Storytime Bloghop Halloween 2019

This year hasn’t been good to me. I’ve been out with an illness that was supposed to be a minor nuisance but turned into nearly half a year of convalescence. I did finish “High School Dragons 3: Crowned by Fire” (more on that later) and just got it back from the editor. Getting it published asap is my highest priority. At the same time preparations for the Indie Authors’ Advent Calendar are underway (this year’s theme: dragons!), as well as the preparation of my NaNo novel. You see, I’m very, very busy.

That doesn’t stop me from participating in the Storytime Blog Hop again. This episode will also be featured in one of the two Halloween episodes of the “Alone in a Room With Invisible People” Podcast (FB page is here). Check it out, it’s awesome. So without further ado, my whimsical story for the hop. I hope you’ll like it. As always, remember to visit the other participants (list below the story).

Edda’s Second Chance

Edda didn’t want to leave the afterlife to become an invisible friend. Not even the reward, a day of being human again, excited her. She only agreed after securing another boon.

As a slave, sex toy, and food tester for a rich Roman, she hadn’t enjoyed life. Her only fond memory was of his face, as he realized she’d poisoned the wine.

Grinning at the memory, Edda slipped into a little girl’s room. Only in second grade, Suzie already was victim to severe bullying. Edda wondered how she might help.

It turned out to be easy. Suzie was still young enough to believe in her. So Edda scouted routes, kept Suzie away from the two bullies, and encouraged her to learn Judo, which did wonders for Suzie’s self-esteem.

Halloween rolled around.

Since Edda didn’t feel like having a day off, she and Suzie devised a plan. In human form, Edda hid behind trees and followed Suzie as she and her best friend collected sweets. As expected, the bullies showed up soon.

Edda jumped out of her hiding place, grabbed the boys’ bags, knocked them over hard, and pretended to attack Suzie. As discussed, Suzie grabbed her lapels, and threw her over her shoulder. Edda dropped the bags and fled. Suzie handed the boys their bags.

After that, they protected her, and Edda was assigned a new case.

James father came home drunk every night, and James prayed half the day that he’d be too tired to hit his mom. But that hardly ever happened. Edda did her best to hide the three year old, but James’ mother’s screams found him everywhere. Every night, the boy fell asleep crying, no matter what Edda tried.

One day, she hid him in the garage under the car, and James climbed into the motor compartment. Something ripped and squirted oil, so she convinced James to hide someplace else.

The next day, his father had a car accident which kept him in the hospital for months. Unfortunately that saved his life because the doctors discovered a heart problem.

During his absence, James bloomed, making friends and even laughing. His mother, too, looked healthier and happier—until the day her husband returned and the beating commenced.

A decision grew in Edda’s heart. She could barely wait for Halloween. Rising early, she hugged James and told him to hide in the garden shed at nightfall. He complied. Then, she called in her second boon.

When the moon rose, she turned into the Grim Reaper—scythe and all—and knocked at the door of James’ home.

The father opened. Already drunk, he swore and staggered. “No party here.” He lifted his meaty fist to slam it into her face. With a laugh, she lifted her head so he could look under her hood into the non-existent face.

He paled, gurgled, and clutched his chest. With his family hiding, there would be no help. Edda walked away smiling.

Maybe being an invisible friend wasn’t too bad after all.

 

Visit the other participants:

Very Thin Line by Rebecca Anne Dillon
Henry Moves House by Nic Steven
For The Ghost The Bell Tolls by James Husum
Never Alone by Melanie Drake
The Neighbor by Meghan Collins
Storytime Blog Hop by Raven O’Fiernan
Loney Lucy by Bill Bush
The Traveler by Barbara Lund
Evening by Karen Lynn
Man Of Your Dreams by Gina Fabio
The Undertaker’s Daughter by J. Q. Rose
The Road by Elizabeth McCleary
Family Time by Bonnie Burns
The Exeption by Vanessa Wells
Number 99 by Juneta Key
 
 

13 thoughts on “Storytime Bloghop Halloween 2019”

  1. Sherry Ellis says:

    Congratulations on being selected for the anthology!

  2. Louise (Fundy Blue) says:

    I’m sorry that you’ve had a tough go of it this year, Katharina! Hopefully the exciting news that your story was selected for the 2019 IWSG Anthology will lift your spirits! Happy Holidays! And good luck as you write!

    1. Cat says:

      Thanks. And yes, it has been a great boost in confidentiality. I’ll announce it on my blog soon-ish.

  3. Edda is quite resourceful 🙂

  4. I really enjoyed Edda serving up justice in this story. And I loved the podcast performance of this story too.

  5. Juneta Key says:

    Cute and Clever. I enjoyed reading it. It sounded great on the podcast too.

  6. Mil Holmes says:

    Brings back memories. Ahh. The good ol’ days weren’t always good.

  7. Bonnie says:

    I *heart* this. 😉

  8. JQ Rose says:

    Go Edda! Satisfying ending indeed.

  9. Barbara says:

    Yay Edda! Well done.

  10. Very dark, but for all the right reasons! A Happy Halloween for James, indeed!

  11. Sally says:

    Great story. Loved the ending.

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