Published Work

Short Story

Quiet as a Mouse

Emily’s son Nolan says the boy in the basement gave him the creepy handmade doll to protect his mom. Is the boy real or a figment of Nolan’s imagination? Read the short story in Scare Street, Night Terrors Vol. 18: Short Horror Stories Anthology.

Excerpt from Quiet as a Mouse:

“Nolan, where did you get that toy?” I looked at him intently over the rim of my coffee cup as I took a sip.

Nolan stared blankly at me, then speared a piece of sausage with his fork and noisily chewed with his mouth open.

“Honey, you won’t get in trouble. Mama just wants to know where you got it.” I smiled sweetly.

Nolan squinted his eyes at me and tilted his head to one side. His dark blond hair stood up in random spikes.

“If you tell Mama where you got it, I’ll get you a chocolate croissant from Starbucks after school.”

He smiled and set down his fork. “Deal.”

I smiled back and nodded. “Okay, so where did you get it?”

“The basement.” He looked at me to see my reaction,

“But you know you’re not supposed to go down there.” I answered as calmly as I could.

“I know.” He picked up the doll and squeezed it in his right hand. “But I heard something.”

“Heard what?”

“A train,” he answered. He picked up his orange juice with his left hand, the doll still in his right. He took a sip and spilled juice down the front of his pajamas. I handed him a napkin and he patted at his face and shirt haphazardly.