The Man With the Hat

When your little sister tells you she sees a face in her closet, you ignore her.

When she insists it is staring at her, you tell her to shut up, and maybe furrow your brow a bit.

As she drags you to her closet by the arm you laugh, but hope you don't see anything. 

She points and you look. You are ready to tell her she is being a baby...but there it is. Just a bit beyond the bottom of her hanging clothes...you reach out to move them aside and there he is...

A boy--a boy with big, light blue eyes. And he's smiling. Does he have fangs?? He's glowing...

Your stomach falls to the floor and your heart stops because this is not your imagination. His over sized eyes are staring, unblinking, right into yours.

Your sister has her face buried in your back, and she quietly asks if you can see him...and you quietly answer back.

Yes.

And you both scream. You scream because the nightmare came true, and you can't unsee those eyes...

But as you move your hand away from the clothes, you see the boy is no longer glowing. He is just a faint outline behind the shoes. So you peek in again, and reach past the sneakers and clogs and grab for the face, and pull out a Fangoria magazine.

You and your sister laugh and feel relief and disappointed at the same time. For a moment, the supernatural was REAL. All those things you were told were make-believe were honest to goodness, genuinely TRUE. But at least you did not have to worry about a vampire.

But what about the other things that you've seen or heard? 

Night after night I would lie in my bed, sleepless, and wonder and worry about the things kids worry about. Boys, clothes, school, etc. I would look at the closets in my bedroom, and wonder if my sister was asleep. The wood grains formed shapes: a bird, the profile of a thin woman, a bear, and the face of a werewolf. 

If the closets were closed, all was well, but if I was forgetful and left my door opened a bit, I would see the man with the hat.

He was tall and thin, and I could never see his face. Somehow I knew he was looking at me. His hat was an odd mixture of fedora and bowler. He never moved, and he would be there as I fell asleep. He was partly benign and partly menacing, and I would almost forget about him by morning...until I saw him again.

After several visits, I told my sister, and her eyes got big and filled with tears that never fell. She had seen the man with the hat too.

We didn't talk about him much for some reason, but we kept our closets closed every night.

Recently, I was reading a story about the black eyed children, and something seemed familiar. At the end of the article, it said some are unlucky enough to be visited by the children, and many others have seen a shadowy man with a hat.

I was floored. I thought this was a personal terror that was only shared by my sister and me. I have not told her that others have seen our man with the hat--and I'm wondering how she will feel when she reads this blog. I think I may have been visited by the black eyed children too, but that story is for another post. 

If you have any of these experiences, I'd love to know.

Sorry Tinya ;)

More on the Shadow People

Are Blue Eyed People Psychic?

Eyes are the window to soul according to some. To others they can show health or disease. The crinkles and crows feet framing the eyes and scorned by so many and removed by the rich and famous are indicators of happiness and a full life.

Eye color can change regionally, and genetics is king when it comes to how the color is determined.

Blue eyed men prefer blue eyed women, and eyes can range in color from almost white blue to black.

But does the color of your eyes mean anything? Are brown eyed people healthier and more robust? A study by Medical News Today shows that we tend to find people with brown eyes to be more trustworthy. Brown eyed people may be able to see better than light eyed people also.  The darker the eyes, the more light is absorbed as light waves pass through the eye, and the less light is available to reflect within the eye. Light reflection (scatter) within the eye can cause susceptibility to glare (eg. sun or headlights) and to poor contrast discernment. (Quarks, Quirks and Quips, 2007)

On the other side of the coin, light eyed people may have a better ability to discern color and subtleties within shades and depths. Some think that the lighter and clearer the iris of the eye appears, the healthier and more clear thinking, and possibly intuitive a person is. A woman in Hawaii chose a raw diet, and over the course of several months saw her eyes change from a soft dark brown to a sparkling and vibrant green. Watch here: http://youtu.be/pSPU4fCfyzc

Some eyes have speckles or dots, and some people have two different color eyes. David Bowie not only has one blue eye and one green eye, but also an eternally dilated pupil from a childhood tussle.

The range of eye colors is endless, and it is said that no two eye colors are exactly the same. Some think the eyes are representative of personality and mood, a bit like horoscopes. For instance, it is said that:

*Brown eyed people tend to be strong and grounded and like the simple things in life. They are easy to be around, popular, and close to family and friends.

*Green eyed people tend to be vibrant and filled with a youthful energy. They are connected to the earth and all its creatures. Creative and loving, they are compassionate and interesting.

*People with black eyes can be very striking. They are said to be secretive, intuitive, and may have an interest in magic or mysticism. Black eyes can look sinister, beautiful, and everything in between.

*Folks with blue eyes are said to be energized by the sky, water, and electricity. Lightning storms might fascinate or freak them. Affected by mood and atmosphere, they are sensitive and easily tired.

*Hazel eyes may be a combination of all the colors, and may have a bit of each personality type. They are physically strong and may be the life of the party. Organized and clear thinking, they are idea people yet grounded.

*A few individuals have grey eyes and may be forward thinkers. They live more for the future and sacrifice happiness in the here and now for a better life down the line. They may be hard on themselves but caring to others.

*Amber or gold eyed people are accomplishment driven, and can focus very well when needed on a task. Magnetic and interesting, they can also lose their temper quickly.

A bit of fun? Maybe. But not far from the truth for some.

Eyes can delight us, seduce us, and even terrify us...and sometimes induce a combination of all three. In the tale of Dracula we are riveted by his eyes, and while drowning in their hypnotic gaze we are willingly overtaken by his blood lust.  As a child I was not afraid of Frankenstein, Godzilla, or even Jack the Ripper, but anything on television or in a book with glowing or sinister eyes did me in.

I was afraid to look out the window for fear of seeing someone under the streetlight staring into my window with a subtle smile and shining yellow eyes.

An average everyday picture can be turned into something creepy and memorable with just slight alterations to the eyes. Think about all the photos you have seen with red eye from the flash. Everyone looks slightly possessed.

The smiling boy on the box of Farina becomes a Children of the Corn horror when his eyes are whited out or turned blood red.  Our eyes give us away, also. We can all remember having a conversation with someone who was smiling and happy and telling us all the things we want to hear, but their eyes were telling us an entirely different story.

Liars give themselves away by not making eye contact during a conversation, or by various other eye motions. Read about them all here:   http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies_eyes.php

EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, is an emotional version of acupuncture that does not use needles, but instead uses a series of eye motion and tapping on body meridians to release blocks and anxieties and balance emotional disturbances. Homeopathy, acupuncture, acupressure, and other practices treat the bodies maladies and can sometimes be painful and time consuming. EFT is portable, easy to learn, and it works. It can be used to help with fears, anxieties, PTSD, and many other troubles. Read here:  http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies_eyes.php

Eyes tell stories, calm babies and animals, induce fear, and show love. Some eyes reveal everything, and some can't be explained. I have a creepy story...my sister took a picture of my son in a local diner when he was about ten. We were both looking at him as the camera clicked. When we looked at the picture his eyes were covered in an odd film, kind of like lids but not quite. It made him look slightly spooky, and my sis and I looked at each other and shrugged. She took another picture and it that one was fine. She went back to erase the first creepy pic and noticed the film was gone, but his eyes were now black. We could never figure what happened, and still wonder to this day. I guess some eyes are unexplainable...

I would love to hear any eye related stories you may have. :)

The Dark

I just read Charity Parkerson's twitter post that said:

"Evil lives in the dark--we instinctively know this as children." 

And it struck a chord with me.

I remember being terrified to go into the basement because it was dark. And later because my sister would bribe me like Lucy would Charlie Brown. She would ask me to get her a toy from the basement because she was too "little" and look at me with the biggest brown puppy-dog eyes you have EVER seen--and I fell for it every time.  So I would get to the bottom step, and she would shut off the light, slam the door, and run.

I was afraid to sleep without the hall light on--I still leave the lights and television on when my husband is away.

Everything is much scarier in the dark.  I cannot remember a horror movie where the really terrifying stuff happens during the day.

30 Days of Night is a movie about the town of Barrow, Alaska, that is plunged into a vampire filled 30 days where the sun never rises.  We all know they can only get you after the sun goes down...

Werewolves only 'turn' during the full moon--at night. 

My grandmother would say "there is nothing in the dark that isn't there in the light."  Oh, but Grandma--we can't see what waits for us when the lights are down.

We are told we will see a golden light when we die, leading us to the promise land.

This Little Light of Mine is shining and surely showing our good side.

Saying someone is all 'goodness and light' is self-explanatory.

A book I read about Feng Shui and "clearings" said that spirits live in the dark and the clutter.  The dim areas in our home that collect piles of stuff also harbor ghosts and evil.  We feel uncomfortable there not only because of the mess, but because darker and more base entities have come to roost. There is no motion--and no light.
Read about it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Sacred-Space-With-Feng/dp/0553069160/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332779809&sr=1-2

I can't say if these things are true--but I think Charity Parkerson is right.  We DO feel things when we are children and running up the cellar stairs for dear life because we know something growling and dark is nipping at our heels.  But we grow out of these things--we are rational now and we learn to fight these feelings.

Maybe we should listen to our instincts a bit more.  Maybe our inner voice is right--the dark is scary.

Day 57 of 100 Unfortunate Days

Every single basement has a dark corner or room no one likes. Maybe the whole basement is dark and scary. Spirits collect in dark and cluttered spaces. They hide and wait for you because they are stuck. Some people can see them. Some people see the long, thin, black, wispy figures with arms ten feet long that unfold as they slowly reach for you in the dark because you have to go down there to get something or fix a light bulb or retrieve a screwdriver.

Part of you revs up and moves really quickly to get out of there because you know if you wait long enough and the arms fully unfold, they can touch you and then part of you belongs in the black corner in the basement. Then it will be very hard to be normal again. You will wake up in the middle of the night, and you won’t be able to get back to sleep because you will worry about all the things you have done wrong and how you are hurting people.

You can’t get this out of your mind now and you think that maybe if you count and envision each number in your head as you say it in your mind; you can block some of the bad thoughts. Or maybe you can pray—say the Lord’s Prayer over and over and over and God will surely be there to help you because you are saying his prayer. But it doesn’t help.

God doesn’t give a fuck when you are miserable—he doesn’t care if you pray. You can pray until there is blood dripping out of your mouth and nothing will change. God is an asshole that way. Even a relatively rotten person will assist you if you are begging for help, but your thoughts will just revolve through your mind over and over until you want to take a gun like the lead in Fight Club and shoot them out of your head. Maybe someday you will, but for now, you are trying to figure why God is such a jerk-off and you have to live like this.

You wonder why you feel forsaken—well it’s probably because you have been forsaken and you don’t know how to live in that state. Because when you are a kid somebody probably told you everything would be all right, and now you realize they lied. So you keep lying to yourself, telling yourself it’s not such a big deal, but actually it is, because now the dark corners in your basement have started to get darker. And bigger. The arms get longer and longer and pretty soon there won’t be anywhere you can go where they can’t touch you. So you start to drink or take pills or do some other kind of drug so you can’t tell when you get touched. Now the problem is you get touched all the time, but you don’t know it. At least now you don’t care.

Vampires!

My short story, The Key to Happiness, has been accepted in the special edition anthology VAMPIRES! for Dark Moon Press.

Although I don't consider myself a horror writer--maybe there is something new in my future! 

The cover looks like a mix of modern horror and old-school Tales From the Crypt comics.  I love it.  ------------------>

Off to press on Dec. 12th, and on the shelves as a paperback soon.  :)

Check out Dark Moon Press here. 

http://www.darkmoondigest.com/

Some good old-fashioned horror fun from Tales from the Crypt...get ready!

http://www.warnervideo.com/talesfromthecryptdvd/card.html

A Bloody Good Writer

I am happy to welcome Arshad Ahsanuddin to As the Crowe Flies.  Please read about his books, his background, and his affinity for blood.

Link to his book Sunset----------------->

When did you start writing?

October 2009 was the first time I started to write as a serious project.  Out of that came the manuscript that I later adapted into my first two novels, Sunset and Sunrise.

How has your background affected your writing?

I like both fantasy and science fiction, so I have introduced elements of both in my work, creating a futuristic society of new age vampires.

What are you working on now?

I’m trying to get the fourth novel in the series edited for a March release date, but in the meantime, I’ve been working on another novella that is set within story continuity.

Where do you get your ideas?

They explode out of my fevered brain, and I am just trying to write them down before they fade.

You write about vampires and you are a doctor—of blood?

I honestly didn’t make the connection when I first started writing.  One of my readers pointed it out, and the irony appealed to me.

Has anyone influenced you?

I like Neil Gaiman’s work most of all in the mystical fiction genre, and Guy Gavriel Kay’s in high fantasy.  For inspirational fantasy, I turn to Paulo Coelho.

What are some books you recommend and why.

Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, a sardonic and erudite romp through the Apocalypse, blending Pratchett’s deft satire with Gaiman’s world-building and grasp of mythology.

The Fionavar Tapestry, by Guy Gavriel Kay, the finest high fantasy trilogy I have ever read, and my favorite in the genre.  Everything had meaning and contributed to the plot and characters, it was so well-crafted.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, and inspirational fable about following your dreams, even when they seem insane in the light of day.

What do you like to read, and what would you never read?

I like science fiction and fantasy when I’m in the mood for a serious read, and romance novels for light entertainment.  I don’t often read mysteries or non-fiction, because they just don’t excite me.

Do you feel an affinity to any of the characters in your books?

Nick, the main character of the first book, is my favorite character, and the one I most identify with, for his hero’s journey and character development over the course of the series.  He starts out as a rather shallow person, with great power but avoiding commitment and responsibility, and learns to face his challenges head-on as he gains experience.

Can you talk about vampires?

They’re an old archetype, which has evolved into many different interpretations, from evil villain to tortured hero, from sexual predator seeking the destruction of innocence and virtue to reluctant lover searching for redemption.  I wrote a little bit on this subject in a guest blog post earlier in the year.  The full text can be found here:

 http://redtash.com/post/10725470418/vampire-friend-or-foe

Thanks for hosting me.  I appreciate the opportunity.

Arshad Ahsanuddin

Author bio below:

Author Bio:

Arshad Ahsanuddin is a practicing hematopathologist, a physician who specializes in using biopsies and laboratory data to diagnose diseases of blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Yes, a blood doctor writing about vampires. The irony is not lost on him.  It certainly amuses his colleagues.

For more information about Arshad, or for more information about the series, check out his website at www.pactarcanum.com and leave him some feedback.

Social Media:

Website:  http://pactarcanum.com/

Blog:  http://pactarcanum.com/blog/

Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pactarcanum

Goodreads Profile:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4759071.Arshad_Ahsanuddin

Twitter Handle:  @pactarcanum

Book links:    

Kindle version:  http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Pact-Arcanum-ebook/dp/B005SIXXB2

Nook edition:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sunset-arshad-ahsanuddin/1030617301?ean=2940012314819

Smashwords edition (multiple formats):  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61128

Print edition:   http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Pact-Arcanum-Book-One/dp/145635485X

Video Trailer:  http://youtu.be/zdvchNFqSu4

Book Blurb:

Los Angeles, 2040. The terrorist Medusa and her followers threaten to destroy the metropolis with a nuclear bomb. One individual, the vampire Nicholas Jameson, comes forward to oppose them. As Nick takes on the terrorists, the fragile peace between the races hangs perilously in the balance as the supernatural peoples are exposed.  Can Nick lead the four races into peaceful coexistence, or will the final war destroy them all?
With millennia-old magic, emerging romance, and ever-shifting allegiances, this inventive new series unveils a scintillating, homoerotic world of Nightwalkers, Daywalkers, Sentinels, and Humans, who battle for world dominance in the not-too-distant future.

Sequel Alert! Stephen King Writing Sequel to the Shining

I don't know about you, but I get excited every time I hear Stephen King is putting out another book.  After reading his short story, Mile 81, a Tales from the Crypt-like visit to an abandonded rest stop, I was ready for more.

I was thrilled to read a sequel to The Shining, called Dr. Sleep, will be about a grown -up Danny Torrence, of REDRUM fame, and a pack of traveling  psychic vampires called The Tribe.

What this book will develop into is to be seen, but whatever it is, I'm ready and waiting.

The link below shows Stephen King at an appearance at George Mason University last week, reading a chapter from his new book.

http://dailydead.com/stephen-king-announces-the-shining-sequel-dr-sleep/