Howlietzer Publishing

Category: Fantasy

  • My Mother-in-Law Moved In… Then Things Took a Dark Turn

    My Mother-in-Law Moved In… Then Things Took a Dark Turn

    Emily’s Garden, and a Moment of Peace

    Emily knelt in the soft earth of her garden, her fingers tenderly working the soil around her rose bushes. The air was sweet with the scent of blooms, and the rhythmic sound of her trowel was the only thing keeping her grounded. Emily had decided to take some time away from work. She was a corporate lawyer, and her company had just finished a very strenuous case of fraud from within. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and she’d decided to take a week to rest.

    Her garden was her sanctuary, one of the only spaces where she felt at peace. She and her husband, Tom, had moved to the neighborhood about five years ago, and it was only now becoming home. Her garden helped. She’d always helped her mother with her garden, and weeding had become a pleasure after getting a real job after college.

    Tom worked for a car company and oversaw a lot of the technology projects across the country. He traveled a lot, which was a pain at first, but after the years it became routine, and he was never gone long, usually one week out of every month, and he would be back this weekend. She planned on cooking him something special since she had the time off. A homecooked meal always tasted the best after a long trip.

    The Call from Tom

    Her phone buzzed on the top step of the porch. Sighing, she wiped her hands on her jeans and picked it up. It was Tom.

    “Hey,” she answered cheerfully, though the tone of his voice immediately put her on edge.

    “Hey, Em. Listen, I’ve got news, and I need you to keep an open mind.”

    Her stomach tightened. “What kind of news?”

    “Helen’s moving in with us,” he said, “It’s temporary. Just until she feels safer.”

    An Early and Unwelcome Arrival

    She spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning. It was Wednesday and Helen was due on Friday. She’d cleaned most of the house before she heard a knock at the door.

    Odd…

    Emily set her broom and dusting pan down as she opened the front door. It was Helen. Two days early. She had two suitcases, tightly gripped in her boney hands and a seething sneer on her face. Emily did her best to smile, but this encounter with her mother-in-law singlehandedly trumped every interaction. The hairs on the back of Emily’s neck raised.

    Something’s Wrong with Helen

    Emily, again, tried to smile and offered to take Helen’s suitcases, but she clutched them violently.

    “I can handle them. I made it here on my own, I can handle them the rest of the way.”

    Emily sighed. “Fine. I was just cleaning. Your room isn’t ready yet; I only received a call from Tom about an hour ago.”

    Voices from the Guest Room

    However, once she came to the door, she heard her. Helen was talking to herself, but it was odd. She sounded like she was mimicking Emily, and as Emily listened at the door, the more it sounded like Emily and Helen were having an argument inside the room.

    Emily dropped the plate, and it broke.

    A Grocery Run and a Gun

    Emily conceded, however, she was going to be cautious around Helen from now on. She called up the stairs to let her know that she was going to the supermarket for groceries. They didn’t have anything in the house and Emily had planned on going shopping anyway.

    She did get groceries: steaks, potatoes, salad, and other things, but she also went to a gun store nearby and purchased her first gun.

    What Lies Beneath the Roses

    Once she arrived back at the house, she saw Helen knelt into her rose bed. It looked like she was digging something.

    “What are you doing to my roses, Helen?” said Emily, the gun and ammunition tucked into her purse.

    The Monster Shows Its Face

    Inside was the remains of what Emily could only describe as a person if they were crumpled up like a paper ball and shoved in a suitcase. It was Helen! The real Helen! Emily fell backwards and pushed herself away.

    Helen smiled. “Got caught, did I? Well, I guess I didn’t do a very good job of hiding it. I can never tell which ones of you hire gardeners or do your own dirty work.”

    Aftermath: Truth and Trauma

    The police arrived shortly after, sirens screaming. The neighbors heard gunshots and called 911. Emily told first responders the rest. They didn’t begrudge her for defending herself, but they wondered why she shot her twelve times in the head after twelve in the torso.

    Tom left the site early after all. Once the police contacted him, he hurried to the airport to see his wife and identify the bodies. The other body made him shiver. The face was destroyed. If he didn’t know any better, he’d almost think it was Emily. Same size. Hair was similar too. And there was this birthmark on the right shoulder… Tom shook his head.

    There was no way. His wife was locked up.

    It was just a coincidence.

    If you enjoyed My Mother-in-Law Moved In… Then Things Took a Dark Turn, you might also like The Black-Eyed Children Came Knocking… Again

  • Crap! I Reincarnated as a Pokemon! Chapter 3

    A Pokemon Fanfiction

    Hiker Mark captured me before I could figure out what Overcome was all about, but I managed to get up to level 4 and I learned Sand Attack. Lame move, but I’m still young. Hiker Mark is a very large man, with a black beard and a… safari hat? I’ve never known what those were called. And a rucksack that he carries everywhere. He has a lot of nifty things inside. A tent. Sleeping bag. Flashlight. Typical camping gear. He has two Pokemon. A Geodude named Geode and a Sandshrew named Quartz. I’m glad he hasn’t named me, though I guess a rock-themed name is appropriate.

    I’m a Rockruff, a Pokemon I never heard of. I guess the world of Pokemon had changed a lot since I stopped playing. I’m a rock type, which in my day wasn’t very useful, but we’ll see. All I remember from playing the game is that a Water Gun, nearly always, one-shotted rock types, so they were never a part of any team I formed.

    Mark’s goal was to give me to his daughter Laura. She was graduating from Pokemon school this week. So, he had been hiking all over Ustanto to find a Pokemon for her. Ustanto. I have no idea what region that is. Never heard of it. Maybe another Pokemon game I’ve never played.

    Hiker Mark and his family live in a town called Greenville. Another shock. I was expecting Green City or Jungle Town or Foliage Town, but Greenville just sounds so normal. Like I’m back in the real world. Real world. I guess this is a real world.

    Nevertheless, Greenville is just about what I expected from a Pokemon town. Once we got there, Hiker Mark took us to the Pokemon Center, and I met Nurse Joy. Pretty much a babe, like I remember from the TV show. She healed us up and gave us back to Mark in about 30 minutes.

    She does a lot more than you see in the game. She gave each of us an actual checkup, making sure there wasn’t anything wrong with our teeth, eyes, ears, everything. And when I say she, what I mean to say there were several Nurse Joys running around, all of them accompanied by a Pokemon called Audino, which I’ve also never heard of. Though it does look familiar. Maybe it’s just an unmemorable Pokemon.

    Now the weirdest thing is traveling in a Pokeball. It’s like a time skip. I’m at the Pokemon Center being healed. Then I’m turned into, I guess, light energy and stored inside. And that’s about all I know. I don’t remember anything from being inside. It’s simply I’m in one place and then I’m somewhere else. There’s no little room inside. I’m not cramped. I literally don’t know what happens to me from when I’m put back in the ball to when I’m released again. Kind of scary really. I mean what if someone breaks a Pokeball with a Pokemon inside. What happens?

    I don’t want to think about it. Next thing I know, Hiker Mark released me into his living room with Geode and Quartz. It’s a nice place. There’s a big comfy couch, that I am immediately kicked off of. A big screen TV. Lots of bookshelves laden with books that I can’t read. It must be in this world’s language. Mrs. Hiker Mark is kind of a babe too. Why are all the women attractive? I guess they’re as pretty as how the artist wanted them to look. That’s an interesting thought. Do they call God, the Artist? I think I’m going to. That sounds fun.

    “Laura,” shouted Hiker Mark. He was at the foot of the steps. He still had his ruck sack on. Jeez old man! You’re home already! Take that thing off!

    He looks at me and lifts his finger to his mouth. I’m guessing all he hears is “Rockruff rock! Rockrockruff! Rock!”

    Jeez! This world.

    “Get your lazy butt down here! I have a surprise for you!”

    A rumble of feet came from upstairs. Running down them as fast as she could.

    “Papa!”

    She jumped into his arms, and he gave a hardy laugh. Laura was a young girl. I’m guessing twelve (that’s the typical age of young trainers right?) with long brown hair and big brown eyes. She wore a school uniform, a blue pleated skirt and white short-sleeve shirt and a small red necktie.

    “I caught you a Pokemon for when you start on your journey. Tomorrow is your last day of school after all.”

    She giggled. “Really?” She looked towards me and her mouth dropped open. I’m nervous now. Is she upset?

    “Oh papa, he’s so cute!”

    She jumped on top of me and picked me up, cuddling into my face. I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. I’ve never been this close to a girl before. That shouldn’t matter! She’s way underage!

    I wasn’t sure how to react. Being a Pokemon is weird. So, I licked her face.

    She laughed and hugged me close so I could look over her shoulder. There was another Pokemon staring through the window. I barked at it, and it ran away. It was a dark cat looking Pokemon. I vaguely remember it from the last game I played. The name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t remember it.

    Laura turns around, startled. I guess my barks must have been menacing enough.

    “It’s Okay, Rockruff. There’s nothing there. Come on, let’s go upstairs!” She almost runs upstairs before thanking Hiker Mark for the gift.

    She turns swiftly and gives him a big hug with me in between. I’m being crushed! At least it was a short hug. She carried me upstairs and plopped me on the bed and cuddled me for a while, rubbing my belly. I don’t hate it.

    “I’ve got to get back to studying, Rockruff. But we’ll play some more later. And then after graduation, we’re going to travel the world and show everyone what an awesome trainer I am.”

    There was something about the way she said that. It was half-hearted or perhaps unsure. Didn’t every kid want to be an awesome trainer or even a Pokemon master? And she was graduating tomorrow; she didn’t seem as excited as I would be in her shoes. Going on an adventure, creating a top-notch team to fight against all challengers. I envied her. This was the type of thing I wish I was doing instead of college.

    I guess I am doing it. I’m going to go on an adventure and be part of an awesome team! I am excited about this! What could go wrong?

     

    The story so far: 1 2 4 5

  • Crap! I Reincarnated as a Pokemon! Chapter 2

    A Pokemon Fanfiction

    The Pidgeot edged towards me, sliding down the branch, the size of its talons captivated me. I had to get out of there! I didn’t see any other options but to drop from this height and hope to escape. I dove off the branch.

    The Pidgeot followed, stretching out its legs to grip me. I didn’t know what to do, so I started flailing my limbs all over the place, desperately trying to squirm away from its claws. It worked. We both hit the ground with a thud, however, the Pidgeot was on its feet, stalking towards me. I rolled over quickly and ran towards the tall grass, hoping to lose it inside. It jumped and glided after me, pushing faster with its wings. I dove into the grass and didn’t look back.

    It can’t get me in here, I thought. It’s too big to get me in here.

    It was not too big to get me in there. Though it was bulky, and the grass was thick, its body was streamlined enough to run on its feet and chase me down. I was small and wiry, though, so landing any hits was difficult. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what moves I had to combat a Pidgeot. As a newly hatched Pokemon, I doubted that I had anything significant.

    It lunged at me beak first, but I dodged it easily.

    Special Ability Steadfast… A voice in my head said. Steadfast raises speed each time a Pokemon flinches.

    What the heck was that? Steadfast? I guess I was flinching. I was trying not to get hit!

    The Pidgeot flapped into the air. “Twister! Twister!” it shouted, and little tornado tried to intercept me, but all that flinching made me faster… Man, I remember that game in high school where I got punched for flinching. Not here, I guess.

    I dodged the winds and jumped into the air towards the Pidgeot. “Oh crap! Oh crap! What am I doing?”

    Use Leer or Tackle? Appeared in my mind.

    “Leer! No, tackle!” I said.

    Opponent Pidgeot has Big Pecks. Leer is not effective.

    The Pidgeot tried to grasp me as I flew towards it, luckily I tucked and rolled out of its grasp and fell back into the tall grass.

    “Sand Attack!” it squawked.

    Special Ability Keen Eye. Keen Eye prevents you from losing accuracy.

    “So, I have two abilities?” I said, diving and weaving through the tall grass as the Pidgeot sent more twisters my way.

    You have five special abilities…

    “Five!” I said, “That sounds a bit OP.”

    Keen Eye; Steadfast; Own Tempo, which prevents you from being intimidated or confused; Vital Spirit, which prevents you from falling asleep; and Overcome…

    “So, I can pretty much avoid all status effects? Sweet!” At that moment I was hit by a critical wing attack and I flew out of the tall grass.

    “Holy crap, that hurt!” I struggled to get up. I felt my hit points drop significantly.

    Use Legendary Ability Overcome? The voice sounded in my head.

    Legendary? It was an incredible sensation. I just got the wind knocked out of me, litterally, but I felt a surge of energy rising up in me. Litteral lightning in my mouth.

    “Sure. Overcome. What is that?”

    The Pidgeot dove right at me and I felt the surge of electricity erupting from my mouth, but then somthing hit me on the side of the head and everything went black.

     

    The story so far: 1 3 4 5

  • Steady As She Goes: A Necromancy Ritual Gone Wrong

    Steady As She Goes: A Necromancy Ritual Gone Wrong

    Steady As She Goes:

    A Necromancy Ritual Gone Wrong

    Preparing the Ritual

    Bartholomew wiped his brow as he looked at his dead wife lying in their bed. He couldn’t bear her lying in the ground. Not alone. They were supposed to live happily ever after. He folded her arms across her body. He didn’t know what to do. This was his first time.

    He looked at the book once more, studying the picture on the opposite side of the ritual. It was a picture of a maiden laying down the same way, same position. He didn’t know if it would matter, but he didn’t want to mess this up.

    Perhaps it would have been better to practice on some butchered animals first. But the longer she stayed in the grave the more she would deteriorate. No. He had to do it quickly, but also accurately.

    He reread the ritual. A lot of blood was needed. His blood. Necromancy demanded sacrifice—as all magic did—and in this case, as the one who cared for her the most (the book was explicit about this), he needed to measure out 1.25 liters of blood. He had the measuring vials; he had the tourniquet and needle.

    Let’s get this rolling

    He applied the tourniquet and found a vein, sticking the needle as best he could… It was very difficult; he was sure he missed… or maybe he just wasn’t doing it right, but still, the blood poured out and he exhausted his body into several vials measuring 1.25 liters.

    Shit!

    He stumbled around the bed as he bandaged his arm. He was going to need a doctor to make sure he wasn’t infected. He did his best to sterilize everything, but he wasn’t confident in his ability. Nor was he confident in raising the dead.

    She looked so peaceful, lying there. Asleep. Dreaming. What about? He wondered. He shook his head. No time for sentiment.

    I must do it now.

    The vials were to be drained into her mouth. She was to “taste life and live again” as the book described, all while he chanted a sacred script…

    Oh shit! The Chrysanthemums!

    He nearly toppled over. The blood loss was getting to him. His head pounding. He had left the bag by the bedroom door. He crawled to it and dragged it towards the bed and gradually pushed himself back to his feet.

    Steady as she goes.

    A Moonlit Resurrection

    He teetered momentarily, till he regained his focus upon her face. He smiled and pulled out the chrysanthemums, laying the blooms around her body, etching her silhouette onto the bedspread. A princess in the moonlight…

    He glanced at the window. The moon was full; one of the main reasons it had to be tonight.

    No mistakes. All perfect. Steady yourself, old chap.

    He pulled the curtains wide and tied them away to let the fresh moonlight in. He opened the window and let in the cool fall air.

    Autumn was her favorite. She loved the crisp chill and bundling up in her sweater and mittens. He smiled at the thought and stared longingly at his beautiful bride.

    Picturesque, she was, lying amongst the flowers. Pale as the incoming light, but he imagined her rosy cheeks as he kissed them. Her sparkling eyes as she playfully pushed him away. He set to work.

    He pulled the bed closer to the window. It would work better closer to the light.

    Oh! Of course!

    He forgot the power circle. He measured out the best position in front of the window and drew the circle with red chalk, a pentagram in the center with sigils in and around the points. He checked his work and moved the bed on top of the circle, her face aglow from the moon.

    He sighed. The candles!

    The candles had to be just right. He followed the picture and lit them, one by one, muttering the prayer that went with each one around the circle—five in all.

    Belinda Returns

    Bartholomew was exhausted and he was having a hard time standing. It was worth it. He poured the vials down her throat and read the sacred rites. He could feel it. There was something in the air. Igniting. Sparks prickling his skin, like a million pin pricks tapping him.

    It was quiet and then a howling gust of wind blew into the room pushing him up against the opposite wall, forcing his eyes shut. The candles blew out, and the wind stopped.

    “Bart?” came a voice near the window. “Where are you, Bart?”

    “Belinda!” He opened his eyes to see her standing in the moonlight, wiping a bit of blood off her lips.

    “What? What is the meaning of this?” she stared at him, a princess in the moonlight.

    He approached her. “I brought you back. Darling, I couldn’t bear your death. I was mad with grief, Belinda.”

    He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight, kissing her forehead and cheeks, waiting for her inevitable scarlet to cross her face. But it didn’t. Her stomach growled, a deep and hollow sound, and her eyes looked at him with a hunger and lust he had never seen before.

    Her mouth agape. Darkness inside. Her jaw unhinged with a snap, and she buried her teeth into his shoulder, ripping his shirt off.

    Bartholomew screamed. Belinda silenced it with her elongated, clawlike fingers, wrapping them around his throat until all that was heard was a gurgling sputter.

     

    Want another? My Mother-in-Law Moved In… Then Things Took a Dark Turn

  • Shadow Puppets

    Shadow Puppets

    Shadow Puppets

    Shadows on the Ceiling

    Tanya watched the shadows dance on the ceiling as she tried to sleep that night. They were cast from the trees outside her window, provided by the moonlight, and, thanks to the ceiling fan, moving—dancing. The overlap of branches and stems appeared like two lovers waltzing around her ceiling fan.

    She laughed softly, because as soon as she thought it, they appeared more and more like little people twisting and turning with the blades of the fan. She held her breath. It was uncanny. They didn’t look like branches, they were the shadows of two people.

    She burst from her bed and peered out the window. She didn’t really expect anything, or rather, she didn’t know what she expected… Something to validate the dancing shadows on her ceiling? But along the empty street and empty sidewalk that circled the cul-de-sac of Keppling Drive there was nothing. She turned back to the ceiling and the little man and woman were branches again, flickering with the fan blades.

    She slid back into bed and stared back at the ceiling, the branches bouncing with the fan, and she concentrated hard, waiting for them to transform into the people she saw moments ago, but they didn’t. Instead, they morphed thicker and thicker till they were just blackness, but as suddenly as they engulfed her ceiling they became miniscule lines that waved at her.

    She felt a bit ill at the sudden change and blinked profusely to stop her head from spinning. Normal. Everything was normal.

    She closed her eyes and shifted in her bed.

    A Whisper in the Dark

    Hello?

    She opened her eyes and turned. Something had just whispered in her ear. It sounded raspy and old, weak and almost inaudible. But it was uncanny. She looked back up at the shadows on her ceiling and gasped. She would have screamed if the gasp hadn’t petrified her lungs. On the ceiling was a face.

    Do you like moving pictures?

    Tanya couldn’t speak. She definitely heard that. She just stared at the ceiling where the face became the little man and woman again. Dancing. Nothing sinister, just as before.

    You can make them dance too. You can make them do whatever you want. Go on. Try it.

    The Voice Behind the Puppets

    Suffice it to say, Tanya was terrified. What was talking to her? And it wanted her to try shadow puppetry? At 11:00 pm? She had school in the morning!

    She relaxed a little. The voice, though unfamiliar and rough, didn’t sound like a bad voice. Almost like grandpa. She focused on the dancing lovers and morphed them into dinosaurs, roaming her ceiling. Then she changed them into astronauts tethered to a space station. Then to her parents, scolding her and sending her to her room without dessert.

    She frowned at that. She had been doing her best not to think about it, but it had happened. She had come home with a less than perfect score on her algebra test, and her father was disappointed in her.

    Did that happen today?

    Tanya meakly spoke. “Yeah. I’m still kinda mad about it.”

    She’d done her best. Sure, she hadn’t really studied that much, but he didn’t have to yell at her so much.

    Her shadow father repeated what her father said before, “You’re better than this! You must work harder if you want to get anywhere in the world! Do you want to be a loser?”

    Tears were welling up and sliding down her pillow.

    I sure you did your best.

    She did. She really had done her best.

    Tanya’s Anger Grows

    Is there anything that I can help you with?

    The shadows changed to her father getting beaten up by two other shadows. And as she watched them punch and kick her father, two shadowy figures emerged from the corners of her room. Featureless, just large, dark human-like shapes.

    She didn’t want to beat up her father. She just wanted to sleep and forget about it.

    He’ll do it again if you don’t take back your power, Tanya.

    She felt the malice emanating from the shadow men. They seemed angrier than she was at the scolding, and the feelings of shame and guilt spread upon her like an infection. Her anger grew and she got out of bed. She should express exactly how she felt to her father. How dare he make her feel this way! It was one test, and she did as good as she could have.

    The Shadows Take Shape

    The shadow man closest to the door opened it and allowed Tanya to pass through, immediately following her with the other close behind. It was quiet for a moment, until Tanya and the shadows entered her parents’ room.

     

    Want another? Steady As She Goes