A writers’ group I belong to instructed us to write a 250-word horror story for Halloween. I don’t write horror I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a good exercise in editing because 250 words are (is?) not a lot to work with. Anyway, here’s what I came up with. Happy Halloween 10 days late!
Damn Beans
“You go down cellar and git some beans,” screamed Maggie’s stepmother.
Maggie didn’t argue. Her stepmother was quick with the belt. Her father had married the woman when he lost the farm. “She’ll be a ma to you,“ he’d assured Maggie when they moved into the isolated cottage built over a root cellar. The cottage was primitive, and the cellar was dark and damp and smelled funny. Maggie was afraid of it. “Nothin’s down there but vegetables,” her father scoffed. Then he disappeared. Maggie didn’t blame him. She was desperate to leave, too. But she had nowhere to go.
Maggie crept down the stairs and peered into the dark. She muttered, “There’s nothing down here but jars.” Then she groped her way until one gingerly flailing hand connected with the naked lightbulb hanging in the middle of the room. She turned it on. Shelves of canned vegetables wavered into view. She grabbed the closest jar, took a deep breath and repeated, “Nobody here but me.”. She turned off the bulb and ran for light of the stairwell. One step, two, she was almost in the light. I made it, she exulted then felt a clawed hand dig into her neck and pull her back. A slithery tongue slid up her cheek and a raspy voice whispered in her ear, “Your pa thought he was alone, too. Joke’s on you. Ma’s handy at gittin’ pairs. And I bet you’re more tender than your pa was. Oh, and don’t drop the beans.”