The Ghost Diaries: Episode VI

An original comedy horror serial

A ghost’s afterlife is turned upside down when an obnoxious family moves into his haunted house. Their presence quickly brings his worst nightmare to life — people who refused to be scared of ghosts.

The Ghost Diaries is a comedy horror story told through diary entries. It’s set in Deer Falls — the same small Colorado town featured in my stories Snow Dragon, Pandora Reborn, and The Crimson Reaper. This first episode of this serial is free to all Strange New Worlds subscribers. The entire eight-episode serial will be available exclusively to paid subscribers of Strange New Worlds and paid subscribers of my Patreon page.

I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII

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June 14 —

Two days of planning should have yielded better results than what I got. Simon’s fake curse idea sounded like pure genius when he pitched it to me. I’m still scratching my head, trying to figure out why the first part of my plan unraveled so fast.

I brought home a Phantom Phixers curse starter pack. Combing through the contents got the wheels in my head spinning again. A creepy doll instantly caught my eye.

Pure nightmare fuel.

That’s an apt descriptor for how the doll looks. Shadowy bug eyes. Thin crooked smirk with a pair of jagged teeth exposed. A wooden face molded to show craggy flesh on cheeks and chin. If a parent ever gave their child a gift like this, they would be locked away in a deep dark cell.

Exactly what I needed.

Or so I thought anyway.

I planted the doll inside Lacey’s closet. Teens are usually the first ones to crack when faced with a curse. All those hormones firing nonstop. They can’t be expected to ever think straight. I counted on Lacey instantly manifesting uncontrolled emotional stupidity once she laid eyes on the doll.

When Lacey slid open her closet door, I lurked in the shadows with a big grin. I just knew a liberal dose of screams and running were finally on deck. Her reaction instantly defied my expectations. Lacey snatched the doll off the shelf, scrunched up her eyes and nose, and studied it for a moment.

She finally tossed it aside on the floor.

“Hey Colby!” Lacey turned and shouted toward her open bedroom door. “Come get your creepy stuffed animal out of my room!”

Her demand garnered no response. Lacey unloaded an exasperated sigh and refocused her attention on combing through pairs of shoes.

Undeterred, I doubled down on making the doll take on a scarier vibe. I scooped it off the floor behind her and then snatched a sneaker from the closet. Working fast, I pulled out a shoelace, wrapped it around the doll’s neck, and rigged it to drop from a ceiling fan blade.

I stifled a chuckle as I clicked off the lights.

“That’s not funny!”

Lacey popped back out of her closet. Her eyes were drawn to the ceiling as the fan sprang to life. Seconds later, the doll plummeted toward the floor. It only stopped once the shoelace noose pulled tight. Both doll eyes fell on the teen.

This was my cue to spring into action. I sidled up next to the doll and made the lips move like I operated a ventriloquist dummy.

“Join me.” I uncorked a fine impression of a little creepy doll voice. “We’ll be together forever.”

Lacey scowled and ripped the doll out from its makeshift noose. She immediately snapped the head off and bounced it off the carpet.

“I’ll get you, Colby!” she shouted. “Your pranks are all so lame. When I find you, your ass is grass!”

Her reaction mystified me. The doll should have scared Lacey enough for her to pull out clumps of her dishwater blonde hair and piss her pants while bolting to find the nearest hiding place. Instead, Lacey charged out of the bedroom with broken doll in hand to confront her younger brother.

I just don’t get it. She isn’t behaving how teens are supposed to behave when they’re confronted by ghosts. Rules govern how this game is played. The whole Farmer clan keeps breaking them one by one.

Everything about this situation is so irritating.

Starting from scratch for the zillionth time. I’ll try out some of the other starter pack materials tomorrow. See if my luck finally takes a turn for the better.

It has to turn back in my favor sooner or later, right?

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