. In death, as a ghost, she has the opportunity to be the women she always wanted to be. And most of all, be that women with another women-ghost. Is this pure luck or an existential crisis waiting to happen? Paranormal | Ghost | F/F | PG | RomanceLiz’s burial was an anti-climatic memory. First, they put her corpse in a casket. Then a team of professional hole diggers dug a big hole. And, lastly, she was plopped into such hole. It was so much more an act of hygiene than anything spiritual. As a corpse, Liz was a cesspool of disease. The heart of all this was nothing other than anti-plague prevention. The day after her burial, Liz drifted around the graveyard. That post-corpse condition had a far more vague meaning. She had some ideas on corpsehood but she had no clue what this was. Ghosthood, she guessed, but what was that? Was it a vengeance thing or a friendly thing or what? Was the Big Man in the clouds just dicking around? The vast graveyard expanded outwards, for as far as she could see. She searched for something beyond the macabre, a pleasant something in her death. That’s when she bumped into Lilah. Lilah was the most beautiful thing Liz ever saw in death, and that is no insult to her. She was also the most beautiful thing Liz ever saw in life, but she never expected to spend infinity with her.As ghosts, Lilah and Liz lost all opacities and hues. They were floating thick outlines with nothing on the inside like empty coloring books. Even as a ghost, Lilah was a curly-q cutie. From her bouncing perm, plump cheeks, button nose, and notable ass, Lilah was like a spring. Death made her translucent, but she kept her bounce.In life, Lilah was the sweet, sexy neighbor that Liz's marriage kept her away from. Though they barely made it past the small talk zone, Liz found Lilah refreshing and energizing. She did hunger for intimacy, but never ventured. Her marriage couldn’t bare it. Liz's marriage used to be so important to her.But in death, Liz could express her affections. Finally. Lilah sung out Liz’s name as she glided closer.“I never thought you would be so enthusiastic to meet fresh fertilizer,” said Liz. “I can’t believe you are here! Liz, it has been seven months.” “Heh, yeah. I know.” Liz smirked. “I missed you. But I’m sure you seduced a living dead cutie as soon as you went ghost.” “No.” Lilah stared down at her foot’s shape. “I been alone for seven months.”“Jeez. Here I was, happy to not be alone and--” Liz bit down on her lower lip. Lilah’s heavy words were like a push back in the grave. “Fuck, I’m so sorry that you went through that.” “I’m actually okay.” Lilah nudged a curl behind her ear. “I mean, at least it’s you.”Liz petted Lilah's perm while bringing her closer. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lilah's floating grin. It's weird how in life that would scare her, but in death it was something close to warmth. “I'm glad I can feel you.”Lilah's jaw snapped as she yawned, just like when she was alive. As she gripped Liz's hand, weightlessness pulsed through them.The moon ballooned into view. “I'm tired.” Lilah grinned as she let her go. She curled around a headstone and gestured towards Liz.She was so palpable. Lilah was alluring, even as an outline, lively even without life. She was Liz's hidden secret that she didn’t have to hide any longer.Liz curled around Lilah and breathed it all in. The rusty graves, deep mulch, and organic seeds of hope. Perhaps her life’s marriage was not her death’s responsibility. Views: 858
You are never truly alone. While you sleep, nocturnal creatures stir. A couple discovers that things have changed overnight, and they are no longer in control. Their house is full of cobwebs, and they are being moved little by little in this suspenseful horror tale.After inheriting a house, a husband and wife encounter a frightful surprise. They are surrounded by layer upon layer of silk crawling with arachnids. What lies beyond the cellar door? Find out in SPIDER SOUP, a quirky story from the horror collection ODDS AND ENDS by Lori R. Lopez, author of THE FAIRY FLY and AN ILL WIND BLOWS. Can a relationship survive being pushed past the brink? How far is too far over the edge? Alternately tense and humorous, this short story presents a very sticky situation! Views: 858
Sixteen-year-old Day Connor views life through the lens of her camera, where perspective is everything. But photographs never tell the whole story. After Day crosses paths with Julian, the world she observes and the truths she believes—neatly captured in black and white—begin to blur.
Julian does not look like a murderer, but his story is full of holes, and his alibis don’t quite add up, either. This time, Day is determined to see the entire picture…whatever it reveals.
Did he kill his parents? Or didn’t he?
While Julian remains on the run, Day digs deeper into his case. But the more facts she uncovers, the longer her list of questions becomes. It’s also getting harder to deny the chemistry she feels with Julian.
Is it real? Or is she being manipulated?
Day is close to finding the crack in the case that will prove Julian’s innocence. She just needs time to focus before the shutter snaps shut. Views: 858
From light to dark, sixteen tales will unravel the dark mysteries of the night.Three friends are challenged to spend a night in a haunted forest. A magical creature grants a tempting wish. In the dead of the night, a knock on the door leads to a peculiar encounter. A courageous stand has a deadly consequence. These stories and more as the darkness starts to unravel... Views: 857
Poem and first 13 tales, in order written, plus Miscellanea drafts, notes, maps by author.
Cimmeria poem
1 The Phoenix on the Sword 1932
2 The Frost-Giant's Daughter 1976
3 The God in the Bowl 1952
4 The Tower of the Elephant 1933
5 The Scarlet Citadel 1933
6 Queen of the Black Coast 1934
7 Black Colossus 1933
8 Iron Shadows in the Moon 1934
9 Xuthal of the Dusk 1933
10 The Pool of the Black One 1933
11 Rogues in the House 1934
12 The Vale of Lost Women 1967
13 The Devil in Iron 1934 Views: 857
A TEMPTING FATE
Two children have been found dead, their souls torn from their bodies. Two more are missing, and Ethan Morgan’s niece is one of them. A dedicated cop, Ethan has every intention not only of bringing her back alive but of catching the monster behind these kidnappings. And he will use anyone and everyone to achieve those aims—even a crazy woman who claims to be a witch. But time is ticking. The victims rarely stay alive for more than seven days. Four of those days have already passed.
In ten years of working for the Damask Circle, shapeshifter Katherine Tanner has never come across anything that goes after kids the way this monster does. The last thing Kat needs is interference from a cop who has no idea what he’s up against. But the greatest threat to Kat may come not from the forces of darkness, but from the man she is beginning to love. Because Ethan is a werewolf... and the full moon is rising. Views: 857
The balance between the sun and the fog crystals has been destroyed. The ancient peace between the crystal miners and traders has been usurped by the betrayal of the fog crystal's ancient protector. His desire for power will lead the world into death through conformity. How will the spreading fog be stopped and balance returned to the world?(3,737 words)Four decades had passed since the last Relic war ravished the oppositional lands of Windpass Isles and Gaedia – a war that ceased in a bloodied truce.Drewth is a Light Elemental and Commander knight under Western Gaedia’s lordship, Syndirin - a high wizard and the king’s Arbiter. Syndirin, with questionable and unclear motive, promotes Drewth as his apprentice, and commences the personal training of Drewth in the ways of magic. Drewth then becomes the unwitting subject of Syndirin’s experimental meddle with the mythical powers of Darkened Light, despite the danger, and despite what sacrifice.Torius, a castle knight in Southern Windpass Isles kingdom and Mundane-born, is taken captive by a conspiratorial clique under Lord Syndirin, where he discovers from these captors their insidious campaign to rekindle the long dead Relic war, in pursuit of Relic’s power.Enflamed by an unforgivable betrayal of Syndirin, vengeance transforms Drewth forever within – his Element undergoes a rare alteration, he turns renegade to Gaedia, and allies with Torius, the escaped prisoner of Syndirin’s clique. Together they battle for their lives out from the now enemy territory of Gaedia.They find themselves fatefully party to a band of peasant prisoners with rare abilities invoked from the trials they face in their likewise escape from the treasonous Arbiter, Syndirin.And if odds turn to favor in their fight for survival, there is still threat to hand of a devastating magic war, a campaign in itself to acquire both kingdom’s all-powerful Relics in the wake of their mutual destruction. Views: 857
Witness Stephen King's triumphant, blood-spattered return to the genre that made him famous. *Cell*, the king of horror's homage to zombie films (the book is dedicated in part to George A. Romero) is his goriest, most horrific novel in years, not to mention the most intensely paced. Casting aside his love of elaborate character and town histories and penchant for delayed gratification, King yanks readers off their feet within the first few pages; dragging them into the fray and offering no chance catch their breath until the very last page.
In *Cell* King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism. Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and his small band of "normies," must fight for survival, and their journey to find Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward resolution.
Fans that have followed King from the beginning will recognize and appreciate *Cell* as a departure--King's writing has not been so pure of heart and free of hang-ups in years (wrapping up his phenomenal Dark Tower series and receiving a medal from the National Book Foundation doesn't hurt either). "Retirement" clearly suits King, and lucky for us, having nothing left to prove frees him up to write frenzied, juiced-up horror-thrillers like *Cell*. Views: 857
It was a dark and stormy night when Mary Crane glimpsed the unlit neon sign announcing the vacancy at the Bates motel. Exhausted, lost, and at the end of her rope, she was eager for a hot shower and a bed for the night. Her room was musty but clean and the plumbing worked. Norman Bates, the manager, seemed nice, if a little odd. Views: 857
One man's insurgent is another man's freedom fighter... From The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to The Hunger Games, everyone enjoys a good rebellion. There is something compelling about a group (or individual) who throws caution to the wind and rises up in armed defiance against oppression, tyranny, religion, the government—you name it. No matter the cause, or how small the chance, it's the courage to fight against overwhelming odds that grabs our hearts and has us pumping our fists in the air. Win or lose, it's the righteous struggle we cherish, and those who take up arms for a cause must walk The Razor's Edge between liberator and extremist.With stories by Blake Jessop, William C. Dietz, D.B. Jackson, Gerald Brandt, Sharon P. Goza, Walter H. Hunt, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Kay Kenyon, Steve Perry, Seanan McGuire, Christopher Allenby, Chris Kennedy, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Alex Gideon, Brian Hugenbruch, and Y.M. Pang. Views: 856
Clive’s wife has sent him on a mission to get the hottest Christmas gift of the year, but he has been abducted by inept aliens on his way to the mall. Can Clive complete his mission, or will he be bogged down by bothering to try to teach the aliens about the true meaning of Christmas?Christmas shopping is Clive’s least-favorite activity, but his wife needs him to get the most-popular Christmas gift to make a three-year-old’s Christmas perfect. On his way to the dangers of the pre-Christmas mall, Clive gets abducted by three inept aliens who are desperate to meet their abduction quota for the month. Clive now faces a terrible choice: complete his mission, or teach the aliens the true meaning of Christmas. Views: 856
The series continues...
Attorney Patrick Sullivan's impulsive decision to unionize the Beacon Ridge sims is wreaking havoc on all areas of his life -- personal, social, and professional. Everyone except his sim clients seems to have turned against him. With his back against the wall, Patrick is about to call it quits when help arrives from an unexpected quarter: a beautiful and mysterious woman named Romy Cadman appears in his office with an offer he can't refuse.
And then, just when Patrick thinks things might be looking up, he learns that someone is out to kill him.
Can it get any worse?
Tragically, yes... Views: 855
A fractured fairy tale about a fill-in evil woodland creature on the trail of Little Red Riding Hood.The Big Bad Wolf is hospitalized, so when Evil Fairy Tale Animals need his help, he has to outsource to his friend: the Big Bad Elephant.Unfortunately for the wolf, but fortunately for Little Red Riding Hood, the rules of the Enchanted Jungle are different than the rules of the Enchanted Forest. The elephant has to adapt to his new surroundings while dealing with Red's modern woods-wise ways. Views: 854
Poppy Z. Brite brinca com a história dos Beatles: o resultado é ´Plastico Jesus´, uma mistura de dinamite e rock. Uma história fantástica, dramática e tocante. Chocante para os puristas, ela alimenta a imaginação dos demais. Com ilustrações da própria autora, ´Plastic Jesus´ nos faz mergulhar por algumas horas em um mundo bizarro e estranhamente doce. Views: 854
Voted one of the top ten Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2001 by *Cinescape Magazine.*
"The Shadow out of Time" is H. P. Lovecraft's last major story. It was first published in Astounding Stories for June 1936. And yet, this text has never been published as Lovecraft wrote it--until now. The recent discovery of Lovecraft's handwritten manuscript allows readers to appreciate this magnificently cosmic story exactly as originally written.
All previous editions of the story contain hundreds of serious errors, including errors in paragraphing, omissions and mistranscriptions of many words and passages, and erroneous punctuation. Leading Lovecraft scholars S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz have provided an exhaustive introduction and commentary on the story, elucidating names, places and other elements in this richly evocative story. A must for all devotees of Lovecraft and weird fiction! Views: 854
