365 Short Horrors

J oy is a raw emotion that is difficult to force out of someone. It stems from the idea that something pleasant has been experienced and you can't help but smile through it. But what if the sight of your joy was so admirable that everyone wanted to see it at all times, forcing a smile even in the darkest of times? "What are you doing here, Mrs. Grungle?" I asked in a jovial voice, happy to see a good friend. "I'm looking for someone to help me drive my car," she said, gesturing toward her hands, which are carrying a comically large stack of books. "I'm a little tied up at the moment." I got a good laugh out of it. "No problem, I can drive for you," I said. We made our way over to the car as she struggled to keep the books from falling over. After we got in the car and took off, I asked her, "What are all the books for?" "I have a friend that just bought a bookshelf, only to realize she didn't have any bo...

T here are things that many struggle to find equal footing with others about. Some support the idea that certain generations lack respect while others say they struggled more than the rest. Disagreements at every turn for one reason or another. It's the good thing about humanity is our individuality. We are all not the same. The one thing I feel we can all agree on, however, is that we don't trust the government. Walking through the doors of the 'Mirror Institution', I expected it to be more of a factory than anything. After all, what would you do in a company about mirrors besides build them? The interior of the building was white with many darkened windows surrounding us. It was like some fancy interior of a building from a movie. "Welcome aboard!" said a man with a grey suit and a a white beard. He looked like the stereotype of a rich millionaire. "You must be Felicia." He put his hand out and I shook it. He looked like a genuinely jolly m...

T rust can be a difficult thing to earn. It's not something that appears in your pocket that you can use to do what you want with. It is something that is earned. It could be from something as simple as treating them with kindness or something as huge as doing everything in your power for the person to see you as anything but a threat. But once that trust is received, it must be treated with gentle care. As co-workers, we were practically strangers before moving in. We knew nothing about each other besides how well we worked. That and our names. Well, I knew his, he was still slow to learn mine. His name was Jacob. I was being kicked out of my home, possibly for the reason that I was nearing my mid-twenties and had always relied on my parents to do things for me. I vented to people at work about it as I struggled to find a place to live. I wasn't making near enough money to live on my own, so I needed to either find a cheap place or split rent with someone else. Of cour...

E vil comes in the strangest of places. It may come from the voices floating around your head. It may be from the cruel experience you'd recently had. Perhaps even seeing a video or witnessing some dark act to remind you how cruel humanity can truly be. But no matter, evil exists. You may not have to seek it out, for it always finds you in the end. There's an interesting complication, living in an apartment complex. For our mail, we have a box inside with locked cabinets where each different apartments' mail goes. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes the mail man will get our mail mixed up. And I really wish today hadn't been one of those days. I was heading downstairs from my third floor apartment, key in hand and ready to receive the piles of junk mail I had for simply existing. I reached the mailboxes, jammed my key in, and opened it up. I assumed it would be nothing but a letter or two. Instead, I was greeted with a small package, just big enough to fit....

T he longing for worldly possessions is incredible. The further we advance in our society, the more things we long to have. But as the want for greater things comes up, as does the price tag. The true question we have to ask humanity is, how great does the need have to be versus the price tag that we feel the need to break our moral code and commit theft? And what is it that we want that blinds us from what we truly have, once taken? A city bus, the perfect scene to set for what I've done. Paid my toll and walked down the aisle, the select few eyes looming to see the next victim. Once seated, everyone else seemed to lose interest. I sat my purse down beside me and looked toward the window. I was unsure how long it would be before reaching my destination, all I knew was I needed to act quickly. I took one quick glance across the bus to see if anyone would have their eyes on me. Lucky for me, everyone was minding their own business. I looked over to the guy sitting next to me. ...

A s humans, it is sometimes strange the things we find comfort in. A trend over the past couple years has been an electronic brick that our eyes are glued to with nary a release. For some, much like children, we find comfort in material things, such as blankets or stuffed animals. For the more mentally sophisticated, they enjoy themselves some crystals. But no matter what it is we find comfort in, it's a terrifying thing when we are torn away from them. I'll never forget the day my dog died. It was also the day I died inside. It started out as a day just like any other. I was taking my dog out for a walk at the park, just as any good dog owner around this neighborhood does. We did our usual laps around the park. There was when I saw my good friend, Barbara. "How have things been?" she asked, going in for a half hug. She looked down at my dog, which looked up at her, wagging his tail. "Who's this cute little guy?" "This is Sampson," I ...