Read On December 15th, 2017
Edition Details:
Format : E-book
Page Count: 15
Publisher: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
ASIN : B01M5E3WF9
Twice the Chill is a collection of two short stories by Rachel A Olson. The stories in the collection are:
1) Family Dinner 4.5/5
First Sentence:
“I hate the dark.”
Bey and Chensi are brother and sister. They are going back to their home for a family dinner. It’s dark and Bey has always been afraid of it. Chensi being the brother loves to tease her because of her unfounded fears. But are her fears really that unfounded? They have to pass a dense forest before reaching their home. Will they be able to be dinner or they would become the dinner? Chensi thinks it would be the later and Bey thinks her sister is ridiculous. Read the story to find out.
This story touched a chord with me. I have a younger sister and i could relate to the equation between Bey and Chensi. I like irking her and sometimes to the point that she has to resort to hitting me to make me stop. I think most brother-sisters have their relationship and the teasing is often done in fun. So, the story touched me and hence i got really scared while reading it. I couldn’t stop imagining us in the shoes of Bey and Chensi.
I loved it and it really creeped me out.
2) I, Pontianak 3.5/5
–First Sentence:
Death. It’s the end of the line.
She’s called Pontianak. She’s undead and feast on innards of men by disembowelling them. But she was not always a Pontianak. She was a girl once with dreams, dreams which were ruthlessly snatched away before they could get fulfilled. This is her story.
I, Pontianak is second story of the collection. I liked it and thought it was a zombie story while i was reading it. I didn’t know what Pontianak meant and had to google it after i had finished reading.
Pontianak in Indonesian and Malaysian folklore is a female vampiric ghost.She comes after men and often feasts on their innards by ripping their stomach apart with her nails.It’s believed that young women who die while being pregnant become Pontianak. They announce their presence with child like cries. If the cries are soft then it means they are near and if the cries are loud then they are far away.
I really like this folk lore and would love to read more stuff especially a novel or a novella featuring Pontianak. If you know about any works featuring them then do comment their names in the comment box.
I also think it would have been better if the writer would have given a note about Pontianak at the start of the story. Most people would be unaware of term. And personally knowing the term and folklore,would have had more impact on me.
Anyways it’s a good story and i enjoyed reading it. Although, the ending has me confused yet. She hears a babe crying in the end. Now i’m confused what was that about? Was there another Pontianak in the vicinity or something else. If you do read this collection and are able to figure this thing out then do reply on the comments section. I would love to know what did you think about that particular part.
I think these two are good horror stories. I got to learn about a new folklore. I think if you’re into horror then you should give it a shot. At 15 pages it’s really short and you can read the stories in a single sitting. Just make sure you are not travelling through a jungle or if you are a man then you are not hearing a child crying near you.
Enjoy!
