Mike Carss

It was purely for aesthetic reasons. I've played D&D for many years, but when it comes to the finer details as you've described, I'm pretty ignorant. I've learned something new today. 😄

While I've had an account here for well over a decade, I only recently started using GA in earnest when I got back into writing (2023). The community here is so active and encouraging. The upcoming changes look great (yay for site wide dark mode -- my eyes thank you). I'm also curious to see the changes coming to the story submission section of the site. I wouldn't call it difficult to use now, but there are a lot of tabs that can make it easy to miss something. Regarding suggestions, the only thing was the allowance of larger image sizes. I'd brought this up in the forum in the past, but IIRC, allowing this would've caused problems to the backend code and how the site rendered. Not sure if the upcoming updates will allow more flexibility in this regard, but please don't spend any time trying to make it work if it's just going to be a PITA. 😆 Thanks to everyone who keeps the site running: programmers, admins, and moderators. ❤️

Given my adoration of nature and trees, this one spoke to me. Lovely. 🥰🌳

Many people find the concept of total oblivion terrifying (religion exists partially for that reason), but I honestly hope that's what comes for us. Time will go on without us, and while grim to consider, it's comforting to know we won't be conscious of the fact.

Yeah, the stereotypical concepts of heaven and hell needed a makeover. 😅 Thanks!

Yup. Existential horror is a thought-provoking genre.

Yeah, I figured a few might be a little disappointed by the ambiguous ending, but this was partially inspired by Outer Limits and Twilight Zone episodes that end similarly. Glad you enjoyed it. 😊

Judging by Mitchell's experience, Elijah is stuck in that void, possibly for eternity. 😬

Nothing. Dave couldn’t think of another word to describe what he was experiencing at this moment. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear. He couldn’t even sense his body, as though his mind was drifting amid oblivion—disconnected, paralyzed. The sudden lack of any stimulus was as unnerving as it was terrifying. He wanted to scream, but didn’t know how. Then, at last, he felt something. A prickling sensation in his toes—the familiar sting of circulation returning after being restricted. I

Imprisoned in a featureless space, Dave must face what his last chilling memory suggests. Can he escape, or will he remain perpetually trapped?

An interesting thought. Are you referring to his dead squire? We'll learn more about him in part two.

Indeed. Sam's suffering has only just begun. This will playing an important role in his continuing story.

Indeterminate rivulets of seconds, minutes, and hours whiled the night away. What little rest Sam managed to catch was broken by every creak and groan of the house, or by gusts of wind rattling the window. But worse, any attempt to nod off triggered fierce nightmares. The encounter in his parents’ bedroom held his mind captive, only now, the bandit was far from human. Instead, the man was a shadow with glowing red eyes and a gruesome sneer, revealing pointed teeth. He loomed large over Sam’s pro

Your questions will be answered in time, but uncovering Graeme's secrets will not be an easy task for Sam.

Following Mr Newham’s speech, Sam said that he—himself alone—would bury his parents. Beforehand, he felt unsure he’d have the resolve to follow through, but the chief’s words had given him the strength he sought. With his jaw set firmly, he fought the reluctance to look upon his parents’ wrapped remains. The way they’d been enshrouded—hands over their chests and legs together—made them appear more like rough stone carvings. Not quite human. That helped. It took some urging, but he managed t

Pain flared in Sam’s wounded shoulder, sharpening with every thrust of his shovel into the earth. He didn’t care. It was the only thing keeping him lucid, keeping his mind on the task. There were brief periods, however, when he forgot why he was digging, only for a bloody memory to break loose and show itself. Flashes of Mum and Pa, lifeless in their bed, made him grit his teeth and dig harder. There was nothing to gain by keeping those images in his mind. They served no purpose except to cause

Absolutely. And what's worse is that he believes Graeme doesn't offer trite compliments, yet when the knight does compliment him, Sam can't accept the praise. Sure, a part of that might be embarrassment, but Graeme's words of approval seem to go in one ear, out the other. Oh Sam, you poor fool.

@Seraph28 and @CincyKris, I'd say both your viewpoints are valid in this case. As a reader, you've been dropped in the middle of their life. There's no way to know all the small details that have led them to this point. There's no question Sam and his parents are close, but given Sam's age (22), their overly protective nature is a little too overbearing. Sam commented on this already, stating he's an adult and should be able to make his own decisions. But it's hard for his parents to accept this because he still lives at home. They still see him as their child, not an adult. By the end of this novella, you'll have a better understanding why Sam never left home and made a life for himself.

The small hours of that night felt never-ending. Sleep continued to elude Sam. Instead, he hovered in restless states of consciousness. His mind repeatedly played the events of the day to consider all the feasible alternatives he could’ve taken. In hindsight, his lack of courage perhaps wasn’t so appalling. After all, four men had stood before him, but the situation still angered him. While their combat skills weren’t terrible, they weren’t experts, either. It was more likely they used thei

Pa was furiously splitting logs in the yard as Sam and Graeme rode along the farm’s lane. Upon noticing their arrival, he called out to Mum inside the house, and she emerged moments later. An unexpected atmosphere of precariousness grew as Sam and Graeme dismounted. Pa hefted the axe onto his shoulder and strode toward them. Sweat beaded his brow, and his chest heaved from exertion. His posture stirred Sam’s memory of the bandit leader’s smug attitude, followed by the visceral image of his head

Generally, we're our own worst critic, and Sam suffers from this strongly. He really feels that he lost his chance to "prove his worth" to not only Graeme, but to himself. Maybe he will get another chance, but will his eyes be open enough to see it. Self-doubt is such a terrible thing.

Indeed. They've never had problems with bandits before this current situation arose, so they felt safe. Being hidden by obscurity isn't really working out for them.

Once Rebekah had settled from her ordeal, Sam carried her to the relative warmth of the glowing coals. Nearby, he found a pair of trousers and an overcoat. He hated the idea of dressing her in those grubby clothes—her kidnappers’ attire—but upon presenting them to the child, she gratefully donned them. While she warmed herself, Sam assessed the living space—if it could even be considered that. The bandits had lived poorly. What belongings he found were shoddy and in need of repair. Digging

Hello, I'm asking this on behalf of a friend who's too shy to ask himself. 😅 He'd like to receive the genre news emails, but can't find where to subscribe to them. I assumed it was under Notification Settings and checking the Newsletter option, but he didn't receive the email sent yesterday. His account here was originally connected to Yahoo, and I was pretty sure that GA and Yahoo didn't work (because Yahoo is terrible 😉). He also has an email address at mailbox.org, and I had him switch his account to that a few days before the current Genre News email was sent. But as mentioned, he didn't receive the email. Any suggestions?

I'm happy to hear that. Yes, the title can refer to a number of things in the story. There's no right or wrong interpretation. But in retrospect, I felt I gave away a bit too much in the synopsis. To give you an idea where we're at in the story, there are ten chapters in total. Chapter five will be next Monday.