The Caretaker

Nightmare #34

Her name was Evie.
She walked into my dim, dreary office at the end of the workweek.
She had long legs, short hair and an insatiable taste for acoustics.
She preferred pastels;
looked good in blue jeans;
and smelled like sugar cookies in December.
She lit up the room.

And for this she would have to be punished;
Banished;
Sent away, forever.

After all, I could not have my darkness disturbed -
the spell broken.
I could not have a single shred of light puncture my shade.
And she definitely looked like someone who would want to extinguish the night.

It made me sick for what I had to do.
I didn't want to snuff out her light, but I had to do it.
I had to prove myself;
Show my worth;
Send a message to the others in my profession.

You see, my work is not some menial task.
No, my work is essential.
It's for the corporation.
Thy corporation.
The ones who determine where our souls go to either rot or to flourish.
I could not be interrupted by her lure;
By her sparkle.

So, I accompanied her into the night.
Took up her offer of drink and dance until the wee hours of the morning.
I knew I could poison her drink;
Maybe con her into some dark alley;
Choke out her glow.
And the remorse, well, it would only be temporary.
After a day or two, I would forget all about Miss Evie and carry about my business as usual.
That's the nature of things and I've had to do so in the past;
Had to put many precious flowers to rest.
But that's part of the job ~ the one I agreed to years ago.
Hell, maybe it's been eons now, but I made my pact with blood and I must honor my side of the bargain - and I hate to admit it, but it's quite a rush to have such power; such influence.
I try not to abuse the skills I possess, but sometimes it's hard not to show off my talents;
To flaunt my carving skills;
My relevance.

You see, I am of a specific importance to the underworld.
I make the decisions - the important ones - of who gets to live forever and who gets to be forgotten.

I am the collector of souls; the keeper of spirits; the night watchman.
I consider myself upper management, if you will.
I make or break people.
And even though I would've loved to be stronger than my own will and not have taken Evie to bed with me that morning, I am still only a mortal and quite weak.
And I'm a sucker for long legs.

As I look back upon it now, I can see where I made my mistakes -
when I lost the upper hand.
It was somewhere between her legs and the melting sunrise that spilled into the room.

And to be honest, it didn't hurt as much as I had imagined.
Maybe she was being kind - perhaps she had a soft spot for me as well - or maybe she was just more of a professional.  Whatever the case, the puncture to my abdominal hurt only for a minute, and then it went dark.

And as I examine all the information left in my head, I realize that I was replaceable all this time - that the pact wasn't for eternity, but rather, for a lifetime.
And that I, too, would have to pay for my sins;
Be charged for my debt;
Succumb to my fate.

And even though my fate is not what I had imagined for myself,
I must admit that those last minutes of mortality were the best I had felt in years -
The warmth of the morning sun upon my back;
That taste of burnt liquor that lingered on my lips;
And that sweet smell of cookies...

That makes it all okay.


 ~Deevious~

A GLitCH

Is it just 

a bug in the software 

or a ghost in the machine

?
?
?

~Mary Roach~

Answer To No One

"Had I not created my whole world,

I would certainly have died in other people's."

~Anais Nin~

Glue

What a lovely quote.

What an image.

Found image on Pinterest

I do not know a lot about J.D. Salinger as the person he was or as a writer.
I'm embarrassed to say that I  haven't even read his most popular work:
The Catcher in the Rye.
Perhaps this should be on my list.  

I am adding it right this moment - mostly because of the quote above - but also out of professional courtesy.

Anyone out there want to share their views on this man?  On his writing?  His legacy?

Go Back Home

Been some time since we played a little music trivia.

Can you
guess the song?

And I'm bleeding, and I'm bleeding, and I'm bleeding,

right before the Lord;

All the words are gonna bleed from me

and I will think no more.

Answer

Let It Out

Image source: sliptalk.com 

That's why I'll be spending the weekend writing my little heart out.
I hope to share some of these stories with you next week.
Till then ~
Creep on.

Nostalgia

Maybe it's the mounds of snow that have piled up outside.

Perhaps it's the freezing temps that ignited this nostalgic veil that covers me.

I guarantee it's a little bit of cabin fever (hope it doesn't turn out like the movie)

and a whole lot of daydreaming that has me thinking of Halloween and longing for the magic that surrounds the season.

I've mentioned it before, and it holds true that I feel so normal in October -

 with the delicious scents and the warm hues;

with the lure of superstitions and ghost stories;

with the variety and the onslaught of originality in both costume and decoration.

Halloween is my absolute favorite time of year.

Am I alone?

Anyone else out there missing it?

P to the S -

I would never wish away time.  This is merely an update:

254 days until Halloween!

Got your costume ideas ready?

Believe it or not, I do have mine, but the details have yet to be worked out.

  

Refresh the Soul

Image found on this amazing blogspot

Could not have said it better.
#truth

Always Choose the Light.

I love this quote.

And it is a very nice coincidence that I stumbled upon it today as I was just texting a loved one this morning about her patience and support of me, especially in our youth. 

This quote resonates well with me and makes me appreciate her and all of the people in my life who are filled with such light.  I would like to thank them for their help through all those times when I've been incapable of sleep and unsure of the shadows that haunt me.

You know who you are...thank you for being my night light.

Find image at meetville.com

Contest Time

*******UPDATE*******
This contest is officially closed.

We have our winner!

Hi Creepsters!  It is finally that time -

Contest time!

Anyone out there an H.G. Wells fan?

This month, I am giving away three of his classics to one winner.

Simply be the first to correctly guess the three books that are part of the giveaway and you win them!

You must get all three right to win and you can answer/enter as many times as you like.

Good Luck, Creepsters.  

(And remember to check out our Contest Rules before you agree to play.)

Happy Heart Day!

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret,

between the shadow and the soul."

- Pablo Neruda -

Image source: coolchaser.com

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th to all you Creepsters out there.
And I'm assuming if you're reading this than you are half way through this day and doing okay.
Which brings me to a question.
Are any of you actually having any bad mambo-jambo on this supposed cursed day? Have you ever? Can you associate any wrongdoings to Friday the 13th?
Share your story with me.
Comment below - or if you prefer some privacy - email me at: nightlightscastshadows.com

And tread safely out there...just in case.
:)

Surviving Evil.

This is how you do it:

Horror Tips

(After following the link, click on each photo for some killer advice)
:)

Lovely

Found image here

Some Of My Dreams:

Is that too much to ask for?

Have a Little Faith

"Remember your name.
Do not lose hope - what you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts.
Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story."

~ Neil Gaiman ~

They're Back...

Just heard about this remake today!
I am crazy excited for this classic to return to the big screen.
This preview goes out to my sister, I know she's a huge fan - especially of that clown.
Mwahahahahahahaha.

The Haunted Toaster

No one is safe...from breakfast.

I found this blast from the past on YouTube -
:) This is quite unbelievable.
Or is it?
Let me know what you think.
Post your comments below.

Band of Skulls

The Devil Takes Care Of His Own.

Find the Fire

"We all need to look into the dark side of our nature -

That's where the energy is, the passion."

-Sue Grafton-

Terminator Genisys

So, I'm watching the Super Bowl last night, drinking a few beers, minding my own business and I see a preview for a new Terminator movie.
Where have I been?!
I YouTube it today and find out the preview has been out for 2 months already!
Shock-
And such excitement has overtaken me!  I cannot wait to see this movie!
It even looks like they may have gotten it right (we will just forget all about Terminator Salvation) and the special effects look killer!
BOOM.
I predict a winner on this one.