Saturday, October 1, 2022

"Welcome To My Nightmare"

 October is finally here

and the fun begins!

 ***

But first, the 6th song for your Halloween Playlist is

 

"WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE" - ALICE COOPER

https://youtu.be/jgPqZmrJ380


Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash


"WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE"

I could never have imagined this. Cursed with barely a kiss.

A writer of horror and mystery, now part of a murderer's history.

How could my books with happy endings not hold the same outcome for me? Instead, I'm buried with others under this gnarled tree.

My killer was charming. Not the least bit alarming.

A fan with questions and a few suggestions.

I blushed like a teen and felt like a queen.

A cocktail with Rohypnol and I was his doll.


So business-like, with his sharp knife.

Death didn't come swift, but when it did it was a gift.

To be continued…

100 Words

Yolanda Renée © 2022

Photo by Ash Edmonds on Unsplash

***

Halloween Party PlayList

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Black Magic Woman" by Santana

"Man-Eater" by Hall & Oates

"Hungry Like A Wolf" by Duran Duran

"Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett

"Welcome to my Nightmare" by Alice Cooper

~~**~~

So there's no more delay

Write your Thriller Story

Enter into the fun

 of WEP October's Challenge

Thriller!

 


Make it your own.

Ghosts and Goblins aren't required

Any artistic venture

Poem or misadventure

We aren't picky

We're only trying to inspire

Stretch your talents

Upset the balance

It's all in fun,

And that's no pun.

Photo by Marius Ciocirlan on Unsplash




Monday, September 26, 2022

The Iconic "Monster Mash"

It's the last of September but our playlist continues.

As October is the month to fear!

The story will change but I've done all I can to make your Halloween Party a hit with ghost stories

and a playlist from Hell!

Our 5th song is the Iconic...

Photo by LexScope on Unsplash

 "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett

https://youtu.be/bRLML36HnzU

***

PARTY TIME

Photo by Brian Wegman 🎃 on Unsplash


I hope you've survived this monstrous delight. And no demons or goblins have made you their fright.

That evil has found someone else to consume. You're inspired and ready for our challenge, come this full moon.

You've stories to tell, just remember you're not safe yet. Evil's just started. It's a sure bet.

It haunts throughout the year, but in October, WOW. The demons sure do love to howl.

Your best bet, be prepared, partake, and have fun.

Join the party, come dance, don't hide alone, and be careful of tricks. Post your stories at WEP for a Thriller mix!

100 Words

Yolanda Renee © 2022

***

*****

The WEP Challenge is almost here!

THRILLER






Monday, September 19, 2022

"Hungry Like A Wolf"

Your next song on the Halloween Playlist! 

Duran Duran - "Hungry Like the Wolf"

https://youtu.be/oJL-lCzEXgI 


Wolf Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash


HUNGRY LIKE A WEREWOLF

Werewolves are on the prowl. Hear their howl?

They love to eat, and you're a favorite meat.

A silver bullet through the heart will do it. Holy water? Not a chance. For this curse, there is no dance.

Once again, your life's in danger. Don't trust that handsome stranger.

Don't hide now. An invasion you can't allow.

Did you buy that gun? Melt the silver? Or do you plan to forage in the forest and drink from the river?

Will you hunt at night and howl at the moon?

For you, a werewolf's curse could be just the right tune!

100 Words

Yolanda Renee © 2022


***

Halloween Party PlayList

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Black Magic Woman" by Santana

"Man-Eater" by Hall & Oates

"Hungry Like A Wolf" by Duran Duran

*****

Now I know you're ready!

It's almost October!

The WEP Challenge 

THRILLER







Monday, September 12, 2022

Zombie's Hungry but She's a "Man-Eater"

And the next record to add to your Halloween PlayList

"Man-Eater" by Hall & Oates



Photo by Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash


"Man-eater" by Hall & Oates

https://youtu.be/yRYFKcMa_Ek

***


"MAN-EATER"

Isn't she pretty! The man-eater!

Thought you were safe, but the undead began to rise. You passed a cemetery, and now they're after your hide.

How can you beat the walking dead? Beheading? A bullet to the head. Or hiding under the bed.

There is nowhere safe? Not on Earth, not when evil has full reign, and the zombies want your brain.

Maybe you can dress the part? Entertain the man-eater, show her your heart.

I've the perfect tune. After all, it's a full moon.

Get your costume, prepare for fun, or fall victim to the craze. It's only your soul you have to save.

     Photo by Mahdi Bafande on Unsplash

100 Words

Yolanda Renée © 2022


*****

Halloween Party PlayList

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Black Magic Woman" by Santana

"Man-Eater" by Hall & Oates

***

I know you're almost ready.

For October's Fun!

The WEP Challenge 

THRILLER


Remember, it's all about fun!



Monday, September 5, 2022

"Black Magic Woman"

And the next record to add to your Halloween PlayList

 "Black Magic Woman" by Santana

https://youtu.be/9wT1s96JIb0

Photo by Stefano Ciociola on Unsplash


BLACK MAGIC

The Devil doesn't need magic. Do you? Protection from this new Hell on Earth. You only have to survive until November 1st. Then evil returns to its unholy home.

But for thirty-one days, you're exposed. Better find some of that old black magic, but what's the cost? Your firstborn, or are you forever lost?

She'll ask for the harshest. Can you make the sacrifice? Will you pay or take your chances as evil roams? Or sell what's precious to save your unworthy soul?

Better act fast. For this, consuming evil will last until the toll of midnight on October 31st.

100 Words

Yolanda Renée © 2022

Photo by Nurlan Imash on Unsplash

*****

Are you getting ready for the fun?

The WEP October Challenge 

THRILLER


Your Halloween Party PlayList:

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Black Magic Woman" by Santana

***

Here is the link to the Thriller lyrics if you want more inspiration:

THRILLER

Remember, it's all about fun!

Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash

mWUha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7fVfNCvwsA

Thursday, September 1, 2022

There's a "Bad Moon Rising"

 I know it's only September, but I'm already excited for the unholy month of haunting, October. So here it is. My ode to the ghosts, goblins, vampires, and witches. Starting today, I'm posting weekly. Each week a new song, because everyone needs a playlist for that Halloween party, and why not a flash to go along with it? After all, it's all about the ghost story, isn't it?

The first song chosen is:

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

https://youtu.be/5BmEGm-mraE

Photo by Vino Li on Unsplash

THERE'S A "BAD MOON RISING"

September's here, but something disconcerting is occurring in Hell. There's a disturbance among the denizens below.

Even Satan is dancing to a tune we all know.

Celebrating in Hell, the ghosts and goblins are preparing to appear. Unfortunately, the bad news is that it won't just be on Halloween this year.

When the sun goes down. The world will awaken to an unholy sound. All the demons, gargoyles, and ghosts will arise and take flight. Guard your soul, don't mess around!

Lock your doors tight, for evil has arisen, and no one is safe from diablo's intrusion.

Happy early Halloween!

100 words

Yolanda Renée © 2022

*****

This was just to prepare you for the fun

that is coming in October!

The WEP Challenge 

THRILLER

(follow the link to the lyrics)


A little more inspiration taken directly from the list of Challenges for 2022

This is the Fear fest Challenge in which we ramp up the spook factor over here, welcoming your creepiest compositions, your most haunting and haunted tales running the gamut of paranormal, speculative, crime, and horror genres. However, as always, there are no rigid rules. Feel free to write to any genre if those mentioned are not your thing. 

The prompt is based on Thriller, released in the early '80s,  an unofficial anthem for Halloween and horror. Both singer and song are music industry icons. Thriller has sold 70 million+ copies worldwide and Michael Jackson, known as the King of Pop, is one of the controversial and culturally significant figures of the 20th century. They credited him with some landmark music as well as reinventing complex dance moves like the moonwalk to make it his own signature. Just like the Beatles, MJ was, during his lifetime and remains, more than a decade after his death, one of the bestselling artists of all time. He has left a massive and unique thumbprint on the music/entertainment scene of the late twentieth century. 

The prompt has endless possibilities. Take the lyrics to this song - they can inspire myriad flashes - the forty thousand years of funk, the beast about to strike, the thing with forty eyes - the imagery is vivid and specific, and boy! Can they be used to craft a creepy tale or what? Or you could use the video's own storyline to write to. Use that iconic dance with the undead MC morphing into a zombie, to spin a horror flash. 

Or maybe not...because hang on...not everyone needs to be a horror/Halloween junkie. Use the demons as a metaphor. Let the dance with the zombies become an inner wrestling bout with some tragic character flaw(s) in your MC. Or weave a girl-boy-movie-night narrative. Or one of a rescue mission where the hero snatches the damsel in distress from the jaws of monsters real or imaginary.  Or...just write to the title 'Thriller' - no end to the tales you could tell. You see? - a million ways to go, a million things to be! 

Here is the link to the thriller lyrics if you need more inspiration: THRILLER

Remember it's all about fun!

See you there? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7fVfNCvwsA



I hope you enjoy my drabbles!

DRABBLE

A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely 100 words. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in a confined space.

Wikipedia· Text under CC-BY-SA license




Wednesday, August 17, 2022

WEP - Moonlight Sonata

 



Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash



Goddess of the Night

I'm a practical, well-educated man and an athlete that enjoys a challenge, adventure, and travel. It's why I joined the Navy after 9 11.

But after twenty years in the service and giving my best in the fight for freedom. The exodus from Afghanistan exposed a weakness. I began questioning my choices. Retirement from command was my solution. However, the change wasn't easy. I sought direction at the Meher Spiritual Center of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I wanted peace and healing from what I saw as a spiritual crisis.

Now I'm wondering if I've completely lost my mind.

After a week of meditation and silence, I began to see a new path to my future. On Friday, August 11, the evening of the sturgeon moon, I took a healing walk along the ocean. This night as it was explained, was the season of Leo. Astrologers claim the August moon stands for perseverance and the ability to adapt with time and change just like the sturgeon. Tonight, was all about going inward. Clearing the ballast and making room for opportunity. Which I was open to.


The evening was hot, but the breeze off the ocean made it comfortable. I had a flashlight to help me find the way, but once the moon was high, the light was brilliant and my walk invigorating. Then I heard music, faint at first, but the further south I moved, the more recognizable the tune became.

Then, it dawned. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was being played. Even though I was no longer on the property of the Spiritual Center. I kept walking south. The area was privately owned, but I just had to know who was playing this hauntingly beautiful piece.

I came around a high dune and stopped in my tracks.

Standing in the direct rays of the Sturgeon Moon stood an angel. Or was she a mermaid turned human? It didn't matter. Her beauty captivated. She wore a gown of brilliant white trimmed in gold. Her arms were raised to the heavens as though in worship. I thought she was praying.

Her long luxurious hair was the same color as the moon, red with glimmering gold highlights. The breeze lifted the tresses, caressed them, then laid them carefully across lightly tanned shoulders. She was perfection.

Her feet were bare, and the surf kissed her toes lightly, reverently. Watching her, I was frozen in place.

The Moonlight Sonata flowed in an evocative lament.

When she turned toward me, I saw tears on her cheeks, shimmery diamonds she quickly brushed away. What could bring this beautiful goddess to tears?

She smiled, and her deep blue eyes held me fast. Suddenly I was drowning. I felt the cool, clear water pulling my willing body deeper into its depths. Fighting for breath. Her smile calmed me.

Though my heart raced. I relaxed as she moved toward me. Was she walking or gliding across the sand? Did it matter? No, not at that moment, for I knew instantly that she was a gift from God. The answer to my prayers. My future.

Communication went beyond words. Clasped in an embrace, our bodies were one. I could feel her heart beating as furiously as my own. When our lips met in a kiss, the word ecstasy would never describe our response or the carnal nature of our union. The world, the entire universe disappeared, and we were alone. Soaring through a cosmos of indescribable color and beauty, the Moonlight Sonata played its soulful refrain, and we rediscovered our love.

In that kiss, I uncovered the past, saw our future, and recalled our eonian vow of love eternal. She was mine, and I, forever hers. If she'd come to me as a succubus, vampire, or the living dead, I would have willingly given her all and more.

Then the music ended. I opened my eyes, and she was gone. I stood there, unbelieving. Confused. Even the moon had disappeared behind clouds that hadn't existed before that moment.

But she was here, and in the flesh, my moonlit goddess. I could still feel the warmth of her lips, the softness of her skin, the silkiness of her honey-colored hair, and the want in her kiss.

Her absence left me hollow as though she'd taken my soul. But it was my heart that she stole.

I searched until dawn but failed in my quest. Was my goddess a dream? A siren of the Moonlight Sonata or my heart's yearning made flesh under the thrall of a full moon?

Yolanda Renee © 2022

754 words/ FCA

Photo by Rafael Alcure on Unsplash

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

This is the beginning of a love story I hope to turn into a novel.

I would love to know your thoughts.


Tagline: Moonlight thrall or real-life goddess?

XXX