Nightmare“Devil Take Me” by Gordon B. White
“Ant Twin” by Sean Noah Noah
“Only When You Laugh” by Amanda Song
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are three original stories in the 122nd issue of Nightmare, including one flash story. Overall, it was an entertaining collection.
“Devil Take Me” by Gordon B. White
In this short horror story, a boy grows up with an abusive father and a meek mother. The boy is always picking at things, trying to destroy them, which brings more retribution from his father. But as hard as the boy’s life is, it worsens when his mother has another boy.
Now his mother ignores him, his father retreats into a shell, and his baby brother cries all day and night. Into this chaos, the devil visits the boy to make him an offer.
Ultimately the author spent too long laying the foundations to what was a shallow plot.
“Ant Twin” by Sean Noah Noah
A fact about ants is the basis of this flash horror. The mass of ants equals the weight of living humans. So, what if ants clubbed together to represent each living human?
The page-length story was more of a conjecture that left the possibilities unexplored.
“Only When You Laugh” by Amanda Song
Seven-year-old Cassie looks forward to seeing her favorite comedian, Mitch, in this short tale. Her parents constantly fight, and she hopes the comedy show makes them laugh, ending the arguments. Meanwhile, Mitch prepares for his last show, planning to go out with a bang.
At the show, everything goes pear-shaped for little Cassie. Her parents keep yelling at each other, and just as Mitch comes on, they want to do something else. But the little girl steadfastly holds to her hope as she fingers the special joke in her pocket.
This story took a different view of comedy and the concept of belly-busting laughs. It was an appealing read.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com. There are links there to join his mailing list for a weekly newsletter on the recent release of his debut novel, Defender of Vosj.