It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love the fall. I love the colours, the crisp pumpkin everything-tinged air, and chunky sweaters.  But most of all, I love the movies. Here are a few of my favourite Halloween flicks, in gif form, naturally.

Since I'm Canadian, we have two super fab holidays in October; Thanksgiving AND Halloween. I know, turkey and candy in one month?? It's pretty awesome. 

Anyways, since October is the perfect month for spookiness, I thought I'd share a wee bit of fun news! THE MIDNIGHT SOCIETY, a fun new horror blog, held a flash fiction contest. All you had to do was write a story, 700 words or under, that has to do with a mailbox.

They announced the winners of the contest yesterday, and I won :D Check out this sweet badge I got.

I'm going to include my entry below, because if your phone is like mine, it takes forever to open new windows, but I really hope you'll go check out the other creepy entries. 

http://midnightsocietytales.com/2014/10/05/top-scare-flash-fiction-october/

Here's my entry to the contest. Since I'm know to be a little long-winded, I clocked in just under the 700 mark at 682.  Enjoy :)

An hour ago, I was tucked in bed and dreaming. Now I’m standing barefoot in a dark field. I knew this was going to happen. I am, after all, a legacy.

Mom has been grooming me for this sorority since I started my freshman year. Now the wait is over. All that stands in my way it tonight.

I’m surrounded by my fellow pledges and my future sorority sisters. The sisters hold flickering candles. The pledges and I blend into the blackness.

“Listen up, bitches.” Claudia, sorority president, stands on a makeshift podium. “The test is simple. At the end of the field is a mailbox. All you have to do is stick your arm inside for three minutes, and then you’re in.”

“That’s it?” A shadowed pledge asks.

“That’s it. The only catch is that you’re not allowed to scream.” Claudia scans the crowd. “Who’d like to start things off?”

I take a deep breath and step into the wavering light. “I will.”

“A legacy,” Claudia purrs. “Perfect. Come with me.”

I follow the girl into the inky depths until we stop at a rusted red and blue mailbox. It’s nothing special; it’s the kind that would stand on a busy street corner. It’s big enough for large parcels, or teeny sorority sisters. When my mom pledged, it was one of these bendy sisters that grabbed her hand and yanked it the second she slid it through the mail slot. But Mom didn’t scream and neither will I.

“I’m going to leave you alone now.” Claudia walks backward. “But I’ll be close enough to hear you yelp.”

Once I’m alone, I pull my foot back. If I can startle whoever is hiding in the lower compartment, I won’t be so scared. I let my foot fly and boot the mailbox.

Silence.

It was worth a shot.

I set the timer on my roommate’s dorky digital watch for three minutes. I clench my jaw and lift the mail slot. I slide my watch-less hand into the narrow gap and squeeze my eyes shut.

The air inside the mailbox is thick and humid. The hair on the back of my hand stands up and digs into my skin like tiny needles. I wiggle my fingers to let the hiding girl know I’m there. I nearly lose it when I graze a patch of coarse hair with the back of my hand.

Found you.

I crane my neck and look at my watch. Two minutes to go.  I nudge the girl’s head with my hand. She leans into my hand and a throaty sigh rumbles up the mailbox.

“What the hell?” I pull my hand back but the furry head follows.

Hot breath cascades over my palm. Chills erupt over my body and cover my limbs. I shiver but I don’t make a peep.

“You’re halfway there!” Claudia calls.

A warm, fleshy tongue drags across my palm. Saliva covers my hand like ooze. I flick it off and it tings against the medal siding.

They’re really going all out this year.

My timer beeps. One more minute.

Razor sharp teeth graze my thumb. I flinch and shove my hand into the corner of the mailbox. The mouth follows. The teeth trace my fingers and break the first layer of skin.

I wince but I don’t make a sound.

Canines dip into the flesh between my thumb and pointer finger. It hurts, but it’s not enough to make me fail. The tongue laps at warm beads of blood. Another sound, this one more like a growl, makes the entire mailbox vibrate.

Thirty seconds.

Finally, the monstrous head pulls back. I smile and let out a deep breath. I did it.

Suddenly, vise-like jaws clamp around my wrist and yank my entire arm through the slot. Skin pushes up my forearm like a bunched sleeve.

Whatever lurks in the mailbox smashes my arm against the side of the opening. Bone snaps. The world starts to spin. The teeth rip into the soft flesh of my bicep. Teeth gnash. It’s tongue slurps.

My watch beeps.

I scream.