Prologue September 2017 Tommy Nier wakes thinking it’s still the middle of the night. If he’d look at the clock above his dresser across the room, he’d know it was 6:59 a.m., but it’s been raining all night and the stormclouds have yet to disperse. The sky outside his window is charcoal and the voice […]
The Noctrium Library
Ghost Stories & Poems
The musty smell of yellowed pages fills your nostrils as you enter the library and survey the shelves. Cobwebs fill the spaces between worn covers. Each faded spine beckons with the promise of a sleepless night, and for a moment you wonder if you are not imagining the whispered calls that seem to linger in the air.
Him
by Shannen L. Colton I’ll never forget the first time I saw him. I say him, but I don’t really know. He resembles a man, but I’ve never seen his face. The first time I saw him, I thought I must have seen wrong. My son was young, only five months old; taking care of […]
The Bus
The town I grew up in could boast exactly one remarkable event. The accident of 2004. It resulted in the indefinite closure of Stover Road and a stricter screening process for new bus drivers. No one ever lived on Stover Road, but it was a key stretch of pavement, linking our small town with the […]
Night Communion
It was some time past eleven, as far as he could guess, and Jacob was regretting the decision to ride through the night. Beside him, Phillip rode with his head bent against the wind, his dark riding cloak plastered with snow. They’d both agreed to this plan, hoping to reunite with their families all the […]
Photographs in Darkness
I braked at the stoplight and rested my forehead against the steering wheel. What could I do? The three appointments I’d scheduled had been fruitless. My two impromptu tours likewise. This city was just too expensive, even for the—I’d thought at the time—generous salary from my new job. But that salary was contingent on my […]
Morning Bells Are Ringing
This happened back when my son, Zach, was less than a year old. As you can imagine, we had a lot of baby toys scattered around the house. Many of them were electronic, including a plastic book that played songs as you turned the pages. I awoke one morning to the robotic refrain of “Are […]
From Somewhere Deep
I have a lot of fond memories from my teenage years. This is not one of them. I’d just finished my sophomore year of high school. To celebrate the start of our summer freedom, my younger brother and I spent the evening around a bonfire in the backyard, burning old homework assignments and roasting marshmallows […]
Memoria Aeterna
The storm of the morning of December twenty-sixth was predicted by no meteorologist. We had no time to prepare. In the still-dark hours, I woke to the ghostly light of moon and stars reflected off snow. The radio, left on overnight to serenade us with lingering Christmas carols, now played only static. It was frigid […]
Oblivion’s Call
Roy’s hand dripped over the chalice. Crimson drops made black in the dimness, echoing as they mingled with the blood of everyone else who had preceded us. “What the—” I began, grabbing for Roy’s arm to pull him back, but he shoved me away. “I don’t even feel it anymore. Besides, it’s a small price […]