- Lure by D W Nathan
- A little Knowledge by T J Brown
- Backwood Babies by R P Healy
- The Evening service by Hal Stephens
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| Four Short Stories |
1) Lure by D W Nathan
Rating:2/5
Read on 17th of September,2018
Edition Details:
Format: E-book
Page Count: 21
Publisher: Autumn Harvest
ASIN: B07BFCLF61
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| Lure by D W Nathan |
First Sentence:
“Janice,please come to Register 6, Janice to Register 6,” the voice over the loudspeaker calls as i push my cart through the produce aisle.
Ben and his mother were out shopping in the supermarket. It was a normal day for them. They had to buy groceries just like they usually did.
But the usual was going to turn unusual today.
Lure is a short story by D W Nathan. The story is set in a super-market which i think is one of the most safest place. if you are in a good neighbourhood then i don’t think there can go anything wrong there. No one will associate danger with it at least no one does in the place that i live. This makes story interesting to read. You know something bad is going to happen but you don’t know what would that be and how is it going to be.
I liked the concept of the story but as far as the story is concerned I think the story is an okay read. We see the supermarket through Ben’s mother’s eyes. We get acquainted with various characters that are roaming through the place and what she thinks about them. The descriptions may feel too much but i think they bring out the various characters. The main incident happens here. I could feel the dread that she felt. Although, i don’t have any kid but i know how i would feel when something similar to the story happens to my little cousin or relative. It would be terrible and i could relate to Ben’s mother. I could care for her and here the author succeeds.
The weak point of the story for me was the way it ended and how some of the characters in the supermarket reacted. I got confused with the ending. I don’t have any idea what really happened. What happened to the kid? And why people were stopping Ben’s mother? It didn’t made any sense to me. She was taking a stroll. She crossed those people and they must have seen the baby. There was a point when i thought Ben was a figment of imagination but the ending forced me to think otherwise. It can be only me but i think with a clear ending i could have enjoyed the story more.
It can be read once.
2) Little Knowledge by T J Brown
Read on September 17th 2018
Rating: 2.5/5
Edition Details:
Format: Ebook
Page count : 22
ASIN: B06XDVN441
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| A little Knowledge by T J Brown |
Jimmy and Dan have been involved in a series of burglary in Camden town. They know that they have been active for too long now and the police are on their tail. So they decide to leave the town and take rest for few days. They want their trail to go cold.
They have chosen Lincolnshire for their little sabbatical. It’s a place with lots of empty farms and is perfect for them.
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But little they know that something is waiting for them in that farm. Something that wants to be discovered.
I enjoyed this story. Jimmy and Dan are jerks of the first rate but they have funny equation with each other. It was fun to read about them and how they dealt with each other. I know these are bad guys but it was interesting to hear them bickering and fighting. The supernatural elements enters late in the story but i enjoyed it. I knew what was going to happen but it was fun reading it. Did i felt bad for these two? No, i don’t think so.
Although i would have liked if the feeling of dread could have been sustained for long. The every thing seems to happen too quickly.
But i would definitely want to know what happened after the creature dealt with them. It would make for an interesting story. Meanwhile, this was an entertaining read.
3) Backwood Babies by R P Healy
Rating: 3/5
Read on September 18th 2018
Edition Details:
Format : E-book
Page Count: 87
ASIN:B073RV1PFV
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| Backwood Babies by R P Healy |
First Sentence:
Elias was sitting on the porch, rocking back and forth in his old chair, that ancient cob pipe clenched between his teeth,blackened and charred from decades of use, passed down through several generations of men.
Elias and his son, Big toby, live in the backwoods. They live there alone minding their own business. But when somebody comes knocking at their doors or their properties they have their own way of welcoming them. And it’s not pretty.
Backwood Babies by R P Healy is not for the faint-hearted or for people who are squeamish. The story is short but very graphic. If you are into gore and stuff then you’d like it but if are squeamish then it would be better to stay away from it.
This was an okay story for me. I felt like i was shown a glimpse of hell. I generally don’t have problem with gore if the story ends in a way that gives you hope. Some character comes out alive or the psychopath gets the taste of his own medicine. I mean underneath that gore there is some positive thing that comes out in the end.
But that’s not the case here. At least, the story doesn’t end that way, so it leaves you with a feeling of dread and hopelessness, which was kind of dark for me. I would like to read what happened to these two characters eventually. I know the way they were acting there’s a chance that someone would be on their tail pretty soon. I would like to read that story now where somebody is chasing these monsters.
4) The Evening Service by Hal Stephens
Rating:3/5
Read on September 20th 2018
Edition Details:
Format: E-book
Page Count: 21
ASIN:B01LG6AHLI
First Sentence:
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| The Evening Service by Hal Stephens |
The building was old and faded.
Frank Vorhees is grief-stricken. He has just lost his family in an accident and the pain is eating him up. He doesn’t know what to do now. He has no idea as to how to overcome the grief that he’s feeling.
It is during this state of mind that he came across that church. He was standing before it when he heard the music playing inside.
Frank had been a christian once but he had left God a long time back. But, now after hearing the music, there was a part of him that wanted to enter the church. Maybe the religion, that he had thwarted so long ago, could give him the relief that he needed so much.
But, this is not your normal church. It harbours a dark secret.
Did Frank got what he was looking for? What was the secret that the Church was hiding?
The Evening Service by Hal Stephens was an enjoyable read. I really liked how Hal Stephens has used religious symbols and have changed their meaning completely. And the great thing about this is that the explanations seem to fit perfectly. The story is called evening service and Frank is called for one. I liked the way the service goes. That part surely was scary for me and i could imagine how scared i would be if i witnessed something like that.
I have read stories about covens, churches, temples not being what they usually are but i liked the way Hal approached this topic. It was a fun,entertaining read for me.
These stories were a fun read. I enjoyed them or parts of them. If you want then you can get the stories from the following links:
Lure
A little Knowledge
Backwood Babies
The Evening Service
