Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror (14 page)

***

It was time to leave.

But with her father buried on the banks of the marsh and her mother roaming the night, there was something to come back to. Maybe she could even talk Ma into teaching her a few spells. As she locked up the last house on Marsh Road, she decided to make a stop before leaving the island.

Grace pulled up to the corner store to say good-bye to the old man. The store was closed, dim inside. She peered through a grimy window and saw a figure standing over him where he lay crumpled in his chair like an expired coupon. Long and gangly with its meaty organs pulsing, the hag moved closer, its body glistening. She watched as it reached toward the man behind his counter.

A thought of helping him crossed her mind. Although she was no match for a true boo-hag, there had to be a way to save him.

From what? Maybe he wanted the witch here to drink the last of his life before he got too feeble. Too weak to run the store or give advice or gossip. She should leave him to enjoy his fate. 

The hag’s claws were on him now. A time comes for all of us…

As she turned away, Grace saw the husk of the old man rise up to dangle in the air and she heard the creature speak, its voice soft and lulling.

              Skin, skin, skinny… Do you know me?

Acknowledgements

My sincerest appreciation goes out to my husband, whose patience is legendary.  Thanks for putting up with all of my ideas that start with, “You know what I just thought of?” I love you.

Thank you to Mark Taylor for creating the cover for
Spook Lights
and formatting the text.  You do excellent work—both in front and behind the writing scene.

To the authors who read versions of
Spook Lights
before the final: B.D. Bruns, Crystal Connor, and Roma Gray. I love your work. Thank you for reading mine.

To the Indigo Dreamers for reading some of these stories and giving feedback, for keeping me motivated to write, for empathizing, and for being the amazing, creative women you are. Thanks so much.

And to Jim Becker, who gave constructive feedback laced with just the right amount of snark. As you asked, I’m not mentioning you.

Publication History

“Doc Buzzard’s Coffin” published in Family Tradition: A Bubba the Monster Hunter Prequel 2012

“9 Mystery Rose” published in Flesh and Bone: Rise of the Necromancers 2010

“Devil’s Playground” published in Strange Tales of Horror 2011

“Hag Ride” published in Steamy Screams by Blood Bound Books 2011

“With the Turn of a Key” published in Dark Things V 2011

“Rhythm” published in Sirens Call eZine Women in Horror Month 2012

About the author

Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, South Carolina whose great-aunt practiced root, a type of conjure magic. She now wishes she’d listened more closely.

She is also the horror submissions editor for Mocha Memoirs Press and a regular contributor to Graveyard Shift Sisters, a site dedicated to purging the Black female horror fan from the margins. In her dwindling free time, she reviews books for Hellnotes. She is also featured
in the book,
60 Black Women in Horror Writing
.

Besides writing, her passions include roller-skating, listening to thunderstorms, and excellent sushi. Visit Eden’s blog at darkgeisha.wordpress.com or her website at edenroyce.com.

You can also find her on Facebook as Eden Royce-The Dark Geisha and on Twitter @edenroyce.

COMING SOON