Bill W

What a terribly horrifying fate, first to be trapped in a dark, endless void, and then to attempt an escape that led who knows where. Dave had only been there a short time, Elijah slightly longer, but Mitchell had been trapped there for 54 years. Can you imagine being trapped in a place like that in nearly total darkness, with no companionship or possibly only one other person, for eternity. Even this new and terrifying world they find themselves in now has to be better than where they were. Even that catlike reptilian creature probably couldn't kill them, if they're already dead, and possibly only send them into the next portal in the hereafter. It seems that Dave had been killed in a traffic accident, Elijah in a headfirst fall from his roof, and Mitchell during the Viet Nam war, so if this is the afterlife or what to expect after death, such as entering different dimensions or different realities forever, then I'd prefer that death merely leads to total oblivion.

A tale as old as time. A boy knows he cannot live up to his father's expectations, and even though he has other qualities that would be just valuable to offer, his father will not relent. Therefore, the boy sets out to prove himself, but how will that venture end. If you want to find out, then you'll have to read this enchanting story to find out, and I have a strong suspicion that you will be glad you did,

A truly enchanting story, Aaron. I loved it. Jermyn reached a higher level of humanity and Dremex has found a companion and ended his isolation. A wonderful use of the theme.

Oh, Goodie. More stories to read.

The word "faux" comes from French where it means "false" or "fake". It entered the English language as a borrowing from the French word, which itself ultimately comes from the Latin word "falsus," meaning "deceived" or "misled", the past participle of fallere ("to deceive"). The word "faux" was first used in English in the late 1600s, with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), citing its earliest known use as 1684, in the writing of Thomas Otway. It was used earlier in hyphenated terms, such as "faux-prude," first appearing in 1676, according to the OED. Its modern use to mean "fake" or "imitation" becoming popular in the 1980s. The expression "faux pas" (an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation) was borrowed earlier, in the second half of the 17th century, in 1676. Examples of "faux" used in a sentence: "And it was served in a faux bird's nest." "This faux outrage wouldn't get first place in an 8th grade talent show." "The black and white boots have a faux fur lining and come to mid-calf." "Stay warm in a faux fur coat and cinch your waist with a black and white belt." "At just $17, this faux leather tote is a steal too good to pass up." "The first item to go in our cart: Spanx's faux leather leggings."

Quote: Her thumbs-up meant the world to Aggie. Having worked in the retail industry since the age of ten... I was waiting for you to explain how a ten-year-old could work in an industry dealing in alcohol since the age of ten and you failed to explain it. I know I read this before, because I gave the story a heart and I gave a heart emoji to each of the comments, but it appears that I never commented myself. I'm not sure what happened, but I'll make up for it now. Maybe I'd lost power or something and forgot to go back later and make up for it later. Anyway, loved the story and it was quite spooky. Having worked jobs where I closed up a store late at night, I could empathize with Aggie. Btw, if his name was Augustus, shouldn't his nickname been Auggie? Just wondering.

The exact quote is : The road to destruction, or the road to hell, is paved with good intentions. It's a proverb of unknown origins that people often use when warning others about hubris, such as suggesting "the ends justify the means" and stating "they're pursuing a greater good".

I don't remember you missing one in the story, but I noticed it in the comments below the story, as well as in the other review.

The word "ingest" comes from the Latin verb ingerere, meaning "to carry in" or "to put into". It is a combination of the Latin prefix "in-" ("into") and the verb "gerere" ("to carry"). The word first appeared in English around the 1610s to describe the act of taking food into the body. Ingest can also mean to absorb or take in information. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the first known use of the verb "ingest" in English was in the early 1600s, with the earliest evidence from 1617 in the writings of Samuel Collins Examples of "ingest" used in a sentence: "The tentacles are pushed into the mouth to ingest food." "Animals, including humans, ingest oxygen from the air." "Then you paused trying to ingest all this new information." "Frugivorous vertebrates ingest fruits and the seeds within, later defecating the seeds." "The woman had ingested a large amount of over-the-counter pills," Garcia said. "People should not ingest water or eat fish from the ponds." "The more air that is removed from above, the more warm, humid air the storm can ingest from below." "Boyd said a toddler who ingests even one tablet can die."

I'm sure we all harbor regrets. It might be a family member or close friend that we've lost contact with or that had possibly died far too young. Or possibly it's due to words that were never spoken and had denied you a sense of closure before your lives followed different paths. Maybe it's a regret about a failed relationship or something we should have done differently. We may even be plagued by thoughts of how those incidents may have altered the course of our lives. Scott (the author obviously changed the main character's name when he revised this story) is a young man who's dealing with issues of his own and he's suddenly forced to confront his demons. Is a a drug induced hallucination or a nightmare conjured up from the deep recesses of his own mind? Whatever it is, it's his to deal with alone and only he can determine how this will eventually end. If you wish to know how this deep, dark dilemma turns out, then read this fascinating, spooky, and thought provoking tale.

When you rewrote this story, I take it you changed the main character's name from Justin to Scott, and although I don't know the differences between the two versions, I found this current edition to be provocative, dark, and somewhat personal, because each of us may be able to put ourselves in Scott's position. Compliments on a moving and thought provoking short story.

This intriguing short story is filled with plenty of drama and suspense. The protagonist, John Thomas or JT, is an adolescent boy with a dog, Rufus, an overbearing older sister, Mary Beth, and a secret crush on an older boy, Tommy Lee. The antagonist (who shall remain unnamed for now, but you'll find out who it is if you read the story) seems to have an obsession where JT is concerned and a warped moral code. If you like a story with plenty of action, intrigue, foreboding, and terror, then this short story is for you. Just click on the link and sit back to enjoy a thrilling and suspenseful roller coaster ride.

Aren't you in an alliterative mood this morning!

The word "persecute" comes from the Latin persecut- ‘followed with hostility’, from the verb persequi, meaning "to follow" or "pursue", which itself is a combination of the prefix per- ("through") and sequi ("to follow"). It entered Middle English through the Old French persecuteur and describes the act of harassing or oppressing someone, either through persistent annoyance or, more formally, for beliefs like race or religion. The combined meaning of "to follow through" evolved into "to follow with hostility," which is the basis for the modern definition of oppressing or harassing someone. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the verb persecute was first used in English before 1475. The OED cites a translation by author and translator Stephen Scrope as the earliest evidence of its use. The word persecute was derived from the noun persecution during the Middle English period, around the year 1350. The OED cites its first appearance in the text "Apocalypse St, John: A Version" and is a borrowing from French. Five examples of persecution are murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime. Examples of "persecute" in a sentence: "We often see dictators using force to repress and persecute their opponents." "In the 1930s, the Nazis passed laws that were meant to persecute German Jews." "Mr. Weaver and his family have been persecuted by the authorities for their beliefs." "Local boys constantly persecuted him, throwing stones at his windows." "Vic was bullied by his father and persecuted by his sisters." (Not a nice family!)

This is truly a Halloween short story, but not the spooky and scary variety. There is definitely some trick-or-treating going on, but not exactly what you'd expect. This is a humorous and romantic Halloween encounter, but to discover if it's a huge success or a total flop, you'll have to read this well-written story to find out. Do yourself a favor and check in out.

A dramatic and chilling story that is perfect for Halloween. What is planned by Alex to save their relationship isn't exactly something that Eduardo's excited about, but he goes nonetheless. What is meant to be a time for them to reconnect and reignite the love they once felt for each other doesn't go as Alex hoped, but to find out what happened, you'll have to read this spooky tale.

Very apropos for the season. Spooky and dramatic, but somehow I can't see Alex locking Eduardo outside without a coat, no matter how upset he is with him. I think it would have been better if Eduardo had just decided to stay in the jeep instead of retrieving his laptop and returning to the cabin. Alex could have been just as oblivious, yet he wouldn't have been responsible for Eduardo's death, even if the authorities hadn't charge him. He'd still have had a guilty conscience, if he really love Eduardo. You also failed to explain whatever that pink thing was on the Jeep's door handle. You could have explained that Alex went out and retrieved it before reporting what they found the following spring. Maybe it was a note from Eduardo or possibly something he discovered the Jeep that made him decide to just walk away. I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way, and if you weren't going to explain it, then there was no sense in mentioning it in the first place.

If you enjoy Halloween or good scary stories, then this one is for you. This spooky tale contains plenty of tension and some really scary moments, shared by four boys, although their experiences are separate, not shared. I dare you to read it either right before or on Halloween night in a dark house with only the light from your computer screen to read by - muhahaha!

I loved the story and you did a great job setting it up and describing the tension during the night for both groups of boys. I was, however, hoping that the four boys would have talked about the evening before they left. I didn't expect Eric to own up to what happen to him to the younger pair, but I was hoping that the ghosts of the Baker brothers had shared information about who had killed them with Chris and Shawn and they would have, in turn, shared that information with Eric and Donny.

Yes, it's Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes. I hope you enjoy it.

This is a touching and thought provoking story about a group of strangers that met online in a chat group and became close, you might even say as cyber bffs. They promised to one day get together and meet up in person, but time passed on and so did life. Then one day they get an email from one of the members of that chat group and he's finally arranging for them to all to get together. To discover what happens and how things work out, you're going to have to read this wonderful and heartfelt story. I'm sure you've all met others online and possibly even agreed to meet up with them in real life one day. Did it happen? Whether it did or didn't, I'm sure that you'll find a way to connect with this intriguing short story.

Oh, so many wonderful memories you evoked in me. I remember the chat rooms I visited in the 90s, and a few of them I developed some close friends. There were a group I met in person, one at a time, and actually got to know better. We even kept in touch afterward, some longer than others, but you brought back some wonderful memories for me. Also a few that weren't so wonderful, because it eventually came to my attention that two of them had died, and the status of the others is uncertain. I wish I still knew how to connect with them, but their old email addys are no longer active and one belongs to someone else. Thanks for those amazing story, @Inkognito.

Things were going so well, so I hope Mark isn't there to cause a problem. I hope he's there to apologize for his sister's actions and will be making a peace offering. I can't wait to see what you do with this next.

Another wonderful moment, and this one with some touching, concerning (Uncle Matt's tackling skills), and provocative (the triplets). I can't wait to see what happens next.

Another wonderful and touching chapter, and you made me shed a few more tears.