Hometown Gothic

It is my hometown. It is your hometown. 

[hometowngothic]

There is a hole

There is a hole in your Heart. You knew it would be there one day. You chose this hole. You welcomed this hole, with open arms. It's four paws found a way to entrench its soul with yours. And then it was gone.

There is a hole in your Heart.

[hometowngothic]

How to Wear and Maintain a Face Mask: a Common Sense Guide

1. Make sure you purchase or make a mask that will fit snugly across your face.

2. Make sure your mask covers your nose, mouth, and chin.

3. Make sure your mask is secured around your first set of ears. This insures a comfortable fit.

4. Regularly cleanse your face mask. You can wash it, use UV sterilization, Hell Fire, whispers of a lost soul, or other methods recommend by the void who lives in your closet. No. Not that one.

5. Understand that wearing a mask can increase anxiety at times. Try your best to not touch or fidget with your mask. It will eventually return to it's intended position. Try chewing gum as a distraction.

6. There may be times when your mask smells of iron. This is for your protection against Unnamed Things.

7. Be sure to keep an extra on hand just in case of emergency or when They come for you.

8. There may be times at night before the lull of sleep reaches you, where you hear a soft thudding from your entryway. This is you mask protecting you from harm.

9. Sometimes when you are at home and alone, you may feel the mask's presence even though you know you left it hanging on your doorknob. Do not be alarmed. This is just the mask reminding you that it is loyal to you and you alone.

10. Even though you are wearing a mask, it is important that everyone who is able to wear a mask wears one. The list of those who cannot is brief and includes children under 2 years of age, and the demons who walk in your shadow. They breathe different air.

[hometowngothic]

Days turn into nights. The birds scratch at your windows. Nights turn into days. Forgotten lyrics are your conversation. Days turn into nights. You are completely alone. Nights turn into days. Everyone understands this experience. Days turn into nights. The wind taps, dying for your attention. Nights turn into days. You need to buy flour. Days turn into nights. Nights turn into days.

[hometowngothic]

The Sky is Falling

"The sky is falling," Mr. Grayson's poodle said as you passed him on the street. Mr. Grayson nodded. He wore his human face today. The wind echos his words. You walk forward, your mind unable to rest.  

You enter the coffee shop, desperate for a caffeine fix. You glance at the menu. It says the sky is falling.

"The sky is falling," you say as you order a drink. "The sky is falling," the cashier says taking your payment. "The sky is falling," the barista trills when your drink is ready.

You leave the coffee shop, brushing the stardust out of your hair. The sky is falling

[hometowngothic]

The Midnight Train

There is a classic rock song on the radio. You hum the tune, restless in your bed. Your phone says it's midnight. In the distance you hear the train, going anywhere. You phone beeps. An email. Your order has been received. You hear the train again. You are on the midnight train. You are the midnight train.

[hometowngothic]

The Book

The book has been inside your desk before the school was built. It is the first edition of your textbook. You close the book. The book belongs to the classroom. You belong to the classroom. You open the book. It is the next edition of your textbook. The book will always be there. Notes from students after you decorate its pages. A page falls from the book. The book never left your desk.

[hometowngothic]

The Town Owners

They came to town carrying more colors than you had ever seen before. They did not eat, did not sleep. They looked at you with a stare that told you they had seen more than you could ever dream of.

 “What town are we in?” one of them asks. You do not know which. It could have been all of them. You could have imagined the question. 

 “What town are we in?” You ask them.

 “We are in your town,” they tell you.

 This was never your town, you realize. This was their town, and they would abandon it again when the wind blew the right way.

[hometowngothic]

The Tourists

The door opens. The bell rings. They walk in, smiles and sharp teeth.

"What town are we in," their voices like birds.

"You are in my town," you say, "this is your town." you did not speak. The door opens. The bell rings. They leave like feathers into your town. Their voices are the wind.

"What town are we in," the birds squawk on the wind.

[hometowngothic]

The Department Store

You walk into the department store. The mannequin greets you. It's always in different clothes. Except for today. It's wearing your clothes. There is a cup of wine at your feet. You leave the store. You walk into the department store. The mannequin greets you. There is an empty bottle of wine at its feet. There is no one around. You are in the men's section. You don't remember how you got there. There are bags in your hands. They are filled with empty wine glasses. You don't remember drinking them. You leave the department store. You walk into the department store. The mannequin greets you.

[hometowngothic]

Lawn Chairs

The half circle of lawn chairs as always been there. You remember it from when you were young. You remember it from when you were old. They always sit in a half circle by the bus stop in that one part of town. You drive by the bus stop, but no one is ever there. You drive by the bus stop and the lawn chairs are not there. No one remembers them when you ask. You drive by the bus stop and the lawn chairs are there. They are new. One is tipped over.

[hometowngothic]

Lawn Chairs

The half circle of lawn chairs as always been there. You remember it from when you were young. You remember it from when you were old. They always sit in a half circle by the bus stop in that one part of town. You drive by the bus stop, but no one is ever there. You drive by the bus stop and the lawn chairs are not there. No one remembers them when you ask. You drive by the bus stop and the lawn chairs are there. They are new. One is tipped over.