by Hugh Roberts
The countdown to Halloween is almost here. Hugh Roberts wrote this spooky story just for you, the readers of Always Write. I hope that you will enjoy it.
Thank goodness they had gone. She’d spent 30 years trying to get rid of them, and they choose to go now, a week before she moved to a new home?
Raising her hands in the air, Gloria celebrated, knowing she’d beaten them. It must have been the leftover stilton cheese from Christmas she’d placed under the stairs that had finally driven them out.
Now, with only a week to go before she moved to the residential home that catered for people with the early onset of dementia, she could finally get started on sorting out 30-years of clutter.
30-years of disturbed sleep, because of the people under the stairs, had taken its toll on Gloria. Rather than begin sorting out clutter, she could have comfortably sat in her favourite armchair and have taken a nap. The packing could wait until tomorrow, or somebody else could do it.
***
The following morning, Gloria awoke from the best night’s sleep she’d had since the night of her honeymoon. Throwing back the bedcovers, she made her way downstairs to make the first cuppa of the day.
Just as she walked past the door that led to under the stairs, Gloria came to a grinding halt. Was that a noise she’d heard coming from behind the door or was it her imagination?
“Oh, I do hope you’re back,” sighed Gloria as she placed her hand on the door handle. “I’m going to countdown from three. If you’re not in there, they’ll be trouble. Three, four, two…Whoosh!”
Nothing but darkness and the faint smell of cheese met Gloria. She felt slightly disappointed that nobody was in there. A sudden noise from upstairs startled her, forcing her to close the door quickly.
‘Gloria? Is that you?” came a muffled, familiar voice from above her.
“You’re my little secret. My first job of the day after my morning cuppa will be to clear out this cupboard; your home,” Gloria told herself.
***
By the day of the move, Gloria had become a little depressed. How could the people from under the stairs have left her? They may have given her 30 years of disturbed sleep, but they were her best friends. She should never have made them go.
“Come on”, said a familiar voice of a man she didn’t recognise. “It’s time to go. Do you want to take a final look around the house before we go?”
Shaking her head, Gloria shed a few tears. Not only was she leaving behind 30 years of memories but leaving behind 30 years of living with the people from under the stairs.
***
On the first night in her new home, Gloria woke to the sound of scratching coming from under her bed. Were they back? The people from under the stairs, were they back?
As she watched the duvet cover slowly disappearing down the bed, revealing the bodies of her and a man who looked familiar, Gloria knew they were back.
Biography
Hugh W. Roberts lives in Swansea, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.
Hugh gets his inspiration for writing from various avenues including writing prompts, photos, eavesdropping and while out walking his dogs, Toby and Austin. Although he was born in Wales, he has lived around various parts of the United Kingdom, including London where he lived and worked for 27 years.
Hugh suffers from a mild form of dyslexia but, after discovering blogging, decided not to allow the condition to stop his passion for writing. Since creating his blog ‘Hugh’s Views & News’ in February 2014, he has built up a strong following and now writes every day. Always keen to promote other bloggers, authors and writers, Hugh enjoys the interaction blogging brings and has built up a group of online friends he considers as an ‘everyday essential.’
His short stories have become well known for the unexpected twists they contain in taking the reader up a completely different path to one they think they are on. One of the best compliments a reader can give Hugh is “I never saw that ending coming.”
Having published his first book of short stories, Glimpses, in December 2016, his second collection of short stories, More Glimpses, was released in March 2019.
A keen photographer, he also enjoys cycling, walking, reading, watching television, and enjoys relaxing with a glass of red wine and sweet popcorn.
Hugh shares his life with John, his civil-partner, and Toby and Austin, their Cardigan Welsh Corgis.
Hugh W. Roberts: Author, Blogger, & Writer
Blog: Hugh’s Views And News
Author of: More Glimpses and Glimpses
Books: Amazon Author Page:
Twitter: @HughRoberts05
Flipboard: Hugh W. Roberts
Let me know in the comment section if you would enjoy more short stories from different authors in the future.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
128 responses to “October Story Chat: “The People Under the Stairs” by Hugh Roberts”
[…] off if you don’t care for a particular genre. I don’t like horror stories, but Hugh sent me a horror story right out of the shoot, and wow, what a great story it was. If you haven’t read it, it’s […]
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[…] Scottish friend, Anne Stormont. Story Chat is the brain child of Hugh Roberts who first submitted his short story as a guest post then we followed up with YOUR comments as you chatted. It’s been great fun, […]
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[…] Short Story: “The People Under the Stairs” by Hugh […]
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The sad reality of dementia beautifully portrayed.
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Thank you. Sadly, real-life events helped me tell this story.
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Your transparency was what made the story chat so amazing. There are many people having to cope with the awful effects of Alzheimer’s Disease and someone being so open about it may help people more than you know. Let’s just hope it never catches us!!! I love my brain and the ability to think! 🙂
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Thanks, Marsha. I’m so pleased Story Chat is proving a success. I think it will help many writers knowing where our stories stem from. Not all of my stories are from real-life events, but I think there’s an element of real-life experiences in many of them. Even if only tiny, our real-life events play such an important role.
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I haven’t learned to write without real life, Hugh. My imagination is not developed enough. 🙂
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[…] The Story: People Under the Stairs by Hugh Roberts […]
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[…] The People Under the Stairs by Hugh Roberts – the original short story […]
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Eek. A scary story, Hugh. The element of dementia complicates the reality. Great guest post, Marsha. 🙂
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Thanks, D. I’m wondering if it wasn’t more than dementia since this had been going on for 30 years, if you can believe someone with dementia.
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Yes, the unreliable narrator was a great addition to the story. 🙂
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And one I hadn’t thought about until you brought it out! Good on you, as they say in Australia.
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Thanks, Diana. Yes, I agree; it does. My mother had dementia, and some of the elements of this story were what I picked up from her. I often thought that she seemed to be living in a book, yet other times I wasn’t quite sure what she was saying was true or just what the dementia was showing her.
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It’s hard, Hugh. I’m sorry that your mom struggled with dementia. As my mom’s health has been rapidly declining, I’ve been noticing the same. Most of it is innocuous, but sometimes it’s a little more than off. Sigh.
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It’s a terrible health condition, Diana. It was a real struggle watching my mother go through it. After watching her mother go through it, she always denied she had dementia. It was a nightmare that came true for her. When she passed away, I was so glad that her living nightmare had also departed.
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Hugs. ❤
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Same to you, D.
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I’m so sorry about your Mom, Hugh. Both of my mothers in-law died of Alzheimer’s. Did she get it at a young age like our story heroine? Have you read Still Alice? It tells the story of early onset dementia from the perspective of the patient. I heard the author speak in Fresno. The story behind the story is fabulous. I did a post about it if you search Still Alice.
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So sorry, D. Dementia is so scary. As my friends and I notice how easy it is to forget simple things as we are aging, we all laugh and worry about it at the same time. If I hadn’t been forgetting things since I was a child, I would worry more. It is annoying, though to be on the aging side of the fence. My mother died 14 years ago and so I immediately turned into the older generation. She did not have dementia but I could definitely tell a difference in her cognitive function after aged 65 or so. She quit learning new skills easily. Well, I’m rambling. I wish you the best with your mom.
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“I notice how easy it is to forget simple things as we are aging, we all laugh and worry about it at the same time.” Ditto, Marsha. Perfectly stated – that’s right where I am.
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This has been an excellent discussion, D. It’s made me stretch my thinking from something Halloweenish to something more sinister – real life. 🙂 Thanks for your insightful remarks.
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That is interesting, Hugh. I was thinking as I drove to Prescott today about dreams and how real they seem. And when does the reality of the facts a person perceives in a dream start mingling with ones they learn until the person (hopefully not ever me) get to the point where they can’t tell the difference? I can definitely see that in your short story.
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My mother died at the age of 78. We first noticed the signs of dementia when she was in her early 70s, so she went through the different stages of the condition at a slow rate, Marsha. It was heartbreaking watching what I can only describe as something else taking over her body. The worst part for me was when she could not remember who I was. I haven’t heard of Still Alice, but I may check it out someday. Although my mother died in 2015, her death is still very raw for me.
Dream fascinate me, especially when they include strangers. I’ve often wondered if they are figures of my imagination or are people who are real and who I may have had a fleeting encounter with.
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I’m so sorry about your mother, Hugh. It’s a frightening situation that no one knows how to cope with. Both of my husband’s had to deal with their mother’s dementia to some degree. My first husband died before hers progressed to the point she did not know him and we were able to get her cared for before he passed. However, shortly after he died, I went to see her, and she was very friendly, as though I were a long lost friend. She said very sympathetically, “You lost your husband recently, didn’t you?” She had no idea that I was her daughter-in-law or that her son was the one who had passed. Since I lived in a different state, I wanted to keep in touch, but my calls disturbed her because she did not know why I knew so much about her. So I had to quit calling. Your short story has led to a discussion much deeper than I had anticipated from a simple Halloween story about the people under the stairs, to a really serious issue of dementia. D’s comment about the unreliable narrator was the one that really turned my thinking. Thank you for continuing to push this discussion to a deeper level, Hugh. Well done.
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And thank you again for inviting me over to your blog where I could share one of my newest stories with you and your readers, Marsha. The comments and discussions have been wonderful and thought-provoking.
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Haven’t they, though. I’m considering how I want to re-present it as a summary. That will be one of my next posts.
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Luckily, we don’t have stairs in our camper van! And luckily, we were camped at a quiet location over Halloween. Great story, Hugh. I cannot imagine Gloria having dementia for thirty years, so she must have an incredible imagination.
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Maybe she was a mystery writer. Maybe mentally ill.
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Yes, you’re right, I’ve not heard of any patient who has had dementia for 30 years, Liesbet. Maybe, with her incredible imagination, Gloria is a writer or blogger? Does your camper van have any steps? I only ask because the people who live under the stairs will reside under anything that resembles a step.
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Only a step to get into the camper and then a step to get into the kitchen area, which has a double floor as storage. That’s where the people could hide!
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LOL Poor Gloria is never going to get away from these people, even if she lives in a camper. 🙂
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I vote for writer. I don’t think she has dementia at all. I think it’s a farce, the dreams of the writer Gloria, who doesn’t know what to do with the husband she killed in her story thirty years before during their honeymoon because she really loved him, but he was unfaithful the night before their wedding. It drove her mad. Writers go a little insane during the writing process.
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Nothing more seasonal than having Hugh over with one of his infamous tales of scare. 🙂
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Yes, now what does he do for Thanksgiving? Or might you want to write a short piece for Thanksgiving for Always Write?????? 🙂
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You’re lovely Marsha. I’m drowning at the moment, but I’ll keep it on the backburner. 🙂 x
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You got it!
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Thank you my friend. ❤
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Thanks, Debby. I couldn’t turn down an invitation to showcase one of my new stories. Besides, the people that live under my stairs are my friends.
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So these might be real people. Like maybe in an apartment. Our kids stayed in a hotel room last night and could hear word for word what their neighboring room was saying. They were not pleased about the voices under the door. 🙂
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That reminds me of a movie I once saw where a couple were being spied upon in a motel room, and people started coming out of the walls. 😱
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LOL. It reminds me of “A Beautiful Mind.”
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Lol you scary guy! 🙂
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He’s got my readers and his scared out of their skin.
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Lol no doubt! 🙂
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Apparently she carries a love hate relationship with the people under the stairs. I see them as her alter ego her bad side maybe even having murdered her husband some years ago.
On the other side I have always told my children about the boogleys that live in out attic. When they start smell the Christmas smells the sneak down the stairs and steal the candy canes from off the tree. This is how I explain the canes disappearing at night.
Stay well and laugh a lot
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I had thought that she might have murdered him. Or maybe it was the other way, and she is the ghost.
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No I think she’s living with the guilt
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And it’s affected her mental stability. Who is putting her away? She surely isn’t putting herself away.
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It never says where she is going. Senior Living Or Asylum?
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Now, with only a week to go before she moved to the residential home that catered for people with the early onset of dementia… It sounds like she is not of a sound mind.
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no it does not
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I’m listening. Why else might she be moving to a residential home that catered for people with the early onset of dementia? Could she be a full-time employee there and live on campus?
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Maybe her and those under the stairs plan to help those suffering with dementia cross over. Like she helped her husband years ago
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LOL So are you suggesting that they are vampires now?
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what they are is left to the imagination. Up to and including imagination itself
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I love your story about the missing candy canes from the Christmas tree. Maybe it’s the people who live under your stairs that are taking them?
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You never know
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Or the teddy bear and giraffe. 🙂
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That’s material for a movie in my head now!!
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I hope it’s a movie with a happy ending, Erika. But you know me and my endings all too well…
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I would not be too sure about the happy ending 😈😱🙈
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Let’s just becomes a movie!!!
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Who’s playing Gloria?
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Hmm, I have no idea 😂
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I came across from Hugh’s blog. I always enjoy his stories. There is the obvious explanation that the ‘people’ are part of her dementia, but…
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Exactly, Clive. Thanks so much for coming over and reading my latest short story.
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You’re welcome, Hugh – too good an opportunity to miss 😊
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But has she had dementia for 30 years, and how does she remember that far back? LOL. We could get a lot of fun theories going here!
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Dementia patients can have a better memory for things in the past than more recently, so…
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True, Clive. I’m puzzled. Someone suggested she murdered her husband. What do you think?
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A little gruesome! Anyway, Hugh is a nice man and wouldn’t write anything like that. Would he? 🤔
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You wouldn’t think so, but…
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Great story, Hugh 👻 It might be something to do with the dementia…but then again…
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Thank you, Cathy. Knowing my stories, it’s probably the latter.
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Then again there might be little people under the stairs!!!
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Indeed!!
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Might there be a chapter two?
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You never know with Hugh 😉
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[…] The People Under The Stairs […]
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Thanks, Hugh. both of our readers have had a great time with this story. A lot of musing going on.
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There are, aren’t there, Marsha? I love all the thoughts going into the story from all those who have read it. They’re fun to read.
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So much fun! 🙂
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That is very spooky, Marsha. Hugh is a master of spooky.
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Thanks so much, Norah. Glad you enjoyed my story about Gloria and her friends from under the stairs.
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You do spooky well, Hugh.
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I’m so glad you shared one of your creepy stories on Marsha’s blog, Hugh! I think I’m going with Gloria’s dementia fueling her ghosts under the stairs, especially since she sees herself. Just vague enough though to make you wonder, though! Reminds me a little of the movie The Others(?) with Nicole Kidman, thinking she and her kids were haunted by ghosts, when in reality they were the ghosts! Great Halloween fun, Hugh! Hi Marsha, hope you haven’t lost your mind yet getting things moved. I have, LOL!
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Losing my mind, but thanks to Hugh, keeping my sanity. I’m not hearing any voices under the stairs yet. 🙂
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Thanks, Terri. When Marsha invited me to write a guest post or share a creepy story, as it was coming up to Halloween, I thought the latter would be what her readers wanted.
As for Gloria and her story, I always enjoy allowing the reader to decide on what they think is exactly happening. Doesn’t explain why I sometimes find the duvet cover at the foot of the bed during the middle of the night, though. It’s almost as if it’s been pulled off. And those strange sounds that I think are coming from the cupboard under our staircase. Is it the underfloor heating, or is the faint smell of cheese from inside a clue?
Hope you had a spooktacular Halloween. 🎃
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I always love your stories, Hugh! Keep ’em coming! The only good thing about Halloween was the blue moon!
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We just about saw it through cloudy skies, Terri. No trick or treaters this year. In fact, the streets were the quietest I’ve seen them. It still makes me think I’m in a movie, and I’m trying to find a way out before the movie finishes.
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We had zero trick or treaters. My friend who usually has about 200 had zero. What a crazy spooky year!
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That was gorgeous. Did you get pictures?
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Sounds like you might live in a bit of a spooky place yourself, Hugh. My husband sometimes hogs the covers on the side, but they usually don’t go off the bottom. We have a footboard. If the duvet slipped off the bottom I’d be pretty freaked!
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Or if you found the duvet neatly folded over the footboard, Marsha? I’ve gotta stop scaring you. Well, at least until next time.
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LOL. I scare easily, I’m afraid. I never went to scary movies or even watched them on tv. I went to see Exorcist because someone told me it would strengthen my faith. I had nightmares for ten months about that little girl’s head turning backwards on her body.
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I would absolutely know who wrote this, even if you hadn’t mentioned it.
I LOVE Hugh’s stories!
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How fun, Donna. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was honored that he offered to let me publish it first. How cool was that?!!! 🙂
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Thanks, Donna. Your comment confirms that I seem to have myself a brand.
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You definitely have a style that keeps readers coming back for more!
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He does, doesn’t he. Everyone is talking about it. 🙂
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Ooooh, this is really creepy. Are they real? Or are they figments of her dementia?
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And that is the question. They pulled off the covers, though, so that gives them a dose of reality, unless Gloria only imagined that the covers came off. The story peaked my imagination, and I’m still wondering about some things.
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Hugh is a very clever writer, Marsha.
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I would agree! 🙂
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I love those sorts of questions that my fiction brings up, Robbie. I like to leave it to the reader’s imagination about what is going on.
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Yes, those are the best stories, Hugh.
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We could do a discussion group with the author. Could we ever find out the real truth?
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Rather like what book clubs do? Sounds a great idea, Marsha.
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Exactly. I could do a brief follow up of some of the comments or maybe a question post or that plus an interview. I’m on my phone now so it’s harder to see the whole picture. But it could be quite fun.
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It’s a great idea, Marsha. But first, get your house move out of the way and get settled into your new home. I’m going to share the post on my blog tomorrow, so there could be more comments.
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Yes, I am rather frantic right now. Thanks for understanding. 🙂
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Thanks so much for publishing my short story and giving it it’s first outing to readers, Marsha. Before now, only I and my editor had seen the story.
I hope Gloria’s story doesn’t give readers too many nightmares. It may be worth not looking in the cupboard under the stairs for a few days.
Happy Halloween. 🎃
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LOL, Hugh. I’ve gone over my cupboards thoroughly now, and I am moving in two weeks. I hope I don’t wake up to voices in my new bedroom. Thank you so much for publishing here. 🙂 I’m honored and I’m sure my readers will enjoy it. 🙂
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Wishing you a smooth and successful house move, Marsha. Remember to pack everything (including what’s under the stairs). 🎃
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LOL, I just told Terri I wasn’t hearing voices yet, and then…
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Got to love Hugh and his great stories. Plus he gives the best hugs 💜💜💜💜
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Aww, thanks so much, Willow. I’m saving all those hugs up for when people can meet up again. However, the creepy stories will continue to scare you all, I hope.
Happy Halloween. 🎃
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I am quaking in my boots Hugh, I love your scary stories! 💜
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I don’t know about the hugs. He gives great virtual hugs. 🙂
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Yes I have met Hugh four or five times and his hugs are the best 💜
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Maybe one day I’ll get over there. I’ve always wanted to do the Blogger Bash. 🙂
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It’s great fun…
I hope we can do another one sometime..💜
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After COVID! If there is an after COVID.
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Yes secretly that is what I fear!
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It is too weird, isn’t it. Like being in the Twilight Zone.
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Yes Indeed 💜
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