Our amazing writing group just gets better and better.  Today with Halloween hanging ominously over us I expected tales of ghouls and things that went bump in the night! But our group came up with a few alternatives that triggered emotional response from us.

Our choice for this month’s story, however, tempted us back to the chilling tales that this time of year is known for.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The Walk by Ann Smith

It was a dark, cold, misty winter night – the kind that wraps itself around you like a damp blanket and makes everything feel a little more silent than usual. I remember it clearly. It was a typical Saturday night, sometime around midnight. I was fifteen years old.

The streets were empty, the only light coming from the dull, flickering glow of the street lamps. Their orange shimmer spilled through the mist, casting long, ghostly shadows on the pavement. The silence was so deep, I could hear the echo of my own footsteps. I pulled the collar of my coat tighter around my neck, trying to block out the biting chill of the air.

I had just finished babysitting for my sister. She lived in a small flat in a tall block of high-rise accommodation. She had two young children, and every weekend, she and her husband would go out together — it had become a routine. I was always the one they asked to look after the little ones, and I didn’t mind. I was used to it by then.

But something felt different that night.   Continue reading →