RehnWriter

I am a writer of horror stories, unsettling tales and general weird fiction.

[rehnwriter]

Get more from Rehn Writer - The City of Dreamers on Patreon

Creatore of The City of Dreamers

Hey there, everyone!

Just refurbished my patreon to focus entirely on my new weird fiction project 'The City of Dreamers.' If you're interested in joining me on this new exciting venture, please feel free to follow the page. All content is going to be entirely free.

There is a 'Dreamer' tier, but it's nothing but a tip jar for now, so no need to pay anything.

If you're interested in joining the community discord, please use this link here:

Check out the The City of Dreamers community on Discord - hang out with 2 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

As a note, I'm still in the process of setting things up, so everything's pretty bare bones for now. If you're interested in joining me, though, please feel free to follow the patreon or join the discord!

Regards, and I hope you all have a great time!

[rehnwriter]

Toby

A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon a strange thread on 4chan’s /x/ board. The creator of the thread said he’d found strange comments under random articles online. As long as I can think back, I’ve been scouring the internet for weird and strange mysteries, and I soon checked it out. When I opened one of the articles mentioned in the thread, I saw that the comment comprised nothing but gibberish and made no sense at all.

Maryland strange river lost in dark cute dogs love nature walk long Tokyo city many times want Japan all high no one flowers birds like play inside dark no want here out

I’d hoped it might be a cryptic message or a hidden secret. When I read it, however, it looked like someone had been toying with Google Translate. I checked out a few other comments, but I soon lost interest. I posted a quick reply, telling the thread’s creator it was most likely nonsense.

Later on, when I had another look at the thread, I saw the creator had replied to me. He wrote he’d thought the same thing at first. After checking out the blogs containing the articles, however, he’d found dozens of other similarly weird comments. Even stranger, all of them were by the same poster.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Something Unknown Is out There in the Alps

I always liked to have a more secluded lifestyle, reclusive even.

It’s not that I have social anxiety or anything, I guess I’m just not a people person. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate other people, but I’d rather not be around them. I like solitude and quietness.

When an acquaintance offered to rent me his family’s mountain cabin for a few months, I agreed almost instantly.

The truth is, I’d been looking for an opportunity like this for a while now. Just a few months, out in the middle of nowhere to work on my poetry completely undisturbed. Unfortunately, I’d never found anything that fit my rather tight budget.

The cabin itself was located in a remote area of the Alps. There were some tourist spots nearby, but nothing within walking distance. The place was ideal for someone who wanted to be entirely on their own.

It sounded absolutely perfect.

I arrived at the cabin about a month ago. It was beautiful. I loved it the moment I set foot inside. While I settled in, I started a small fire to heat up the place.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Hey there, everybody!

My new novella 'The Jenson Boardinghouse' is now out!

The Jenson Boardinghouse is an ever-looming presence in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

For decades, stories and urban legends have been shared among the townspeople, questioning the building’s sudden abandonment and the Jenson family’s flight from town. But some are more curious than others, and eventually, three boys set out to uncover the truth about the horrors that supposedly lurk within.

The Jenson Boardinghouse is a nostalgic coming-of-age horror novella in the tradition of Stand by Me and classic creepypasta, blending childhood nostalgia, urban legends, and the guilt we carry into adulthood.

Get your copy now on Amazon!

[rehnwriter]

The Experience of a Lifetime

It was supposed to be our last big trip before our graduation. So I and my two best friends Nick and Chris set out to have our very own little spring break, albeit in Germany.

Soon enough we’d be jailed away in an office at a typical nine to five, so we wanted to go wild one last time.

Our route started at our home city in South Germany, led us on to Berlin and finally to Hamburg. We’d planned for three things beers, parties, and hookers. Hamburg, the final destination of our trip, was the best place for all three.

In case you didn’t know, Hamburg has one of the most famous red-light districts in all of Europe, the Reeperbahn. Before you ask, yes, prostitution is legal here.

After a few nights of heavy partying in Berlin and a five-hour train ride, we finally arrived in Hamburg.

We settled in a cheap Airbnb, and once evening arrived, we set out for the Reeperbahn.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Dusty

They were stern and strict old people. I believe love was a word that didn’t exist in their vocabulary. It was always do this, behave, do that, don’t swear and so on.

I dared to not obey their rules? Better be prepared to be screamed at and punished. It wasn’t just once that I got slapped across the face.

It was terrible when I was a kid and stayed with them for the weekend. After dad’s death, when I came to live with them, it was hell.

I loved dad more than anything. My mom died when I was only six, and from then on he took it upon himself to bring me up and take care of me.

For young me, he was the coolest guy in the world. Dad worked as a freelancer, a sort of business consultant. Even though he had quite a schedule, he always found a way to spend time with me.

We also had all the video game consoles you can imagine. We had both the PS2 and PS3, the Wii and Wii U and even the Xbox 360. You wouldn’t believe how many hours I spent on those, glued to the screen, either playing alone or with dad.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

I Wish I’d Never Met the Man Named Ivan Nikolayev

The passing of time is a strange thing.

“Uncle Mike’s died,” mom told me over the phone.

I was devastated, but not shocked. My great uncle Mike had been an old man, very old indeed. He was in his mid-nineties when he died.

I’d only ever met him when I was a kid, so my memory of the man wasn’t too clear. When my mom called me to give me the news of his death, I hadn’t seen him in almost a decade.

That’s the reason I was so surprised to find that the old man had left something for me. It was an old, rusty metal box.

I carefully opened the lid. I’m not going to lie, I hoped he’d left me something interesting, knowing he was quite a collector. What I was greeted with was an assortment of strange items though.

The first was a black and white photograph of two people, dating back to the early 30s. One of them I assumed must’ve been my great uncle in young years. The man next to him was quite a bit older. 

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

The Barn

The barn was the biggest building on the farm my friend Martin and his family lived at.

Martin and I go back a long while. We became friends during middle school when he lived in a boarding home and attended my school for a year.

The two of us bonded instantly. Neither of us was popular. Martin was the new kid and class, and well, I was a bit weird.

“Hey Gregor, you want to visit my family’s farm in the summer?” he asked me one day out of the blue.

I accepted instantly. I’d grown up a city child, born and raised in the concrete jungles that were once called East Berlin. Living there was almost suffocating. Rows upon rows of Soviet-style apartment buildings stretched on forever.

You can imagine how much I relished to get out of there.

I’d known he lived on a farm, but I’d thought he was talking about a small farmhouse, maybe a field or two and a chicken crop. I was in for a surprise, a big one.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Want to Kick That Nasty Little Habit?

Well, guess there’s a reason you’re here. We all have our bad habits, don’t we?

Did the title catch your attention? Are you trying to break free of this nasty little habit of yours?

Well, here are a few tips.

The first thing’s pretty obvious. I’m doing it right now. Believe it or not, but writing about it helps quite a bit. If only to keep your mind busy with something else, typing away for that matter.

Now let’s get serious here. The first thing you need to know is that the urge to keep at this habit will only persist for a few days, a week tops. After that, the nagging feeling drifts off, and you’re free, well almost. Try it!

Those first few days though, they can be tough, really though. There’s the shaking, the heart raising, the sweating and of course our good friend anxiety. You’ll constantly want to do it again, and at times you might even do. Been there, done that. Once you’ve made it through, things will get so much easier.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Laura Ebert

“Laura Ebert is a wench.”

“Laura Ebert is a slut.”

“Laura Ebert is a whore.”

Those were just a few things that were said about her.

To me, the name Laura Ebert will stay with me until the untimely end of my short life.

Laura is a middle-aged woman who lives in the same, small village I grew up in and live to this day.

I didn’t know a lot about her. I heard she used to be pretty, beautiful even. When I was born though, she’d already been married for a few years.

Growing up I heard a lot of rumors about her. She was promiscuous, a flirt and at times even words like whore or slut. Back then I didn’t know what those words meant.

All these rumors had started when something had happened to Laura when she’d changed. I was a little girl back then, no older than eight, but even I noticed it. She would go on long walks and make her way past our house. During these walks, she’d be talking to herself.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

The Visitor

Certain people don’t fit into a nursing home. After working there for a few years, I could tell almost in an instant that Dr. Reimer was one of them.

He was an academic who’d lived by himself all his life. He’d never been married and had led a quiet, solitary lifestyle.

When a stroke had left him unable to handle his daily life, his doctors had recommended he’d move to a nursing home. Dr. Reimer refused of course, but after a while, even he couldn’t deny that it was necessary.

So after two weeks of struggling, he moved into our nursing home.

When I got to know Dr. Reimer and assisted him in his move, I learned what a stern and bitter old man he was. He yelled at me countless times and didn’t want to be touched. Worst of all, he always reminded me that he might be old, but not helpless.

One thing I remember most is how he scoffed at the cross hanging in the entry hall.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

When a Life Becomes Background Noise

There’s something about background noise. If it goes on for long enough, our mind will get used to it and block it out.

Don’t believe me? Go to a busy Starbucks and spend a few hours there studying or reading. At first, you might be annoyed by all the noise, but after the first hour, you won’t even realize it’s there anymore.

It was the same with the scratching coming from the apartment next door. After a while, I’d merely blocked it out.

What I’d never been able to block out was the person living there, old Mr. Meier. He was one of the most unpleasant and nastiest people I ever met.

He seemed perpetually angry. It didn’t matter if kids were playing nearby or an old couple walking past his apartment. He’d be out on his balcony in an instant screaming and yelling at them. You could even see the saliva flying from his trembling mouth.

For what it’s worth though, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the old man’s vitality. At times he’d scream and yell at people for hours on end. Maybe this misanthropy was all he’d left? I’d heard that his wife had long died and he’d no other relatives.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Waving

I’ve always loved the snowy plains of my home area. It’s so different here. There’s a sense of vastness to it. Each year, my brother Markus and I take the long trip back. It’s become a sort of tradition for us. We go on a long hike to the cabin and spend the weekend there. We reminisce about childhood and play our old board games. When Markus asked me if he could bring his girlfriend Melanie along, it took me a while before I obliged. Melanie had been enthusiastic at the outset. After an hour on the long hiking track, that had all changed.

“Ugh, couldn’t we just drive there?”

“And miss all that?” I said, spreading my arms in a wide arc.

“It’s just snow, Steve! I don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Come on, babe,” Markus interjected, putting his arms around her. “Isn’t the view nice?”

“I guess so. I’m just tired of walking.”

When I heard this, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d warned her it was a long trip to the cabin, but of course, she hadn’t listened.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Miller‘s Academy is a prestigious boarding school, a breeding ground for the kids of rich families and star athletes. Steven, a quiet, bookish student, feels like a complete outsider. When his favorite teacher, Mr. Thomas, starts to act strangely, Steven can’t shake the feeling that something‘s terribly wrong. As he investigates, he uncovers evidence of sinister forces at work beneath the school‘s polished exterior. As the school gradually isolates its students from the outside world, none of his fellow students seem to notice what‘s amiss. With no one to trust, Steven realizes his own life is in grave danger. Miller‘s Academy is a chilling horror novella about isolation, paranoia, and a slowly spreading, ever-growing danger.

Available on Amazon

[rehnwriter]

I Should Have Never Attended the Annual Bonfire Market

Oh, the farmer’s markets. They have a charm of their very own.

In times of industrialized farming, giant supermarket chains, and online stores, they feel like a remnant of the past.

At a farmer’s market, you can still interact with traders face-to-face and buy fresh produce as well as homegrown vegetables.

It was one curious flyer that drove me to such a market last summer.

It was a flyer of the ‘Annual Bonfire Market’. It was supposed to be held at a small, rural village. When I checked Google Maps, I saw that it was about an hour and a half away from my home.

The flyer didn’t specify much. It mentioned the date and location and that it was supposed to start at five in the afternoon.

Two things caught my interest. First how professionally the flyer was made. Second, that at least a hundred different market traders were attending. It seemed to be quite the event.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

Fertilizer

The moment I had signed the sales contract for the old farmhouse I’d been happier than I was in years.

You see, in life, I did everything right. I headed the advice of my teachers and parents. After I’d finished school, I went on to university and got my degree in business. I graduated with honors and started working at a fancy company. After a decade and a half, I’d climbed high enough on the corporate ladder to be head of the sale department. It meant quite the salary, but also more responsibility and more hours on the job.

During these years I moved into a newer, fancier place every couple of years, bought more luxuries, but spent less and less time home enjoying it all.

With each passing year, I grew to hate my life a bit more. I hated my job, my apartment and even the overcrowded city I lived in. I was yearning for a break and for some quiet and solitude.

When my uncle Dennis died, I was surprised to be named the sole benefactor.

Continue Reading

[rehnwriter]

My Friend Discovered Something Reality-Defying in His House

Until a few weeks ago, I was blissfully unaware of, well, almost everything. I went to work every day, loved movies, and to hang out with people, mostly my friend Greg.

He was a bit of an oddball. A nerd who was obsessed with movies and collecting rare props. Things had only gotten worse in the past weeks, after his girlfriend Maddie had broken up with him. Still, he was a decent enough guy.

It’s because of him that my life changed. A couple of weeks ago, he called me after a long day at work.

“Yo, Steve, can you come over? I gotta show you something.”

“Can’t it wait, dude? I was at the store all day. I’m exhausted.”

“No way, man, get your ass over here. Now! I even got us a couple of cold ones!”

I sighed inwardly, but eventually relented. It was Saturday evening anyway, so why not have a bit of fun?

Continue Reading