[After a strange incident around a trash burner a few blocks from her home, Ella is unnerved by reports of a corpse discovered inside it. Her neighbor Fanny helps her calm down but when Ella returns to her apartment, she … Continue reading Next Installment: “Only Regrets” (Animal Control)
Speculative fiction, whether fantasy or science fiction, has fascinated me since my adolescence. In created worlds, echoing our own or totally alien, writers in these genres question the nature of the universe and our species. Who hasn’t pondered the Big … Continue reading Source Materials
[After her casual walk reveals a corpse, Ella suspects her new neighborhood has some unpleasant secrets. Fanny, a tenant one floor down, comforts her with tea and sympathy. To read previous installments, start with https://susanbassmarcus.net/first-paragraphs-of-a-new-scary-short-story%5D Fanny made excuses about an … Continue reading New Installment of “Only Regrets”
[Ella loves her neighborhood and her new home, but a mutilated body turns up in the trash-burner, site of her terrifying encounter with a beastly dog. The police will be in touch, but meanwhile her neighbor Fanny offers her some … Continue reading Ella’s Dilemma: more “Only Regrets” [working title]
Ella loves her new apartment. She has met neighbors Dave and Fanny and goes for a walk to explore the area. A vicious dog threatens her, but inexplicably stops and turns away. She plans to call Animal Control about it … Continue reading It Gets Worse – Another segment of “Only Regrets”
[Ella, a middle-aged widow has moved into an apartment in an attractive neighborhood. She has met other tenants in her building and is beginning to feel settled. Odd and sometimes frightening noises from the apartment next to hers mystify her, … Continue reading Anxiety or Horror: Another segment of “Only Regrets”
Having lived near Siena for a relatively longer time than Hisham Matar’s sojourn, which he eloquently describes in “A Month in Siena,” I appreciate his experiences there. As a college student, my encounters with the city were more with people … Continue reading The Power of Place – ‘A Month in Siena’ by Hisham Matar
[The strange animal noises Ella heard when she first moved into her new, “perfect” apartment have stopped. Her neighbor, Dave, eases her concerns and feeling less anxious, she decides to explore her neighborhood] By the end of the week, I … Continue reading The Horror Story Builds: next segment of “Only Regrets”
[The suspense is growing. Did Ella make the wrong move? She’s happy in her new home for now and meets Dave, a friendly downstairs neighbor. She shares her suspicions about the tenant next door.] Sometimes, Dave and I would meet … Continue reading Building a Horror Story, “Only Regrets”
[The last two installments described Ella’s decision to uproot herself from friends and move into a calm city neighborhood] At the start of week two, settled with a mug of herbal tea into my cozy armchair now in the living-dining room, … Continue reading Only Regrets 2.0
