Micro Horror Central
Welcome! Here are some original, super brief horror stories, or horrific thoughts, with a dark twist. It just goes to show you: size doesn't matter when it comes to horror!
The Greatest Horror of All
Carl Sagan, the famous astronomer and cosmologist, said, “We are the way for the cosmos to know itself.” I might add that, unfortunately, the knower is either good or evil in what he does with that knowledge. The knowledge of fission, for example, became the greatest weapon of destruction ever invented. Robert Oppenheimer, the lead scientist in the early American A-bomb program, witnessed the first atomic blast in the New Mexico desert.
He quoted an old Hindu text as he watched the blast: “I am death, the destroyer of worlds.”
The Debunker
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As a superstition debunker, I decided to test the old belief that walking on a bridge at midnight of the new year, holding an ace of spades, would cause me to meet the devil. So, On New Year’s Eve, I showed up at 12 am, strolling on a bridge, holding my potentially fateful card. After a decent while in the freezing dark, there was no Beelzebub. I laughed to myself; another folktale had bitten the dust. I got into my car to start it, but it wouldn’t turn over. “Damn starter, again,” I mumbled. I made a cell call for a tow truck, which showed up and hooked up my car. I got in with the tow truck driver. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“To hell,” he said, turning to face me with a wicked grin.
Comment:
A modern day devil who gets called up on a cell phone!
The Trick or Treater
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A gangly teen came to my door dressed as a Halloween vampire. “It’ll take more than that to scare me,” I jested.
The trick or treater took off his mask to reveal a mouthful of bloody, sharp teeth. “Will this do?” he laughed.
Comment: Never make fun of a trick or treater!
The Real Estate Deal
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Al Jones Jr. lived alone in the house he had inherited from his father, who had died recently. He was trying to let go of his grief, but everything in the house reminded him of Al Sr. “It’s unnerving,” he said to a friend, “how the aura of a person lingers on after their gone.”
Finally, he could bear it no longer and phoned the real estate agent to sell the home. The agent asked, “And your name?... Yes. Your address?” There was a long pause. “There must be some mistake,” he said. “I just signed the papers to sell the home last night with an Al Jones Sr.”
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A survivalist had spent many days alone in an isolated part of the great Canadian northern forest. With no human contact, he took to talking to himself. One night, tired of listening to himself, he took a thick stick and struck it hard against a hollow tree, just to hear the sound. In a few moments, a loud crack came from the dark forest. It was no echo.
Comment:
Native Algonquin folklore told of a cannibalistic evil spirit, the Wendigo, who roamed the northern forests. Someone should have informed the survivalist.
The Survivalist
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Marooned
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Two astronauts were marooned on an alien, desert-like world. They explored around their ship, but found nothing other than rock and sand. Night after night, they called on their transmitter: “Hello, is anyone out there? Come in, come in please.” All they heard was mindless static on the receiver, against a background of howling, violent winds outside their ship.
One astronaut began to have recurrent nightmares about being chased by something dark and unknown. At first, he kept these to himself, but hoping for some relief, he eventually admitted them to his partner. The partner thought the nightmares were all about fears of being alone on this planet, with little hope of rescue. However, this insight was not helpful and the dreams worsened.
The distressed astronaut brought up the dreams again, saying that, now, someone or something had gotten into his mind, causing the nightmares. The other replied, “There is nothing intelligent out there that can get at us. Fear can turn into paranoia after a while,” reaching for the med kit to find some sedatives for his partner.
However, the isolation and futile radio calls eventually got to the other astronaut too. One night, in a fit of rage, he picked up the radio set and threw it out the hatch. Appalled, his crewmate ran out to try to salvage what remained of the radio. He stooped down to pull it up from the sand when the radio crackled to life. A hollow voice said, “Replying to your call.”
The radio’s signal locator suggested the signal came from the planet. Exalted, the astronaut blurted out, “We’re so glad to hear from you! Our coordinates are: 31.7281 degrees N, 74.0060 degrees W. Who are you?”
“Something from your worst nightmare,” the voice replied ominously…
Comment: Stephen Hawking expressed fears about attempting to contact aliens in space, in a BBC interview: “You never know who or what is going to receive your message.”
Afraid Of The Dark
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If archetypes really exist, the memories of the human race’s fundamental experiences should be lodged in its collective unconsciousness. There should be in all human beings an inherent fear of the dark.
I can imagine our poor ancestors clinging to the jungle trees at night, or huddling in a cave, with but a campfire the only thing between them and the fierce beasts out in the dark.
Midnight Surprise
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The man woke up in the night to find a female figure hovering over him in the dark. “Honey,” he said, “you’re generally not so amorous in the middle of the night.”
A voice whispered to him in the dark, “I am a succubus, come to visit men in the night.”
The man laughed heartedly. “Good one!” He looked over and saw his wife sleeping next to him.
Back From Vacation
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Mrs. Jennings watched from the kitchen window as her husband and kids unpacked the last of the camping equipment from the old ’74 Buick in the driveway. As she put away the remainder of their camping trip food from the cooler, she turned on the kitchen TV to catch the latest news. It was the usual litany of murders and traffic accidents. A family had been killed on the interstate just that afternoon. She caught the license plate as the wreck of a ’74 Buick was towed away. It was their license plate.
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