Festering Tales: 15 Short Stories To Keep You Awake: Dark Night Tales, #4

By Kelly Mathewson

Strange knocks at night lead a young kid to make a mistake. A simple necklace of faith plays a roll in a bizarre tale. And A diary seems to know more about it's reader than the read themselves do.

 

Dark Night Tales is proud to present the best in bone-chilling supernatural horror. This volume contains Fifth-teen spine-tingling tales for your reading pleasure. But first, lock the doors, close the windows, and be sure to turn on the lights.

 

Safe and sound, you begin to read. But wait… something scratches on your bedroom door. And you realize all the locks in the world can't protect you. Because the thing you fear most is already inside.

 

Story List:

 

• EYE'S OF A RACCOON
• SHARPE'S WAR
• TWISTS OF LOVE
• THE CLOWN'S MESSAGE
• A SIMPLE NECKLACE
• A MONK'S EYES
• THE COMPUTER VIRUS
• A CHARM FROM A MAGIC SHOP
• THE CRUSH
• THE DIARY
• IN THE DARK OF NIGHT
• GHOST CAMP
• THE HOUSE
• A STRANGE BRIDGE
• YOU'RE NEXT

 

The lights go out, the door creaks open. And the real nightmare begins…

• Language: English
• Publisher: CDH Publishing House
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215332429

Kelly Mathewson

A hard-nosed Sagittarius, Kelly Mathewson experiences our vast universe as a being with many lives. A successful Attorney, Mediator, and Podcast producer, she writes books, novels and short stories based somewhat on her many experiences. Jack of all Trades… Master of Nothing Deal Maker, Deal Breaker, Negotiator and always a citizen of the Imagination.

Book preview

EYE’S OF A RACCOON

Karen Milton jerked awake. Eyes wide open.

Her covers were a mess. Her sheet was twisted around her legs. Her pillow was damp with sweat, but the room was cold.

It had happened again. The dream. Something called to her. Like a strange voice, but not a voice. Speaking without words. Images. Pictures – fuzzy, distorted, meaningless.

A large tree silhouetted against the dark sky. And a little raccoon sitting beneath the tree, staring up at the yellow fruit it bore. Lemons.

The reality of the dream gave Karen the creeps.

Karen's heart suddenly stopped. She could hear whimpering. A mournful, inhuman sound.

Heart pounding, Karen slowly got out of bed. Whatever was making that sound was somewhere in her room. She slowly moved to the wardrobe, then threw open its door. There was nothing there.

Karen froze, looking around. The sound was coming from behind her. But she could see nothing.

Karen couldn't make sense of it. It was as if the sound was coming from inside the wall itself.

Suddenly the sound seemed to change – it was lower, haunting, ethereal. It almost sounded like crying.

Karen couldn't take it anymore. DAD!

Karen ran to the landing outside her room, shutting the door behind her. Sonny, Rich and Phillip joined her. There's a noise, inside my room! she urgently told them.

You sure? Sonny asked.

Yes! And it's a really scary noise!

Phillip gasped. Burglars, coming through the window!

Rich looked at him incredulously. Twenty metres up in the air?

In Karen's room, Sonny laid his ear against the wall where Karen claimed she had heard the noise, listening. Nothing, he reported. Not a sound.

Must've been a nightmare, Rich said.

Sonny nodded. Yeah, I had one too. I dreamt that Janet dumped me. It was horrible.

After kissing Karen goodnight, Sonny left her room, as did Rich and Phillip. Karen was left alone, leaning against the door.

"But it wasn't a nightmare . . . she said softly. It was real . . . "

THE NEXT MORNING, KAREN stood outside, staring at the big lemon tree in the garden. Just the day before, the tree had borne no fruit. But now there were three large lemons. Karen's head swam. It was as if the lemons had grown overnight.

Behind her, Mica walked towards the lighthouse. Hey Karen, she called.

Karen barely saw her. Oh, hi Mica, she said, distracted. Had she been paying more attention, Karen would have seen that Mica was wearing a fancy dress and even a little lipstick, which was quite unusual for her. But all Karen could see was the lemons.

Rich goggled at Mica as she entered the lighthouse. He'd never seen Mica dressed up like that before.

Tone? Is this all right? Mica asked Sonny, motioning to her dress. I've got to do an interview for the election.

Sonny looked up from the sculpture of a woman he'd been sanding. He looked as surprised as Rich. Oh . . . Mica, be yourself. It's you and your policies people will vote for, not a dress.

Thanks, Mica muttered. Rich playfully wolf whistled as she left, then looked impatiently over at Phillip. Come on, Phillip! he called to his little brother, who was rummaging around inside the refrigerator.

Phillip looked up. Who drank my peanut butter and lime milkshake?

"Is that what that was? Sonny asked. I tipped it down the sink. It had gone off. I thought it was rubbish."

Phillip could hardly believe his ears. Rubbish?!

Miss Howard came in. Hi, Rich, she said brightly.

Hi Janet, he replied.

Janet smiled at Sonny. Hi Sonny.

He looked up from his sculpture. Hi, Janet.

Hi, Bron, Janet said to Phillip, who walked towards the door, giving his father a dirty look. Janet pointed to the pretty blue brooch she wore on her top. Hey, remember this? It's the brooch you gave me.

Phillip didn't hear her. He was still mad at his dad. "Rubbish!" he repeated incredulously to Sonny as he stormed outside, following Rich.

The smile vanished from Janet's face. She thought Phillip had been talking to her. He just doesn't seem to like me . . . no matter what I do, one day he buys me a present, the next day he slams the door in my face. She approached Sonny. It's just not going to work, Sonny. You don't have room in your life for both Phillip and me.

Of course I have, Janet, Sonny said.

You don't even tell him off when he's rude to me!

Look, he likes you. I know he does.

Janet sighed. I know he has to come first, I know that the kids have to take priority. It's just . . . She took Sonny's hand. I love you, Sonny.

I love you too, Janet.

It's just not going to work, Janet said sadly.

Not going to work? Sonny repeated, confused.

I'm sorry . . .

Well . . . me too. Sonny still wasn't sure what Janet meant.

Janet kissed him, then slowly turned to leave.

Hi, Janet, Karen said as she entered, but Janet brushed past her. Karen watched her go, confused, then shrugged. There were more important things on her mind. "Dad, there are lemons on the tree. They weren't there yesterday! Karen looked pensive. It's something to do with my dream . . . "

Sonny stared forlornly at the place where Janet had been just before. He said softly, I dreamt that she called it off . . . and she has . . .

Karen hadn't heard Sonny. She slowly climbed the stairs. Something weird's going on, she said. "I mean, yesterday there were none, and now there's three . . . "

When Karen went into her room, the ghosts Matthew and Jeremiah appeared on the stairs, watching Sonny. Matthew wiped a tear from his eye; he knew what it felt like to lose the woman he loved.

HANSON, PUP AND FOX had found themselves a new project: gardening. An old lady who lived not far from the lighthouse had agreed to let them do some work on her garden, and the three boys were only too happy to oblige. However, they appeared to be doing more wrecking than gardening; they had come equipped with mowers, hedge trimmers and even a huge mulcher. Flowers lay strewn across the lawn, hedges were shredded and trees reduced to sawdust.

Rich and Phillip rode up on their bikes. What are you doing?! Phillip had to yell to be heard above the noise.

Raising money for the scouts! Fox replied.

"You don't belong to the scouts!" Rich yelled back.

Hanson didn't have the patience for small talk. Get lost, Milton!

Rich and Phillip left, and Hanson, Pup and Fox resumed destroying the garden. Suddenly, the old lady came out of her house and stared in disbelief at what had once been her garden.

Boys! she cried. What have you been doing to my beautiful garden?! What are you doing?!

Pruning! Fox declared.

Trimming! Hanson added.

Clearing! Pup piped up.

That's enough now! the lady said. Some of these plants are very rare!

Hanson grinned. Well, now they're even rarer!

Back at the lighthouse, Karen took Sonny to the big lemon tree in the garden. Dad, look, she said, pointing to the three lemons. They weren't there yesterday!

Yesterday . . . I was happy . . . Sonny mumbled. Now I'm a wreck . . .

Karen was still looking at the lemons. But . . . they couldn't have just grown overnight, Dad!

Mica joined them and turned to Karen. My grandfather shot a raccoon, and he buried its innards under that tree, she said.

Sonny was still lost in his own thoughts. You can't really blame her though, can you?

Rich and Phillip rode up to them. Hi, Rich said, unaware of how Dad was feeling. What's happening?

Karen leaned close to him and said in a low voice, Janet's dropped Dad, and the wedding's off.

Rich was concerned. You okay, Dad?

Yeah, yeah . . . Sonny said absently. I was gonna break it off myself, anyway . . .

Plenty more fish in the sea, Mica said.

But Sonny had made up his mind. I'm finished with women, he said, walking back towards the lighthouse.

Mica looked back at the lemons and cocked her head. Funny.

THE LARGE LEMON TREE stood silent and tall. Illuminated by the silver moonlight, a few of the branches dipped with sudden weight. Five more lemons were growing.

Karen lay in bed, stirring with disagreeable dreams. Then, eyes still closed, she pulled back the sheets. Her eyes slowly opened and she stood up as the sad whimpering sound began again. Karen's eyes looked to where the sound seemed to be coming: the wall next to the door.

Walking stiffly like a zombie, Karen approached the wall. A large elephant poster had been plastered on it many months before; Karen had always assumed it was nothing more than a wall, but now it was like she was seeing it for the first time. Karen now noticed that this section jutted out quite a bit, almost as if there was room behind the wall, like a walk-in cupboard.

The whimpering now sounded louder and more urgent than before, almost as if the speaker was calling to Karen.

Karen placed her hand behind the poster and ran her fingers along what felt like the outline of a door. Her hand found a panel beside this new door, and she pushed. The door swung open, revealing what was indeed a cupboard.

The animal within didn't move. It had been dead a long time. It hung from a hook at the back of the cupboard. Its body was flat, as if it had been run over by a steamroller. Its eyes stared ahead without movement. They were made of glass and had been sewn on like buttons.

Karen reached out and stroked the soft fur. The animal was like a beautiful empty bag, its bones and heart and life long gone. Karen stroked the raccoon's tail against her cheek and closed her eyes.

KAREN WASN'T THE ONLY one up. Phillip stood in the kitchen, poking around in the fridge with a large glass in his hands. Phillip grinned; no one would ever know he'd ransacked the kitchen. It was the perfect crime.

Hi Phillip, said a voice.

Phillip gasped and stopped at the bottom of the staircase. He saw Sonny sitting on the couch. Hi Dad, he said. What're you doing up?

I can't sleep, Sonny said.

Phillip joined him on the couch. You don't need Miss Howard. You got me.

Sonny smiled sadly. That's true.

Phillip held out his glass to Sonny. You want a drink? It's a nice drink of strawberry, lemon and chocolate. Always cheers me up!

It's not the answer to every problem, Phillip.

Phillip thought he understood. I know, sometimes the bits of strawberry get stuck up in the straw. He held the glass out to Sonny again. Go on, have a drink.

Okay. Sonny reluctantly took a sip and immediately regretted it. The taste almost made him gag. Thanks . . .

UP IN HER ROOM, KAREN closed the cupboard and stood up. She laid her head against the door and listened to the raccoon's whimpers, then left her room. Karen walked stiffly down the stairs, awake but unaware. Rich followed her in confusion.

Downstairs, Phillip was busy telling Sonny about the finer points of his latest taste sensation. Sonny insides churned; he'd had enough. Good night Phillip. Sonny stood up and climbed the stairs, determined to leave as quickly as possible.

Phillip saw Karen coming down the stairs and went up to her, holding out his glass. Hi, Karen. Wanna sip?

Karen walked past her little brother, having neither seen nor heard him.

Rich shushed Phillip. Never wake a sleepwalker! he hissed.

Karen may very well have been sleepwalking. She was completely unaware of everything else around her. There was only one thing on her mind. She continued walking out the front door and didn't stop until she reached the big lemon tree.

Rich and Phillip watched their sister, baffled. What was she up to?

Karen stared up at the tree, its ripe fruit drooping down between the silvery leaves. Somehow she knew which one to pick. Her hand seemed to have a life of its own.