29 Comments

We need the other chapters NJ, come on fam!!!!!

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Nice. Nervous Irish parents have told a version of this to each other for centuries. <3

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Oct 29Author

Don’t let the fae snatch the children!

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So great! Lately every time I read your stories I think you need to be a director. So visual and intense! There is nothing more terrifying than a child disappearing. I thought for sure Lai was going to have some kind of darkness! You led us through all of it.

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Oct 29Author

Okay!! Lmao this secretly a nightmare I have every time I take my child from the park like what if that’s not really my child 😭!! And wow that’s such a compliment I have a few friends who press me to pick up video which I did for a while mostly for food content but editing video is THEE WORST. But life is funny so maybe I will be. Thank you for reading Deirdre I really thought I went light on the description but glad it hit

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I’m still not over it and he’s 23 now

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Oct 29Author

I wouldn’t either!!

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I totally see you as a writer/Director… and oh my God I did lose my son once in target a long time ago and both my daughter and I were running around yelling his name and crying like maniacs and all of a sudden alll these mothers came out from nowhere saying: what’s he wearing? …I’ll go to the front door… I’ll go check these aisles etc.. all the mothers in the store came out to help me. And he was in the toy section sitting on the floor, looking at things.

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Oct 29Author

Omg I’d shit myself 😭😭😭 so glad you all found him and shout out to the moms who rose to the occasion. The community we need!!

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“as tv watched us” ! that framing had me on chokehold 🔥🔥🔥🔥

did a number of tickling on my brain and i love it.

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Oct 29Author

Thanks for reading Tobi! I appreciate it fr

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living for this graphic!

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Thank you and thank my Canva subscription 🤣

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Very, very well done...

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Sooo… I was so excited when I saw your new post pop up on my TL, but I honestly regret reading this😭😭 it was truly scary and I found myself scared last night and thinking about it throughout today. I was looking at my 3 year old sideways and everything lmao. Your story telling and descriptions made this story come off my screen and into a short film that I can’t get out of my head. I felt like I heard the guttural sounds and felt that living darkness. So disturbing. So good. Bravo, you scared the hell out of me and I can’t even be mad at it, your writing is amazing in every way!

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Oct 30Author

Omg my heart dropped when I saw this notification I’m like jeez why would they regret it 😭😭 but then I read the whole thing and as someone who also have a three year old I GET IT 😂😂 my imagination often wonders if I’m actually bringing home my little bundle of energy and not a sneaky evil spirit. Sorry for giving you a fright but also very glad the story was that good. Thank you for reading

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lol no I’m just a wimp. I used to love reading horror growing up since I never found it as disturbing as the visuals, but this did it! It was such a good read! The same with your last horror piece. Maybe I’m just masochistic because I’ll 1000% read the next horror piece you’d put out

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Oct 31Author

Hahaha I love to know that. I appreciate you returning to read newer pieces. That means everything to me

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The anticipation when they are walking into the bedroom was palpable. loved the twist at the end too!

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Oct 30Author

Thank you! I’m working on killing off less characters 😅

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haha! you got to keep them around to know them a bit better before they get the axe. sometimes I like a character because they get the axe

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Oct 30Author

Same 🤧

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Excellent stuff, I liked some of those casual little touches like "the TV watched us", not consequential in the story but fantastic at building atmospheric dread. The fact that the creatures are white and waxy in texture is also a potent little detail.

The demonic changeling is such a fertile theme for story. I dunno if you've seen "The Changeling" by Clint Eastwood with Angelina Jolie. Not really a horror movie, more like a courtroom drama, but very effective in creating this sense of alienation and challenge to the maternal role. More recently there was "Vivarium" with Jesse Eisenberg that wasn't so effective, and "Cuckoo" which I didn't see.

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Oct 29Author

Yes! I’ve seen the changeling although it’s been probably over a decade and of course read Victor Lavelle’s the changeling as well (and watched the show). I’ll have to check out the others you mentioned 👀. I appreciate you reading A.P

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Great story! I loved the screaming when 'Omah' saw the running water. Immediately, jumped my intrigue up a notch. The creature reveal was great, too, but my favorite part is at the end with the cavern. It was perfectly unsettling and heartrending to imagine!

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Oct 29Author

Thank you for reading Jared!! Any horror fan knows some of the worst creatures hate running water 🤭 I’m excited to circle back to this story and glad you appreciated the ending

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This was such a chilling story. My favorite part is shortly after that 11:58 pm section - when you've already heard a couple sounds that says something is very much wrong and it's setting the scene with so much dread for how .. wrong everything actually is with the situation. It was genuinely horrific. I also really like the reminder of where Omah actually ended up .. so tragic.

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Oct 29Author

Thank you!! I figured that was way more horrifying than anything else. We won’t know what’ll happen to him and maybe that’s the bit of the story I’ll explore when I pick it back up again. Also worth checking out Victor Lavelle’s changeling which has a similar theme (it’s also a show on appletv now)

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You're so welcome. And I love Victor Lavelle work so I'm going to have to find a way to watch that

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