Shadows will breathe

Shadows will breathe
"Careful. Evil has a way of making friends with the good and dragging them into the darkness." ~ Dr. Al Robbins

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween


Find on LittleGothicHorros.blogspot.com

It's the most wonderful time of the year! 

Hope your candy sacs are full; 
Your fridge, overstocked with pumpkin beers; 
and your night filled with scary movies.
Have the best Halloween ever, Creepsters!
Creep on...


Friday, October 30, 2015

Like A Thief In The Night

The following is an excerpt from a novel I am currently working on.
It is also a true tale from my youth.  
I think it's perfect for this time of year.
Perhaps you can relate to my anguish?  


I can remember the very day that I came to hate my sister. 

It was the wee hours of the morning, November 1st, 1988. 

I was ten years old. 


Even though I was thoroughly exhausted from a night of trick-or-treating, I could not sleep a wink.  All I could think of was my basket of goodies.  Our parents, being parents, would only allow us a couple of chocolate treasures before we retired and I knew the rest would be dispersed in increments over the next week or two.  I, however, dreamt of consuming it all in one sitting.  It’s all I could think about really.  Oh, the treasures that my pink satin pillow case – quite the makeshift candy bag in the 80s- held were endless.  I’m talking a chocolate empire that Willy Wonka himself would envy.  Pounds of candy and carbs awaited me; urging me out of my slumber; begging me to succumb to a sugar rush.  I didn’t even try to resist.  I had already waited for hours since I was sent to bed, tossing and turning with the thoughts of peanut butter cups in my head, (they were my favorite) and as soon as my parents stopped being responsible and headed to bed, I could sneak out and find my chocolate Heaven.

So, I listened, impatiently, as my mother cleaned the house.  I waited, anxiously, as my father wrote out some bills.  I pretended to be sound asleep as my mother checked in on me to make sure I was safe and asleep.  At ten, I was an excellent actress.  I had the breathing pattern down, and the rested eyelids.  (That was the biggest trick, never let ‘em see you blink.  If they did, it was a dead giveaway.)
I played unconscious as my mother kissed my cheek and shut my bedroom door. 
I smiled.
I listened as she brushed her teeth.  I heard the water running and knew she was rinsing her face.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Footsteps down the hallway; a click of the light switch; the creaking of the bed as my parents found their comfort.  Soon, I heard my Dad snoring away.
Then, it became silent.
It was time. 
I sat up.  So close was the reward for my patience now.  My mouth watered, almost ached.  I strained my ears through the silence. I placed my feet on the floor.
I paused. 
I lifted myself out of bed.
A creak echoed from my bunker.
I held my breath.
I inched my way to the door, emulating the movements of a burglar.
I listened for any sign of life.
None.
I grinned and slowly opened the door.
I crept ever so slightly down the hallway, like a slug across pavement – stopping after every couple steps for any sound.  None came.  I continued on.
I stared at the flight of steps that lay before me now.  Somehow, there seemed to be more at this time of night.  As my foot hit the first step, a piercing boom echoed through the house. 
I froze.
Another boom.
And another.
The grandfather clock chimed over and over again.
My skin boiled goosebumps.
A cough seeped from the end of the hall.  My eyes jutted wide open in fear.
Another cough.
I silently prayed for an invisible cloak.
Crouched and ready to pounce down the flight of steps, I waited.
Nothing.

I waited another minute.

All quiet.
I slithered down the plush steps that took me into the kitchen.  I forced my legs to slow down as I passed the white enameled countertop.  I threw caution to the wind in passing the stove and veered into the living room. 
Half.  Way.  There. 
I made myself stop.  I had to control my breathing that now took a life of its own. 
My heart pounded against my chest. 
My blood pulsated through every vein.
A thin strand of light reflected through the curtains from a street light outside.  It illuminated my way to the candy bags.
I was so close to the treasure now.  What would I indulge in first?  The Kit Kat that Mrs. Wilson gave me?  Or that huge pumpkin cookie?  Mrs. Wilson was such a nice lady with her white gloves and endless bowl of goodies.  Just hours ago, I stood at her front door unable to choose between her homemade sugar cookies or the full size Kit Kat bar.  It was a tough choice to make at ten.  It took about five minutes of me going back and forth, before she offered me both.
Score.                                                                                                                           
And just like a thief in the night, I was at my stash.
Giggling, I knew all those horrid Halloween costumes my mother squeezed me into was worth it.  Those homemade garments of torture – the white sheet with eyes cut into it (and they were never cut big enough.  They were two of the tiniest holes that were ever manufactured by a pair of scissors and the sheet never stayed in place so it always slid off my face, causing numerous injuries to my body as I ran into people, porches, and walls.); Or how about the year I wanted to be a princess but couldn’t fit into the dress so my mother stuffed me with pillows to “hide” all of my baby fat (ridiculous); Sometimes, she would just throw excessive make-up on me and my sister and some of the highest heels ever made and send us out into the neighborhood.  (Hmmm… now that I think about it, that may not have been the safest idea).  Anyhow.  The haul from those humiliating costumes was well worth the suffering.  I had a pillow case brimming with rewards. 
Rifling through the sac, I decided on the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  So I dug deeper into my pillow case…
And…
And my hand felt something gross. 
Something slimy and unexpected.  I let out a yelp.
I pulled back my hand and held it into the stream of light that shone through the front window.
Was it blood?
OMG.
Maybe snot from the dog?
WTF?
It was chocolate.  Melted chocolate?
Terror consumed me as my mind raced with horrible thoughts.  What if my sugar treasure had all melted into some sort of awful clump of crap?  I dumped the stash onto the floor.
To my surprise, out tumbled my beloved Kit Kat, a pound or two of tootsie rolls, a mound of hard candy and lollipops, a bunch of a gum, one bright orange pumpkin cookie and 4 mangled Reese’s bars?
“What is going on?” I whispered to the night.  Then, understanding came into play.  Didn’t my sister express her love of the Reese Peanut Butter Cup all during our trick-or-treating run?  Hadn’t she explained how she loved the ridged edges of the candy cups?  Didn’t she go missing after dinner for a bit?
I would bet my whole sugar sac that my sister actually went through my stash - and since Reese’s were her favorite - ate NOT the whole thing, but only the edges of each cup!  I stare at the clumps of melted peanut butter and chocolate in my hands.
“Noooooooooooo!!!!” I screamed as if I witnessed a bloody murder.  “No.  No.  No.  No.”

My parents scurried down the hall, voices, muffled and drowsy, rising in panic.
They reached the living room area and flipped on a light.

I stared at them through raging eyes.  “She’s dead to me.”

They stared through me in disbelief.
And I’ve been plotting my revenge on her ever since.
J
From "I Dream In Blood; A Horrorography." by d.p.bertison

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Vintage and Horrifying


Perfect for a #ThrowBackThursday during Halloween week.
Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha....



Would you let any of these ghouls into your party?

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Another Spooktacular Contest


***This contest is officially closed***
We have our winner.
Congrats, Christie!!!!
:)
This is the last contest of the month!
And what a month it has been.
In honor of Halloween,
there have been so many great prizes and giveaways and here's one more:

Book is recycled

Win this Bradbury classic by being the first to correctly answer a bit of trivia about the book.
In this novel, what month does it take place in?

Leave your name and answer in the comment section below.
(And as always, please check the official Contest Rules before you agree to play.)
Good luck, Creepsters.

Monday, October 26, 2015

#MusicMonday


So disturbing and hilarious at the same time.
I don't know whether to be scared or offended.
:)
Love this classic.
You?

Friday, October 23, 2015

Autumn's Song



Nature never did betray
the heart that loved her.

~William Wordsworth~


Gif can be found on photobucket.com 


Thursday, October 22, 2015

Scary-As-All-Hell Halloween Costumes


"You can find anything on the Internet," my sister tells me.  
And she's right.

I am such a sucker for a good Halloween costume and on the Web, well, you can find just about any thing your mind can and cannot conjure up.
Check out these blasts-from-the-past and answer me this one question, Creepsters.
Would you answer the door for any of these trick-or-treaters?



#TBT 




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Autumn People


"For these beings, fall is the ever normal season, the only weather, 
there be no choice beyond. 
Where do they come from?  
The dust.
Where do they go?  
The grave.
Does blood stir their veins? 
No: the night wind.
What ticks in their head?  
The worm. 
What speaks from their mouth?  
The toad.
What sees from their eye?  
The snake.
What hears with their ear?  
The abyss between the stars.
They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, fill tombs with sinners.  
They frenzy forth.
In gusts they beetle-scurry, creep, thread, filter, motion, make all moons sullen, 
and surely cloud all clear-run waters.
The spider-web hears them, trembles - breaks.
Such are the autumn people.
Beware of them."

- Ray Bradbury -

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Another Halloween Contest (yay!!!)

***This contest is closed***
Congrats to Lynn Mackey who is the winner!!!


Be the first Creepster to correctly answer the following question about me
and win this Halloween paper and pencil set.

Do I believe in ghosts?
Yes or No?


Please leave your name and comment below 
- and while you're at it - 
share your own thoughts about ghosts.
Do you believe?
Or do you not?

(And as always, please read the Contest Rules before agreeing to participate.)



Monday, October 19, 2015

Friday, October 16, 2015

Crimson Peak - October 16th 2015


"Ghosts are real...
                       that much I know."





This is on my must-see list.
How about you, Creepsters?
Anyone going?



Thursday, October 15, 2015

Survival of the Scariest.


Some very important information can be found here, Creepsters.  
Some live-saving advice in surviving this Halloween season.  
Follow the link.
Take heed.  
Creep On.  



#TBT



Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Hologram Ghost Prank

I can't help but feel a bit empathetic for the unsuspecting innocents who pass by.
Mwahahahahahahahahaha....



Great idea for #Halloween.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Contest Time!!!

***This contest is officially closed.*****
We have our winners.
Congrats to Christie and Mattix!!!


Since Halloween is my favorite month, 
and maybe yours as well, 
I cannot help but want to give shit away.  
That's why you should stay close to the blog this month -
as contests will creep up again and again.
Keep posted and win.

Now, down to business.
I'm looking for two winners today. 

If you want to win the cute family Halloween movie on the left  
The Little Ghost -
then answer this question correctly: 
What is the official phobia name for the fear of ghosts?  

If you want to win the gruesome double-feature to the right
 - Hostel 1 and 2
then answer this question correctly: 
What is the official phobia name for the fear of blood?

Please note: Some movies are recycled

Please leave your answers below.
As always, please check out the official Contest Rules before you agree to play.
Good luck, Creepsters!


Monday, October 12, 2015

Modern Monster Mash

OMG!  They did such a great job on this classic.
What a perfect way to start off this #MusicMonday.



What do you think, Creepsters?


Friday, October 9, 2015

Feature Friday

I follow this cat on YouTube and found some humor in this one, so I had to share it.
I know if it happened to me, I would be convinced that a paranormal force was messing with me.
:) Enjoy, Creepsters.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

#TBT


I received a lot of positive feedback for this short piece I did last year.
And since Autumn is knocking, take a trip back and revisit it with me.
Here it is again, Creepsters:




Wednesday, October 7, 2015

In Autumn


"On the lonely hillside, darkened by the over-hurrying clouds,
Ghostly, stand the withered corn-rows, in their waving moonlight shrouds,
Like the band of those departed, murmuring with discontent,
Come again to tell their sadness, hid in vengeance as they went."


- from his work, The Sachem of the Clouds


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Favorite Vacation Spot

If you know me personally, you know I love to travel.  I will go anywhere the road takes me.  I am often asked what my favorite places are; Where I plan on going next; What I like best about the places I visit.  This is my answer:


Artwork via Peanuts.com


Where do you like to vacation?
The beach.
Any beach.
With enough sunscreen, I can hang out on a beach for hours upon hours.

What's your favorite thing to do there?
I love the feeling of sand in my toes.  I love to play with it; bury one foot and then the other.
I make sand angels.
I try and build sand castles; but am usually too lazy and too inept to use the right ratio of water and sand, and they usually crumble within minutes of construction.
When I get done sifting and sculpting the sand, I sit.
I sit and watch people as they pass by.  I watch their feet skim the water; the smiles everyone seems to possess at these places; the flip flops they're carrying in one hand.  I look at them with the eyes of a writer, wanting to know their story; their pain; their favorite movie.
I watch them come and go, knowing I may never see them again; feeling blessed I caught a glimpse of them and their relaxation; wishing them well and hoping they enjoy there time here.
After I'm done people watching. I stare into the abyss.

I can stare at the ocean for hours.
I watch the beauty of the waves as they dissolve into the clouds;
I get lost in my imagination as the blue from the water and the sky mingle;
I think of others who've come before me.
I try to imagine those who sat on this very spot in the sand.  I wonder if they, too, were awestruck by the beauty of the beach?  If they, too, gulped in the fresh air as if it were their last: and I wonder what they were like.  What brought them to this place?  Love? Solitude? Sadness? Maybe one too many margaritas?
I think of the water souls.  Those who have traveled the ocean.  Those who rode its waves; its calm; its storms. I think about those men and women who were so in love with the water, they gave up land to explore it; travel it; to make a living on the blue mass.  I imagine all those who traveled it for fun; for food; for treasure. I try to fathom the number of souls the ocean decided to keep...

Next, I get a drink.  Something refreshing like a Daiquiri or a Margarita or some blue vodka-based drink that makes my muscles relax a bit further.  Then, I pick up a book.  I read a few pages, take a few more drinks before all the ice melts and read some more.

As the fat old sun warms my bare skin and the cool island breeze brushes my sweaty brow, I nap.  I nap on a lounge chair near the water's edge; arms hanging off its side, allowing the salt water to lick the tips of my fingers as I fade in and out of luxurious slumber.

When I overheat, I drag myself to the water; allow it to lap my body with its cold refreshment.  I shiver as the sun plays peek-a-boo behind a tiny cloud - the only one in the bluest sky I've ever seen.
I dunk my head; spat the water from my mouth; dunk again.  The salt burns my eyes.  It feels marvelous.  I twirl a lock of hair and lick the salt from it.
The taste, Delicious.
The day, Peaceful.
My heart, Grateful.

~dpb~






Monday, October 5, 2015

Monster Mash


Such a classic and an absolutely spooktacular tune for a #MusicMonday in October.
Anyone else liking this one?

Friday, October 2, 2015

Welcome.


I've missed you, sweet October.
Welcome back.


Image via sweatoutthesmallstuff.com

Any other Creepsters out there loving this time of year?
Hit the Like It button - or even the Love It button - below.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

October Contest


*****This contest is closed*****
We have our winner!
Congrats, Christie!!!!!

Let's get this awesome freaking month of October started, Creepsters.
Let's give something away!
How about this DVD ~



Now, this is no ordinary DVD.  
Nope.  
This one is telling me it has 13 movies on it.
That's 13 horror movies to get you all primed up for Halloween.
On the back cover, it says that it contains 18 hours of hair-raising bliss.
Now, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, 
but it's all yours if you're the first Creepster to correctly answer the following question:

What was the first horror movie ever made?
(Hint: the year was 1896)

Leave your name and answer below.


(And as always, please check out the Contest Rules before participating.)