Write, Edit, Publish (WEP) challenge for October 2020.
WEP was started by Denise Covy, my Aussie friend. Anyone can join and post real-life
stories, pictures, poems, or fictional stories. I’m in the last category.
Co-host with Denise are Laura, Renee, Nila and Olga. Thank you, ladies.
This year the challenge for October is Grave Mistakes.
While considering this, I struggled because the world seems upside down to me.
Between politics (I’m an American), and the fires worldwide it’s a scary time
and has affected me mentally and physically. My blood pressure is too high and I’m
having trouble bringing it down.
So, I took inspiration from a Bible passage which I’ve
never done before. I’ve included the passage after the story. Once I wrote my
story, I realized it wasn’t very ghoulish, so I’m giving you a bonus story
titled: Dark Shadows and Ghosts.
I hope you enjoy and as a reminder, every year on
Halloween, I put up my two Halloween stories for free on Amazon. Also, you can
check out other stories I’ve written in the ‘Pages’ above. Thanks for coming by.
Grave
Mistake
Wayne Uptight stood on the 12th floor before
his window peering out at New York City. He owned the office building and had
converted the entire 12th floor into his home. The style he chose
was classical Greek, with marble columns, floor, and walls. Replicas of various
Greek gods were in abundance.
He
turned aside and saw his wife, naked eating at the table. This didn’t surprise
him. He required her to be naked whenever he was at home or he’d withdraw her
million a year allowance.
“Going
to work,” he said, entering his private elevator that took him to the 11th floor where his office was
located. The style he had chosen there was dark, polished mahogany. His
employees weren’t so fortunate, sitting in cubicles on the phone or on the
computer talking with customers. There pay was a pittance of his own. The many
factories he owned were all in third world countries were the workers were
happy to take home a couple dollars a week. He sold every product he made for 5
times its cost. Life was good.
This
day he made reservations at an upscale restaurant to meet one of his many mistresses.
Despite the pandemic, this plush establishment reserved private tables for the
rich, in separate rooms, free of any airborne illness. He often spent $1,000 or
more per meal.
At
the noon hour, he rode his personal elevator to the ground floor, and walked
through the lobby noticing every out of place object, what everyone did in
their offices and those who manned the security/information desk in the lobby.
He had camera’s set up in his office so he could view it all if he wanted to,
even private businesses that leased their space from him. If a business was
unable to pay their extravagant rent, he had them evicted. He was fine during
this health crisis; they should be too.
When
he left the building, he noticed the homeless man sitting close to the door. He’d
had the police remove him many times, but he always returned.
“Mr.
Uptight, sir. Please can you give some change?”
Wayne
Uptight walked past without a glance. No way would he give that loser money even
though he had plenty of cash in his pocket. He slipped into his limousine and then placed a call to his office
lobby desk.
“Roger.”
“Yes
sir, Mr. Uptight.”
“Get
rid of that homeless man outside my building.”
“Yes
sir, right away, sir.”
Uptight
hung up.
*
* *
Three days later, Uptight left his building at the
noon hour once more. He stopped just past the door. The limousine wasn’t there,
and the homeless man sat against his building.
“Please
sir, Mr.---”
Uptight
turned. “Shut up you sniveling beggar. I work for my money. You do the same.”
Screeching
wheels roared from behind. Uptight turned just as an out of control car hit him
and the impoverished man dead on. Glass shattered as the car sped into his
building. He rose out of his body, staring down at his dismembered body and
that of the homeless man too. When he lifted his eyes, the poor man hovered
before him.
Angels
appeared, surrounded the poor beggar, and took him into the light filled
tunnel.
Wayne frowned. No angels
came for him. Hadn’t he given plenty of money to his church? Then as he
reflected upon that, two black shapes appeared on either side of him and one before
him.
That one said, “Who’s the
loser now?”
Wayne screamed as the
demons pushed him all the way to hell.
Word Count: 601
Luke
16:19–31
19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and
fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor
man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with
what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his
sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with
Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being
tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He
called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip
of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’
25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received
your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is
comforted here, and you are in agony. 26Besides all this, between you and us a
great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to
you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27He said, ‘Then,
father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five
brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place
of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should
listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them
from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises
from the dead.’”
And of course, we all know that Jesus rose from the
dead, and there are many who don’t believe in him or that he did, in fact, rise
from the dead.
Larry grinned. “Double dare ya.”
“So,
let me get this straight. You’re going to give me $100 to spend Halloween night
in a graveyard?” Alex asked.
Larry
laughed. “Yeah, you won’t be able to and then I’ll get $100.”
Alex
smiled. “You’re on.”
A
week later, Alex packed his sleeping bag and drove to Hollows Grove Cemetery.
They never locked the gate there and entrance would be easy. The cemetery was a
couple miles from everywhere.
He
parked his VW Bug off to the side and hid it from the street. No cop would make
him leave if they couldn’t see the car and he wanted that $100.
The
cemetery itself was quite large and had a section of war dead. Some graves went
as far back as the American Revolutionary War. But he didn’t head in that
direction. His grandparents were buried here, and he headed toward their graves
which were close to three mausoleums.
Once there he stood before his grandparents and said,
“I’m spending the night to be close to both of you. I miss you so much.”
There was no response. He didn’t expect one.
Between his grandparents graves and the mausoleums was
a grassy knoll. No one was buried there. He laid out his sleeping bag, sat
cross legged before it and pulled out his smart phone. Now he’d document with
pictures that he was in the cemetery so Larry couldn’t dispute it later.
He watched the sun set between bare trees and heard a
few birds fly off. Without a second thought he returned to his phone and
documented the sunset before heading into Facebook and posting pictures of his
night at a cemetery.
Now it was dark. Really dark, so he used his phone as
a flashlight. Removing all but his underwear, he folded the clothes, unzipped
the sleeping bag, and got in. Snuggled securely within, he had a marvelous view
of the night sky and smiled at the beauty. This was the easiest $100 of his
life. He took a picture of himself in the bag and then several more around the
dark cemetery. Without checking the photos, he put the phone in the bag with
him and fell asleep.
A noise woke him. He frowned and looked around. A
creepy sensation rose along his spine and then he saw them. Black shapes,
moving from tree to tree and coming closer. A creaking door made him look
toward the mausoleums. All three doors were open a crack and lights were on.
“Larry,” he yelled. “It won’t work.”
There was no response. He rolled over and shut his
eyes.
Someone whispered close to his ear, but he couldn’t
make it out. He sat up. The black shapes were close. One spread along the
ground and then a dozen or more where all around him. Red eyes, monstrous
expressions, sharp teeth.
“I’m here to make some money.” His voice calm but his
heart was thudding.
They began to touch him. Ice cold fingers and claws that
broke his skin. He unzipped the bag and stood in the chilled night air Now the
shapes started screaming. They ran right through him. He shivered; his body so
cold made colder by whatever these things were. He peed and had to remove his
boxers. Now naked, the creatures came toward him and put icy fingers on his
private.
He started rolling up the sleeping bag and then had
second thoughts. He’d been double dared, and he wasn’t giving up even though
his fear roared in his ear.
“Leave my grandson alone!”
A familiar voice. He turned and saw his grandparents,
all white standing between him and the black shapes. Grandma had a cross and
she held it out.
“Leave our grandson alone,” his grandpa repeated.
The dark shapes screeched at the cross fleeing. The
lights in the mausoleums went out and the doors slammed shut. When they had
gone his grandma stepped closer.
“You’d better take the cross dear. And for heaven’s
sake, put on some underwear.”
Larry reached out his hand. The effervesce of the
cross vanished as soon as it passed from her spirit to his mortal body and he
held substance in his hand.
His grandfather joined her side. “Whatever possessed
you to come here and spend the night?”
“And on Halloween night?” Grandma added.
“A $100 bet.”
“You never could turn down a bet.” Grandpa said.
“Now Alex, dear, do something with your life. You only
get one you know.”
He nodded. “I know, it was stupid, but I’d do it all
again just to see both of you and to talk to you.”
“You’re a good lad,” Grandpa said.
“We can’t stay any longer,” Grandma said.
“We love you son.”
Grandma nodded, and then they turned together and
holding hands went back to their graves where they slipped below the ground.
As soon as they were gone, the screeching started, and
he saw the first of many black shapes. He held up the cross. “I’ve got the
cross. You can all get lost.”
He climbed back into the sleeping bag, kept the cross
around his neck and fell asleep.
The morning light woke him. Had it been a dream? No,
he had the cross and nearly every exposed place on his body was scratched, and
those scratches burned.
He dressed, rolled up the sleeping bag and kept the
cross around his neck. He remembered that grandma had been buried with her
favorite cross and now he had it.
He found Larry at his job, Jack’s Hardware Store.
“Dude,” Larry said. “Your hair is white.”
Alex ran a hand through his locks and then presented
Larry with the pictures in the smartphone. As Larry scrolled through, his
mouth opened, and he stepped back.
“See the last pic.? Those are my grandparents. It was
great to talk to them again.”
Word count: 961
I hope you enjoyed my stories. Please let me know in
the comments.
To read what others have written go here.
Happy Halloween!
Second image: https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Collection-N-R-Williams-ebook/dp/B01MDN0OB3/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476625491&sr=1-3&keywords=N.+R.+Williams
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