:Abbie Richey Butler:
When I was younger, I wouldn't - couldn't - go to sleep without first arranging all of my stuffed animals on the headboard of my bed. There they sat, all in a row, with bright happy colors. Their eyes were stitched wide open which meant mine could close while they kept watch. I took care in... Continue Reading →
"Don't go in there." Those words still haunt me to this day. When you're young and you're told not to do something, of course, you need to know why not? Even as adults, our curiosity can sometimes get the best of us. But, when my mom looked at me and my little sister that day,... Continue Reading →
"Okay, let's go!" My mom shouted from the mudroom. "Remember your riding boots!" I had a hard time swallowing the grin that crept across my face. I could not believe it was actually happening! My parents were going to finally let me stay home alone while they went to the barn for my sisters' riding... Continue Reading →
It seemed like the whole house shook as we heard the large crash. It came in the middle of the night and startled us awake. My sister and I lay still in our beds. With our eyes locked on one another's, we held our breaths to hear whatever we could. First came the footsteps, loud... Continue Reading →
On this night, my mind woke up before my eyes. I hated that feeling. Wake up! I shouted in my head. I could feel the chill surrounding my body. It crawled along each one of my limbs. I begged my eyes to open and when they did, I saw that my feet were firmly planted... Continue Reading →
"Do you want to play?" she asked with her hair in her face and her knees all scuffed up. My little sister was cool, probably the coolest girl I knew. She liked to do her own thing, so when she asked me to play, I normally dropped what I was doing to follow her. She... Continue Reading →
It was dark. Why was I awake? My eyes clung to the piercing light from the closet. I remembered not to let them wander to the shadows that would be cast across our vacant room. Night after night, we insisted that the closet light stay on. Why? Because we were young. It would keep us... Continue Reading →
the haunted me 