The Box - an excerpt
The following is a small sample from my next short horror, The Box.
It was as the four adults were chatting in the kitchen, watching pans bubbling away on the hob, that they heard the little shriek. It was a familiar sound, the same noise that Maisie had emitted whenever she had broken something that did not belong to her. As everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound, Steven let out a sigh.
"You may have to start child proofing the house!" he declared. Lisa did not take the comment as a joke.
"Maybe you shouldn't have allowed her to bring a weapon with her!" she stated. "I really think that you need to get her seen; it isn't normal to be breaking stuff all the time."
"She's just being a child," Jack said. "I'm sure it's fine." Steven made his way towards the living room and stopped in his tracks. His daughter was kneeling on the wooden floor, with her back to him, making a heaving sound, as though she were choking on a hair ball.
"Maisie?" he asked. Slowly, she turned towards her father; her hands scrunched tightly into fists. As his gaze moved from her hands to her face, Steven's eyes widened as he saw that the skin around her face was covered in some kind of black powder. The heaving sound stopped as she looked at him, smiling widely, her teeth blackened by whatever substance was on her face.
"Dad!" Steven called, the hint of panic being apparent. Jack made his way into the living room.
"What's happened?" he asked, staring at Maisie. "Shit, she's bleeding," Jack pointed out, noticing the deep red trickles emanating from his closed fists. Steven approached his daughter, taking her hands.
"Open your hands, honey," he said, as calmly as he could manage. By this point, the two women were stood in the doorway, trying to assess the situation before making any suggestions. Maisie continued to grin at her father, looking him in the eye, as she unclenched her fists. As her fingers unfurled, she displayed the fragments of marble, having changed from white to red with the blood. "What is that?" Steven asked, turning to his father.
It was as the four adults were chatting in the kitchen, watching pans bubbling away on the hob, that they heard the little shriek. It was a familiar sound, the same noise that Maisie had emitted whenever she had broken something that did not belong to her. As everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound, Steven let out a sigh.
"You may have to start child proofing the house!" he declared. Lisa did not take the comment as a joke.
"Maybe you shouldn't have allowed her to bring a weapon with her!" she stated. "I really think that you need to get her seen; it isn't normal to be breaking stuff all the time."
"She's just being a child," Jack said. "I'm sure it's fine." Steven made his way towards the living room and stopped in his tracks. His daughter was kneeling on the wooden floor, with her back to him, making a heaving sound, as though she were choking on a hair ball.
"Maisie?" he asked. Slowly, she turned towards her father; her hands scrunched tightly into fists. As his gaze moved from her hands to her face, Steven's eyes widened as he saw that the skin around her face was covered in some kind of black powder. The heaving sound stopped as she looked at him, smiling widely, her teeth blackened by whatever substance was on her face.
"Dad!" Steven called, the hint of panic being apparent. Jack made his way into the living room.
"What's happened?" he asked, staring at Maisie. "Shit, she's bleeding," Jack pointed out, noticing the deep red trickles emanating from his closed fists. Steven approached his daughter, taking her hands.
"Open your hands, honey," he said, as calmly as he could manage. By this point, the two women were stood in the doorway, trying to assess the situation before making any suggestions. Maisie continued to grin at her father, looking him in the eye, as she unclenched her fists. As her fingers unfurled, she displayed the fragments of marble, having changed from white to red with the blood. "What is that?" Steven asked, turning to his father.
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