The Cowboy

I awoke to my wife sewing my eye back on. Actually it was a button with a bit of Sharpie. The sad creases in her face told me life hadn't been easy since I died. When she came home with my son, he seemed so big. My little Billy was a big boy now. He looked about five.

He smiled and said "Wow! A cowboy!"

The last thing I remember was the car accident. Feeling a lot of pain. Hoping the other driver was insured. Then nothing.

Billy played with me all day until it was time to go to sleep. Hearing him laugh and seeing him again was wonderful. Then I watched my little boy sleep. As hard as it was to believe, I was back.

Sitting there in an empty room for most of the day was the unbearable. It was only when the cat tried to get me that I moved for the first time. It sunk it's teeth into me and I freaked and made an "Aaah!" sound and flailed my arms a bit. Scared the hell out of the cat. Sorry Fizz!

So during the day I would try to practice moving. It wasn't like before when everything was so easy. I had to visualize myself standing up and concentrate on myself propelling to an upright position. It was hard and for the longest time I would sit up briefly only to collapse again too tired to think. The best part of the day was still when Billy came home and would drag me around the house with him. He was getting better at talking every day. He still had a chubby little face but was growing so fast.

One night I managed to get to a mirror and look at myself. I was a crudely made doll with jean fabric and a light brown shirt. Clothes that had been made from my own real clothes.

Soon enough summer was here and Billy was home all day. There was a lady who cleaned and would look after him during the day. She didn't like me and thought I was creepy. So every chance she would grab me and toss me back in the room. Still I knew every day I was lucky just to see my son.

One day the lady's boyfriend came to pick her up. Right away I knew this guy was bad news. The way he leered at my family. I was one foot tall and made out of cloth. What could I do?

As time went on I would still try to move at night. Little noises would break my concentration every once in a while.

Until one day that same man opened the door to Billy's room at night. How did he get in? That same look on his face.I saw him reach for my son and lost it. With all my strength I threw myself at his face. I held on with all my strength while he tried to pry me off of him. It was only when he fell that I saw my chance. I shoved a stuffed panda bear into his face, screaming and grunting, I pushed down like never before. His eyes were wide with fear but I pushed down until he stopped struggling. Over his mouth and nose, until I was sure he was gone.

When the light flicked on and the police came into the room, everything started going black. I lost focus and felt myself leaving with a sense of peace. My Billy was safe.

As You Wish

Jared was only too happy to pass his misery along to others. Like many young men who were very ambitious, he not only had co-workers but underlings as well. They knew better than to look sloppy or yawn in his presence. Even family photos were taken off desks or Jared would make lewd comments about wives and daughters.

His secretary, Samantha was his favorite target. When she wore a skirt, he would accuse her of being sexually provocative. If she wore pants and dressed demurely, he would call her frumpy and unprofessional.

"Are you trying to tempt the men here, Samantha?", he asked.

"No sir."

"The way you dress and act. Do you not care about your job?"

"N-no please don't fire me. I go to the university. I need this job. Please", she pleaded.

"I see. Well maybe we should discuss this after work. I could give you advise. Help you keep your job and make life easier.", he suggested.

Samantha meekly agreed and met him after hours. It was one of the few nights he did force everyone to stay late. Jared locked all the doors and brought to life every depraved fantasy he had ever had.

The next week Samantha was fired. When she refused to go, security had to be called to escort her out of the building. Through fury and screams she made a wish. Not every human whim is granted but that day a sinister force smiled on this vengeful desire.

That night, a large rat made it's way into Jared's apartment. Only when he heard scratching under his bed did he get a bad feeling. But he brushed it off and went to sleep.

As he woke up and opened the door, the destruction was everywhere. The sofa was torn, the dishes were broken on the floor, his clothes had been gnawed.

"Over here.", said a voice. Then a scampering sound.  "Come closer. Come here."

Then it hit him. Samantha must have put some thug up to this.

"I'm calling the police!" , he bellowed.

"Call who you must! Do your best and I'll do my worst.", said the hissing voice.

Not that he could have used the phone. It was in pieces and scattered across the place. Even walking was a challenge in all the debris.

"Did you call? Are they here? You don't play fair. Big ol' you against little ol' me. Not fair. Don't try to leave", the hissing thing demanded. Where was it? "Come here. Come closer. "

As Jared backed himself into a corner the fear set in. Some fiend was going to kill him over a mumbling secretary.

Then the rat approached. A deep hissing cough that might have been it's laughter.

"What do you want?"

"You gonna do what I say. Everything I say. Or you will meet hell sooner than later.", the creature replied.

"No. It's not real.", Jared whispered in fright.

With another sick cough, the creature twitched and jerked. While moving and bending, it began to shriek. Slowly changing form until it had hooves for feet, the giant scaly body of a snake, and resting on all fours it was a gruesome being. The front limbs were clawed and looked like chicken feet. With the head of a lion and other distorted animal features, the creature was terrifying to see.

Jared knew fear like he never imagined. His heart was beating so fast but he couldn't move.

The next day, a teller was pumping hand gel and gagging.

"Did you see that man? He reeked of urine and I swear he had a rat in his knapsack!", she exclaimed.

Samantha would have to find a new place to live and leave the university. The homeless shelter did not have room and she was in tears of desperation. When she heard a knock at the door, it was the last person she expected.

"Leave me alone!", she screamed in frustration.

"Samantha, take this. Please forgive me.", Jared implored.

He placed an envelope in her hand and ran away. All the money in his bank account, everything was hers now. Even his condo, which he had cleaned until spotless.

"What do I do now?", he asked helplessly.

"Let's walk that way. No. That way.", replied the hissing creature.

Sometimes he would walk for miles only to be told to turn and walk the opposite direction. Sometimes people would offer their help to the strange homeless man and his pet rat. After hearing a strange coughing, he would painfully refuse and go on his way.

One day Jared succumbed to his rough lifestyle. He fell to his knees first, then forward and died. A man hiking in those same mountains froze at the faroff sight of a horrifying creature devouring his remains. It looked his way and grinned. When it finally finished and stalked off, the hiker trembled and made his way home. He kissed his wife, he hugged his children and vowed never to speak of what he saw that day. Some creatures should only live in books, he decided.

When I See Her

When I see her, everything else becomes a blurry background. When I see her, every other voice becomes a murmur. When I see her, time seems to stop. When I see her, I want to ring the bitch's neck because I have an advanced physics test and she won't shut up.

"Peter, I'm bored!", said the world's crappiest imaginary friend. "If you won't entertain me...."

Ok, friend is a stretch. I guess imaginary is too. Kerry died when we were freshmen in high school. Now, I'm a senior and she is still dead. I didn't kill her. This is not my guilty conscience. With this pain in the ass, I would have run screaming to the nearest police station to confess a long time ago.

"So you're gonna ignore me? That's what you're doing. Oh, I see. Ok.", she was getting warmed up. "Look at the moon! Peter, Look at the moon. Peter, moon. Peter, moon. Moon, Peter!"

She can do this for a long time. I remember her doing this for a week straight.

"SHUT UP!", I screamed. "Shut up. Shut it up!"

"Peter, you ok?", my dad asked though my door.

"I'm singing a soong!", I hollered!

At this point they were used to me being a wierdo. Kerry glared at the door then gave me a hurt look.

"You don't have to yell.", she said. "I bet this is why you don't have a girlfriend."

The next day, after failing my test. Kerry popped up again. She wanted to go to the movies.

"No, I'm probably going to be grounded. I know I've asked you this before but-", I began.

"No unfinished business. I am not looking for you to be Nancy Drew and solve my murder, either." , she giggled. "One day you'll know what I want."

Wow, she had never mentioned actually wanting something. Maybe one day she would go away.

"Let's listen to the radio.", she suggested. She liked the normal girly pop stations. My dad probably thinks I'm gay. Whatever.

If she was gone, I could have a girlfriend. Looking at my dark hair and blue eyes. I'm not ugly. Probably, I could make good grades and play a sport.

So while she listened to her girly crap I tried to study. She was singing and oh god....now she was jumping around my room dancing like a crackhead.

"I love YOU! ONLY YOU! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEEEEEEEELLLLSSS!" , her singing was more of a loud screeching.

I turned off the radio but she nust kept singing. As loud as possible. Ghosts don't lose their voice.

"You know what I want, Peter. Sweet Dreams.", she said.

After, fighting it for hours sleep finally came. Then i had the same dream I've been having for almost four years. Every night. I saw Kerry come drop off a Valentine at my house. She had a little crush on me. It was signed "from a secret admirer". I saw my dad open the door and read my card. Then, her excitement at getting a love note from me. Waiting for ten minutes for me to show up at the park only to have my dad roll down his window and say I had broken my leg. He said he could give her a ride to see me.

Then I woke up. Her face was close to mine. It didn't really feel cold but chilling. At night, she is not so nice.

"You never cared about me. You never even noticed me. I was nothing to you.", she whispered and scratched her nails down my arm. The burning sensation was a welcome distraction to her angry face.

"Ok, you'll get what you want. Then, you leave me alone!", I pleaded.

She smiled and nodded. Then dug her nails into the back of my ankle. It was time.

"Dad, we need to talk.", I started out ok but after looking at his face. Those rectangle glasses and how he looked the same as always. Such a chicken. "I want to spend the day with you. Let's hang out "

So we did. We went out for breakfast, caught a movie, then came home and made sandwiches together. Then we talked and raked the backyard. It was when he was in the shower that I put the sleepeezy pills in his iced tea. Then I gave it to him while we ordered pizza. He passed out before eating any of it.

While she climbed up the stairs to my room, Kerry thought I was home. She had no clue Dad would cover her mouth with his hand. Put a knife to her throat and tell her to be quiet. He left her out by an old road. I don't know why he did all that to her.

I called the police a day later. Told them I was worried my dad never came home. They looked. Everyone looked. Staring at the moon, maybe somewhere she is at peace.

"Peter, you awake?! Did you miss me Peter?", Kerry whispered in my face. "Don't worry. I'm never leaving you."

Litter

They were leaving it again. The neighbors, I suspected were leaving their liquor bottles and trash all over. Not wanting anymore trouble with them I took the long trip back and got a few garbage bags to take to the dump. After huffing and puffing i grabbed my flashlight as well.

Walking through the rocks, it seemed my shoes were already starting to crease at the soles and give out. Collecting most of the mess was not easy in the dark, little cig butts and bottle caps are things you have to squint to see. So then I reckon this was more than I should have taken on. Living outside a city can be a big pain but that's the price you pay for a quiet life. Though the bag gets heavier the further you go, you can't just drag it. Then it tears and you got yourself a bigger mess.

Once I reach the main road it's only 2 miles. I walk more than that in a day but when you carry junk it always feels like more. I hear hootin' and hollerin' in the distance. They drink and party and let loose and leave me with all the litter. But they're big roudy men with trash talkin' ladies and I don't want trouble. Being a lone woman is hard sometimes. You gotta fend for yourself.

I see headlights and that's not too common but you just move to the side if the road. The truck is slowing down and inching next to me. Oh hell.

"Hi Miss! Where ya heading?", he asks.

"Oh hiya. I'm just going to the dump.", I reply.

"You want a lift?", he wants to know and I look over. Nice looking man. Pretty blue eyes and a short beard. But I shake my head no.

"Oh come on. It's not safe. "

I shake my head again and hope he gives up and drives off.

"That big bag looks heavy.", he grins so I give in. I give him a smile and put the bag in the cab. He leans over and opens the door and I hop up and in.

"You not scared, walkin' all alone?", he laughs. I shut off my light and smile.

"I don't get scared of much.", I say.

So this guy likes to talk. Blah blah my name is Ronnie and blah blah how pretty I am. I keep smiling because it's a short ways but mister chatterbox there just keeps talking.

Once we get there, he stops. The dump is just that. A big ole hole! We throw our crap in there and some days they burn it. It stinks! I hop down and off and walk a ways to throw the bag. He's still there and still grinning. I waive him off but he's got something shiny in his hand. He's waiving a blade around and saying GET IN, GET IN!

So I don't have much choice, do I? I get in and he wants me to say where I live. I tell him. While he drives, I think about my shabby little tin can of a home. There's not much to see. A bed and two chairs. Sometimes, I play a small radio. That's nice.

We drive by and those folks are still yelling and drinking. He tells me not to make any noise. So I don't. We get to my place and he grabs me by the hair. Now that I see him up close he is not handsome. He tells me to turn on a light and take my clothes off. I turn on my lantern then around. He never really had a chance.

My own clothes are wet in kerosine. He watched me catch fire and I snatched the blade out of his hand and hit his temple with the handle. His eyes were all wide. I jumped out my door into my big mud puddle. Not classy but it did the trick.

Being dirty is a bad feeling and I got mad and gave him a few extra kicks for that. Even after I got my hammer and hit him he got loose on me a couple of times. Tried to run off to his truck.

Well, who can blame him? He's a big guy and I'm a small girl so it only makes sense. But now this gone too far. Talking Ronnie likes his blades. This is a man who holds a grudge.

So now I have an even bigger mess. That's all life is, you know. Piles of litter and trash. Sometimes you pick up another folk trash and other times they clean up your mess. I better quit talking to myself.

Idol

After many years of trying to be more than a cute face, Carin's parents were desperate. They knew the younger audience was where the money was at. Once you got into the tween market, there was a chance at millions and fame.

Sam and Helen's youngest daughter was nearly 14 and almost too old to be a star. Their two older daughters had years of headshots and voice coaches. All had failed to become famous and Carin was their last shot.

Gavin West was known as a great manager though because of a bad gambling habit, money seemed to vanish into thin air. He was looking for a star and needed to run the show. After throwing a dart at a map he ended up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The shopping malls and city events were the best places to go. Following the reek of desperation he ended up in a park listening to young Carin singing. There were the parents with t-shirts, postcards and homemade cds. It was perfect.

Gavin introduced himself and gave the trio a trip to Los Angeles for an entry into a talent show. Carin won and her parents were entranced. Gavin promised them millions of dollars on two conditions. That he was not to be challenged or questioned in making their daughter a star. The second was that Carin marry him on her eighteenth birthday.

He changed her name to Karin on a whim and got to work. Instead of getting a show, Gavin was able to work the teen into the hottest new movies and cameos on hit tv shows. The money was rolling in and the first to be paid off were the lucky parents. Then Gavin was free to place all the bets he wanted. So he did. The racetrack and boxing matches were his favorite. Though as talented as he was at his day job he always ended up owing.

Soon enough Gavin and Karin were married. Even though he was twice her age, they did seem in love. Gavin truly loved Karin and was ready to settle down. As for the young star, she was simply too young to know much about real love. They lived an extravagant life until Gavin wanted children.

"How am I supposed to get the good roles if I get fat and become a mom?", Karin would huff.

"Honey, I can get you whatever you want. Which movie? Just tell me.", he countered.

"I don't want a kid!", she answered.

That seemed to be their only problem. So Gavin left and stayed away for weeks. Karin was scared and ready to agree to anything by then.

The day Gavin came home he crawled into bed next to Karin and cried. His dark hair was mussed and he kept apologizing.

"Where the hell have you been?! What's wrong? What happened?", she asked.

"I made a bad bet! I made a bad bet. I made a bad bet.", was all he would say.

Then there was a knock on the door. Though they saw no one on the monitor Gavin went to open the door. Into the room walked a young girl who went straight up to Karin and sat down next to her. There was no expression and her features were oddly bland. Black darting eyes followed Karin's hand then grabbed her by the wrist.

Karin didn't even scream. By the time the girl had pulled her hair and bitten her neck, there was barely time to panic. The scramble to get away from this strong being and the agony of being devoured did not last long. The sight of which Gavin would remember forever.

By then Gavin already knew that he had wagered more than he ever realized he could. He got a bucket and began to clean up the mess on the floor.

The girl lived with him, and became the ultimate idol. She sang and danced in a way that would incite lust in the heart of millions. She taught young girls to disrespect their bodies, and young boys to think of girls as toys. Society was crumbling and no one seemed to notice. Everyone would enjoy the depravity until it was time to pay.

The Force

"Wish me luck girl!", Darrell patted his big dog and scratched her ears.

Gypsy, panted and yipped around excitedly. She was part german shephard, part mutt, and even looked part wolf. With her light beige beautiful fur and broad face, she was better than any bred dog Darrell could have gotten. He had his own patrol car today and he left plenty of water and snacks for his furry companion.

Gypsy peered out the window and gave her best sad face. Though people came and went, she was always there. Loyal and loving in the way only a dog could be.

As the evening came, Darrell stood by the station wagon asking to see license and registration. From the moment he pulled them over, there was the stench of trouble in the air. After observing for a moment, Darrell asked the driver to step out of the vehice. As Darrell was about to search him a car slid car slid on the ice and swiped them.

As Darrell lay on the grass, trying to gain full consciousness the passenger walked up to where he lay and shot him twice in the chest. The woman driving the car hadn't meant to hit the policeman. As she sat crying in her car and looking for her phone the driver limped over and shot her in the back of the head.

"You gonna live gringo?" ,snickered Juan.

"Yeah" , replied Neil. "You kill the cop?"

"We better go. I'll drive and let me give a tip, tonto. When you have a girl in your trunk and you sneakin' across the border....DON'T SPEED!.", yelled Juan.

They got across the border and though the murders of Darrell, Jenny, and her four month old son Henry who died in his carseat hypothermia were unsolved.

The funerals were a devastating scene. Fellow police officers paid their respects and worked tirelessly to find the killers. Though it seemed there were too many pieces of the puzzle. When Darrell's landlord went to the house, the window in the back kitchen was busted. There was a frenzy of books and even the furniture was ripped open.

Juan and Neil decided to wait a while before going back to the U.S. to get another girl. Neil thought it best to stay out of crowded areas so he got a camper and only went to town for food and supplies.

Then there was a loud bang as even the small camper seemed to move. Neil ran to the window in time to see a white looking dog ram itself into the camper. The shotgun kicked as Neil fired a round at the dog and heard a howl.

"Got you bitch!", he yelled.

Then he heard a panting from the front of his pickup. The small 16 by 16 could be pulled easily with a pickup. Not dead yet, Neil thought, but I can fix that he pulled on a shirt and headed to the truck. Gypsy barked and snarled and Neil fired but missed her as she jumped out the other side.

He ran inside to hide and though he did reload and though he had decent aim, by morning he was frantically firing at every noise. Every growl and bark made him quiver until there was no more ammo. Days passed and soon though he was hungry, Neil only knew terror. The damned dog was circling and when he tried to leave it would tear into him with its furious bite. The thirst was unbearable and the wounds were searing with pain. By the end of the week Neil was reduced to scraps.

Juan was enjoying the cantina music and dancing. There was a beautiful little senorita who was giving him the eye. After waving enough bills around she agreed to go to his room. Juan knew this little lady would get a crazy night. Especially with the pills he put in her drink. As she fell on the bed, the skirt of her dress riding up in the moonlight the heard her panting.

"That's right, baby", said Juan. "You gonna beg for more."

As his pants fell to the floor he froze as the beast tore into him. Knocking him to the floor and ripping bits and flesh off with brutal force.

All throughout the small town Juan could be heard screaming as he was dragged off into the night.

The Fairer Sex

When a man moved into the neighborhood, most of the women were all in a stir. It was not just that he was a single bachelor in his mid-thirties. Not only did he seem very successful and quite a catch for any lucky lady, he was exceptionally handsome.

His features were seemingly perfect. He was not too rugged and not too effeminate. Dark hair and bright blue eyes and white teeth that looked lovely across slightly tan skin. 
There were only three single women in the neighborhood. There wad the recently divorced Nancy whose flirtation was received with polite refusal. So then talk amongst the ladies left it up to Candice and Marissa. What most of the neighborhood did not realize was that Marissa was more likely to prefer Candice's company to any man. Candice herself was lightly let down when she asked the handsome stranger out for drinks and he claimed to be swamped at work.

So then gossip became admiring glances since it seemed no one would win Collin Garren's heart. One day Linda turned into the wrong street and ended up with a flat tire in the middle of the street. Collin came put to help her change the tire. It seemed almost too romantic. To be rescued by a man with a bright smile who made her pause.

Linda went home to her husband Travis and tried to forget the man. Her husband was not the exciting man she had married six years earlier. Travis had put on a few pounds and seemed more reliable than sexy. After being with someone a while and worrying about bills, life seemed predictable and simple.

Now faced with the allure of someone new and exciting, she took a walk near his house. As he walked over to his truck he noticed her and flashed that smile. He asked if she wanted to come in for a drink.

His house was very bland. A couch, a table, and a few chairs seemed to be all there was.

"I'm busy with work.", was his only answer.

Struck by the notion that her life could suddenly take a different twist. She blurted out that she loved him and expected to be laughed out of his house. Instead he looked into her eyes and told her she should go, tell her husband she was leaving and pack a suitcase.

When she told Travis she wanted a divorce he seemed too stunned to react. So Linda packed a two bags and left him in his stupor. Only after she left did Travis succumb to tears. He was sure she would return.

Linda knew she had made the right decision when she returned to Collin and they made thrilling, passionate love. The next day she was too exhausted to do anything but smile.

Over the next few weeks Travis was served and told Linda did not want anything in the divorce settlement. All she wanted was out, she smugly told the judge. So it was decreed. Fast and Final.

During the next two years every night seemed more deviant and depraved than the last. Collin was insatiable and fantastic. Though she was always tired, he was still as energetic and beautiful as always.

As she pushed her long white hair aside and looked at herself, the body and face of a woman in her eighties. She realized Collin wasn't coming home anymore.

So once again, she decided to go for a walk. It took longer for her frail body to hobble along but she did until she stopped at her old house.

A young pregnant woman stepped out of her minivan and waived hello. Walking behind her was Travis with a bag of groceries.

"Good evening, ma'am", he nodded at Linda.

He doesn't even recognise me, thought Linda. She turned and shakily began the journey two streets over to head back. Every day for the short rest of her life Linda would walk over and hope to catch a glimpse of what should have been her life.