Weekly Horrorscope

ARIES

You woke up today, congrats.  One down, thousand fifty-two to go. You will fall asleep, and wake up in Paris – for a month. Don’t trust a word what the cats say. There is no truth in a cat’s answer.

TAURUS

Yep. That’s a grizzly. Nope, it’s not the Yeti. By the way, those berries you ate half an hour ago, those weren’t huckleberries. Yep. Pretty much.

Names for Blades

DEVIL’S PEAK – begin: here

The trees creaked, as if an enourmous weight moved on top of them. The sky was stilll bright but caught amber on the west side. We should hurry. No birds chirped. The longer we had our feet on the trail, the quieter the forest got.

I could barely hear Ennoia and Meme. Frank was right behind me, patting his side. Our breathing and our feet on the dirt were mostly the only sounds. As unsettling as it was, my rookie was gave me the wrong vibes. His mind was somewhere else. He moved far too cool, at least he should be nervous by now.

The skin on my nape burned. The thought that he had brought his hunting knife along, without telling me, was infuriating. I told him to talk to me, to tell me everything. How many times- wait a minute. Oh, hell. If he brought a nameless blade… This was dangerous.

Corona (1)

The bulk of “Corona” rolled under me. My sweet little rustbucket drifted away from the denser part of the junkyard.

Nothing had “easy money” stencilled on the side, like old-timey electronics that belonged to nobody. All the gold and tantalum just sat there, so lonely. “Keeps me searching for a heart of gold, and I’m getting old,” I sang under my breath. Oldies were the best.

The New Year of the Rabbit

The boat rocked heavily.

That made me trip, not the whiskeys, nor the pills or the beers. Cross my heart! The railing was cold and wet under my grip, and for a moment, I wondered if I should let go of it. The stupid pink rabbit ears slipped and went bye-bye. They took a dive into the big black hungry Hong Kong Bay. Maybe I should jump straight after them, and end this farce.

Triangle of Uncanny

I had Allan’s notebook tucked away in my overcoat. The chain on my lapel glowed in the miserable street light. The gas flame hissed like a feral cat. It barely chased away the darkness, or the autumn fog carried in with the wind from the Hudson.

I popped the chased golden lid of my pocket watch under the glow. The dial showed 10:30 pm. Time to wind up, my gloved fingers twirled the key clumsier than usual. It smelled like it would snow.

the announcement

“This is not a test.” The blank screen flashed with turquoise, and the logo of the Ministry of Safety and Public Opinion Management revolved. I swallowed. “Uh-oh,” I turned to Maria, but she wasn’t in the living room anymore. My eyes went back to the teli. Something shattered into million china pieces in the kitchen.

They’re Coming

Howls echoed through the woods and the mountainside. They have picked up my tracks. Maybe fire kept them at bay, till sunrise. That was what I needed. Time and light. Icy gusts tore at the firs around me. Trees crack and snap in the dark of midnight. Something enormous moved down the slope. Sunlight would save me. Eventually.