The Strange Horizon

By G. L. Didaleusky

The Strange Horizon ranges from stories less than a hundred words to over four thousand words. There isn’t any profanity, gore or sexual innuendo in any of the short stories. The genre varies from mystery, suspense, contemporary, horror, science fiction and fantasy. You may smile, chuckle, express a tear or two, feel a sudden chill or feel a warmth at the end of the story. Emotions are in the mind of the reader and the heart cuddles or rejects those emotions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
• Release date: Jun 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781624203244

Book preview

The Strange Horizon

Glimpses into the Mind of a Dreamer

G. L. Didaleusky

Published by Rogue Phoenix Press for Smashwords

Copyright © 2017

ISBN: 978-1-62420-324-4

Electronic rights reserved by Rogue Phoenix Press, all other rights reserved by the author. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law. This is a work of fiction. People and locations, even those with real names, have been fictionalized for the purposes of this story.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

The Strange Horizon is dedicated to the people in my life I care about and whom influenced and inspired me in my writings: Joe Didaleusky, Dennis Didaleusky, Gary Robert Perkins, Philip Frank, Richard Stark. And of course, my wife, Holly.

INTRODUCTION

The Strange Horizon ranges from stories less than a hundred words to over four thousand words. There isn’t any profanity, gore or sexual innuendo in any of the short stories. The genre varies from mystery, suspense, contemporary, horror, science fiction and fantasy. You may smile, chuckle, express a tear or two, feel a sudden chill or feel a warmth at the end of the story. Emotions are in the mind of the reader and the heart cuddles or rejects those emotions.

These short stories are from my imagination. A few actual experiences. Although some may have been from a previous life, if you believe in reincarnation and Edgar Casey.

If you’d like to read mystery and suspense novels, check out my novels published by Rogue Phoenix Press called Frozen Death. People are suddenly freezing to death in Florida’s hot summer temperatures. Can a prison doctor and a sheriff’s deputy find the cause before others are affected by this medical mystery? Sudden Blindness. People in a small city in Florida face an epidemic of sudden blindness. And the most recent novel Strange Appearance. Finding two unidentified and hairless dead teenagers in a Florida national forest takes a medical student and a pathologist’s assistant on a dangerous journey toward evil.

Enjoy the reads.

Table of Contents

The White Pigeon

A Christmas Visitor

Give’m Another Beer

A Tiny Heart with a Big Job

A Believer

A Celestial Message

Dark Side of the Moon

A Kind Heart

Resurgence

The Power of Hope

The Last Minute…

The Detour

Guiding Spirit

Wilderness Trail

Under the Tree

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Deadly Barrier

Dead End

Deadly Encounter

Double Vision

A Good Deed

The Newspaper Scheme

Secluded Swimming Hole

The White Pigeon

The light from a full moon shone on three boys standing side-by-side in front of a two-story, windowless building. Each of them held a flashlight. Its beam directed at a closed door in front of them.

What’s that smell? Carl, the tallest of the three boys, asked. It smells like rotten eggs.

It’s sulfur dioxide, Ted answered. He stood in the middle of the three boys. Natural mineral water used to be pumped up from underneath the ground and stored in a large metal container on top of this building. Many years ago, people used to take a bath in it. At least, that’s what my dad told me.

Why would anyone want to take a bath in stinking, fart-smelling water?

Well, my dad said, people believed the water would cure their illnesses.

Carl grunted. Are you sure we’ll find pigeons inside here? 

Yes, Ted replied, nodding his head. Over the past month, I’ve seen at least a hundred of them coming and going from here.

Allen, the third boy, head tilted downward, said with soft tone of voice, I was with Ted a few times and saw many of them flying in and out of there.

Okay, I believe you guys. Let’s get one thing straight, I get half the profit from the sale of the pigeons.

Ted peered straight at Carl. That’s what I’d agreed on this afternoon at your house. You’re the expert in capturing pigeons. Besides, your uncle will buy them from us. It’s only fair you get half the profit.

Carl glared at Allen. "What do you say, shy boy?

Allen looked down at the ground. Yeah, I agree,

Okay, take one of these burlap sacks to put the pigeons in. I punched all kinds of holes in it to allow the pigeons to breathe. Each of them took a sack. When we go inside, be really quiet. They’ll fly away if you scare them. Understand?

We’ll be as quiet as mice in a church, Ted answered. He gently elbowed Allen.

Yes, as quiet as mice.

Well, anyway. You shine your flashlight directly at them. The light will stun them, preventing them from moving. You then just reach out and grab them from behind the neck and put them into the sack. The two novices nodded.

Ted turned the doorknob and opened the door. The smelly air from inside rushed out. Breath through your mouth, the smell won’t be as bad. 

Easy for you to say, Carl said, as he reached up and pinched his nose.

Once inside, they stopped. Their flashlight’s beam shone throughout the room. 

The room was about two hundred feet across and about a hundred feet wide. About ten feet above them was crisscrossing of several two-foot square wooden planks extending the full length and width of the room. Each plank appeared to be about six feet apart from each other. 

Ted gazed around the room. I haven’t seen one pigeon, yet. Maybe I was wrong about them being in here?

Carl shook his head. It’s obvious you’ve never been pigeon hunting before, Pigeons nest in high places, away from predators. Be quiet and you’ll hear them.

Sure enough, coos echoed from the upper tier of the room.

Allen closed his eyes. It sounds beautiful.

I wouldn’t call it beautiful, Carl said firmly. It’s more like money in our pockets after we sell them to my uncle.

How do we get to them? Ted asked. 

Over there is a ladder attached to the wall. Carl directed his flashlight on the far wall directly in front of them. It’ll take us up to where the pigeons are.

A few minutes later, Carl led them along the first wooden plank. Their feet felt around in the darkness for the solidness of the two-foot wide plank. About ten feet away, Carl’s flashlight shined on a pigeon. The pigeon froze, unable to move due to the blinding light. He reached out and grasped the brown and white pigeon, stuffing it into the sack. See how it’s done? It’s your turn, now. Just follow the beams and do your thing.

Ted and Allen turned around, shuffling along for several more feet until they came to another beam. I’ll go to the left, Allen. You go to the right.

Okay.

Ted captured three pigeons in less than twenty minutes. In front of him was another pigeon nesting on a plank. That’s strange, he whispered. A pure white pigeon stared up at him. Its eyes were blinking, not frozen with fright like the other pigeons. It jerked its head to the right, sprang up onto its legs, and quickly flew away. 

A moment later, the cracking sound of wood echoed throughout the room, followed by a crashing sound of wood striking a concrete floor. The noise came from the direction of Allen.

Allen, shouted Ted. Are you okay? He waited for an answer. None came. Only the flapping of wings echoed from the darkness. In Ted’s mind, he saw his best friend lying on the floor, unconscious. Or dead.

What was that? Carl yelled from the far end of the room.

I think Allen fell after stepping on a rotted plank. 

Our butts are in trouble now. We better get down from here and see where he landed. I’ll meet you at the ladder.

A few minutes later, Ted shuffled his way back to the ladder, grabbing onto it. I should’ve never brought Allen here. It’s my fault that he fell.

A horizontal beam of light shone on the ladder. It wasn’t coming from either of their flashlights. They both turned and directed their flashlights toward the light source. It was Allen. His face projected a broad smile, nearly extending from ear-to-ear. 

I’ll be, he’s not dead, said Carl.

I thought you’d fallen to your death. Ted’s words were filled with compassion and concern.

Allen shrugged his shoulders, acknowledging he was alive and well.

Carl grunted. We better get down from here before another wooden plank decides to give way.

They slowly moved down the ladder, each of them holding onto their sack of pigeons.

A few moments later, their flashlights lit up the area where the wooden plank had crashed to the floor. A splintered plank, about six feet long, contained an inch-deep shoe imprint into its wood. Carl leaned forward. Is that your foot impression?

Yep, that’s where my shoe went into the wood plank.

It’s amazing you didn’t fall with that rotten plank, Ted patted his friend’s back, as he shook his head back and forth.

I think it was a miracle, Allen said seriously.

What do you mean by that? Ted asked.

I was just starting to walk on this plank when suddenly my right foot sank down into it. It felt like I stepped on a sponge. I was about to take another step when from out of nowhere this white pigeon landed on the plank in front of me. It looked up at me, spread its wings and began walking toward me. It scared me. I backed up a few steps. Right at that moment the plank in front of me began to crack. A few seconds later it gave way and fell to the floor.

Do you expect us to believe this story? Carl asked. You’ve lost touch with reality. I’ve been around pigeons most of my life. There ain’t no way a pigeon would do that.

You believe what you want. I know what I saw. Allen took a step toward Carl, causing him to take a step backward. Nothing you say is going to change my mind. 

Ted chuckled to himself. His best friend seemed capable of handling his own arguments, now. 

The three of them left the building and stood outside.

Well, let’s add up how many pigeons we captured, said Carl. I got five. How many do you have Ted?

Ted laid his burlap sack on the ground, grabbed the bottom of it and slowly lifted upward. The pigeons flew out. I don’t have any.

What are you doing? That’s money flying away. While he had been shouting at Ted, Allen had done the same thing. You two guys are crazy. I’m keeping mine and selling them to my uncle.

Allen straightened up in a military-type stance and peered at Carl. "You do what you