Grab the book here: Judy’s Short Stories (I)
Judy’s Short Stories
(I)
Written by Judy Fay
London
Life is too short to
miss out on interesting stories. Judy’s short fiction is the perfect escape
you've been looking for. So, why wait? Dive in and start reading today!"
This book is a
collection of ghost stories and eerie mysteries that will keep you up at night,
and it contains two stories: “Stan” and “What a Night.”
Warning: These stories plunge into eerie ghostly encounters and intense sensual
scenes. They are strictly not suitable for underage readers. Step forward at
your own risk, and choose wisely.
Stan’s Secret
A
Short Story of Mystery and Obsession
“Linda?” Stan Miller muttered, pushing himself
up from his rocking chair. He was in his mid-seventies, a five-foot-tall,
paunchy man with gray eyes and a ring of thin gray hair circling his bald head.
He opened the front gate. “Linda? Is that you?”
No one answered.
Stan rubbed his eyes and looked back at the
spot where he thought he’d just seen his wife, Linda. But no one was there. He
looked around. Still, nothing. The neighborhood was dead quiet under the starry
night. Almost all the houses were dark, as if the neighbors were fast asleep,
too.
Stan retreated to the house, settling back into
his chair behind the anteroom windows. With a heavy sigh, he looked up at the
stars before dropping his gaze back to the empty yard. Still, nothing. A sudden
southern breeze stirred the trees, and Stan watched the dancing branches
blankly—they looked like ghosts hovering over the limbs.
“I must’ve imagined her coming back,” Stan
thought. Linda had been hospitalized with COVID-19 for sixteen days. Yeah,
sixteen days without seeing his wife.
He hadn’t been out of the house, either. That
was not what their life should be. Linda had never left their home for this
long in forty-five years. Whenever he finished a business trip, Linda would be
waiting for him at the front door. But now, Stan was all alone in this
three-story house.
They had been married for forty-five years and
had never truly fought. He had a good wife, and a good life. Before meeting
Linda, Stan had worked as a surgeon. But when he stepped up to succeed his
father as the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, he married Linda, and they
built a beautiful life together. They were deeply happy. The only shadow on
their marriage was that, unfortunately, they could never have children.
They had tried everything they could, even some
new medication his company had just developed. Everything failed. Linda had
always said she was sorry about that, and he’d always smile at her, hug her,
and kiss her, telling her that it was not her fault and that everything was
okay. He smiled as he recalled his wife’s lovely face.
A sharp ring shattered the silence. Stan’s
heart leaped into his throat. Who would call at two in the morning? Panic
seized him as he scrambled toward the parlor where he’d left his phone. Please
don't let it be the hospital, he prayed, his hands shaking as he grabbed
the device. But as he looked down at the glowing screen, a wave of relief
washed over him. It wasn't the hospital after all.
“Hello?” he said, picking up the phone.
“Daddy,” a young woman’s soft voice answered on
the other end.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.
“I miss you. I want to see you,” the woman
said, beginning to sob.
“I miss you too, honey.” Stan felt his heart
break into pieces at the sound of her crying. “Don’t cry, I’ll come see you
soon,” he promised.
“Don’t be too late,” the woman said, her voice
turning sharp.
“I won’t,” Stan said, his voice raw even though
he tried to sound cheerful. “Oh Joan, ask Marie to make you a Ding Dong—your
favorite. It… well, it will make you feel better.”
“Okay, bye, Daddy.” The woman hung up.
“Oh Stan, you’re so lucky to have her in your
life,” he murmured. Then, his own reflection in the French windows caught him
by surprise. He looked older than the last time he had seen himself in a
mirror. Maybe three days ago? Maybe five days ago? He couldn’t recall.
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