Comment from Louise Michelle

Exceptional

Hi Dean,

This one is really scary! Terrific attention to detail with the shortest possible amount of words - a terrific example of flash/micro fiction done well.

LOL - Your notes are cracking me up. I would have given you a sixer just for the story, but those hilarious notes are an added attraction, hahahaha.

Hugs,
Lou

 Comment Written 09-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2015

Thanks, Lou. I pattern my notes off those campy, alliteration laden monologues by that gleeful ghoul, The Crypt Keeper, of EC comics and Tales From the Crypt fame. Ever seen him?

I really appreciate your generosity with the sixer, and I'm so glad that you're enjoying the stories in this series.
Thanks so much again!
~Dean :}

reply by Louise Michelle on 09-Jul-2015

No, hon. The only horror I read is your stuff, although Michael has been producing a bunch of contributions to your project. I'd say the devil makes him do it, but I KNOW who the naughty influence really is, hee hee.

reply by the author on 09-Jul-2015

Okay, ya caught me. Guilty as charged, heh-heh... :)

Comment from Green Lake Girl

Excellent

A malignant, oily fog, eh? What could be worse? Poor Jeanie--petrified with fear. Maybe your next Tiny Tale could be Jeanie turning the tables on the intruder. The victim becomes the aggressor. (I'm rambling.) But, great short story, Dean. You may have mentioned this before--how many words should a Tiny Tale of Terror be?

 Comment Written 09-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2015

To stick to the parameters of micro and flash fiction, I ask that the stories remain between 100 to 500 words in length, Green Lake Girl. That, and they must pertain to the horror or supernatural genre, of course. Other than that, the world is your oyster, lol.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments.
~Dean

Comment from playinaround

Excellent

eeeewww... eerie! I really was pleasantly scared in the very last of this story. I would like to read more of these. They are fun and add spice to all the other lovey dovey poems on this site. Thank you for sharing!

 Comment Written 09-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2015

Thanks for taking an interest in the Tiny Tales of Terror series, playinaround. I think there are 42 chapters, all by various authors who have contributed to the book. Some are gory, some are very violent. While others are more subtle scares. There's pretty much something for any type of horror aficionado in this book.
Thanks again for your thoughtful review. I really appreciate your time, and I'm happy you enjoy them.
~Dean :}

Comment from Eric1

Excellent

Hi Dean, I swear your stories get creepier and creepier, Though , I think the way they are written has a lot to do with it my friend, another excellent story!

 Comment Written 09-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2015

Thank you very much, Eric. I do try hard, my friend. As always, I sincerely appreciate your review.
~Dean :)

reply by Eric1 on 10-Jul-2015

You are welcome my friend.

Comment from country ranch writer

Excellent

such a waste of a good horror story killing off the victim with out some action going on just terror in her eyes for her to scream

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 08-Jul-2015

Ain't it the sad, sad truth, country?
Thanks so much for your review, my dear friend. :}
~Dean

reply by country ranch writer on 08-Jul-2015

YEPPER

Comment from Linda Kay

Excellent

Dean,
Your author comments are always as witty as your stories. I like your ability to keep the surprises coming, ok- she doesn't see footprints but if that wasn't creepy enough the reflection is coming from her! You also did a great job of developing the mood and setting with just the very first sentence.

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 08-Jul-2015

Thank you, Linda. You did mean the reflection was coming from behind her, right? Jeanie was seeing the killer's reflection in the window, and he was behind her the entire time, drawing nearer. That's why there were no footprints in the snow. He was never outside.
Thanks so much again for the thoughtful comments. ~Dean :}

reply by Linda Kay on 08-Jul-2015

Yup, I got it, behind her... Funny what a difference omitting one word makes:) Again, you definitely have found your writing niche with horror pieces, just like I have found mine with funny little rhyming stories about animals for kids.

Comment from Mastery

Exceptional

Good one, my friend. Love the picture, first of all. LOL...Typical DeanO grabber.
Great imagery like: "Shock took hold, squeezing the breath out of her lungs. She shook uncontrollably, like leaves in a stiff fall breeze. The phone fell from her hand, tumbling to the floor."

Suggestions: "in the vicinity of her neighborhood." (word conservation...end this sentence with the word "vicinity"

Also: " leering at her from the snow-covered, sparkling lawn." (perhaps better: leering at her across the sparkling, snow-covered lawn.)

Great job, my friend. Bob

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 08-Jul-2015

Thanks, Bob, and I love your suggestions, not to mention your very generous six star rating and complimentary review.
As always, I appreciate every thing...every last bit...very much.
Your friend and forever fan,
~DeanO

Comment from Spitfire

Excellent

Wow! You come up with some dandies. I'm learning how to build suspense with word choice and pacing by studying your stories. I always get a kick out of your notes. :-)

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 08-Jul-2015

Ha-ha, thanks, Shari. I was HUGE fan of those old Tales From the Crypt comics EC (Entertainment Comics) published in the 1950's and '60s. My uncle gave me a ton of them when I was about nine or ten, comics he'd been collecting for years but no longer wanted. Did you know that In 1954?55, censorship pressures prompted it to concentrate on the humor magazine Mad, leading to the company's greatest and most enduring success? Comics like The Vault of Horror, Tales From the Crypt, CREEPY and EERIE magazines forced the industry to form The Comics Code Authority in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America. It was an alternative to government regulation, to allow the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. By the early 2000s, newer publishers bypassed the CCA and Marvel Comics abandoned it in 2001. By 2010, only three major publishers still adhered to it: DC Comics, Archie Comics, and Bongo Comics. Bongo broke with the CCA in 2010. DC and Archie followed in January 2011, rendering the Code defunct.

I also own all 7 seasons of Home Box Office's Tales From the Crypt series featuring that gleeful ghoul, the Crypt Keeper. I studied his campy, alliteration laden monologues religiously for quite a while, and still watch them to this very day.

Go figure, right? Heh-heh-heh...
~Dean ;}

Comment from Ric Myworld

Excellent

The poor lady is just about to become another victim of one of Dean Kuch's imaginary intruders, and the sight isn't going to be a pretty one. Great job. :-)

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 11-Jul-2015

You got that right, Ric--it isn't, heh-heh.
Thanks so much for the review, my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
~Dean :)

Comment from Muffins

Exceptional

This is the reason I'm glad I live in an apartment and not a 'murders are welcome' house.

The last line shook me. Although, I'm in an office, I still looked around, just in case. The sentences are fantastic:

"choking off her air supply like a piece of half-chewed steak that simply wouldn't go down."
"An uneasy feeling began to wash over her--like a malignant, oily fog." Delicious !

 Comment Written 08-Jul-2015

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reply by the author on 11-Jul-2015

Hah-ha, that's great, Muffins. I appreciate you letting me know that. It means I was able to do what I set about to do--scare the pants off of you (or dress, as the case might be, lol).
Thanks so much for the exceptional rating and thoughtful review.
~Dean :)