Pen of the Damned

No OneCharles Gramlich No one lives in the house, though it’s had many owners. People come and go. They move in despite the stories. Oh, quite a few potential buyers are scared off by the tales...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/04/24/damned-words-57/

Pamela laid out the breakfast bowls on the kitchen table as her youngest son, Jason read quietly. His older brother, Michael was busy running up and down the upstairs corridor screaming like a ba...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/04/17/chalk-and-cheese/

With no place left for me among the people, I fled to the mountain, my face wet with tears. Better to be alone than tormented. But on the fourth night in the forest, I heard God growling in the d...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/04/10/lord-of-the-mountain/

The light turns red at the exact second I’m about to step out onto the crosswalk, forcing me to retract my foot as the stream of vehicles starts moving. A sigh escapes my lips. It’s a mild in...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/04/03/the-shadow/

Albert’s apartment neighbor Karl wore a big ratty grin.  He banged on Albert’s walls, just when he knew Albert wanted to nap, or use the backscratcher.  The whiskery guy must have his ear t...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/03/20/in-the-presence-of-aramanius/

For centuries, the mummy of Pharaoh Abuhanten lay undisturbed in its sarcophagus. His discovery heralded a new era of affection for the ancient land of Egypt. Now it was placed with loving care w...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/03/13/the-pharaoh-abuhanten/

The air hummed a pregnant note. My very bones resonated with its energy. The dark went silent; insects stopped their nocturnal chatter, leaves hushed their low whisper in the vacant breeze, even ...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/03/06/dark-spots/

He had never learned to dance. Perhaps a lack of skill, perhaps a lack of opportunity. Perhaps only a lack of courage—he did not know. But he felt his lack most keenly when he watched the other...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/02/28/dance/

She ambled along the path to the lake, soaking in the lovely spring day, walking alone, but enjoying the tranquillity of the gentle breeze and the smell of pine from the trees. She needed some pe...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/02/21/alone-again/

Once upon a time, a lovable baby boy was born. As the baby grew, he became even more lovable, until he reached manhood, and by then he was impossibly, unbearably loveable. He couldn’t allow any...

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/02/14/the-most-lovable-man/