Comment from Acquired Taste

Excellent

He had to -- nobody else wanted to be around him. - Best line in the whole piece.

As usual, your flair for 'alternative renditions' on holiday lore is beautifully represented in this tome. Like the folksy dialogue and the 'off the cuff' references to the heads of small children not being with their bodies.

...and to all a Good Night! AT=/

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 17-Oct-2014

Hah-ha, yeah, I do tend to make the holidays sound like so much fun, don't I, Jean, LOL?

I'm glad you enjoyed this one for the most part. I sincerely appreciate your review, and you already know how much I value your opinions.

Thanks so much again. :}

Comment from mikemagine

Excellent

I give you a virtual(and ritual...)six. VERY gory and freakin' scary! The story and the pics go together very nicely like hand in bloody velvet glove.

GOOD!!

Mike

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 16-Oct-2014

Thanks a bunch, Mike. I am really glad you enjoyed the story, my friend.

Take care! :}

reply by mikemagine on 16-Oct-2014

You bet!!

Comment from K. Lorraine

Excellent

Now this story scared the ever lovin' begeebers out of me. Endings are usually predictable, but I wasn't expecting this story's ending! Perfect scary Halloween horror story. It was Horror to the fullest... Good luck in the contest.

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 16-Oct-2014

Thanks, Lorraine, and I really appreciate you letting me know that the ending worked out as I'd hoped it would. It's always good to leave your readers wondering, I think, LOL...

Thanks so much again for the excellent review. :]

Comment from MickeyV

Excellent

Very creepy and at the same time very funny. "Bloated whale's ass," love the analogy. You did a great job of horrifying the reader. Enjoyed very much! You got my vote! Good Luck! Mickey

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 16-Oct-2014

Thanks, Mikey, I really appreciate you taking the time to read and review the story. I often mix horror and humor to break up the tension a little. Some of the most successful horror novels have many elements of humor in them too, so that's what I attempted to do here.

I'm really pleased you felt it worked, and I appreciate your support very much. :}

Comment from onebrit

Excellent

Spooky looking house. Good lord this was a grizzly story. The tension built beautifully throughout the story...the thought of undoing leaking smelly packages isn't something most people would choose to do. Well written.

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 16-Oct-2014

Thanks, onebrit, I appreciate it. I would just have to look, especially if I thought something was wrong. But, you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat, LOL...

Thanks so much again for your review. :}

Comment from Mystic Angel 7777

Exceptional

This meets the contest requirements perfectly sending gore to a meteoric all time high. This is very well penned, just wonder why the font changed so many times. I know this will sound rather twisted, but wrapping the remains as Christmas presents made me think you have discovered a new meaning for the term bagged and tagged LOL. I wish you all the best in the voting and thank you so much for sharing this with me.

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 16-Oct-2014

Thanks so much, Monica. I sincerely appreciate your review.

The changing fonts were done twice. Once, to highlight what the announcer was reporting on the radio, and the other, to better separate and illustrate the poem the lovely Mr. Gusswiler wrote in blood after slaughtering his family from the rest of the prose. We'll just chalk it up to creative license, LOL.

Thanks so much again for the outstanding rating and review, Monica. :}

Comment from RodG

Excellent

Is it creepy? Yes! Does it fulfill all the requirements for this prompt? Most definitely! I like how you set the scene and introduce the narrator and then Jimmy and the mutilated cat. You actually had me thinking the Speaker would be the killer. Glad he wasn't. But what makes this story really effective is knowing the REAL killer is still out there waiting to strike again some Christmas Eve. Very well done!

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 17-Oct-2014

Thanks a million, Rod, and I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the story, my friend. Thanks also for letting me know what worked for you in the story. That is always a big help for the next horror show, LOL.

Thanks again...:}

Comment from Neonewman

Excellent

This one is creepy, the pictures are horrific and sadistic. Just what the doctor ordered. This is a fantastic entry in this Horror to the fullest contest. Good luck and God Bless!

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 16-Oct-2014

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reply by the author on 17-Oct-2014

Thank you Neonewman...I think. I see lots of good comments and praise for this story, but you also rated it as four stars, with no explanation on why you felt it wasn't at least five star worthy.

I guess you have you reasons, and only you need to know them.

Thanks again...

reply by Neonewman on 17-Oct-2014

Oh No! I did not mean to his the four by no means what so ever. Is there a way to change that? This is why I have such difficulties in editing. I am sorry for that!
God Bless!
P.S. went back and reviewed again with the five stars. Once I again it was a mistake!

reply by Neonewman on 17-Oct-2014

Sweet, I was able to change it, I certainly do hope you win this whole thing. God Bless!

reply by the author on 17-Oct-2014

No worries, my friend. I always ask why reviewers felt something was less than 5 stars when receiving threes and fours because it helps me in knowing what I did wrong. I can't correct it if I don't know the reasons why the reader felt is was sub-par, but in many cases, just as yours was, it was a simple mis-click of the mouse. Still, there are times when it was simply the extra pictures that got under the readers skin, and that was the reason for the lower ranking. I've never understood that reasoning personally. If the writing can stand on it's own accord without the pictures, then why should an extra picture or two be a problem, right?

Thanks so much for letting me know that it was just a mistake, Neonewman. I appreciate it. :}

reply by Neonewman on 17-Oct-2014

For sure! I mainly joined this site to help me polish my craft and have found much help, both necessary and unnecessary LOL. I have won contests and have had several six stars on a piece, to have that one person give me a 3 and tear it apart because it wasn't a traditional Haiku. I informed them, that if they had read the guidelines for that particular contest, they would find themselves in the wrong. But I take all criticism well and learn quickly. Your story is amazing and there is no way it will not win. God Bless my friend.