Short stories are a lot of fun, both to write and to read. Since writing Wolf, I’ve committed two more bizarre and completely wacked-out stories to paper, one entitled Premonition and the other, Missing (in case you haven’t noticed, I’m going with the single-word title thing here). The latter is now available for your consideration and constructive criticism at this location.
Missing is less weird than Wolf and more lighthearted than Premonition – even if it’s still rather creepy in its own way. In some ways, it’s also a cautionary tale that doesn’t take itself seriously. At any rate, it’s supposed to make you smile. And if, upon reading the story, you are left feeling depressed or down-trodden, let me know, and I will ensure that the story never sees the light of day again. It’s a bad sign when your writing produces suicidal tendencies among your readers.
Sweet story, bro. I was expecting his parents to be dead or something… rather creepy ;)
You have an imagination after my own… brain. ;)
I would love to know what this science project was… I have an image of some slimy goo oozing across the floor!
I was thinking ooze, as well. That, or some kind of multi-legged spider-like creature. :) At any rate, part of the fun of the story is not knowing exactly what Gerald’s experiment is – you just know it’s not normal, and probably something incredibly freaky.
Sometimes creepy can be a good things, as long as it doesn’t, well, like you said, bring about suicidal tendencies. I love a good creepy story, and this one, with it’s light heart, is a keeper for sure. Short stories are really good to write as well, I think that our modern writing mindset of “everything-must-be-novel-length” is damaging. There is a great beauty to the short story, for that’s where you explore concepts, get used to putting scenes together, and discover your inner author voice. Plus, it’s a load of great fun.
Well said, and I’m glad you enjoyed the story. I think writing short stories is a great way to prep for creating lengthier books, like novels.
Now I want to know what it was. An inanimate object brought to life? A sentient pencil sharpener?
A sentient pencil sharpener? Hey, I think I’m gonna write a novel featuring one of those. Move over Stephen King… ;)
LOL! It made me laugh! :D It’s true to life–you could expect something like that to happen when you have a houseful of boys!
Yes, it certainly could happen… which is why it is never advisable to allow boys to run “scientific” experiments unsupervised. Trust me – I once split the atom in my kitchen. ;)
That’s what garages are for. :D
Really? I typically do vivisection there. The basement is where I test A-bombs. ;)
…well…..for those of us who don’t have basements…..
LOL! :)
I hove solved it! Eureka!
The thing that escaped was a pile of dirty laundry that he had worn for a month straight and then stored in a box under his bed.
Now that’s a science experiment we can relate to.
I’d better not let my brothers know about it though.
Haha! There’s an idea! Nice one, CG! :)