A spooky tale for Halloween-
Oh no! thought Charles as he lay quietly in his bed! The small lamp on the side table began to sputter and flicker and as briefly as a candle it suddenly went out! It was dark now and the Bumper was back! He could hear it coming up the stairs from the basement. Down in that Stygian pit a huge ancient furnace grinned fire and gnashed toothy grates. It had multiple arms that reached into the upper floors of the old house, blasting heat and searching for unbelievers. The Bumper was the fire breather’s minion and had made a home for itself in the dark recesses behind the coal bin. Charles wasn’t absolutely certain of this of course because he would never go down into the cellar. Somewhere down there, he was sure, was the entrance to an even more hideous and unimaginable underworld.
Charles had never wanted to move here to the countryside. He liked the modern and airy flat they had in town. There, the glow of street lamps shone into his bedroom window at night and there was no unfamiliar clamour in the walls. Most importantly there was no netherworld in a city flat. Charles ears were not accustomed to the strange sounds that his parents called “the old house settling.” At night he often heard things being dragged around in the cellar. Sometimes it was a grating noise, sometimes the clicking of a clawed finger and other times it was the swift shuffling of deformed and toeless feet. Usually the sounds stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to the pantry.
But on dark moonless nights, in the middle of autumn, the winds blow cold and strip away the tree branches. They sweep against the shutters like bony, fumbling fingers and it seemed then that the Bumper became very bold and would often roam the upper floors. It always managed to open the closed cellar door even though it had no hands or for that matter any proper limbs at all.
To make matters worse, the moaning of a disembodied spirit in the wardrobe assailed Charles’ small ears as he pulled the blankets higher. His mother said it was just the wind but Charles knew that somewhere behind his clothes and toy boxes there was a cavern of lost and miserable Ghosts who howled loudly their displeasure at being dead. If somehow by an inconceivable carelessness, the wardrobe was not shut properly, they would all rush out into the dark like rabid bats and suck out the souls of anything that breathed. In doing so they could again savour memories of the living. Charles wondered if that should happen how long he might be able to hold his breath. Thankfully mom had closed the doors tightly before she kissed him goodnight.
He lay very still in his bed and waited for the terrible and elongated legs of the Bog Beast to walk by in the garden. The Bog Beast had no head, just a grotesque, hairy snout that sprouted from its’ bony shoulders and as it paused at the window Charles could hear it huffing and sniffing the air for human flesh. He was relieved that mom had locked the sash and closed the shutters on this cold night so the creature would not smell the damp fear coming from the room inside.
The urge to urinate was getting stronger. He could get up and run like mad down the hall but he wasn’t sure if the situation was urgent enough yet to take the gamble. Under the bed and hiding inside the vent, a Ghoulie’s soft jelly fingers were waiting to grab him by the ankles. If he was caught he would be dragged screaming, down and down through the furnace pipes, and into the sacrificial belly of an insatiable Moloch, whose blazing limbs squirmed in joyful anticipation of receiving the immolated bodies of little children.
At any rate he knew it was probably best to try to lie there and wait for the redemption of dawn, hoping he could last that long. Charles thought of his dear old grandmother who took very seriously the machinations and mischief of those who inhabited that other realm. He began to fervently recite the old Scottish prayer she had taught him, “From ghosties and ghoulies and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night- Good Lord preserve us!” He had never felt the need to utter that supplication in the old flat but it was a great comfort and protection in a house like this!!
Finally Charles, could hold it no longer. He had to make a break for it and so he jumped out of bed and sprinted toward the WC. The dimly lit hallway seemed longer and longer at this time of year. Shadows crinkled over the walls and floor like cut out paper creatures, full of flattened malevolence. He felt the heated hands of the register ghoul just miss his feet as he at last leapt over the threshold and into the bathroom. He heaved a sigh of victory and relief as he shut the door.
That night there was a more than usual knocking of the water pipes. In the morning Charles was nowhere to be found. His slippers were by his bed in a puddle caused by a streaming overflow from a backed up toilet bowl. It was later discovered that a pajama top somehow got stuck inside the pipe and caused the blockage but where Charles went remained a mystery. The local constabulary thought he must have wandered off in the dark and drowned in the bog. Unfortunately for poor Charles, in his granny’s prayer, there had been no plea for respite from those deadly denizens or “*kelpies” of the plumbing pipes who rose up from the deep like a herd of homicidal horses waiting to stampede to freedom in that first flush of the water tank.
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*kelpies: A Celtic mythological creature. In Scotland they are shape shifting water spirits often appearing as malevolent horses or if in human form, retaining hooves for appendages. They liked to drown their victims.
and
Ghostbusters!
the runes of the gatekeeper's daughter- dedicated to Nick 
Reblogged this on desert mice and dreams and commented:
My contribution to the Scare me Silly Fest at Kultivate!
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A shaky, breathless whisper: “I can hear something breathing under the bed.”
Ha! That face! The Bumper!
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oh yes Peter!! Even Walt Disney apparently knew that scary stuff was part of our collective consciousness and so many of his chidren’s stories contained those elements as did so many of the old fairy tales.
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Always safe under the covers right?
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well, we managed to survive!! 😀
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Yes we did, perhaps a bit (emotionally) scarred for life, however. 😨
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Why have we connected the word basement with thrilling situations,Cybele?Now,I very well know,my friend, after reading your “true” story – I wish it were rich imagery lol.The veil you spread between the living and the dead,this time,was too thin,dear friend.I felt so relieved when I saw the beaming dawn light in your last photo and listened to the invigorating music clip.Beautiful photos.See you on the All Hallows’ Eve,if it’s to be continued 🙂
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oh it’s fun to have a little scare once in awhile from the safety of home. this is the time of year for it!! Glad it gave you goose bump shivers lol!!
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Great blog. Love the colors and images.
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Many thanks!! Hope you will enjoy of few of the tales too!!
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Basements freak me out. So dark and shadowy… I have no doubt big, bad beasties thrive there!
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oh yes!! me says gleefully lol!
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Fun, scary “true” (?) story. Love the images, especially the dastardly dolly!
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🙂 ( based on the usual night terrors lol)
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As a kid, I was told never to go in the basement. Of course, I know now it was because the coal bin was down there and they didn’t want me to get buried in the coal! HA! You weave one spooky story! 😀
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oh come on- there are always “things” in the basement!! Thanks Linda!!
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Bwahahahaha! 😆
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Very creepy…. 🙂 Love these images! The last one is awesome.
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so much fun being creepy!! 🙂
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🙂
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Wonderfully creepy!
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glad you think so Debbie!! 🙂
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Reminds me of a childhood memory. I used to be afraid of something nasty lurking under my bed and putting my feet on the floor was taking a terrible risk when I needed to get up at night. I’d share this with my grandson but don’t want to scare him. 🙂 :-0
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lol! Wait till he’s a bit older!! we all had those fears didn’t we! Walt Disney capitalized on it. Kids like being scared!! ( to a point)
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Spoooooky! 🙂
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so glad moon!! thanks – lots of fun!
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Ooh er …
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🙂 brrhaha and all!!
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Oh! A ghost story! Loved it! 😀
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I thought you might Lizzie!! Fun stuff. Thanks so much!
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Your images are super-creepy, Cybele!
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oh I’m glad!!! Everyone needs that touch of creepiness in life!!
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Haha!
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Very creepy pictures (except for the sky one 🙂 ), and very spooky story, Cybele!
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thank you Anita- did you think it appropriate for Halloween!! lol
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Oh it absolutely is! 🙂
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😀
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yikes!
and befits
my neighbors’
decorations 🙂
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glad you liked it Smile!!
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so scary
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brrhahaha!! 🙂
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Loving the ghost stories and photos.
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thanks Maverick!! Great fun!!
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Another great ghost story! The images are scary good!
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thanks Deborah!! Scary is fun!
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Just love The Thumper
Great piece
Booalloween
The man from under the stairs
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thanks so much Sheldon!!
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