#AtoZChallenge Visitors from Beyond – The Bannik in the Bathhouse

On April 2, 2016April 1, 2016 By Stephanie IngramIn Blogging A-Z Challenge26 Comments

According to Wikipedia, the bannik is the bathhouse spirit in Slavic mythology. It was believed, among other things, they had the ability to predict the future. If they caress you, it means good luck, but if they scratch your back, trouble lay ahead.

“Stop it,” Abigail giggled.

Jeremy had her pinned against the wall and proceeded to cover her in kisses despite her protests.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he complained, caressing the long silk strands of her blond hair and letting it tangle around his fingers as he planted feather light kisses against her neck.

Abigail gave him a gentle push, forcing him to let her go free. He collapsed onto the bed and propped up on one elbow as he looked at her. The look in his eyes was pure lust and fire and she wanted desperately to crawl after him and give in.

“It’s been a long, tiring day and I want to get cleaned up.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I won’t be long. Promise.”

Abigail dug through her suitcase looking for her toiletries bag and a fresh change of clothes, something that would entice Jeremy when she returned. She wasn’t surprised at all when Jeremy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was nothing if not persistent.

“I could come with you.”

“Not this time.”

“Seriously,” he said, “You shouldn’t go alone. It’s dark out there and we’re in a secluded area.”

“I can take care of myself. You know that. You, stay here and keep yourself occupied. Just, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep because I have plans for you when I get back.”

“I’m counting on it,” Jeremy said letting her slip from his grasp.

Abigail gave him a wink and grabbed the key to the bathhouse. When they’d made the reservations for their romantic getaway at the odd bed and breakfast, she had thought the idea of having a separate bathhouse to be quaint, but now that it was dark and she was tired, she was starting to wish they’d settled for the Holiday Inn instead. This place had history, though, and it was close enough to some great hiking spots she and Jeremy wanted to explore, if they ever managed to get out of the room, that was. She also had a pretty good idea this was the weekend Jeremy finally expected to propose.

The bathhouse was much nicer than Abigail had expected. The area was lit almost entirely by scented candles and as soon as she entered the steamy room, she relaxed. Everything about this weekend was going to be perfect. She let the thick terry cotton robe slip from her shoulders and drop to the floor and stepped into the bath. The quiet was such a contrast to the usual noise that surrounded their little apartment in the city. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, already feeling the tightness across her shoulders ease.

The thud of something hitting the floor brought her attention away from her daydreams and back to the bathhouse.

“Is someone there? Jeremy?”

It must have been her imagination, she thought, or perhaps a bottle of moisturizer slipped off a shelf. She let her thoughts trail back to Jeremy waiting for her back at the room and smiled. She would make sure it was a night they would not soon forget. Already her stomach felt jittery as she contemplated it.

Her smile quickly faded when she caught a glimpse of a shadow forming in the steam. She sat up abruptly, holding her arms over her chest.

“Who is there?” she called out. “Jeremy, it isn’t funny to scare me.”

Retracing her steps, she tried to remember locking the bathhouse behind her. She was almost certain she had but would it have been enough to stop someone determined enough from opening it?

“This bathhouse is occupied,” she said.

The form in the steam wavered and returned but didn’t respond. It was close enough now that she could almost reach out and touch it. She leaned forward, convinced that her imagination was getting the better of her and she was seeing something that wasn’t really there.

Abigail reached over and grabbed her robe as she stood up and quickly slipped into it. A strange feeling came over her, a foreboding of the future, as she stepped out of the bath, and in her vision she saw Jeremy standing over her, covered in blood and shouting words she couldn’t comprehend. On shaky legs, she made her way back to the changing area and went for her bag but it wasn’t where she had dropped it.

Frantic, she began searching the small room, convinced now that someone had come in and stolen in while she was preoccupied.

“Of all the things,” she said out loud, “who would want to steal my clothes?”

The figure of a small man with long hair and a long beard materialized out of the steam. Abigail screamed and stepped back, feeling for the doorknob just as the creature’s claws reached out to strike her back.

Danger.

She struggled to unlock the door, flung it open, and ran back toward the room.

“Abigail? What’s wrong?”

Jeremy caught her in his arms before her legs gave way.

“The bathhouse. There was a … man …”

Jeremy sighed and held her tight. “I warned you not to go there alone, Abi. Didn’t you ever hear of the bannik?”

“No,” she said trying to regain composure. She needed to report the incident before another one of the guests suffered the same.

“Trouble lies ahead.”

Thank you for reading and please feel free to share your thoughts. Each day I am posting a ‘snippet’ based on a paranormal creature that begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. I am using this as a fun writing exercise which I am hoping will also be enjoyable to read, but keep in mind that due to the fact that I must post a new snippet each day in April except Sundays, the posts may be a bit rough. I’ll do my best, however, in the limited time I have available to me. 🙂 Let me know your favorites or the posts you find most intriguing because I plan to develop those into a full story later in the year!

Check out the other participants in the A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZChallenge Visitors from Beyond – Alice and the Alien

On April 1, 2016March 31, 2016 By Stephanie IngramIn Blogging A-Z Challenge31 Comments

Wheels crunched against gravel as the car rolled to an abrupt stop. Brett and I exchanged glances but neither of us said a word. He slammed the car into park and leaned back in the seat.

“Now what?” I whispered.

What was there to say? I concentrated on the wisps of fog curling in the light of the high beams. In the darkness surrounding us, I couldn’t see anything else. An almost eerie silence fell over us.

Brett cursed under his breath. “I left my phone at Kara’s house.”

My heart thundered in my chest and I fought to control the rise and fall of my breathing. I didn’t want to think about what happened at Kara’s house and I’m pretty sure Brett didn’t want to either. We had no way to call for help and now the car had stalled.

“We should walk,” I said.

“Are you crazy? With that… thing out there?”

“Well, we can’t stay here.”

Brett sat forward and started playing with the key in the ignition while I said a silent prayer the car would roar back to life. Maybe this once luck would be on our side?

“It’s no use,” he said. He punched the steering wheel and muttered a string of expletives under his breath. In the eerie glow of light, I could see the perspiration bead along his forehead even though it was so cold I could see my own breath.

“We can’t stay here.”

He looked at me. The raspy sound of his breathing filled my ears while I waited for his response and wondered if the bleeding had stopped.

“Fine,” he said at last, “We’ll walk.”

He didn’t wait for me before killing the headlights and opening the door and stepping out. For a moment, I couldn’t move. I was frozen between knowing we had no other choice and wishing I could stay hidden in the darkness. As I stepped out of the car, I glanced behind me, trying to get some sense of what lay beyond. Our surroundings were beginning to take the forms as my eyes adjusted to the night. The fog hung in the trees and reflected the shimmering moonlight. Any other night I might have thought it was pretty, romantic even.

Tonight, I couldn’t think of anything at all except those eyes staring back at me and the way Kara had screamed.

“I think there is a house not too far from here,” I said, hoping we were on the road I thought we were. Brett grunted in response and began moving forward. I followed, not wanting to be left behind, but my legs felt as though I trudged through molasses.

“What was that thing?” I asked. I didn’t expect him to have any answers but I could hardly stand the silence that had fallen between us either. When I’d agreed to go on a date with Brett Parker, this wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind. I didn’t know him well enough to guess the thoughts that occupied his mind but I was pretty sure he felt as scared as I did.

“I don’t know,” he muttered.

I tried to take his hand but he quickly pulled away.

“What happened to Kara wasn’t my fault,” I said.

“How could it be?”

I kicked at the stones as we walked and tried to think of something to say. If we got out of this alive, there wouldn’t be a second date. Of that much, I was certain. Just then I caught sight of a glimmer of light in the distance. I squinted, trying to determine if it was the old farm house I’d remembered. I didn’t think anyone lived there. I could tell Brett saw it too because his pace picked up. He was moving so fast now I had to sprint to keep up with him.

“Brett, wait, what if it something is there?”

This thought slowed him down a little, but not enough. By the time we’d reached the bend in the road, we could tell the light hadn’t come from a house. I put my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming. Brett tried to grab my arm but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he put distance between him and that thing while I stood there with wide eyes trying to take in the small spacecraft partly buried in the corn field.

I rubbed my eyes slowly, trying to clear my vision. It couldn’t be real. I heard Brett urging me to get away from it but my feet were already carrying me forward. When I was close enough, I put out my hand to touch the smooth surface and ran my fingers gently along the side. To my surprise, the craft rumbled to life and where I hadn’t anticipated a door, the sides gave way and parted like the automatic doors at Walmart. Goosebumps traveled up the length of my arm and for a moment I couldn’t catch my breath. I stepped inside.

There was no doubt in my mind I’d just boarded an alien spacecraft. After all, I’d seen one of the creatures with my own eyes not more than hour ago at Kara’s party. That alone should have been enough to stop me from doing entering the ship, but somehow my curiosity overtook my better senses. I needed to see it, even if it was likely the last thing I would ever do.

A sound ahead made me halt and rethink my crazy decision. I wasn’t alone. I almost turned to run but I couldn’t. I’d come this far and I was pretty sure I’d heard the sound of the doors closing behind me as I moved along the quiet tunnel toward the belly of the ship. It was too late for second thoughts.

The alien rounded the bend and stopped. I wasn’t sure which of us was more afraid but I could tell he hadn’t been expecting to see me. I braced myself for his attack but it didn’t come. Slowly, he lowered a clipboard he was holding and I realized in that moment he could have almost been mistaken for any human aside from an elongated forehead, larger eyes, and a greenish tint to his skin. I cleared my throat, trying to form words, to make excuses for my trespassing. It felt like forever that we stood there awkwardly staring at one another.

“My name is Alice,” I said at last.

There wasn’t something about him that didn’t seem nearly as threatening as it had when his friend crashed our party. I moved closer and put out my hand to touch his outstretched fingertips and a spark of electricity shot through me.

“Welcome home, Alice. We have missed you.”

Check out the other participants in the A to Z Challenge by clicking HERE.

High Five! The First Round Results Are In

On March 16, 2016March 17, 2016 By Stephanie IngramIn WritingLeave a comment

What do you get when an immigration officer attends a séance?

A big boost of confidence, apparently!

Remember my short story, Point of Entry, that I mentioned entering into the short story challenge back in January? Well, the results from Round One are out and my story made it to the top five for my group!!!

Oh my goodness!

I didn’t actually think it would, but you have no idea how excited I am right now. Out of over 2,000 original participants, I am one of 300 advancing to Round Two.

Oh boy!

I’m terrified about advancing, but it doesn’t even matter what happens in Round Two because all I really wanted was to make it this far – and I did it! I consider this a huge success and it came at a time when I really needed it. I was letting myself get buried in too much self doubt and even though writing is what I love to do, I had convinced myself I wasn’t good at it.

Well… okay, one round of one contest. It doesn’t make me Shakespeare or anything. But it does make me feel like I have something in me worth hanging onto.

So, yay for the small victories in life!

Sometimes they mean the difference between quitting and hanging on a little longer.

I’ll post my short story soon! Point of Entry – An immigration officer mourning the death of his wife gets a taste of his own medicine when he confronts an illegal alien during a séance.

And stay tuned for details about my Round Two assignment….

Reimagining

On February 5, 2016February 4, 2016 By Stephanie IngramIn Writing4 Comments

To Reimagine, according to Merriam-Webster, is to imagine again or anew; especially: to form a new conception of. To recreate.

In college, I didn’t major in Writing or English Lit, but because I’d always had an interest in creating stories, I took an Intro to Creative Writing class for fun.

Or at least, I expected it to be fun.

How could I go wrong? Easy A, I figured, after years of English teachers telling me how much they loved my writing.

That was the year I got a glimpse into harsh reality, which as it turns out means a lot more than coming up with fun stories and putting words on paper. Sat in a small, stuffy classroom in The Cathedral of Learning with about fifteen other students, we were led by a grad student. I am pretty sure she hated me. At the very least, she liked giving her red pen a workout on my papers and I blamed it on grad school angst.

Then that crazy teacher started talking about something called “revision”. After returning the short stories we put so much sweat and tears into producing, she expected us to revise them. Fair enough, I thought, and went off to the computer lab to fix my typos, move a couple of awkward sentences around, and print off a fresh copy of my story.

Turns out that wasn’t what my teacher wanted. She explained that revisions are a reimagining of the story.

“What?” I cried in horror. “You want me to write a whole new story?”

Well, yes, kind of. Begin with the story you’ve created but then try to see that story in a different way. Could it be better told from a different character’s point-of-view perhaps? Maybe the action unfolds in a completely different way?

I thought that was pretty much the craziest thing I’d ever heard. After all, I’d already turned in something that was “good enough” and I was eager to move on to the next assignment. Trying to come up with a whole new version of the same old story I’d already told felt like way too much work for an already over-taxed college student.

Darn those grad students and their angst.

For the sake of passing this class, I did that crazy reimagining thing anyway.

Guess what? I liked this new version of my story better than the original.

I suppose there is some merit to going through this exercise, as painful as it may feel at the time. It’s a little more daunting as I sit here staring at a full length novel as opposed to a short story I wrote for class but nonetheless, I’m trying to imagine my whole book in different ways.

A lot of work, for sure, but as long as I end up with a story I love and you love, it’s well worth the time.

Now… back to my revisions and rewrites!

See you Sunday for a snippet of my latest and greatest. Until then…

#AtoZChallenge Who Are the Ghosts in My Attic? Harriet and Heaven.

On April 9, 2015 By Stephanie IngramIn Blogging A-Z Challenge5 Comments

The week was winding down and I’d worked hard making the house as presentable as possible for the real estate agent on Saturday. As a result, my muscles screamed in protest and although I wanted to finish repairing one of the cabinets in the kitchen, I decided a soak in the tub would be a better reward to end my day.

I’d always wanted a claw foot bathtub so when I first moved in to the house, I’d been excited to finally have one. Before today, I’d never stopped long enough to actually make good use of it but now, especially in light of the fact that my next place wouldn’t be nearly so fancy, I decided to enjoy it. I lit several candles around the perimeter of the room and scented the water with lavender oils.

Slipping into the tub, the steam rose into the air around me. It was a shame I couldn’t stay, I thought. A girl could get used to this. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t think about the ghosts but immediately, my thoughts went to them.

I’d never been a particularly religious person. The times I spent alone with my thoughts like this were probably as close as I’d ever feet to “something bigger” in my life and I’d always been okay with that. But now, it felt a little sad, not just for me, but for all the lost souls roaming the big, old house.

Was there such a place as heaven where we should go after we die? Would my ghosts never pass beyond the physical world to find their own peace in death?

Maybe they didn’t want my help? Maybe I’d have been better off leaving well enough alone? After all, some of them were guilty of horrible crimes. If such a place as heaven existed, then why not hell? Being trapped between living and dying may have been the better alternative. All the same, I felt as if I owed it to those, like Benjamin or George, that didn’t deserve the endless suffering they endured.

When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t surprised to see a shadow of movement from the other side of the room. Even in the privacy of my bath, I couldn’t be alone.

“You want to help us,” she said softly.

There they went again, seeming to know my thoughts and my actions even before I did.

“I feel like I should do something,” I admitted with a sigh. What that was, I had no idea. I tried to get a better sense of her form but this one preferred to stay just out of sight, almost hidden beyond the flickers of the candle flames.

“Do you want my help?” I asked her.

“I — I don’t know.”

“Don’t you want to rest in peace?”

“I’m afraid of no longer existing at all.”

I couldn’t offer reassurances when I didn’t really know what was out there beyond my attic for them. I watched the candles dance around me throwing shadows on the walls and ceiling. The idea felt hopeless. Lost.

Or maybe it was her that I sensed. Harriet.

“You don’t want to stay here trapped for the rest of eternity.”
“Maybe not,” she agreed, “But there will be others that won’t look too kindly on your plans.”

“I don’t doubt that. Not everyone has been quite so friendly.”
“There are others who will try to take your place.”

I closed my eyes again as if I could will away the fear that sank deep into my bones when I thought about the ghosts. It wouldn’t be easy. I was going to need help.

“You’re packing. You were going to move away,” she said.
“Well, it seems I might be here a little longer than I thought. My friend Jennifer and her husband can’t take me in right now. They’re expecting a baby.”

“This makes you sad?”

“No, not sad. Just …”

“Lost.”

“Do you know where you are buried?” I asked her, choosing to steer the conversation away from my ultimate demise.

“Not far from here.”

“Not in my backyard, I hope,” I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm which she clearly missed. She only sat in the corner staring in my direction. I couldn’t see her eyes but I knew she watched me, waiting for something, or simply enjoying the company. I didn’t know.

“I’m going to find a way to help you move on,” I said again, feeling more certain as I considered this possibility.

“You will join us.”

“I’m not going to give up that easily.”

I yanked the plug from the drain and sat as the water started to sink lower. I was so mesmerized by the shimmer of its movement under the candle’s glow that I didn’t move until the tub was empty. I grabbed my towel, wrapped it around me, and stepped carefully out onto the tiled floor.

I didn’t need to look for her to know that Harriet had disappeared. I blew out the candles and headed to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

Click HERE to check out posts from the other A to Z Blogging Challenge participants.