An Eighth Shot of Espresso: The Coffeehouse

Horror writing prompt on Bluesky, courtesy of @pgpayt.blsky.social and @fhpowellwriter.bsky.social. The prompt is  the headless writer. Beware the headless writer. They sit at their computer and write a story that never ends.  I didn't believe the rumors. They were as bad as the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving took a local legend, built upon it, and wrote a timeless classic. A chilling horror tale, for sure, but in the end, that was all it was. A fanciful story to tell the gullible when the autumn winds blow through dead trees and the campfire crackles on the leaves. The house seemed innocent enough. It stood empty, but it was hardly decrepit. It even had a fresh coat of white paint, with brand new blue tiles on the roof and the front door a deep shade of plum purple. The new grass seeds sprouted in the front lawn. A wooden fence marked the boundaries of the property. So far, so good. The realtor had told me that the charming exterior, excellent locatio...

A re-post from the original An Eighth Shot of Espresso Blog on Wordpress. Prompt: "Each garden is a grave." (Richard Howard) It was the strangest necropolis I'd ever seen, but oddly, the most beautiful. Each plot was different. A field of lilies of every color. Rows upon rows of black roses. Rolling green grass, each blade dancing in the wind. Still, another bursting with fruit and vegetables ready for the table. A team of gardeners and botanists kept it all in pristine condition. They kept the area free of rot and bugs, brought mulch and black soil to enrich the roots, and set up an irrigation system to nourish life in the midst of death. "This is the Green Cemetery, where life is reborn," my guide explained. "In a way, the dead live forever and their legacy lives on." "It makes sense," I said. "Life is a cycle." He nodded. We made our way on the path between the gravestones. Whole families slept under the earth, their physical bod...

Rachel's Revenge (1) Rachel wakes up in a different time, a different place. What has happened and what will  she do now? A snippet for Spooktober. _____ Cold, darkness, heat Where am I Hard wood beneath my palms, barely enough room to stretch out my arms Where am I A sliver of light above her, just the barest crack. Panic gave her strength and she reached for  it. A finger’s width and nothing more. She pushed and pushed against the ceiling and felt it  give way. Push, push, push, that’s it, you’re doing fine Tearing, shredding, a burst of crimson spreading beneath her Head swimming with pain and effort, a rag shoved deep into her mouth to cut off her cries   The ceiling broke under the weight of fear and splintered into many pieces. She sat up in  darkness, unable to see, completely disoriented. Her throat felt as dry as desert sand. “Hello?” she whispered. “Who’s there?” She only heard her voice in her head. Silence crushed her like  a velvet cloak. How l...

A repost from the original An Eighth Shot of Espresso blog on Wordpress. Write about a character who finds themselves in a child's toy room--except that this place has been closed off for decades. Why would this character open it up? And most importantly, why was the room closed off in the first place? Day 120: East Wing, Holyrood Castle We consulted the maps from Master Ifan Holyrood's journal (see insert 13A). This interior wall does not show up anywhere and it is literally sandwiched between two other walls. The outer is the one that everyone sees every day. Then there is this one, and then the innermost one. A mere five feet separates the outer wall from the innermost, but the triple layers are so masterfully crafted that no one is aware of its existence. Why the secrecy? What do these walls hide? _____ It took us nearly two full days of demolition. We couldn't just use explosives; that could bring the entire castle down upon our heads. So pickaxes, shovels, and sledge...

A repost from the original An Eighth Shot of Espresso blog on Wordpress. Prompt: Write about a character who finds a family photograph in a crime scene. This item is one of the few clear pieces of evidence they're able to find-but what does it mean? What happened in the crime scene, and what does it have to do with the people in the photograph? Is this the breakthrough the character was looking for, or has the plot only thickened? (From 400 Story Seeds to Crush Writers Block by M. Kirin ) _____ A light smear of blood stained the photo. It gave a scarlet tinge to the black and white film, but I was still able to see every detail. Six people, three in the front and three in the back. Great-grandmother, grandmother and mother in the front, daughters in the back. All wore high-necked gowns with tight sleeves, their chestnut hair all coiffed to perfection. The youngest daughter in the middle of the back row was a full head shorter than the rest. Her eyes stared at the camera with a defi...

A repost from the original An Eighth Shot of Espresso on Wordpress. Prompt: Write about a bench that is always empty...except that, over time, it has become the subject of an urban legend. They say that whoever sits on that bench will suffer a horrible death within twenty four hours. Is there truth behind this legend? _____ "Don't sit there." "What?" It was the only bench on this side of the park, with a gorgeous view of the ocean. "Why? We've been walking for almost an hour. My feet hurt." "Anyone who sits there, dies. The damn thing is cursed." I frowned. "You can't be serious." "Take a closer look at it, but don't sit down." I huffed as I sat on the grass right next to it. The worn wood curled at the edges, its dark brown sheen worn by the wind and the rain, places smooth by decades of use. Rust ate away at the frame, splotches of red like blood on dull grey metal. Someone had traced intricate carvings on th...