The Karasu Kollektion: Ten Dark & Feelsy Short Stories

By Ravyn Karasu

Ravyn Karasu presents a collection of ten short stories that will make your heart pump and ache. Some of the stories are dark, some are emotional, some are dramatic, but all will give you a serious case of The Feels.

Short Stories Include:

1. Beware the Boogeyman

2. Resonance

3. It's My Party

4. Sugar Baby

5. Bokor

6. Warm-Hearted

7. Baby Doll Eyes

8. Brother

9. The Black Train

10. Le Gardien du Secret

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ravyn Karasu
• Release date: Sep 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516300853

Book preview

CONTENTS

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Synopses

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Beware the Boogeyman -  A short poem about the Boogeyman

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Resonance – Anya is heartbroken when she is left at an orphanage by her father. Despite being surrounded by other children, she is sad, frightened, and lonely. This touches the heart of an old granny  house spider who takes pity on her and goes to great lengths to show Anya that she does have a friend in this place.

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It’s My Party – Charlie is having a birthday party. In many ways, it’s the same as all the previous birthday parties he’s ever had. However, there are a lot of ways that this party is somehow very different.

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Sugar Baby – Courtney had it all. She gave up everything in order to be the sugar baby to a wealthy man. Courtney is fast learning what could await her as her free ride comes to an end.

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Bokor – Everyone knows that one guy who displays himself as an overall jerk. In this case, that person is Paul Clark. He takes joy in in creating misery in other people. However, how will he handle the consequences of insulting the wrong person?

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Warm-Hearted -  December looks in on the family she loves so dearly and reflects on her feelings of love and resentment.

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Baby Doll Eyes – Edith doesn’t remember much of her life before being rescued by her knight in shining armor, Evan. However, she can’t understand why people keep giving them strange looks or why Cory, Evan’s best friend, doesn’t like her.

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Brother – A horrible misfortune has left four year old Duncan alone in the cold with no parents and nowhere to live. He has to depend on his brother, Abel to look after him and help him get through this difficult time of his life.

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The Black Train -  When Benjamin is grounded, he decides he’s had enough of his family and tries to run away to the circus. He gets as far as the train station where he meets Stewart, the friendly station master and learns a thing or two while waiting for his train.

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Le Gardien du Secret – When her parents told her to watch out for the people she meets on the internet, 15 year old Monica disregarded the warning. She believed those bad things could never happen to her. She changes her tune very quickly when she  meets up with the man she has been having an online relationship and whisked off to Paris where he forces her into the sex industry. Though able to escape, she ends up unable to see where she is going and cannot understand the French language. She then wonders if she’s able to trust this strange mute Parisian man  to care for her.

Beware the Boogeyman

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The darkness of a high new moon

Is a sign the Boogeyman is coming soon.

Strive to be polite and good

If you don’t want to end up his food.

He comes for naughty girls and boys

Who disobey and leave out their toys.

Out of the closet or from under the bed

He’ll come once you’ve rested your head.

Tremble as your eyes go wide

For he’ll inch closer to your side.

If you hear the thunder crash

It might be him giving his teeth a gnash.

He’ll give a snarl and growl real deep

If you refuse to go to sleep.

What are you going to do

To make sure he doesn’t visit you?

Say your prayers, turn off the light,

Hope he doesn’t give you a fright.

Heed everything I say,

Cuz he only comes if you disobey.

I’m your greatest defense you see,

Since the only thing the Boogeyman fears...is me.

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It was getting dark outside as the clunky old truck drove down the narrow road. It was snowing again. Normally, Anya loved the snow. She loved the bitter sting on her face while she made snowballs, snowmen, snow forts, snow angels, and anything else that could be made. Her father was always a fun companion, and even though they had come on hard times, they were the best of friends; inseparable. At least, that’s what she had thought.

The stone wall that separated the outside world from this new place crawled past as Anya’s father slowed. She cast pitiful blue eyes up at him.

Don’t look at me like that, Anya, her father frowned. He was a large man, broad and muscular. He was dressed warmly, covered with a heavy layer of a long coat, gloves, hat, and scarf. He was a soldier. Anya had always been so proud of him. This is hard for me too.

I thought all we had was each other, she replied. Perhaps, she was trying to lay on the guilt a little.

I would love nothing more, he admitted. But, I need to think of what is best and fair for you. It’s not fair for me to drag you around from place to place. You need stability. You deserve better.

If you’re willing to sacrifice, then so am I, she insisted. He simply gave her a stern nyet and hardened his face. He couldn’t be swayed by her. He’d truly love nothing more than to turn around and bring her back to a warm and comfortable home. However, he didn’t have that to offer and this decision had not been an easy one to make.

The old truck creaked as it came to a stop in front of the beautiful home. Had the situation been different, Anya would have been enchanted by it. It was a large home with a large porch. It had a huge yard. It was also rather private with trees all around the clear yard filled with piles of clear snow. Smoke rose from the chimney and it was quite a cozy place. Anya wished that it was simply an inn and that they were merely stopping off. She didn’t want to imagine such a beautiful place would be one of the saddest places she’d ever see.

Babushka Pauk was an old and round spider. She had lived in the house many years. She had raised her children there and on rare occasions, she would get a visit from any of her many, many grandchildren. It was a quaint place to be, after all. It was warm and there was food to be had. There was also a lot of space for such a tiny creature such as herself to live with great comfort and luxury. Luxury aside, she was still a simple old lady of a spider and knew how to do everything for herself.

She sat at the back of the top shelf of the lobby bookshelf, hidden behind a row of books for the children that would pass through this place. She pulled silk from her spinnerets and brought it around to knit the scarf with which she had busied herself. She hummed a slow rendition of Korobeiniki absently, accompanied by the gentle crackle of a fire in the fireplace in the den.

She jumped with a start when she heard the loud banging on the door. She watched as the head of Lawrence passed by. He was the man in charge of the home. He was stocky and hairy with a bushy mustache, thick glasses and a hair style that would fool anyone into thinking he was wearing a toupee. He looked heavier than normal in that thick knitted sweater with the high folded neck.  The boys on the other side of the room peered up only momentarily as he passed by.

Babushka Pauk put down her knitting and detached herself from the line of silk. She then peered out from her hiding place as Lawrence invited in the strangers. Oh, it was a soldier. She could tell by his clothing and the way he carried himself. With him was a pretty, young girl. She was in a long, heavy, red coat with a hood and fur lining. Her blonde hair peeked out though. She was a bit worse for wear, but still quite pretty. Babushka Pauk peered over at the boys a moment. Neither of them seemed interested in the new company. Boys...

Anya kept her gaze to the floor as the men talked. She barely listened. It didn’t much matter what they said, did it? The result would still be the same. She distracted herself with the décor. The floor was hardwood with some fancy rugs. The furniture was nice. There were a lot of dark wood pieces. The wallpaper was pretty old fashioned with transparent flower designs along the light taupe.

The next thing she knew, she heard the heavy steps of her father’s boots walking away and the door closing. She turned as the door clicked shut. He...didn’t even say good-bye. He...said nothing, did nothing. That was such a cold parting and it stung worse than anything.

Welcome to our happy home, Lawrence said. It snapped her from her thoughts and she looked at him silently. She watched as he held out his hands. It took her a moment to realize that he had wanted to take her coat. She sighed and pulled it from her body and placed her gloves in her coat pocket. She stood there with her little bag at her feet, dressed in white stockings and a red dress. Her cheeks were rosy, though it could have easily been from the long, cold drive and her emotional distress.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of people here, she said to him. It’s very quiet.

There aren’t many, Lawrence replied. They have gone up to get ready for bed already, but these boys, he placed a hand on her back and motioned with his other to the boys in the corner, they are my boys: Sasha and Yasha.

Though they looked nothing alike, it was obvious they were a set of twins. They were about her age, maybe a year or so older. Sasha had brown hair and a somewhat kinder face. Yasha looked like he was quite the trouble-maker. He was a boy with short blond hair that was a little messy. Sasha gave a polite nod before returning to his toy. Yasha did nothing to really acknowledge her before returning his attention elsewhere. Anya looked over towards Lawrence.

Don’t worry. They’ll come around. How about we get you settled in? I’m sure you’ll want to get some rest.

Anya looked back over her shoulder. Though she already knew better, she just hoped that perhaps