Empty

For a minute I thought you might be pulling a Sixth Sense on us, but I liked the reveal of his alcoholism and temper being the end of him. The empty house is a haunting image to land on as someone with a family. Great work!

Thanks very much Nick. 🙏

I did contemplate the supernatural idea for him but I didn’t want to distract or water down the real life monster that he is. Plus, I wanted the house to be the “ghost” of the story, if you know what I mean

I’m so glad you liked it 👍🏼

I think you made the right choice!

You created tension from the first paragraph and held it strong all the way to the end. Hard to do, my friend. These lines hit me specially hard due to my own childhood history. "... Months and years of it. Rage and accusations. Suspicion and paranoia. Screams and fists. Until they had all finally had enough. Leaving him to rot." Even the house rejected him. Good riddance.

Thanks very much Sharron 🙏

I was out my comfort zone on this one but really wanted to get it right so I’m glad it spoke to you but I’m sorry you had to live through something like that ❤️

No worries! My childhood made me the remarkable person I am today! hah! And writing out of our comfort zones produces surprisingly good work sometimes.

That was brilliant. I find stories involving driving at night are so eerie, but wow, the haunting of who you were and the decisions you made is so effective in this.

Thanks very much Hanna 🙏

I drove back from Manchester to Scotland on Monday. Hadn’t done it in a while. Forgot about driving in the dark with the hills cocooning you on all sides as you race through the darkness. It’s exhilarating, but very scary 😁

It's very scary. Get tired and you're in big trouble. I was thinking about the part where he was swerving everywhere seeing things and he is just drunk. So clever. His reality and fantasy are completely blurred.

Great story. The unreliable perspective was done perfectly, and the slow reveal at the end worked so well to make the protagonist both sympathetic and deserving of his situation at once.

Thanks very much Artemis. That’s very kind of you 🙏

It was a tough one to write but I’m glad you liked it 👍🏼

Hey Dan! Just getting caught up. This is a great story! I too thought you were going the Sixth Sense route, but was glad you didn’t. I loved that you gradually built the tension all the way to the end.

Thanks very much Caro 🙏

Yeah, like I said, I did think about it, but this way just seemed the right way to tell the story. I didn’t want anything to take away from who this guy really is. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 👍🏼

Great psychological horror read! You had me guessing from the beginning, and I was surprised at the end. I love how the house becomes a character at the end.

Thanks very much Dale 🙏

Loved it Dan. One of my favourite stories you have done. Liked the way the main character slowly realises what has happened and the story reaches its dark and bitter ending. Nice amount of clues you dished out along the way too. Great job.

Thanks very much Jason 🙏

As this one was quite tough to write that means a lot. Really appreciate it 👍🏼

Credit where credit is due mate.

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