I'm glad the story spoke to you, Ira! And hey, a literary massage by a freakish room of hands is much better than a real one, I'm not sure I could handle the horror even if most nights I long for a massage like this. 😂
As somebody who suffers due to a lot of muscular contractions, I really appreciate the horror that arises from something we crave deeply instead of the usual something we fear deeply.
Man, this was great. It feels like something I would have seen as a kid in the Crypt Keeper cartoon. I absolutely love the sports injury angle, and, as I said in the comment below, I really appreciate horror that begins with something we deeply crave rather than something we deeply fear. I think that is why I mentioned Tales from the Crypt. This has that classical, pulpy American horror feeling, almost like The Monkey’s Paw: the wish is granted, but the price was already waiting in the fine print.
Exactly. You were rewarded and the price was simple. Physical well-being traded for mental ease. Break the silence and you lose both. The Monkey's Paw and Tales fun the Crypt comparison is fantastic, while not my inspiration at the time, I can totally see it. I suppose if anything I was somewhat inspired by The Twilight Zone, bitesized, consumable and unexpected. Almost uncanny. Thank you so much for the feedback, brother, always appreciate hearing your thoughts. 🙏
As I always say, I don’t always have time to read what’s on Substack, but when I do, I try to read deeply. Really amazing piece, it’s an honor to lose the bout to this one.
I could feel the massage you described. It was impressive.
I'm glad the story spoke to you, Ira! And hey, a literary massage by a freakish room of hands is much better than a real one, I'm not sure I could handle the horror even if most nights I long for a massage like this. 😂
Thank you!
As somebody who suffers due to a lot of muscular contractions, I really appreciate the horror that arises from something we crave deeply instead of the usual something we fear deeply.
Man, this was great. It feels like something I would have seen as a kid in the Crypt Keeper cartoon. I absolutely love the sports injury angle, and, as I said in the comment below, I really appreciate horror that begins with something we deeply crave rather than something we deeply fear. I think that is why I mentioned Tales from the Crypt. This has that classical, pulpy American horror feeling, almost like The Monkey’s Paw: the wish is granted, but the price was already waiting in the fine print.
Exactly. You were rewarded and the price was simple. Physical well-being traded for mental ease. Break the silence and you lose both. The Monkey's Paw and Tales fun the Crypt comparison is fantastic, while not my inspiration at the time, I can totally see it. I suppose if anything I was somewhat inspired by The Twilight Zone, bitesized, consumable and unexpected. Almost uncanny. Thank you so much for the feedback, brother, always appreciate hearing your thoughts. 🙏
As I always say, I don’t always have time to read what’s on Substack, but when I do, I try to read deeply. Really amazing piece, it’s an honor to lose the bout to this one.
Top-notch, as always. This story definitely needed more breathing room than just 500 words.
What a story Kerr, found it amusing. „A thumb slid into my lower back, went too deep” - stays with me:)