It's spooky time again, and I thought it might be fun to do a post where I talk about five spooky stories I've written over the years.
(This time, all original fiction!)
Some of these were written for exchanges, some were inspired by real-life occurrences, some were inspired by art or songs while still largely being original work. All are very loved by me, so I'm bringing them back for the spooky season. :)
The Devil's Herd
Original Cowgirl F/F | Teen | 3k words
Written for the song Ghost Riders In The Sky for a Halloween event.
Danny wants out of this ho-hum life just as much as Ruby does, but highway robbery? She's not so sure -- especially when the Wild Hunt comes to call.
I've always liked this little cowgirl ditty. It's a story of love and morality that was partially inspired by several of the trips we've taken out west, especially to the ghostly statues at Rhyolite and a few of the museums at Tombstone. Dad and I just keep ending up at ghost towns and cowboy museums, I suppose.
A Loss In Nature
Original Grim Reaper Gen (or mild M/M) | Teen | 4k words
Written for Yuletide for the paintings The Uninvited Guest 1&2 by Adolph Menzel (1844, 1845)
When one reaper gives up on his job taking souls, one of his compatriots attempts to bring him back into the business.
(Or, in which the real uninvited guest is Feelings.)
(note: this fic is a meditation on death by those who do the job every day. warnings include major character death, mentions of death & disease, etc.)
Okay, okay, I know a story about grim reapers learning how to have feelings and then having all of those feelings about death (and each other) is a hard sell. This is a fic that deals with some unpleasant subjects and it has a very bittersweet ending. But it's also one of my favorite things I've ever written, and I think that death is a subject that we all have to grapple with in the end. It's better to do it, when possible, with a friend.
This story has also been illustrated by my dear friend Shay, who might be the only person who loved this thing as much as I did. lmao
Shine On, Harvest Moon
Mortician M/M | Mature | 8k words
Written for the ToT Exchange and inspired by odlaws' one-page Mortician comic.
Powell Funeral Home has been in Arden's family for generations, and he takes his duties very seriously. But perhaps there is more to life than death, more to love than grief, and more to this funeral than meets the eye.
Ohhhh Arden. This emotionally constipated man is one of my favorite characters I've ever created. Again, I know that an ultimately hopeful meditation on death and grief is a hard sell, but I really, truly love this fic. I've been thinking about it a lot lately (especially because the local funeral home was a sponsor at our neighborhood festival lmao) and I might even make another post especially for this one come Halloween.
This is a story about learning to let yourself love again after undergoing unimaginable grief. It's about burying yourself in the world of the dead while you're still alive. It's also about some very spirited ghosts telling you to get your head out of your ass and kiss your very cute coworker who definitely has a crush on you. 🥲
The Little Pet Shop Down The Road
Gen | General Audiences | 700 words
Written for the ToT Exchange for a ghost animal prompt.
There are pet shops for living animals, and there are pet shops for dead ones.
This is a short and sweet one about a pet shop for ghosts to adopt ghostly companions. I think this is a cute story, but I also put it here because this is the story that inspired the much longer one I'm working on now, about the witch who runs a familiar shelter. :)
Something Borrowed
Gen | General Audiences | 1700 words
Written for the ToT Exchange for a ghost dinosaur prompt.
In 1934, an Apatosaurus skeleton was mounted in the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. Under the name of "Brontosaurus", the headless skeleton was fitted with the cast of a Camarasaurus skull. In 1979, both Camarasaurus and Apatosaurus were put to rights. But how might it feel, to be two ghosts haunting the same skeleton?
I've told the long and embarrassing story of this fic a few times. I read an article about two dinosaur skeletons being put together in a museum and later being separated, and I was really fascinated by the idea of two ghosts haunting the same skeleton. I did more research on this particular case and even ended up emailing the museum with a couple questions about what had happened to certain bones. I'd expected a docent to email me back when they had time. I wasn't expecting the very excited paleontologist who showed up to my inbox! So bless him for answering my questions and I hope he never finds my AO3. lmao
Despite any awkwardness, though, I still love this fic and I'm glad I wrote it.
