The Strange Visitor

Writober 2025: Day Nine Possession>Response Post

🔗Links in the Table of Contents are Jump links to my responses to each of the challenges
🐦‍⬛This is original work created by Maria L. Berg and this post counts as copyright. All rights reserved.

🎃OctPoWriMo 🦇Writober Flash Fiction 👻Halloween Photography Challenge

Today’s Theme: Possession

These are my responses to the prompt post for Day 9 of Writober: From the Depths of Hell

OctPoWriMo

It’s Open Link Night (OLN #393) at dVerse Poets Pub. You can link up one poem on any topic, or respond to Lisa’s prompt to be inspired by a quote from a banned book, or write about book banning.

The Battle for This Being

Within the skin a battle rages—invisible
violence between forces unseen
nagging voices weighing choices
daily torment the price of being
beware the judges beware the accusers
beware the namers, the first to point out fault

Every good I’ve known redefines

Those who would say their lies are truth
Those who tell all to fear and not disagree
Want to be the good guys so the bad
need to be their opposite
with no intent to better themselves
truth must be wrong, and honesty, intelligence
loving your neighbor as yourself
curiosity, other languages and cultures

Every good I’ve known redefines

An innocent will not know evil
when it comes, will only expect
the good in all she meets
She feels every possible wrong
in her nerves like a pinch and chooses
against pain, always against pain

Every good I’ve known redefines

Writober Flash Fiction Challenge

An Unexpected Guest

I don’t really remember when it happened. He just appeared at the edge of my breakfast table while I ate my toast and jam. His wings were white so I took him for my guardian angel at first, though other than his white feathers, I was afraid to look at him closely. He smelled subtly of smoke and rotting eggs. I thought be might take some of the quiet out of the morning, but he didn’t say anything. I offered him food, but he did not eat anything. I was no longer hungry with him staring at me, so I cleaned up my dishes and when I came back to the table, he was gone. 

I decided he was a leftover dream, that I had not been quite awake, but the next morning he appeared again. I dared to look at him. He had red pupils in yellow eyes. I felt a chill in my bones and the pain in my stomach grew sharper. The white was painted over his dark bald head and manish face as if the white was a disguise. This time when I took my dishes away, he hissed. I was glad that when I turned back he was gone. After that hiss, I felt like I was being judged. I began sifting through my recent thoughts and deeds. What could I have possibly done? I barely leave my house anymore. I don’t bother anyone. I’m not in debt to anyone. 

The months, the terrible long months of Erin’s illness. I would have said and done anything for her to get better. An I did in my mind. I made every prayer, every bargain, to anyone who would listen. She told me to stop, to let her go. To save my soul to join her, but though I joined her at church and did everything she asked of me. I never really believed, not really. When I miss her, I picture her in the ground rotting, turning to bones. But that was then. I don’t know what all I said, but I never invited some winged man-headed creature to join me at my breakfast table. It never would have crossed my mind.

After a couple months of creepy, self-doubting, silent breakfast, he began to linger. He would flit over to the piano, perch on the back, and watch me play for an hour. He didn’t seem to care what I played. On other days he would watch me paint. He didn’t seem to care when I started painting him. He was a good model, so quiet and still. 

I began to anticipate his appearance. Wondering what new strange thing he would do. Yesterday he looked as if he wanted to say something. I sat very still and listened. Held my breath for as long as I could and opened my mind. I think I heard It’s time. But it felt deep in my mind. I couldn’t sleep wondering what it was time for. I was trying to cleanse my soul just in case. I prayed a lot for forgiveness, but I wasn’t sure for. I begged Erin to come and get me. But morning came. 

I went downstairs. I made toast and took butter and jam from the fridge. I stared at the coffee pot as it dripped. I took my breakfast to the table and started nibbling. Hoping my slowness might stave off whatever was coming, and trying to be accepting and ready at the same time. But he didn’t appear.

I went to the piano and played what I thought he might have thought I played best. He didn’t appear.

I tried to paint what I thought he would look like today. He didn’t appear.

I have to admit: I miss him.

Halloween Photography Challenge

Today’s photoshoot was fun. Inspired by the idea of an exquisite corpse game, I drew three different ideas of demons on clear plastic with sharpies. Instead of cutting the plastic in thirds (the plastic rips easily) I tried layering the drawings. Then I tried putting each one in a face-shaped paper cut-out. I hadn’t drawn on clear plastic in a while. I enjoyed how each drawing had its own strengths and weaknesses as a lens filter.