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Unnatural Tales
Unnatural Tales is a collection of supernatural horror stories.
DEAD BY NIGHT
He felt his heart falter, then fail.
The blood in his veins slowed. Movement became difficult then impossible. His consciousness began to fall away and with his failing vision, he watched the world fade and disappear as his last breath left his lungs, a pained wheeze that seeped from deep within his chest.
At that, Miles Goodhall died.
Again.
ASHES
“Mummy? Is Daddy in Heaven?”
For want of a better answer, Helen nodded in agreement. “Yes.”
Satisfied, Megan return to her colouring, scribbling over the lines to turn a black and white picture of a cartoon duck entirely pink. Helen wiped at her eyes, wishing that Michael was there with her.
She would have been surprised to know that he was.
THE LUNAR TICK
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
The world is my clock.
I don’t have to turn the key to wind the spring to turn the cogs that turn the hands. It just happens. The Earth turns on a tilt, and the physics of the motion wind me up and wind me down, ebb and flow, ebb and flow.
But it isn’t the Earth’s fault.
Not really.
The moon causes all my problems.
No. That isn’t true.
Being a werewolf causes some problems.
And drug addiction causes others.
Not a good combination of issues.
BEE
When there is no more room in Hell, the Devil will lease a spacious double-room with impressive views of the Georgian city of Bath.
DEAD BY NIGHT
He felt his heart falter, then fail.
The blood in his veins slowed. Movement became difficult then impossible. His consciousness began to fall away and with his failing vision, he watched the world fade and disappear as his last breath left his lungs, a pained wheeze that seeped from deep within his chest.
At that, Miles Goodhall died.
Again.
ASHES
“Mummy? Is Daddy in Heaven?”
For want of a better answer, Helen nodded in agreement. “Yes.”
Satisfied, Megan return to her colouring, scribbling over the lines to turn a black and white picture of a cartoon duck entirely pink. Helen wiped at her eyes, wishing that Michael was there with her.
She would have been surprised to know that he was.
THE LUNAR TICK
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
The world is my clock.
I don’t have to turn the key to wind the spring to turn the cogs that turn the hands. It just happens. The Earth turns on a tilt, and the physics of the motion wind me up and wind me down, ebb and flow, ebb and flow.
But it isn’t the Earth’s fault.
Not really.
The moon causes all my problems.
No. That isn’t true.
Being a werewolf causes some problems.
And drug addiction causes others.
Not a good combination of issues.
BEE
When there is no more room in Hell, the Devil will lease a spacious double-room with impressive views of the Georgian city of Bath.
- GenresHorror
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2013
3 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 15, 2013
“Unnatural Tales” by Andy Sayles (hey, that rhymes!) is aptly named. The four short stories contained herein are each quite different in theme and content, but all share the common factor of being strange, bizarre, weird… in other words, unnatural. That’s not to say they were not entertaining. On the contrary, a couple of these were extremely engaging stories, and hard to put down for any reason before finishing them.
The tales in this collection are, in order of appearance, “Dead by Night”, “Ashes”, “The Lunar Tick” and “Bee”. Of these four, my personal favorite was “Bee”. It was utterly unnatural, yet totally captivating. The ending will even make you laugh!
“Dead by Night” is a story about a part-time Zombie; not your everyday Zombie scenario, by a long shot. It is definitely "unnatural", however.
“Ashes” is a poignant reflection about a woman’s inner turmoil as she postpones the spreading of her late husband’s ashes. Her mother and her daughter both want her to get on with it, but her sense of loss is so devastating that she clings to the ashes as if her husband were still there. Could it be that he is?
“The Lunar Tick” is perhaps the strangest of the tales in this book. It is another “part time” story, similar to “Dead by Night”, but is not a Zombie tale. Unfortunately I cannot tell you any more without spoiling the story for you, but it is a tragic tale, to be sure.
Finally, “Bee” rounds out the last half of the book. It is probably a novella, rather than a short story. It has the most convoluted plot of any of the stories in this collection, but is highly entertaining, in part because it is so convoluted. You have to think while reading this one, just to keep the players straight.
“Bee” is good enough by itself that I would recommend this book even if the other three tales stunk, but they don’t stink at all. On the contrary, each of the unnatural tales in “Unnatural Tales” is intriguing in its own right. If you’re into odd, unusual, off-the-wall stories, or just want a break from the run-of-the-mill, you will appreciate “Unnatural Tales”. I recommend it for anyone who might like to delve into some very different, but entertaining, tales.
The tales in this collection are, in order of appearance, “Dead by Night”, “Ashes”, “The Lunar Tick” and “Bee”. Of these four, my personal favorite was “Bee”. It was utterly unnatural, yet totally captivating. The ending will even make you laugh!
“Dead by Night” is a story about a part-time Zombie; not your everyday Zombie scenario, by a long shot. It is definitely "unnatural", however.
“Ashes” is a poignant reflection about a woman’s inner turmoil as she postpones the spreading of her late husband’s ashes. Her mother and her daughter both want her to get on with it, but her sense of loss is so devastating that she clings to the ashes as if her husband were still there. Could it be that he is?
“The Lunar Tick” is perhaps the strangest of the tales in this book. It is another “part time” story, similar to “Dead by Night”, but is not a Zombie tale. Unfortunately I cannot tell you any more without spoiling the story for you, but it is a tragic tale, to be sure.
Finally, “Bee” rounds out the last half of the book. It is probably a novella, rather than a short story. It has the most convoluted plot of any of the stories in this collection, but is highly entertaining, in part because it is so convoluted. You have to think while reading this one, just to keep the players straight.
“Bee” is good enough by itself that I would recommend this book even if the other three tales stunk, but they don’t stink at all. On the contrary, each of the unnatural tales in “Unnatural Tales” is intriguing in its own right. If you’re into odd, unusual, off-the-wall stories, or just want a break from the run-of-the-mill, you will appreciate “Unnatural Tales”. I recommend it for anyone who might like to delve into some very different, but entertaining, tales.
July 21, 2016
short stories - zombie one a bit icky, ashes one ok. Bee (devil one) really good, my favourite
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews