Wednesday 23 January 2013

Illumination

by John Xero


Imagine a prison with no shade, for a killer afraid of the dark.

Karl flicked the lights off and on.

"Please," Jorgen begged, "don't. I made a deal."

Karl's hand hovered over the switch. "Does the widdle psychopath need a nightlight? Want some warm milk, too?"

"Please. She'll kill me."

"Bullshit. You made her up. Tell me the truth, or-"

Karl plunged them into pitch black. Fingers of cool air caressed his face. A voice like snowfall whispered, "Thank you," in his ear.

He slammed the lights back on.

Jorgen's head rolled across the floor, eyes staring, mouth still gasping.




Author bio: Imagine... anything. What are you most afraid of? John Xero's greatest fear is the day he can no longer write, and anything that may cause that.

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18 comments:

  1. Larry Kollar25 January 2013 at 13:23

    Jorgen had good reason to be afraid of the dark, then! Nice fast pace here, it felt longer than it was (a good thing).

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  2. mazzz_in_Leeds25 January 2013 at 15:05

    "A voice like snowfall" - ooh, lovely.

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    1. John Xero25 January 2013 at 15:30

      Thanks, Mazzz. I was really happy with that one. =)

      Delete
  3. Sulci Collective25 January 2013 at 18:47

    reminds me of an old Steven Wright joke :-)

    marc nash

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  4. Cat Russell25 January 2013 at 18:55

    I'd like to think it's the ghost of one of his victims exacting revenge. Darkly delightful.

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    1. John Xero26 January 2013 at 15:13

      That's an interesting angle. Not my intent, but it fits, and I love different interpretations. It's one of the things I like about tiny fictions, building stories in people's heads, and they're going to be slightly different stories for everybody. =)

      Thank you. =)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous25 January 2013 at 21:28

    Nice one, Karl! Brilliant.

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  6. Renee25 January 2013 at 22:09

    Very good! Love the whisper.

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  7. Steve Green26 January 2013 at 00:28

    No more fear of the dark for Jorgen, it may be a different story for Karl now though.

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    1. John Xero26 January 2013 at 15:15

      Not sure Karl's in danger, except from his bosses. Of course, he's a driven man, he might get curious, stick his nose in where it doesn't belong, attract her attention... ;)

      Delete
  8. Helen A. Howell26 January 2013 at 08:23

    Love this line 'A voice like snowfall whispered, "Thank you," in his ear.'

    Delciously dark John!

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  9. Cindy Vaskova26 January 2013 at 10:54

    The biggest tricks the mind can play are when it's dark. But sometimes, just sometimes there is something real lurking in the pitch blackness.

    Velvety horror!

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    Replies
    1. John Xero26 January 2013 at 15:16

      Yep, the dark is a dangerous place... it gets everywhere... ;)

      Thanks, Cindy. =)

      Delete

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