The Shopping Complex by Purdeep Singh Two freinds who are continually working find time to run riot in a shopping complex one d... [2,053 words]
The Ebanese Pit by Sf A haunting story about the mysterious "Ebanese Pit" and the dark story surrounding it.... [2,855 words]
My Alienated Life by Kiara Avalon A story about a lost soul who just couldn't find his place in life. [230 words]
Where Are You Going? by Sharada Arun This story is about terrorism in Kashmir, India. Read on, to see how Faizel's and Ram's li... [1,958 words]
Tiny Tale by Tamsin Butler Updated version, have tried to write a story from a-z-a. [53 words]
Winged Maiden by Michael Schmitt Gaining freedom from a cage. [1,136 words]
Welcome To Reality by Judy K Cox Life in a seventeen year olds eyes. [1,705 words]
Virgil's Inferno by Kain Virgil, real life poet and fictional character in the Divine Comedy, rants abou this crappy af... [2,612 words]
To Blast A Hole... For Nuts by OverYouT ...interesting? [343 words]
Tiny Dancer by Lawson A short story about Savannah, a tiny ballerina with big dreams, spirit, spunk, and an alcoholic mot... [1,603 words]
Thegrarias by Jm Leary An ideal society in action. [2,744 words]
The Infant And The Moose by OverYouT A fucked up tale. [483 words]
The Girl Without A Soul by Hannah Brumfield What would it feel like to suddenly find out that you have no soul? Thats what happens ... [2,401 words]
The Family Gathering by Hanna Rose Ashton-Lawson A short story about my very crazy family. Highlights include having a party in a cemetary,... [726 words]
The Exit Sign... A Lot Like Bob by OverYouT Hmm... my other titles must have been deleted, I dont know why they are gone? [317 words]
The Carpenter by Jm Leary A vision of Christ's thoughts on the road to Golgatha. [618 words]
The Campestris by Nad Anonymous Dark The campestris has simple goals; To find food for herself and her babies. But soon she is caught... [1,302 words]
The Burning Cottage by MurryT A man by the name of Mr. Jackson is about to commit a terrible crime, when he realizes that... [2,404 words]
The Bean Field Murder by Joseph Perrello - Josprel Cayuga County High Sheriff, Loren had investigated numerous accidents during his long car... [7,344 words]
The Average Guy by Benjamin Crump This story is about an average guy who gets to meet someone very special. [672 words]
Sushi's Day Off by Kain Really awful story I wrote about my Xenophobic cat Sushi. Supposed to have been like Ferris Bue... [1,948 words]
Son Of A Demon by Galvin Faulks They say that demons walk the earth, in the sense of being a force that causes people to commit ... [1,454 words]
Seventy Times Seven by MacKenzie Sky Adeline's brother is always mean to her. How can she get him to stop? I wrote this story wh... [3,100 words]
Satan's Deeds by Jj Grinvalds It is a suspenseful short story about a middle aged man who has a temper issue. [5,128 words]
Rock And Rose by Andrews - [1,372 words]
Polly's Morphism by Jay Porter Martin A young girl, dragged into a mental ward, with no past and uncaring of her future. Possessing ... [6,176 words]
Nights Past
My Granny by Innovant Deis My granmother, a totally cool grandma with funny ideas... [1,681 words]
Midnight Express by Tay Angela - [2,896 words]
Look Beyond The Surface by Matt D Schumacker - [3,143 words]
Life Is A Journey by Maureen G Mills My story is about a 35 year old lady going through a rough divorce! She is trying to find her... [2,133 words]
La Libert� Aux Dispos� Courageux (Liberty To The Willing Brave) by Aubrey Ashe Morrison This short story is about a young girl ripped f... [2,281 words]
Janet, My Father, And The Lampshade by OverYouT Umm... to fucked to understand... [373 words]
It Begins by Kristen Karlson This is the first part of a suit of stories "The temptation" is the second part. Please take a look. [3,133 words]
Incident At New Alaska by Ej McFall A radiation accident on Earth's new space colony endangers the lives of several colonist... [3,131 words]
I Pledge Allgiance by Elizabeth K Flannery A girl who moves from South America to the United States. [2,492 words]
Heroin Trip 3 by Kendall Wilt Well the first part of three anyway. I was just kidding about almost being finished. There is sti... [1,031 words]
Heroin Trip 2 by Kendall Wilt Added some more to this ongoing tale. It's all starting to build up to the grand finally now. [2,153 words]
Fucking A Squirrel by OverYouT Another fucked up thingy. [315 words]
For Richey by Tessak O'neill My story is about a young boy struggling with the death of his older brother. [2,331 words]
First Impressions by Uddhav Parab SHORT STORY ABOUT A GIRL NAMED RITA THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT HERSELF & EVENTUALLY DOING GREAT ... [530 words]
Fate - A Horror Story by Owen Johnston Death in and of itself is altogether a rather natural incident. However, it was the circu... [2,104 words]
Excerts by Joeb Van Der Ryn Excerts from the daily journal of a tormented man. [80 words]
Excerpts5 by Joeb Van Der Ryn How much more can I take? [104 words]
Excerpts4 by Joeb Van Der Ryn - [135 words]
Excerpts3 by Joeb Van Der Ryn - [207 words]
Excerpts2 by Joeb Van Der Ryn A bit more. [110 words]
English Garden by Michael Schmitt - [2,208 words]
Down The Memory Lane by Gomathy Its a childhood memory... [703 words]
Decision Time by Jessica Anne Nicole Decisions, decisions. Little curses that affect us each day. You can't run, you can't hide. They'... [1,733 words]
Day Of Memories by Michael Meihaus Memories are what define us, they tell our greatest triumphs and our bleakest failures, they ar... [1,235 words]
Corner Of Washington And Fifth by Mike Foster A racist old man feels like his life is slipping away and has lost all significa... [2,271 words]
Concerning The Void by Michael Schmitt - [1,720 words]
Color Greed Green by Lew Dallas Learning one of life's lessons: Greed. Doing the wrong thing in life, doing the right thing... [603 words]
Alone In Arizona by Jj Grinvalds This is a story about a man who wakes up in the middle of a snow storm and has no idea how he ... [1,370 words]
A New Discovery by Kari Fontenault Is our reality the only reality? [2,286 words]
A Little Piece Of Heaven by Lew Dallas A world of ecsape from the hectic lifestyle of todays modern world to a more simple an... [620 words]
A Day At Weightman Middle School by Alex Reuille This is a common day at my school Weightman in Wesley Chapel Florida. [969 words]
Pain Inside The Study by Michael J Musto This is a story about a man who is attacked and abducted. It is the story through the vic... [855 words]
The True Story Of The Little Red Riding Hood by Nicolette Cone Satirical version of the fairy tale, "The Little Red Riding Hood.... [1,301 words]
Where The Soul Ends And New Beginnings by Andrews All about love and not taking it for granted. [4,280 words]
When Night Falls by Meghan L Bell Don't piss off a vampire. [902 words]
Walking With Jesus by Sarah K Lewry My personal testimony of my relationship with Jesus Christ. [976 words]
Time Factor by Joe Dan Campbell Time factor is a story about a seral killer that goings around killing everyone for no good reason.... [301 words]
The World Is A Sand Castle by Tom M Fisher A man is kicked from his home and diagnosed with AIDS. He hates society and the pede... [1,470 words]
The Woman And The Creature: Short Story. by Scott M Heath This is a small short story which I actually wrote as part of the nove... [2,202 words]
The Temptation by Kristen Karlson This is just one part of a story I am currently writing, any feedback would be greatly appreciat... [1,238 words]
The Sketchbook by Angela L - [2,337 words]
The Real Laguna Beach by Tom M Fisher A man sees what corporations and the effects of commercialism in his manufactured daughte... [3,272 words]
The Key Maker by J Steven A man is given an amazing gift. [576 words]
The Indian Rope Trick by Nyman Perkins Elegant cruise liner passengers are entertained by an enigmatic Indian mystic. One passe... [1,201 words]
The Dream World by Sf Sam is a normal boy who has dreams that are sometimes horrific. tonight is no different........... [734 words]
Taking Out The Trash by Sarah K Lewry This story reminds us that Jesus wants to take all of the "Trash" out of His children's li... [1,735 words]
Take Me For A Ride by Fred Schwartz Simply minding your own business won't necessarily keep you out of trouble. [2,644 words]
Sin by Lady Sashi - [1,223 words]
See Dick . . . Less by J Rychwa -"Woman-scorned" short. Relatively graphic violence, sexual situations. Response to a wri... [7,412 words]
Puddles by Alesha R Preston An introspective look at the life of a coming-of age young woman. [1,336 words]
My Girl by Ann Herzer - [1,059 words]
Motor City by Kj Liddle A short story in the "story told in story" form. It is about a young man who tries to fill his time ... [1,712 words]
Losing The Sun by Riot A story of a suicide and its reprecussions. [1,288 words]
In The Midst Of Grief by Anna M Steiner After the tragic death of a loving husband/father, the mother and son move to a city apar... [1,641 words]
Heroin Trip 1 by Kendall Wilt Young fella's life explodes after he couln't tell a dude not to smoke weed at work. 2 parts now j... [2,435 words]
Friends Forever-Jeanna Small by Alexandra Rose A young girl must learn the right way to cope, after losing her two best friends. ... [2,376 words]
Fate by E Birdsong The beaches of Galveston, TX. Three lives torn apart by infedelity. And it all happened so fast... [2,887 words]
Face-Off by Nur Syafiqah A Jaaffar A Counter-terrorist unit agent on the chase after a terrorist...except that he gets the shock of his l... [2,002 words]
Crimson by Meghan L Bell A little boy does something dreadful because of something that happened to him. [973 words]
City Lights by Upasana Datta To my grandmothers who are no more; though the story has nothing to do wirh them. [858 words]
Busback by Kendall Wilt A shocking tale of a special ed student with serious problems. In this story it's stand up for yourself... [4,823 words]
Best Friends No Matter What! by Rachel Martinez A motivational short story anout best friends. [460 words]
At The Knife Point by G S Vasu Kumar G S Vasu Kumar - [600 words]
All Or Nothing by Peter Halpin Loosely based around an experience I had, but is generally about a one sided feeling of attracti... [1,087 words]
A Happy Death by Kain I've been reading Samuel Becket's trilogy so this is kinda my own attempt at his writing style. S... [1,481 words]
21st Street Tavern by Mark Casey A man walks down the street to a pub after a fight with his wife, and realizes how much life... [1,739 words]
Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 [19] 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
| |
TITLE (EDIT)
Nights Past |
DESCRIPTION
Childhood fears.
[1,329 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
Mind |
AUTHOR
Michael Schmitt |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
-
[April 2006] |
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (5)
Concerning The Void (Short Stories) - [1,720 words] [Mind]
English Garden (Short Stories) - [2,208 words] [Fable]
For A Friend (Poetry) - [20 words] [Mind]
Streetlight (Essays) - [293 words] [Mind]
Winged Maiden (Short Stories) Gaining freedom from a cage. [1,136 words] [Romance]
|
Nights Past
Michael Schmitt
During the daylight hours of my childhood my house was my playground. There was no nook, no cranny, not one corner unexplored. The world made sense then, was reasonable and safe, and I never ran out of new adventures to seek. At this time I spent very little time in my bedroom, as the video games and toys and televisions were all in different rooms. So when I was put to bed, and the lights turned out, and my world was enveloped in shadow, I was lost.
It wasn�t that I believed in the superstitious ghosts and ghouls that come out at night, it was more that I knew that even if I believed they didn�t exist, they would still be there. Watching and waiting. Staring with those glowing eyes. Floating noiselessly around me and waiting, always waiting. It wasn�t being eaten or killed or taken away that scared me either, it was them, always there, always watching, always waiting. Always.
I was also alone at night. The companionship of my brother was gone, his room lay beyond the long dark of the hallway. I stared at it from my bed, through my open doorway. Just through the shadows I could sometimes make out something jutting out from his doorway. My parents told me it was his doorknob, he closed his door sometimes at night they said. It wasn�t though. I could see the saliva dripping from it, the snout of a great beast, never did I see the thing. I could imagine it though, like a huge dog with dark red eyes. It was always in my brother�s room, always I imagined the blood stained blankets and piles of remains on his bed. I could see my mother�s grief upon its discovery the next morning, my father�s rage. I knew it would all be my fault, I could have saved him, I could have done something, I could have been the one to go.
It was this thought and fear that drove me to face it one night. My footsteps were answered by the things beneath my floor, that creak and laugh and giggle and mock my sleeplessness. They too are always watching, I see their eyes between the floorboards. Ignoring their mockery, I stepped cautiously towards the great snout. I never reached it, the light coming through my back door caught me.
In the daylight, my small backyard could be seen through the small window in my back door. It was surrounded by forestry and plants that my mother had planted as a natural fence. Beyond that was mystery. In the dark hours though, it was a wasteland of fears. Great crows of vast size flew up and about, peering through the window, staring, always watching. Now though great white hands pressed up to the glass, streaking blood stains across it before a giant yellow lidless eye was pressed up against it. I felt its gaze, always, always watching me. I froze. The giant muzzle of the beast sniffed out in the darkness, it knew I was there. Two great red eyes pierced out from the shadow of my brother�s room, staring, staring, always watching me. A low groan and high pitched wailing came from outside my door. The eye was there, set in a decaying face of a putrid yellow human-like thing, its skin dripping of its bones like molasses. Its mouth opened in noiseless pleas to let me in. I could not move. It was staring, pawing at the window, watching, wanting me, always there, watching.
The crows I mentioned before came to me in my dream that night. I don�t know how I made it back to my room, but I woke up there the next morning, with the crows in my mind. The giant, ominous figures sitting out on my lawn. Waiting. Staring into my bedroom window. Waiting. Surrounding my house. Perched everywhere. Everyone taken care of but me. Waiting, for me. They sit out in my old playground in my backyard still, watching, waiting.
The hallway bred another type of visitor. Immediately to the left of my doorway was the dark opening to the dining room and rest of house. Darkness spilled out of there, casting shadows on the doorway, and the wall in front of it. My parents didn�t understand how a shadow could be cast this way, how it could form in spite of the dim night light they had provided after I had seen the skinless ghoul. I knew. The tall shadow was the impression of the ghoul, just beyond the darkness of the doorway. I knew it had come in. It stood there, night after night, watching me through my doorway. I could feel its eyes ever on me. Some nights I could hear its breathing, low labored gasps for air, I could hear it move slowly, gaining a better spot to watch me from.
Some nights though it wasn�t there. Those nights worried me. Where was it? Where was it watching me from? It would scratch the window sometimes. Begging me, urging me, pleading with me, to open the window. All it needed was a crack to put its giant hideous yellow eye to. To stare at me, constantly. I would hide under the blankets and pretend not to notice the dim yellow light and the ominous shadow pressed up against my blinds.
Other nights it was in my closet. I resented the age old "there�s a monster in my closet" kids, but they had monsters with fangs that would eat them up. I had a hideous skinny thing with its skin melted off, with two great bright yellow eyes that never closed and never blinked and were always there. Yet it chose my closet. Every night I had forgotten to shut my closet door all the way, sure enough, there were the two little points of light. Staring, unmoving, its heavy breathing gently caressing the edge of my blankets. I knew I had to endure it, if I had tried to close the door it would have me. Not to eat, not to maim, not to kill, to stare at. It would hold me, there in the closet, and stare, all night. And when the light came in the morning it would be gone, to come the next night. The yellow eyes never closed.
As I grew and began to believe that the eyes had never existed, that the doorknob of my brothers room had never been a snout, that the crows had never perched around my house waiting for me. I moved my bed away from my doorway, into a corner facing my closet and next to my window. I keep my door closed. I say I don�t believe but every night I shut my closet shut and lock it, who else has a lock on their closet? I close the blinds tight and make sure I can not hear the traffic outside. A light is always kept on so that every corner, every nook, every shadow is shown for what it is.
Last night I awoke to the scratch on my window. The light in my room had gone out. Behind the blinds was the lanky body, stretched out over my window, illuminated by two points of yellow light. There was a crack in my blinds, it could see me. I lay there, affixed by old terror, unable to move. My closet was slightly ajar, I had forgot. Two more points of light peered out from the shadows there, unmoving, staring, watching. And there at the door was the doorknob, was it? It snarled and I cowered. The blood red eyes looked out from the shadows, the saliva dripped once more to the floor. And there I lay, unable to move, shaking and trembling under the watchful eyes. Always there, always watching, always staring, always waiting. Always.
And above it all I heard a crow�s call. And they stopped waiting.
|
|
Submit Your Review for Nights Past
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.
|
|
Submit Your Rating for Nights Past
|
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2006 Michael Schmitt |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
April 2006 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
1742
|
|
