A few days ago, I began writing what was a surprising enough story to me. I don’t read or watch a lot of horror, but I loved the old Universal monster movies when I was a kid as well as Godzilla and King Kong. Today I continue the story of our ghoul and its master. There’s a lot of things I’m leaving out but would love to fill in a larger work should I get around to it one day. There’s only so much you can pack into one sitting though. Enjoy!

Months passed as the ghoul did its master’s bidding. At first, it tried to resist but found itself unable to. No matter what it tried, its body and mouth betrayed it in favor of the master. The ghoul lied to children and gave them fruit and sweets. It played with them and sang songs it did not remember knowing. It fell in love with almost every child. Some were easier to love than others, but even the jaded and wary it won over with persistence and bribery. The ghoul hated every minute but could not help itself.

While the creature’s self-loathing grew greater every day, its hatred for its master grew doubly so. One morning, the master stopped the ghoul before it went out for the day.

“We’re leaving here,” he said. “The villages around here have grown suspicious. We must move to a large city where we’ll be less conspicuous.”

“Where?” the ghoul said.

“Nisbet,” he said, “though that unlikely means anything to you.”

The ghoul visibly bristled, its quils on its upper back standing on end. The man put his hands up.

“No offense intended,” he said, “but the city is far from here and it’s unlikely most people in this area have heard of it. That’s what makes it a better destination for us. That reminds me.”

The master waved his hands in front of the ghoul and spoke another incomprehensible incantation. He held a looking glass in front of the ghoul but would not let it hold it after it dropped the last one. The ghoul saw a large, burly man with brown hair, blue eyes, light skin, and a bushy mustache. The man in the looking glass wore a dark blue cap and long sleeves.

The master then placed his hand upon the head of the ghoul and again and said another incantation, burning more knowledge into the creature’s mind. This done, the master spoke to the ghoul in a language different from what the ghoul spoke before, yet it understood.

“Can’t have you speaking Bareshi in Nesbit,” the master said. “Very few would understand and I think your day would go poorly for you.”

The master pointed to a trunk, and the ghoul walked over and put it on its back like carrying a piglet to market. Then the devil walked out of the stone vault. The ghoul looked behind it at the piles of bones they accumulated since its birth. Tears filled its eyes again, and it turned and followed its master.

If you like what you’ve read, please let me know, and I would also appreciate you sharing it with your people (or very smart pets). What are your favorite horror stories? If you want to make sure you don’t miss these, subscribe to my newsletter below or subscribe to my social networks. Thanks for reading!