If you missed this morning’s prompts post, I’m responding to Carving Scary Faces.
I woke up before dawn, so for today’s images I combined last year’s pumpkin filter and my wire Jack-o-lantern face filter to turn the neighbors across the lake’s security lights into Jack-o-lanterns.
OctPoWriMo 2023:Facing Our Fears
Becoming her Jack-o-lantern
She kidnapped me
stole me from my patch
of land and family: she
washed me, sliced me open,
gutted me, then began to carve
At first I thought she was forcing
me to look like her, but then she carved
the teeth, sharp, pointed teeth
Yet the candle is warm and my shaved skin glows
I’m living the nightmare
that spread through the patch
all my short life as my brothers
were snatched up, others would whisper
that the carvers had come to tear
them apart for their sick fun
Yet the candle is warm and my shaved skin glows
And now I’m her soldier
I fight back the gloom
I won’t last long
and face certain doom
Yet the candle is warm and my shaved skin glows
Writober 2023
When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes
This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.
I didn’t just see some big-eyed albino giraffe-dog smiling at me as it ran in front of my car. I didn’t see that because it’s impossible . It can’t exist.
Big breath. Let’s start over. I’m just stopped at the light. Yeah, it’s a little foggy out, but not play-tricks-on-your-mind foggy. I’m not on anything. I like to be in control of my faculties. That’s how I know this isn’t happening.
But oh, crap! There’s another one. I’ve got to get out of here. Those things are big. Taller than my car and about as wide. Those big black eyes and wide smile are almost cute, but they are so wrong. That long thick neck on those elephantine legs running along like that. They look like they should have arms on that neck, and that the neck should be a body, but they don’t, and it’s not.
When I saw the first one I flipped on the radio to try to find some news but it was only static. Every station. I instantly thought of that weird fenced off government lab out in the desert only a few miles from here. There have always been whispers that they were doing creepy experiments out there. You know, mutant genetic experiments that sort of thing, but I just figured those people were conspiracy crack-pots that always want the government to be doing something shady, giving the government way more power and credit than a bunch of paper-pushing bureaucrats should have. But if I believe my eyes in this moment, then I was totally wrong and they were right and there are monsters in that lab. But why? Why would anyone make those things? What could be the point of that?
I’m still sitting at the light. I can’t seem to make my limbs move to make the car move. Where would I go? Is that the same one I just saw in front of me again, or has the first one come back? It’s just standing there. Is it looking at me? Oh no, this can’t be happening. Those were the little ones, and the parents are right behind them.
I finally convince my limbs to move, shifting into reverse and slamming the gas pedal to the floor. Luckily I appear to be the only person on the road tonight and am able to back over the bridge. Maybe the creatures know they are too heavy or they are afraid of water, who knows, but they stop coming. I make it home and hide in the basement all night, just in case those giant ones start stepping on houses.
When I creep upstairs in the morning, there is nothing about it on the local news. It’s as if it never happened. So maybe I’m right, it couldn’t happen, so it didn’t.
Experience Writing 