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Click click clack

Lenny furiously types away at his computer. 

“LENNY!!”

“WHAT MOM?”

“IT’S DINNER TIME!”

“BUT I’M BUSY!”

“COME UP RIGHT NOW OR NO FOOD!”

“God she’s so annoying,” he murmured to himself. He decides to abstain from dinner tonight. Surely, his bag of chips would provide enough sustenance.

Orange cheeto dust floats through the air, illuminated by the glow of his desktop screen. He pushes his hair out of his eyes, leaving behind a streak of orange from his right temple to his ear. 

Click Clack Clack

Furiously clicking his mouse, his temper dwindles. 

“I hate this stupid game.” He grits through cheeto-stained teeth.

Crash

His headphones slam against the wall, the cord flying out of his computer. In a rage, he slumps out of his chair and leaps onto his mattress and screams. Lenny, with his lack of patience, gives up on sleeping and rushes back to his computer.

“I need a new game, this one sucks.” He says to himself. 

Clicking through menus and scrolling for hours, his attention is suddenly caught.

“This looks interesting…”

“A game you can’t put down!! Sick of your life?! Play this!!” He reads the glowing text off his screen. “Yeah right, we’ll see.”

He downloads the new game with little hesitation. Immediately, the game overtakes his screen, claiming control of his computer. The neon graphics of the menu flicker obnoxiously. The start button flashes on to the screen. With no other options, Lenny submits, clicking the button and starting the simulation. Mesmerised by the colours and animations, he barely moves watching as the game is only just starting up. 

Bzzt

Sparks flicker from his computer. His screen snaps to a black void. In the screen’s reflection he is met by his gaunt expression and sunken eyes. At first he barely recognizes this stranger, but then it copies his movements. 

“Is that me?”

Just as he realises he’s staring at his reflection, the simulation returns. Before him is a table presenting him with a mirror and a banana. He picks up the mirror, curious to see what the game’s character looks like. Shocked by the mirror’s image he drops it to the floor and it shatters. It was the same sad looking character from earlier. 

Freaked out, stumbles backwards falling to the ground. Whipping around, he tries to get back on his chair to no avail. He fumbles around trying to turn on his lights. But his man-cave is too dark. As he’s a little freaked out, he goes to turn off his computer, but the screen has disappeared and in its place is the table from the game. Surrounding him is nothing but the pitch black void. Below him nothing but a million shattered pieces of glass.

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Curiosity killed the cat

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Sitting in her living room, simultaneously warmed by a blanket and the fireplace, Sally picks up a new book, cracking its fresh spine. Admiring the book, she notices the beautiful hand-painted cover depicting a tall malnourished vampire. His glorious cheekbones paired alongside his sharp jawline made for a rather attractive specimen.

Scratch scratch

An ominous sound creeps into the room through the walls, snapping Sally’s attention away from her ogling. “Hello?” Her question is met in silence. She returns to her book and turns to the first page.

Screech Her skin crawls with the sharp, piercing screech.

"Hey!" She announces. "Who’s there?!"

Scratch

This time, she spins around. Facing the window, she waits for another sound. Suddenly, a howling screech echoes from the window. Wiping the sweat off her palms, she reaches for her trusty 1000+ page book, weighing a hefty few pounds. Perfect for defending herself from whatever monster haunts her.

The floor creaks under her gentle steps, trying her best not to alert the mysterious creature. The curtains are shut but she is nearly sure there is something waiting for her on the other side. Slowly, she reaches for the cloth, pulling it back she sees two glowing yellow eyes and large ivory fangs.

“Aaaghh!” She falls back screaming, expecting to see her worst fate befall her.

“MEOW”

She opens her eyes and rises off the floor. Only to see the monster that almost yanked the life out of her very soul.

The monster was as dark as ebony with fur covering it from head to toe… But Sally’s expectations were wrong. The fearsome beast was nothing more than a meek little kitty cat eager for the warmth of her home.

“Hi, little guy. Do you want to come in?” Cooing while she undoes the latch on her window, granting the small black cat entry.

The black cat eagerly jumps indoors. The cat curls up around Sally’s feet urging her for pets. Sally trustingly leans forward to pet her new friend, receiving a bite in return.

“Ow!” She hollers. She clutches her wound trying to stop the crimson river flowing from her wrist.

“Prrrbt” The cat innocently mews. Foolishly, Sally cannot stay mad, for her new friend is just too lovable. She’s a little too trusting of this stranger, Sally has no thoughts in that head of hers, her brain akin to a closed window.

“Silly human.” The cat bellows.

“HM?? Did you just… sp-speak? You’re a cat! But you’re speaking??”

“I am no cat, you ignorant fool… I am Jerelzda the great vampire. MWAH HAH HA HAAH.”

“A vampire? Like the ones from my books?” “NO, you idiot. I am far more powerful than those fictional wannabes.”

“But you look like a cat…”

“This is not my true form.”

“Well…”

“YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO GAZE UPON MY TRUE FORM! Unless… you would much rather die.”

“If you’re anything like the vampires from my book, I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”

Silence echoes through the room

“They say curiosity killed the cat…” Jerelzda warns.

Suddenly, the room drops ten degrees. Wind starts to whip through the air, lifting small Jerelzda into the air.

“Wow.” Sally freezes in awe.

She watches Jerelzda’s yellow eyes drawing her closer. She steps in without control, captivated by the glimmering golden glint in his eyes, the last bit of brightness she may ever see again…

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writing inspiration at its finest...

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Sitting at his desk pretending to work, Rory counts down the minutes until 5 o’clock. 

“Rory.” His shoulders tensed, suddenly aware of his posture. 

“You better be send me those documents by the end of the week”

“Uh- Yep, I’m just finishing up” Rory stumbles.

“Sure…”

He listens to the click of his boss’s shoes echoing down the hall, waiting to continue his game of Minesweeper. The cold fluorescent lights flicker in rhythm with his boss’s steps.

“5… 4… 3…” He murmurs to himself “2… 1…"

As the clock strikes five, his desktop is already powered off for the night. He grabs his bag and stands, lightly stretching, he hears the sound of his knees cracking. Grabbing his coat from off the hangers, he notices a new poster depicting a grayscale illustration of a hamster running on a wheel.

 “Eat. Sleep. Submit your expense reports! Repeat…”

As he reaches the steps outside his apartment he notices new pains in his back. Everyday the stairs seem to grow steeper. 

Inside, he tosses his jacket onto the floor and kicks his shoes off to the side of the hall. Glancing across his near-empty room, he is painfully reminded of his office cubicle. The two are nearly identical save for his window. If you could even call it that, a window should have a view, a reminder of the outside world; this window only presented Rory with a brick wall. Regardless, he opens his window just a crack. 

As per his routine, he’s already in bed by 10:30pm. 

Woosh

As a howling wind rushes in through the window, Rory realises he left the window open. Tucked in and cosy, he chooses to ignore the wind and leaves his window ajar. Yawning, he turns over in bed, but is abruptly disrupted by a sudden cold breeze. He tries to fall asleep as goosebumps pepper his skin. Dedicated to his comfort he stomps over to the window. However, as he expects to be met with the familiar brick wall, his jaw drops. 

Outside his window, his eyes are met with a star-speckled, midnight-blue sky. Lining the horizon are quaint, single-story homes each donning a uniquely coloured roof. Beyond the houses is a large body of water neighbouring gorgeous green cliffs. 

After a long moment of Rory absorbing his new view, the absurdity of this situation crashes into him. Even if his wishes were granted, and that hideous brick building had been miraculously destroyed, all he would be seeing is the infinite stretch of highrises and identically drab apartment complexes. 

“Wow. I must be dreaming.”

In fear of falling out of his dream state, he opts to exit his room through the window rather than his front door. Peering down out the window, he remembers he lives on his apartment building’s 15th floor. He concludes, the only way for him to get down must be to fly. Rory kicks his right leg out of the window, promptly followed by the left. Now sitting on the ledge, he embraces his dream. For once, choosing spontaneity in favour of his comfort and routine. 

He leans forward, releasing the ledge.

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Eyes are the window to the soul

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Port Stewart, a small town found on the northern coast of Ireland.