The One Short Story That Im Actually Proud Of

It won the MLP Library's Halloween contest 3 years ago.

The Florida everglades, rich with exotic vegetation, breathtaking sunsets and clear clean beaches: the perfect place for monster. It prowls in the darkness, concealed beneath the water, a murmur, a phantom. With a jaw bursting with dagger-like teeth, it creeps along, startling unexpected innocent newlyweds on their honeymoon, idle afternoon fisherman, and runaway dogs from their leashes. The dark one inside of it urges it to hunt, to feed, but it waits unwearyingly for the right moment to strike. This antediluvian fiend, with its sinister tail and malevolent eyes never ceases hunting. It settles in the deepest, darkest parts of the boggy water, hidden from sight until its quarry crosses its path. This predator doesn’t just hunt for food; it hunts for the joy of hunting. Its dark, crimson red eyes glow from underneath the watery mangroves and its razor sharp claws dig into the muddy floor of the swamp, ready to spring at any moment. This creature is not one of earth, or of another planet, it was brought up from the fiery flames of the dark halls of a forbidden land, a dark defender from an unknown world. It is possessed by the arrogant greediness of the human race. All of the worlds disgust, fury, insatiability, and jealously have taken over its soul, like a parasite in its host, the only thing it sees is darkness.

Stalking, lurking, hunting, it silently glides through the eerie waters, snapping its large pointed snout, waiting for its prey. A bird chirps lightly in the trees, Its head snaps, clicking its teeth, the bird flies away, feeling the presence of evil in the low afternoon light. It growls softly, a sound so frightening that it makes the very earth tremble. A man sits by the edge of the water, preparing a string for his fishing pole. It slides effortlessly into the water, running its black, decayed tongue over its razor teeth. As it hunches for the attack, the man moves. Unable to control the dark passenger, It leaps forward for the kill, missing by inches. The man shrieks, flinging himself out of the way. As he runs, he realizes that he dropped his Timex watch in the water, but he doesn’t care, he has gotten away, and that’s what counts. It continues to attack the bank, swallowing everything in its way. As it realizes that it missed its prey, it howls into the everglades, a bloodcurdling sound. It storms off, not realizing the Timex watch, tick,tick,ticking inside of its stomach.


A flash of red, followed by the screaming of an upset, underpaid store clerk, a teenage boy runs for his life, holding his prize; a stolen Snicker Bar. He sprints into the everglades, laughing at his triumph, his red shirt flapping in the breeze. As he settles down to eat his prize, he hears It, tick,tick,tick, shrugging he ignores it and opens the candy bar. Tick, Tick, Tick he turns around, the last thing he sees is the flash of sharp teeth, the smell of decaying flesh, and the red glow of an eye.