Tag: Micah Castle

CHRISTMAS TAKEOVER 2022: Micah Castle

megHan

Meant to Be

Outside, the waves crash against the bank. The seagulls caw.

I take a deep breath, the smell of pine fills my nose, and sit up. I scratch the dry marks on my neck, and stare idly at the evergreen tree standing in the corner. The dark green bulbs distort the reflection of the living room. Strings of pine cones, holly, yew, and mistletoe are dimly illuminated by the yellow-white lights.

Underneath sits a present, wrapped in green, bound in red. A tag protrudes from the top. To My Love

I laugh and snatch the card from the table by my side. Read it again.

I can’t do this anymore, Rebecca…

The words blur. I wipe my eyes. Skip ahead.

I won’t be coming on break, or ever…

…My parents found out… 

…I’m sorry.

I fling the card away, sit back and run my hands over my face. The waves crashing on the bank are louder now. Calling. The seagulls, if they still remain, are quiet.

I stand and pick up the present, quickly undo its wrappings. The box is opened and inside, sitting on a green silk cushion, is a snorkel and a rolled wet-suit.

Removing the wet-suit, I drop the box to the floor. Running a thumb over the slick surface it feels almost life-like, but not quite. Would’ve been good enough for her. 

I move from the tree, through the living room, into the kitchen to the backdoor. A faint, frigid breeze leaks through the cracks. The scent of salt and brine replace pine. I shiver. Goosebumps stand on pale skin. Not from the cold. From anticipation, excitement.

The door is opened and I step down from the house onto the craggy rise. Take the icy, worn path down to the bank. Seagulls watch from white splattered, dark boulders. 

Gray-blue water laps over my bare feet, soaking the bottom of my jeans. The cold bites at first, but soon is welcome.

I let the wetsuit fall where it may, push the thought of her into the recesses of my mind. I tear off my clothes until I’m nude. I walk into the tide and my body sings. It yearns for more. The marks on my neck are now damp, slick, and open, shut, open. Winter air fills my lungs, and I dive into the Sea. Pale flesh tears like wrapping paper from oily cerulean muscle. Once brown eyes now onyx. Transparent membrane webs in-between fingers and toes. Chitin seals my sex and breasts, becoming nothing more than slick bare mounds. 

I am meant to be with the one I love during the holiday.

And now I am.

Boo-graphy: Micah Castle is a weird fiction and horror writer. His stories have appeared in various magazines, websites, and anthologies. Currently, he has a novelette out through D&T Publishing, and three collections.

While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, spending hours in the woods, playing with his animals, and can typically be found reading a book somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Micah Castle

megHan

Meghan: Hey, Micah. Welcome to Meghan’s HAUNTED House of Halloween. Thanks for coming here today to take part in this year’s Halloween Extravaganza. What is your favorite part of Halloween?

Micah: Atmosphere. The fall season has just a feeling about it: cool breezes, dry leaves skittering on the sidewalks, colorful trees, cinnamon and bakery aromas, etc. If I could keep that feeling in a bottle and inhale it once in a while throughout the year, I’d probably be a bit happier during the other seasons.

Meghan: Do you get scared easily?

Micah: Not really, no. Though, being in absolute darkness still has that childhood fear of something lurking in the darkness.

Meghan: What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and why?

Micah: I haven’t been scared of anything since I was a kid. As a kid, I was scared of the introduction of the X-Files and the video games Resident Evil and Silent Hill. But, the last movie that gave me that “Oh Shit!” moment was “that scene” from Hereditary.

Meghan: Which horror movie murder did you find the most disturbing?

Micah: I can’t remember any movie murders that really got to me, but the most disturbing movie I’ve seen as an adult was Antichrist, directed by Lars von Trier.

Meghan: Is there a horror movie you refused to watch because the commercials scared you too much?

Micah: No there was not, but I was scared of china dolls for a long while as a kid because of KKK Comeuppance from Tales from the Hood.

Meghan: If you got trapped in one scary movie, which would you choose?

Micah: Probably Trick ‘r Treat only because living in a small town so enthralled with Halloween would be awesome.

Meghan: If you were stuck as the protagonist in any horror movie, which would you choose?

Micah: There’s so many to choose from, but I’d enjoy Interview with the Vampire.

Meghan: What is your all-time favorite scary monster or creature of the night?

Micah: Vampires, hands down.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Micah: Trick-or-Treat, although—I know I sound like an old man saying this—nowadays it’s lost a lot of its luster since when I trick-or-treated as a kid.

Meghan: What is your favorite horror or Halloween-themed song?

Micah: Probably “Helen’s Theme” from Candyman.

Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?

Micah: The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum.

Meghan: What is the creepiest thing that’s ever happened while you were alone?

Micah: Unfortunately nothing creepy has happened around or to me while I was alone. Wish something would, at least then I’d have a story to tell.

Meghan: Which unsolved mystery fascinates you the most?

Micah: The ghost ship of Mary Celeste.

Meghan: What is the spookiest ghost story that you have ever heard?

Micah: I don’t know if it’s considered a ghost story, but the Mary Black folktale has always held a special, spooky place in my heart. You say “Mary Black” into a mirror in an entirely dark room three times, and she’s supposed to appear and cut you with her nails.

Meghan: In a zombie apocalypse, what is your weapon of choice?

Micah: Probably a gun or a car.

Meghan: Okay, let’s have some fun…
Would you rather get bitten by a vampire or a werewolf?
Micah: Vampire. I don’t see any drawbacks and immortality is awesome.
Meghan: Would you rather fight a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion?
Micah: Zombie apocalypse. At least we know sort of how to handle zombies, with aliens we have no clue what they could have.
Meghan: Would you rather drink zombie juice or eat dead bodies from the graveyard?
Micah: Drink zombie juice, only because drinking something is quicker than eating.
Meghan: Would you rather stay at the Poltergeist house or the Amityville house for a week?
Micah: Poltergeist, just overall a cooler place.
Meghan: Would you rather chew on a bitter melon with chilies or maggot-infested cheese?
Micah: Bitter melon with chilies. Not a fan of cheese… or maggots.
Meghan: Would you rather drink from a witch’s cauldron or lick cotton candy made of spider webs?
Micah: Cotton candy made from spider webs. I picture the witch’s cauldron to be swampy and God knows what they put in there.

Boo-graphy: Micah Castle is a weird fiction and horror writer. His stories have appeared in various magazines, websites, and anthologies. He has three collections and one novelette currently out.

While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, spending hours in the woods, playing with his animals, and can typically be found reading a book somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.

Reconstructing a Relationship
Drew and Terry while out on a date suffer a terrible car accident. The boyfriend dies, but the girlfriend survives. Desperate to be with her love once more, Terry steals Drew’s brain from the morgue and escapes the hospital. She’s determined to bring him back, by any means necessary.

Through years of reading ancient books, learning forgotten languages, and drawing symbols she cannot comprehend, Terry successfully gets what she wants… And, what she deserves.