The Pomanders
J.F. Alexander
Author Bio
I am a budding author located in the Midwest, more specifically North Dakota. I ride my wagon to work everyday and churn my own butter. I survive mostly on buffalo meat and wild onions. The winters are harsh and bitterly cold, but a buffalo carcass provides the warmth necessary to persevere. My other hobbies include watching talking picture shows and admiring the invent of flying machines. I also write under the pen name “Shep Ramsey”.
Description
A frighteningly funny short story that will leave you second guessing your next visit to grandma’s house.
It was supposed to be just another trip to my grandma’s house. Nothing too exciting. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, once I got there it was clear something was amiss. Something I could not explain. It didn’t take long for events to spiral out of control. I soon found myself in a desperate struggle to save my family from a horrendous fate at the mercy of the pomanders.
Book excerpt
The sun was setting in the horizon by the time we reached my grandma’s house. I parked my car at the back of the house in a dirt drive-way. I was immediately struck by the spike of humidity in the Minnesota air compared to North Dakota’s air. It was enough to make one choke. I slung my bag over my shoulder as I scanned over the house. It was the same as I remembered it. It was an old, creaky two-story house that stood with an essence of pride. Its white paint may have been peeling, but it only added to its character. I made my way to the side entrance where my mother and sister were already greeting my grandma.
Grandma was a short woman in her upper eighties who wore her hair pinned up the same way her entire life. She was not one for change in anything. Stepping inside her house was like stepping over sixty years into the past. Everything in the house was the same as the day it was bought. The same furniture, wallpaper, dishes, decorations, and even the musty odor that drifted through the house had not changed. It was as close to a time machine as anyone could hope to have.
We were greeted with smiles and hugs. The customary pleasantries were exchanged and all seemed normal. However, something seemed slightly askew with my grandma. I could not put my finger on what, but something seemed different. Perhaps it was just because it had been several years since I had last seen her. I was quick to push the feeling aside and soon my mother and sister shuffled inside the house with their luggage. As I stepped to go inside, my grandma embraced me with another hug.
“It is so good to see you again,” she said as she squeezed me.
“Yeah, it’s good to see you too Grandma. It has been way too long.”
She let go of me, backed up a step, and stood staring at me with a longing smile. Suddenly, she tensed up and her dark, beady eyes rolled up into her head until only the whites of her eyes showed through her rimmed glasses. “Join us,” She muttered in a noticeably hoarser tone.
I immediately grasped her by the shoulder and blurted, “Grandma are you alright!?”
She looked back at me with a slightly startled look. “Why yes of course, dear. Please come in and get out of this humidity.” She then stepped inside the house and left me standing alone outside.
What the hell was that? It was as if she had become another person for moment. I stood outside frozen in place contemplating what I had just seen. Was I imagining things? I stood outside for several minutes. Something was telling me not to enter that house. A gut feeling was coursing through me telling me to just get in my car and drive away.
Book Cover https://everywritersresource.com/selfpublished/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/k_edited-2.jpg
Genre Fiction
Author Website
http://www.amazon.com/J.F.-Alexander/e/B00L2RNVE2
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http://www.amazon.com/Pomanders-J-F-Alexander-ebook/dp/B00K1NOOAS