The Tollman
Act I: Today I Buried a Man I am the Tollman. I sit in this lonely desert tollbooth and collect the tolls from people who pass by. When it is quiet in the night, I hear the voices of people arguing, but no one is near. I can see for […]
Act I: Today I Buried a Man I am the Tollman. I sit in this lonely desert tollbooth and collect the tolls from people who pass by. When it is quiet in the night, I hear the voices of people arguing, but no one is near. I can see for […]
There is something wrong with me. I cannot hide it anymore. I fear my family suspects that something is not quite right with me. They reach out to me, but I pull away. If they came too close, they would know I am different and I am dirty. Once, only […]
“There was a little man in my room last night, and he says he’s going to take me with him.” I glanced up from my cereal in surprise and fixed Mabel, the light of my life as well as my only daughter, with my best fatherly gaze. She giggles, showing […]
Hannah pressed the button of her digital recorder. “New World Podcast, number one. October 31st.” She shook her head and cleared her throat. “Happy Halloween, my new listeners. I started this podcast to let others know you can survive. We are here. And you can find us. The calendar says […]
There is an ancient story which tells of how a spider creature named Iktomi created a web which filtered good dreams from the bad dreams. He shared the secrets of this web with a brave leader, who in turn told the world of the web to ensure his people were […]
I have to stop doing this. I know I have work in the morning. I know I have one strike, but I just get distracted. The basement is dimly lit by a single lightbulb hanging from the center of the room. Well, that and my television screen. The beige walls […]
I sat on a bench under an autumn-dried tree, where I usually spent my time after school. The cemetery was empty; no surprise. An occasional mourner dropped flowers–always some old person coming in to see a lost loved one–or a jogger taking a new route for change. Nobody goes to […]
8/4 I’m not even gonna try and convince you this is a true story. I mean it is, but I don’t care if you believe it. I just needed to put the words on the screen, and put it out in the world to get it off my mind. Let […]
I had to grow up when I was six. I had two little brothers that depended on me. Liam was two and John was just a baby. Our parents were going through a nasty divorce and suddenly the children were just a burden that neither wanted to tend to. I […]
“On lonely street, on a dark lonely night…” She sang softly to herself as she walked, hands clasped behind her back clutching her purse. “A thousand glittering lights flicker bright…” Sara was bored… this Halloween had been such a letdown. Her boyfriend hadn’t been available to go to any of […]
Halloween is by far my favorite time of the year, the one wonderful day where walking around with a mask on is socially acceptable. Masks hold quite a unique place in society. A mask can transform anyone into something else, turn an actor into a character, hide the ‘secret identity’ […]
“So what time you gonna be here?” Tyler asked me impatiently, his voice obviously frustrated. “Cause, like, the storm’s gonna hit any second and I wanna get dinner cooked now in case the power goes out.” I glanced up at the gray sky from underneath my umbrella and saw a […]
True fear creates three responses. The smart run away; the foolish try to wield fear as a sort of weapon to fight what their very nature claims they can’t defeat; and the weak are paralyzed, unable to react; unable to breathe. No one can predict what sort they are. Whether […]
They were strange. The people in the woods. Beautiful but strange. They come to town every Sunday dressed in their best, they would be on the last pew, looking as serene as ever, keeping to themselves the whole mass. They’d be dressed in colorful clothes of expensive silk. Bright green, […]
As the last of the crisp brown Autumn leaves fell to the worn pavement, the young man let out a sigh. So much had happened in the time since he left in the spring of 2001. His home, his workshop, even his favorite stores and restaurants were gone. Walking past […]