15th October to 15th November 2012
51 books from 47 authors
What is the Orangeberry Trick or Treat?
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Genre – Horror (R)
Book Excerpt from the short story Widows at Night by Robynn Gabel in the anthology Playing with Fire
Her skin goose-bumped then shivered at the crawly touch. She scratched furiously, the panic rising. With a deep breath, she tried to escape into the oblivion of sleep. It wasn’t going to happen. A whispery brush skittered down her hip. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rocked back and forth. Her eyes struggled to see the hideous thing stalking her; the faint light under the door was useless.
The shiny black creatures, with red hourglasses on their bellies and long legs, haunted her imagination. Shifting on the skimpy blanket she thought of the soft, cottony webs they made, creating in her revulsion of anything soft. Her childhood should have been safe and innocent; instead she was learning about death and monsters.
While the night lingered on, she stood to stretch, wanting to open the closet door. I would squish them with the blanket if I could see them. Then I could go to sleep, she thought. A tickle on her back sent her hands desperately reaching to scratch, to keep them off so she wouldn’t get a deadly bite. Worried that one had fallen from the ceiling where they spun thin threads, her fingers furiously fluffed hair and scratched at her itching scalp.
Panic grew as she rubbed along her arms. She tried to keep them from crawling up her legs by shuffling her feet. The floorboards squeaked in response to the frenzied dance but she couldn’t help it. The light shifted under the door, but before she could feign sleep, it opened.
In the bright light she searched for the spiders she feared more than the impending punishment. Reassured she was truly alone, she listened to her mother’s rant, head hanging down.
‘I told you to be quiet! I don’t know what you’re doing in here, but I can hear you! I need sleep. I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life if you don’t lie down now!’ A hand whipped out, gouging into her shoulder, pushing her onto the skimpy blanket.
‘I won’t be bad again, Mommy. Please let me sleep on the bed; I will be good. Please!’ She cowered beneath her mother’s angry countenance, hoping she might relent.
‘You’re staying in here all night and I hope the spiders get you!’
She looked out, seeing her sister staring in fear, before the door closed abruptly. The light dimmed.
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