Thank you! There will be another contest soon, I think it’ll be held every 3 months. You should follow/subscribe to Macabre Monday if you want to be informed.
This was really beautifully done. Nice atmosphere too. The ending was totally unexpected. Great work. The story flowed so nicely like a piece of melody.
It has taken me a while to form a comment for this because I wanted to say something more elaborate than "I loved it" but it's the 2nd of April and this story haunts me still. Marvellous work.
It took my breath away. The horror sneaks up on a reader--as good horror should.
The story has an interesting misdirect. The reference to Amelia's cold hands made me think she was already dead at that point. So did her line about playing Bruyeres one last time. Death follows--unless the first part of the story, like the last, is the MC reliving the past. There are a lot of layers in such a short piece. Bravo!
Thank you!🩶 They were reliving their last hours right from the start, because he hears the floorboards in the beginning, without seeing who’s walking on them. He doesn’t see the living ones. Amelia is kind of aware that they’re stuck in the afterlife, unlike him. Thank you for reading!🩶
Congrats. Suitable for Thorny Thursday. Not much of Debussy fan. Some of his stuff is nice. Other is atrocious. Such inconsistency. But setting that aside ... Shudder!
Not to get into a big diatribe, I'll just say that readers will often react to our writing based on some personal opinion. I kept reading, but some people don't. So that raises the question of whether authors should worry about it or not. And that's up to each author. As for impressionists, I like them in regard to painting (got to see a wonderful exhibition of Monet years ago), but find them frustrating in music. Beethoven, Chopin, Vivaldi, a few others more my thing. Anyway, keep up the great writing!
I’m not sure if I understood you correctly - were you referring to the love scene in the story? I do agree that this story is heavy on the romance and light on the horror. I don’t see what might cause the problem, because horror readers should be prepared for... well unpleasant scenes, whether it be gore or violence. In this case - the scene wasn’t graphic at all. Both of the characters were adults (18 and 22) and its consensual. Maybe I should’ve made that clearer? Her being sad is because she kinda knows that they’re both ghosts, stuck in reliving their last hours. 🤷♀️
I did not mean to trick the readers disguising romance as horror. I can honestly say, I just wrote following my impulses, keeping the “music” theme in mind. That’s it. I didn’t write it for TT, and I’m not planning to share it on TT.
As for our musical preferences, as I said - to each their own. 🙂
This is beautiful work. Love the daydream scene
Thank you 🩶
Congratulations. Didn't know there was a contest.
Thank you! There will be another contest soon, I think it’ll be held every 3 months. You should follow/subscribe to Macabre Monday if you want to be informed.
A good one, Kathrine! And congratulations!!
Thank you 🩶
My, how beautiful those character descriptions. Just a few sentences and the reader could get a feel for their personalities and core nature...
Thank you for reading it.🩶
This was really beautifully done. Nice atmosphere too. The ending was totally unexpected. Great work. The story flowed so nicely like a piece of melody.
Thank you 🩶
It has taken me a while to form a comment for this because I wanted to say something more elaborate than "I loved it" but it's the 2nd of April and this story haunts me still. Marvellous work.
Thank you 🩶 I tend to linger in the stories too, whether my own or the stories of others. I just can’t emotionally snap out of it.
It took my breath away. The horror sneaks up on a reader--as good horror should.
The story has an interesting misdirect. The reference to Amelia's cold hands made me think she was already dead at that point. So did her line about playing Bruyeres one last time. Death follows--unless the first part of the story, like the last, is the MC reliving the past. There are a lot of layers in such a short piece. Bravo!
Thank you!🩶 They were reliving their last hours right from the start, because he hears the floorboards in the beginning, without seeing who’s walking on them. He doesn’t see the living ones. Amelia is kind of aware that they’re stuck in the afterlife, unlike him. Thank you for reading!🩶
Ah, now I get it! Subtle!
A haunting story that will stick with me. Congrats on placing!
Thank you 🩶
This was such a wonderful story! Congratulations, Kathrine!
beautiful and so gothic. i loved it.
My thoughts went in this order while reading/listening:
1. "Well this is lovely! Nothing horrible about this music."
2. "Oh... that's a weird way to think of her. Bit creepy."
3. "I was wrong. Not lovely; definitely creepy."
4. "Gosh, how bloody and horrible!"
5. "Sinister."
6. "I guess I'll never hear Bruyeres the same again..."
Great story, and great choice of music. It creates a nice counterpoint between the piano notes and the macabre writing.
Awwwww, what a wonderful piece. Love eternal.
Thank you...🩶 eternal sadness.😢
I’m reading yours after I get some work done!😏
Who could imagine that a horror story could hold so much beauty? Another excellent story...
Thank you...🩶
Congrats. Suitable for Thorny Thursday. Not much of Debussy fan. Some of his stuff is nice. Other is atrocious. Such inconsistency. But setting that aside ... Shudder!
Thanks. I might have to disagree on Debussy, but I guess to each their own.🙂🤷♀️
Not to get into a big diatribe, I'll just say that readers will often react to our writing based on some personal opinion. I kept reading, but some people don't. So that raises the question of whether authors should worry about it or not. And that's up to each author. As for impressionists, I like them in regard to painting (got to see a wonderful exhibition of Monet years ago), but find them frustrating in music. Beethoven, Chopin, Vivaldi, a few others more my thing. Anyway, keep up the great writing!
I’m not sure if I understood you correctly - were you referring to the love scene in the story? I do agree that this story is heavy on the romance and light on the horror. I don’t see what might cause the problem, because horror readers should be prepared for... well unpleasant scenes, whether it be gore or violence. In this case - the scene wasn’t graphic at all. Both of the characters were adults (18 and 22) and its consensual. Maybe I should’ve made that clearer? Her being sad is because she kinda knows that they’re both ghosts, stuck in reliving their last hours. 🤷♀️
I did not mean to trick the readers disguising romance as horror. I can honestly say, I just wrote following my impulses, keeping the “music” theme in mind. That’s it. I didn’t write it for TT, and I’m not planning to share it on TT.
As for our musical preferences, as I said - to each their own. 🙂
Sorry, no. Never mind. And I was just digressing into a music discussion, not criticism of your preferences.
It is clever - as is all the best writing.
Uproarious applause. It's quite clear why this one placed so high.
Thank you 🩶
Congrats!
Thank you!🩶