Drabble:
The fluorescent light filtered down from the overhead lights and cascaded down my shoulders, my feet created a sharp shadow upon the linoleum floor. I turned in the aisle, my breath quick and hot in my mask. I took a bag of medium roast coffee from the shelf, sparing myself a quick sniff before tucking it under my arm and heading back the way I came. I took in a satisfied breath as I turned the corner and jumped when my hand made contact with the back of an elderly man.
His back was contorted and his gnarled hand gripped tightly on the top of an oak cane.
I yelped in surprise and sheepishly apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you there."
The man made no effort to excuse my surprise and instead let out a fractured moan instead.
My eyebrows pursed in confusion and I stepped around him towards the bustling lines of college-aged kids and tired adults waiting to pay.
'I hope that man makes it home alright. He doesn't seem like he should be driving.' I thought. I pulled my coffee closer and tucked my arms around my waist as I waited.
~~~~~
A smile quirked at the sides of my lips as I pulled into my driveway and put my car in park. I turned off the radio, grabbed my coffee and my backpack, and pushed open the creaking car door. I wiggled out of the car and slung my backpack over my shoulder.
A pained groan sliced through the quiet of the neighborhood, cutting a clear line in between one side of my life and the next one. I jumped and turned at the sound, the bag of coffee falling from my arms and thunking on the concrete driveway below.
The man from the store; his back twisted in an even more grotesque fashion than before and the knuckles holding his cane so thoroughly intertwined I could barely make out the separate digits.
I gasped and took a timid step back towards my house.
The man's mouth gaped open and the ghastly moan escaped again, sending a chill down my arms and through the rest of my being. A spider crawled out from behind his lips, scurrying quickly down his neck towards the oak cane.
"Fuck." I whispered under a hushed breath. I turned quickly on my heel and walked towards my house, my keychain clattering and fidgeting in my hand. With one final look back towards where the haunting man had last been, I wiggled the key in the lock. When I turned back, the man had disappeared, nothing but a few scurrying spiders left behind.
6-Word Story: The woman had no energy remaining
Authors Note: The six-word story is pretty self-explanatory, it is obviously about me being entirely exhausted, haha. The drabble was inspired by my former manager at my coffee shop where she told me that a man was following her around a store and she was worried he was a ghost that would follow her home. Weird story, I know. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed writing this story and giving it a Halloween-ie feel even though we are almost to the holiday season. Also, I am sorry for the story being so long, I just could not tell the story in less words. Enjoy these short stories!
Image information:Deviant Art Ghost Man
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