The Diner: Beyond the Keyhole, #1

By Richard van Wyk

Book 1 of the 'Beyond the Keyhole' series of horror and psychological thriller short stories.

Andy Powell is enjoying a cup of coffee in a roadside diner in 1958. He is about to meet the strangest of strangers. His purpose? The answer lies beyond the keyhole. Do you dare to have a peek?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Darcniss™ Publishing
• Release date: Dec 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9780796139948

Richard van Wyk

Richard van Wyk is an aspiring author of  horror and supernatural thriller novels and short stories. He lives with his wife and son in the city of Cape Town, South Africa

Book preview

THE DINER

A STORY

Beyond the Keyhole | 1

RICHARD

VAN WYK

Darcniss™ Publishing

A Division of Darcniss (Pty) Ltd

Cape Town

To my wife and son, as always

***

1

From the jukebox in the back of ‘Lou’s Roadside Diner,’ Johnny Cash proclaims to be the one who ‘taught the weeping willow how to cry.’

This kid is going places, Andy mutters as he makes his way to his usual spot. The booth offering the best view of the gas station entrance next door is unofficially reserved for him so he can sit and watch cars turn in as he guesses the makes and models—unofficially because the ‘middle of the desert’ diner is never busy enough to require a proper reservation. He grunts as he hoists himself out of his wheelchair and into the booth’s padded, red seat, which is colder than usual this morning. Shivering, he closes his corduroy jacket that still smells like his stuffy apartment, scans the diner, and spots the only patrons other than himself. At a small table near the restrooms sits a young couple. Andy waves at them half-heartedly and to his mild surprise, they wave back, smiling. Usually, he only receives a nod and a stare. He tugs his jeans to and from all the necessary places and settles in for the morning, feeling better than he has in weeks.

‘—and I’m gonna sit right here until I die,’ Johnny Cash continues.

2

Andy Powell has been frequenting the diner ever since Dave, his then physiotherapist, brought him here for lunch on his last day of therapy roughly two years ago. He has not missed a single Sunday morning since. On Saturdays, the diner is usually bustling with college students from the city, fairly