The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror (Arthur Conan Doyle)

As we are still in the Summer Reading Prelude, this next story came to me via the post once again.  I must admit I was very excited, especially considering how interesting the last one had been.  I eagerly curled up in my favorite chair with a cup of tea.  There were quite a few tales to unpack in this collection, and I devoured each and every one.

I won't go into much detail about the stories, as I don't want to spoil them, but I can at least give you a short synopsis or teaser.  I started with The Parasite, a chilling tale of a scientist who first learns about the fascinating world of psychology, and decides to participate in an experiment involving hypnotism--to his great peril.  It was by far the longest title in the collection and a great start to the reading.

Fans of the supernatural and of psychic phenomena will also enjoy The Great Keinplatz Experiment, about a professor and his student who attempt an "impossible" venture where their souls leave their bodies, and How it Happened, which is being narrated through a medium who writes instead of speaking.

As you well know, last summer I went out to sea, so the tales J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement and The Captain of the Pole-Star were of particular interest to me with their nautical themes.  I especially liked the former, as it dealt with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the ship Mary Celeste, a real-life mystery that was never solved.

The rest of the stories were all equally good, with The Bully of Brocas Court turning out (for me) to be the scariest in the collection, as a boxer and his sponsor end up in a fight against a terrifying opponent.  The Mystery of Sasassa Valley was a suspenseful tale of two friends (Englishmen living in Africa) who hear a story about a demon living in Sasassa Valley and go to investigate.  The Ring of Thoth is a classic mummy story set in the Louvre, and finally, my favorite in the collection had to be Selecting a Ghost, where an insufferable homeowner goes to great lengths to make sure that there is a ghost in his new house.  While all the tales had some element of horror to them, this one was also surprisingly funny.

The collection as a whole was a very good one, and while I felt that How it Happened was the weakest of the collection, I thought on the whole, the stories were all very good and there was not a clunker in the bunch.  I can only say that I now greatly look forward to my next Conan Doyle adventure, and with Memorial Day quickly approaching, I know I have a whole summer to enjoy these delicious tales!

31 Days of Halloween #6

 

I love short stories.  They're bite-sized pieces of literature, just right for a busy schedule.  This was just a little something that I had stumbled upon online.  Nothing special at first, but very creepy as you continue reading.  While I wouldn't say it was the best thing that I've read, I will say that it was a chilling and certainly original, which is more than can be said of a lot of pieces of writing nowadays.

So, if you're ready for a chilling short story about a man and a watch and a horrifying creature from the depths of a depraved imagination, then I present to you:

If You Ever Hear Someone Talk About The ‘Tick Tock Man’ — Stay Far, Far Away

31 Days of Halloween #7

When I was a kid, my friends used to love telling me scary stories because my overactive imagination would keep me up all night thinking about them.  We had your classics like Bloody Mary (say her name three times in the dark and she will cut your face), but there were also a few other chillers, such as the monstrous tree people (they tap on your window at night and when you go to look, they snatch you from your room and presumably eat you), and perhaps the scariest to me, the red eyes of Dawn (a young girl is brutally beaten and locked in a closet by bullies, she eventually dies of starvation, and her ghost haunts bedrooms.  In the dark, if you look up and see her red eyes glowing in the darkness, you know she is coming to kill you).

We didn't really have a name for these tales.  Scary stories?  Sure.  Urban legends?  Maybe.  But, now, it seems that everyone just calls them Creepypasta.

These are the stories that bring us haunting figures such as Slenderman, Jeff the Killer, and the Rake.  And of course, in my favorite creepypasta, we get tales of haunted videogames, such as Pokemon Cursed Black.

Day 7: Creepypasta

 

Now, I don't know about you, but the above story really gave me chills!  If you're looking for something a little less scary, but want to get the creepypasta experience, try this video below.  It's more of a parody of the classic Pokemon creepypasta, and is one of my personal favorites :)

If you're looking for something a bit scarier, I recommend just checking out YouTube or Google.  I'll be honest, I tried to do some searching myself, but as I said before, I have a super-active imagination and I'm getting myself all freaked out looking at pictures of Jeff the Killer.  So, with that in mind, this is where my searching ends.  I hope you find some good stuff, and feel free to share what you find the comments.  I might add it into another blog post!

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

I just finished reading "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  It's currently my favorite short story!  Please read it, and tell me what you think!  It's a piece of magical realism, so it's going to be a bit strange, but the best thing to do is just suspend your disbelief.  If you do, you'll really, really enjoy it :) Don't worry, it's not too long :)