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    Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories
    Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories
    Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories

    By Kelli A. Wilkins

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Surreal Escapes

    7 Speculative Stories

     

    Are you ready to take a journey into the unexpected?

     

    In these 7 speculative stories, ordinary people start off having an average, normal day… until they encounter the world of the surreal. They quickly realize they're in another realm where anything can—and does—happen.

     

    Some of these unusual tales include:

     

    "Holiday Havoc" – The night shift in a retail store hosts the ultimate Halloween vs. Christmas showdown

     

    "Little Boy Lost" – After several strange incidents, Beverly suspects her son's imaginary friend isn't so imaginary

     

    "The Man in Apt. 3-A" – What do you do when you discover your neighbor is a vampire?

     

    "Whispers from the Past" – Not all ghosts are scary… or strangers

     

    This collection of short fiction will unnerve you, spark your imagination, and make you wonder what else is possible in the world of the surreal.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKelli A. Wilkins
    Release dateAug 1, 2024
    ISBN9798227421807
    Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories
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    Author

    Kelli A. Wilkins

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20 romance novels, 3 horror ebooks, and 7 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her horror stories. In January 2021, Kelli released Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions. In 2020, Kelli published Love, Lies & Redemption, a western romance set in 1877 Nebraska. This novel blends a sensual love story with mystery and danger. She released Romance Every Weekend: 104 Fun Ways to Express Your Love, a non-fiction guide to romance in 2019. The book features 104 fun and easy ways you can express your love to that special someone in your life. Perfect for men or women, it focuses on tender, everyday gestures that let your partner know how much you love him or her. Kelli published Extraterrestrial Encounters, a collection of 18 sci-fi stories, in 2019. If you like horror fiction, don’t miss her disturbing novella, Nightmare in the North. Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative guide filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use. Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor. Visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com  to learn more about all of her writings.

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      Book preview

      Surreal Escapes - 7 Speculative Stories - Kelli A. Wilkins

      ​SPECULATIVE FICTION BY KELLI A. WILKINS

      Dead Til Dawn

      Extraterrestrial Encounters: A Collection of Sci-Fi Stories

      Kropsy’s Curse

      More Than I Bargained For: A Paranormal Mini-Mystery

      Nightmare in the North

      The Route 9 Killer

      Silent Sentinel

      Surreal Escapes: 7 Speculative Stories

      Visit Kelli’s website: www.KelliWilkins.com for additional titles as they become available.

      ​​​​TABLE OF CONTENTS

      SPECULATIVE FICTION BY KELLI A. WILKINS

      A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

      The Ape

      The Ghost in the Green Dress

      Holiday Havoc

      Home for Halloween

      Little Boy Lost

      The Man in Apartment 3-A

      Whispers from the Past

      ALSO BY KELLI A. WILKINS

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      ​​

      A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

      Welcome to Surreal Escapes. You’re about to step into a strange world—the world of my imagination. 

      I’ve always been attracted to the spooky, bizarre, and weird that exists in the horror and sci-fi genres. I grew up watching Tales from the Dark Side, Amazing Stories, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Outer Limits, and of course, The Twilight Zone. Those shows (and their unusual stories) were a major influence on my writing.

      In this collection of seven speculative stories, ordinary people start off having an average, normal day... until they encounter the world of the surreal. They’ve entered another realm where anything can—and does—happen.

      Authors are always asked, Where do you get your ideas? so I decided to share a peek at my writing process. I’ve included a brief note at the end of each story, explaining what inspired me to write it, where I got the idea, or general comments about the plot or the characters.

      I hope you enjoy these stories. Some are humorous, some will make you think, and others might unnerve you a bit, but they will all take you on a journey into the surreal for a little while.

      Kelli

      ​The Ape

      South Carolina, 1961

      Billy wrinkled his nose as he entered the dimly lit shop. The air smelled funny, like a mix of spices and smoke. He closed the door behind him, cutting himself off from the outside world.

      His mind fired a jumble of warnings. Nobody knew where he was. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Who knew what might happen to him?

      He fought the urge to yank open the door and run back into the sunlight, but he couldn’t. He had an important job to do. It had taken every bit of courage he had to get this far, and he wasn’t going to give up now. Everyone in town knew where the voodoo-lady practiced her magic and sold spells—but no kid in fourth grade had ever been brave enough to come inside before.

      He clutched his schoolbooks in his sweaty hands and looked around the store. Dusty shelves were lined with candles in every color of the rainbow. He spotted small cloth dolls lying in a red wicker basket and rows of jars filled with black, green, and white powders. What was all this stuff for?

      Hello? Is anyone here? His voice sounded muffled, as if the air had absorbed it.

      The red curtain behind the high wooden counter whipped open. An ancient black woman wearing a bright yellow dress stood in the doorway, looking him up and down. She frowned.

      Little boy, what you doin’ here? Don’ you know better?

      I need a spell, he whispered.

      She burst out laughing and stepped toward him. Now what’s this nonsense comin’ from you? Miss Marie don’ give no spells to children. They school kids send you in here on a dare?

      No, ma’am. He shifted his books to his other hand and swallowed hard. Stevie Wilson’s older sister got a spell here two weeks ago. She wanted Mike Donner to ask her to the dance and be her boyfriend. You gave her a candle and told her to—

      How you know dat? Miss Marie’s gray eyebrows furrowed. She tell you?

      He shook his head. No. Stevie read her diary. It was in there. And I know the spell worked because—

      Enough. She held up her wrinkled hand to silence him. What sort of spell does a boy like you need? I don’ give out lucky charms to help fourth graders pass their math tests.

      Billy’s heart beat faster. Math? How did she know about his troubles with math?

      No, ma’am, it’s not for that. I want a spell to... He paused and licked his lips. Once he told, there was no going back. I want a spell to... kill my stepfather.

      Marie leaned forward. Her silver moon-and-stars earrings rattled as she cocked her head to one side. Strong words from a boy. Who is dis man you want ta kill?

      The Sheriff. Philip Crandall. He’s—

      "Oh. I know him and his kind. He’s been evictin’ people from their houses, beatin’ them up, throwin’ them in jail—and worse. Marie squared her jaw. He wants ta run the colored folks outta town."

      Yes, I know. He does awful things, and then laughs about them when he’s drunk. Billy glanced down at his feet, ashamed to admit the truth. And he’s not nice to my mom and me, neither.

      Then we kin help each other. Stay here.

      Miss Marie vanished behind the flaming red curtain. A moment later, she returned holding a two-foot tall stuffed animal.

      Here you go, child.

      He scowled at the ugly thing. What is this? I told you, I need a spell, not a dumb toy. What am I supposed to do with a stupid monkey?

      Marie glared at him. "He’s not a monkey. He’s an ape. And he’s no toy. She thrust the ape at him. Hold him a minute and tell me what you feel."

      Billy put his schoolbooks on the counter and took the ape. To his surprise, it felt solid and muscular. Its body was covered in some kind of dark brown hair, and menacing black eyes were set deep into its face. The wooden-hinged mouth was frozen open in a snarl and held two sets of metal-tipped fangs. The ape looked angry, like it wanted to bite him. He bent one of the ape’s thick leather fingers around his pinkie and gasped as it tightened its grip.

      You feel it, don’ cha?

      He nodded at Miss Marie. This ape was no ordinary stuffed animal. It almost seemed alive.

      There’s a force inside.

      Like a ghost? he asked.

      Sort of. Long ago, a powerful man made this ape. He used it ta avenge our ancestors who’d been wronged by people like your stepdaddy. I know the secret ta bringing it ta life.

      He gazed down at the ape. Even if the magic wasn’t real, Phil would go crazy if he brought this home. I bet it’s expensive. I can’t pay much. I only have fifty-eight cents.

      Miss Marie smiled. Now don’ worry about dat. Seein’ how you’ll be doing people in this town a favor, he’s yours for free until he finishes his work. After dat, he’ll come home where he belongs.

      Really? But how do I—

      Come in the back with me. We’ll get him ready.

      ***

      "Where did he get that revolting thing, Janice? It’s just like your idiot son to bring home a monkey! It’s bad enough everyone in town saw him talking to that colored girl last week, and now I have to put up with this?"

      Phil, you shouldn’t talk like that.

      Billy swallowed a forkful of mashed potatoes and tried to tune out the quarrel. Sometimes his mom argued with Phil, and sometimes she didn’t. Over the last year, he had learned to ignore Phil’s ranting and raving.

      Phil turned to him. Get that filthy monkey off the table. It probably has a disease. Where did you get that thing? Were you playing down by the tracks again? Where’d it come from? The dump? Tell me, boy!

      He settled the ape on his lap before answering.

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