October 1, 2025
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction, Uncategorized
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
The Architect of Halloween sat down behind his desk to plan out this year’s theme.
Last year, it was Slashers. Before that it was Zombies, and Vampires were evergreen for the predations of those in power.
But this year he really wanted to hold up a dark mirror to people’s souls. Everywhere he saw them terrorize each other while wildfires, rising seas, and devastating storms scoured the Earth. Fear of nature, or fear of humanity?
Where was the line between man and beast, anyway?
He pulled out a fresh blueprint and a sharpened pencil. Werewolves were so in this year.
“architect” by 準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.
October 1, 2024
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction, Uncategorized
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween, Halloween Drabbles, Horror
He sat in the corn maze ticket both and watched the customers line up. They’d gotten a lot of buzz this year and he’d worked extra hard on the design to make it the scariest maze yet. It was going to be a great Halloween.
Suddenly, he heard screams from deep within the maze, and something else, chilling but unidentifiable. The crowd stampeded back to the parking lot trying to escape the figures emerging from the waving stalks.
He sighed. Everyone said they wanted a terrifying maze, but you add one eldritch summoning rune, and suddenly you’ve gone too far.
“Inside the Corn Maze” by mastermaq is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
My first very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!
Everyday Drabbles © 2024 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Have a fabulous day!
October 31, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
She’d never heard of an urban tasting room, much less one that kept nocturnal hours, but she figured a winery trying to get in on the bar scene. Drawing in the crowd of trend-seeking wine snobs where they lived made some sense.
The owner, a pale man with a slight European accent, confirmed as much as he led her downstairs for the interview. She wasn’t sure about him, but he seemed charming enough, and being a sommelier sounded a hell of a lot better than bartending.
“Very well,” the vampire said when they were alone. “Let’s see how you taste.”
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 18, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles, Inktober
“Please,” the baker said. “You have to help me. She died in the night…”
The necromancer frowned and looked down at the jar in his hands. It was an interesting case, and he had brought back smaller creatures before, but yeast?
“I will try, but necromancy isn’t a miracle. I can bring it back, but it won’t be unchanged.”
“The taste shouldn’t be effected. I just need it to last long enough to make a new sourdough starter. A few days.”
The necromancer coaxed the dead yeast into rising again, but all the baker could create with it was unbread.
October 6, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
He looked forward to this time of year, even though he hated it.
When the weather changed, he was always itchy and uncomfortable, and his skin no longer felt like his own. He felt trapped within it, like a sausage with too much filling.
But it was always a relief when he finally burst out and felt the cool air again. And he was always a little bit different. His limbs were longer, or bent differently, or he’d grown a new appendage. He was still a growing boy.
The other children in his school always made such a fuss, though.
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 5, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween, Halloween Drabbles
Every night, she dreamed the same dream. But when she woke up in the morning, the memory of it vanished, leaving only a recurring sense of unease.
She tried to explain to her therapist how certain she was that every night she was experiencing the same nightmare. But she could never remember a single thing about when she woke up, coloring her days with dread and frustration.
That night, she found herself again trying to explain her dream, and realized, just like every night, that this was the nightmare.
She was unable to tell if she was asleep or awake.
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 4, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
“I know that she’s an angel,” I whispered into the phone. “I don’t think she knows I know.”
My rabbi made a non-committal noise. “In some ways, anyone who does God’s work is an angel,” she offered.
“I just hoped you’d have some advice.”
“If you love this woman, you should tell her how you feel and trust in God.”
“Thanks,” I said, not really meaning it.
My girlfriend poked her head out of the kitchen. She was enveloped in holy radiance and ringed by burning eyes.
“I don’t feel like cooking tonight. How does pizza sound?”
“Good,” I sad.
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 3, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween, Halloween Drabbles
When his kitchen was infested with fruit flies, he was glad for the spiders. They resolved the issue in a matter of days, and he just had to sweep up the webs.
But afterwards, the spiders seemed to be everywhere. They spread from the kitchen to every room in his house. He tried to catch and release them at first, but there were too many, and he just started squashing them.
One morning, he woke up covered in spider silk. The room was full webs. The spiders had even spun a message into a web above the bedposts.
‘Union Now.’
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 2, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
Frank was a regular. The mean, ugly, bastard always sat in the corner and grumbled into his beer. I didn’t really like him, but he was seven feet tall, built like a linebacker and never caused any trouble.The other patrons avoided him, and he did the same. I tried to get him to open up, but he wouldn’t have it. He wanted to drink alone and be miserable, and who was I to judge?He did tell me once that he hated his father. When I asked him why, he just shrugged. “You think I’m a monster? He’s worse.”
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
October 1, 2023
hughjodonnell
Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction
Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction, Halloween Drabbles
The medium sat in her parlor and waited. All her tricks and tools were ready, from the tilting table to the hidden ‘ectoplasm.’ But those were just icing, it was her patter that put her in demand.
She gave the rubes a fright, or reassured them that their loved ones were in a better place. All this ghost malarkey was hogwash to her, but playing a psychic was a safe grift, and she was good at it.
The kids stood outside, working up the courage to enter the abandoned house. They said a famous medium’s ghost still haunted the place
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
Hugh J. O'Donnell 