Day: August 13, 2026

You Little Devil You

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Summerween Writing Challenge # MASK

When I was little, my Mom always and I mean ALWAYS wanted me to dress up as a Princess for Halloween.

The thing of it was, I was such a scruffy, little kid that I’m not sure the prettiest Princess costume in the world would change that- and in the 60’s and early 70’s we had those funny smelling  plastic masks and plastic costumes you could wear over your clothes.

But we thought they were magical.

We kids were convinced those costumes turned us into Princesses and Clowns and Gypsies and Vampires and Witches- but not me. I didn’t believe that I could look like a Princess no matter how much magic was involved..

Mom was really  frustrated because I kept turning down her suggestions she finally gave in and asked what I wanted to be.

I told her a scary, scary Devil.

” Oh for Pete’s sake. ” She went to the shelves and pulled a box off the top and tossed it into the cart. ” Let’s go. ”

My Grandpa Bert,  came over that night to see what  me and my brother had chosen to be for Halloween.

Frankly, I think he knew I was going to crash the train as it were and he wanted to see the wreckage for himself  and he wasn’t disappointed.

” She wants to be a Devil for Halloween.” my Mom said curtly.

” Oh Marie, ” ( he always called me by my middle name ) he said sadly,  ” so you’re  not going to dress up for Halloween?”

Photographer Unknown

” You’re funny, ” I told him. ” I’m going to wear a Princess crown too. ”  I ran into the kitchen and took my bag off of the table, then I ran back out into the living room pulled the plastic tiara out of the bag my costume was in and showed it to him.

My Grandpa asked if I really needed to wear the crown and then we both looked at my Mom and tried not to laugh-

and we failed.

Child in red devil costume carrying a candy-filled pumpkin bucket

AI Artwork by WP

The Pond

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RDP Thursday: MEANDER

Cleo Manning likes to hike and stroll in the park down the road from her house.

The park is full of lovely flowers, and along the trails to the ponds are maple trees and willow trees and even a few aged maple trees that may have been in the park before the city of Marsten decided that this was the place it’s residents would want to rest their weary bones.

Cleo doesn’t care much for the flowers( they make her sneeze) , she does like the trees and the shade that they cast along the trails but what she really loves is the pond in the middle of the park with a secret hidden right in the middle of it.

The Pond in the park is  deep and it’s floor is dark because sunlight can’t reach the bottom of it, most people would call it a lake but Cleo knows that a in the middle of the Pond, dead center at it’s deepest point is a tree and it’s rooted to the bottom of the pond in heavy chains made of human hair.

Vines with white flowers carpet the Pond’s floor and any light down there is radiating from the leathery blooms.

Sometimes Cleo sits on  the single granite bench and she as still as a statue as she looks out upon the Pond.

After awhile, she stands up. She smooths her dress, her hair and she looks from furtively from side to side and if no one is around she says ( to the tree at the bottom of the pond )

” Dunk me in a pond in my best dress, will  you Judge Gedney? I sold my soul for that dress. My soul.”

 

 

Knock Knock Knock

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Cozy vintage living room with armchairs, a floor lamp, rotary phone, and barred wooden door
Picture by WP AI

In 1948 an American writer named Frederic Brown wrote a Science Fiction short story called  ” Knock ” that appeared in a magazine called, ‘ Thrilling Wonder Stories ‘.

You may think you’ve never heard of this story, but in one form or another you probably have because it’s opening lines are pretty famous:

“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door…”

I would love to be able to sit down at dinner with Mr. Brown and ask him, “When you wrote those opening lines, did you really think you needed to keep writing? Because in the world of Horror and Science Fiction, those opening lines are hands down my favorite and I love them just the way they are.”

WP Prompt: Which author would you love to have dinner with?

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