Horror – Hugh's Views & News

Flash Fiction Friday – All It Took

Published on February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 by Hugh W. Roberts29 Comments

February 13, 2023, prompt: Write a story about a smear of jam in 99 words (no more, no less). Is it across a slice of toast, a white shirt, or something unexpected? The jam could be the focus or detail that ads a twist. Who are the characters with the jam, and where are they situated in space and time? Go where the prompt leads!

All It Took – by Hugh W. Roberts

ChatGPT recommended the jam and put it on her shopping list.

Two days later, she spread a smear of the sticky jam on her toast and took little notice of the tiny handprint on the side of the jar.

Spitting out the toast’s remains, she drank a glass of water to eliminate the awful taste of the jam.

Moments later, she felt a strange sensation in her mouth, looked down and saw something moving in the jam.

In the instant before she craved human flesh, she knew the smear on the jar wasn’t a handprint; it was a warning.

Image of a opened jar of jam on a wooden table — Image credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

Click here to view last week’s entries.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

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32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take the reader to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

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Flash Fiction Friday – The Ghost Bones

Published on October 28, 2022October 28, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts39 Comments

October 24, 2022, prompt: Write a story about bones in 99 words (no more, no less). It can be any genre or tone. Is it spooky, irreverent, or poignant? Go where the prompt leads!

The Ghosts Bones – by Hugh W. Roberts

Death ruled in Aunt Marjorie’s apartment.

When I returned, she wasn’t there; only her bones remained.

The floorboards still creaked, and Mrs Sinclair was still next door.

“When is your Aunt Marjorie due back?” she’d asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I wish Mrs Sinclair had minded her own business, but I had invited her in.

The whiteness of the human bones wasn’t as bright as the white light that appeared when Aunt Marjorie killed me in her apartment or when I killed Mrs Sinclair for murdering my aunt.

Now we roam the earth as murderous ghosts. Yes, ghosts are murderers.

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

Image of the skull of a bird — Image credit: Charli Mills

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

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32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take the reader to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Flash Fiction Friday – The Hunger Game

Published on October 21, 2022October 21, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts40 Comments

October 17, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that references “I see the light in you.” You can use the phrase or demonstrate it in a story. Who is shining and why? Who is observing or reacting? What is the setting? Go where the prompt leads! Click here for details.

The Hunger Game – by Hugh W. Roberts

It was the light in her eyes that lit up my life.

As she gently dragged her long fingernail over my adam’s apple to the hair on my chest, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I’d undone the buttons for temptation, and it worked.

I wasn’t shocked when she hissed, as the light in her fed our desires. I gasped when she revealed two fanged teeth behind the bright red lips of her closed mouth, even though I knew what to expect.

She never saw the wooden stake I was holding.

Now I could feast.

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Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Image of colourful lights mixed up — Image credit: Charli Mills

Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

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32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take the reader to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Flash Fiction Friday – The Toy Car

Published on September 2, 2022September 2, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts29 Comments

August 28, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that features a red convertible. Who is driving or riding? Where is the car going? Maybe it isn’t even a car. Have fun and go where the prompt leads! Click here for details.

The Toy Car – by Hugh W. Roberts

I’d spent all my pocket money. Mum wouldn’t buy me the toy red convertible car, so I stole it after hearing somebody say the seller was blind.

That night, I woke to the roar of a car engine and was shocked to see the toy car I’d stolen now full-sized.

Behind the steering wheel was a figure I recognised with dark glasses, who was shaking a white cane.

My screams got drowned out by the constant sound of the car horn while full-beamed lights blinded my eyes. Now I’m deaf and blind.

I wish I hadn’t stolen the car.

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Image of a red convertible car in a graveyard — Image Credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘Glimpses.’

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Glimpses

28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Flash Fiction Friday – Cravings

Published on July 29, 2022July 29, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts34 Comments

July 25, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story sweet as cherries. It can be about the fruit or something cherries represent. Why is it sweet? Can you use contrast to draw out the beauty? Go where the prompt leads!

Cravings – by Hugh W. Roberts

Life was a bowl of cherries for Vinnie.

Despite what was happening, he still had ample food.

Life was fun, and had given Vinnie a sweet tooth. When he saw Mrs Longacre running past his kitchen window holding a cherry pie and screaming, he knew life was about to get sweeter.

Within seconds, Vinnie was out of the house and sinking his teeth, not into a cherry pie, but into Mrs Longacre’s neck. The sweetness of flesh helped his sweet cravings.

Having been a Zombie for an hour, Vinnie hoped the sweetness of this new life would last forever.

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Image of a bowl of red cherries — Image credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

***

32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take the reader to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Flash Fiction Friday – The Duvet, The Thread And The Wardrobe

Published on July 1, 2022July 1, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts25 Comments

June 27, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about swarms. What could swarm? How does the swarm impact the people or place in your story? Is there something unusual about the swarm? Go where the prompt leads! Click here for details.

The Duvet, The Thread And The Wardrobe – by Hugh W. Roberts

It was hardly a swarm, but they kept coming. A trickle at first, but the more Pauline pulled at the thread on the duvet cover she’d found in the attic, the more they swarmed.

Eventually, Pauline killed them with the hardcover book she grabbed from the bedside table before vacuuming them up with the battery-operated handheld hoover she’d found in the box hidden at the back of the old wardrobe the previous owner had left.

The following morning, there was no sign of Pauline or the swarm of whatever had eaten her. Not even the handheld hoover needed emptying.

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Image of a swarm of insects over a field. — Image credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘Glimpses.’

***

Glimpses

28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Can You Solve The Mystery Of A Blackmailed Missing Husband And Father?

Published on October 12, 2021October 12, 2021 by Hugh W. Roberts1 Comment

Don’t go looking in puddles.

Be careful when taking toys, that have the ability to communicate, from a child.

Are the unexpected calls from a missing wife and mother on a child’s toy phone for real?

My latest short story, ‘Puddles’, is this month’s featured story over on the blog of Marsha Ingrao in her ‘Story Chat‘ feature.

Can you solve the mystery of a missing husband and father who believes his 8-year-old daughter is blackmailing him?

Click on the image and join lots of other readers who have already left their answers and thoughts of just what is going on in the lives of an ordinary family who may not be who you think they are.

Image of a young girl holding a toy teddy bear and giraffe — Image credit: Marsha Ingrao

Puddles – by Hugh W. Roberts

After you have solved the mystery of the puddles, why not write a short story for Story Chat? Your story will be read by a new audience who will interact with you. It’s your chance to promote your writing, your blog and yourself.

Click here to contact Marsha for more details.

Comments are closed here. Please leave comments over the original post on Marsha’s blog.

Puppet #flashfiction #3LineTales

Published on June 5, 2020June 10, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts32 Comments

Puppet – by Hugh W. Roberts

Zoe watched, horrified, as her older brother cut the strings of her favourite puppet before dropping the scissors to the floor.

“Now you’ll never be able to play with that stupid puppet ever again,” laughed George.

“You’ll never be able to stop me from playing with my stupid puppet ever again,” replied a wide-eyed Zoe, as she watched the puppet pick up the weapon used to cut its strings.

Can you write a three-line tale using the above image?

Written in response to the Three Line Tale challenge hosted by Sonya at Only 100 Words.

Black And White #flashfiction

Published on February 6, 2018January 28, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts54 Comments

“Well, we’ll never see the blood properly if the movie is in black and white. It’ll be like watching Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ with all that chocolate sauce used in the shower scene,” nagged Margaret.

Not only did Colin, her husband, wish he’d never downloaded the movie illegally, but he wished his wife would just stop nagging him all the bloody time.

Twenty minutes later, as the figure with the knife jumped back into their television set, Margaret’s last sight was that of the real colour of blood from the stab wound to her stomach.

“You wanted colour?” smirked Colin.

#flashfiction #fiction #shortstory #shortstories #amwriting

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Written in response to the 99-word flash fiction challenge with the theme of ‘black and white’ over at the Carrot Ranch.

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Sheep

Published on March 8, 2016February 2, 2022 by Hugh W. Roberts100 Comments

Everyone else had gone. The remaining four looked out the window and watched as it crossed the road.

“Stay very quiet,” whispered Roland. “It won’t find us here, providing we remain quiet.”

Maureen started to shake.

They watched silently as the sheep walked to the front of the house.

“Move to the back of the house. We’ll make our escape from there,” ordered Roland.

Upon opening the back door, the last four human survivors knew this was their final day. In the field now in front of them stood one hundred man-eating sheep.

The tide had turned.

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