Beauty Queen

Antique collectors worldwide have been anticipating an upcoming charity auction at a renowned New York City auction house. A few items of high interest possess some rather shocking lore, adding to their value.

Over the years, the questionable history behind these items has been passed along by local authorities. Tragic accounts of the previous owners’ bizarre and untimely deaths were incredible;  hence the demand for a specific antique mirror permanently nicknamed ‘Queenie’.

Many hopeful buyers crowded Queenie, reading the horrific history behind the grand beauty.  Her ornate golden frame is lined with dozens of cherub-like faces, seemingly trapped and tortured.

As the crowd dispersed, an eager elderly buyer stepped forward to read the story about Queenie:

Shortly after WWII had ended, a soldier was finally reunited with his wife and daughter. Because they missed him so much, he came bearing gifts. For his wife, a beautiful gold mirror to put in their bedroom, where she liked to sit and brush her hair every night before bed. For his daughter, who loved doing whatever mommy did, her own silver hairbrush, various fancy hair accessories, and a tiny bottle of perfume for little girls.

A few days after the soldier’s return, he received orders to return to his base for a short time. He told his wife and daughter not to worry, promising more gifts in return for their patience and understanding.

When he returned home again, he walked into his room to find his wife dead on the floor. Her face was completely twisted, her hair gone, and her eyes blackened, as if her soul had been sucked out through them. His daughter was nowhere to be found. Staring into the mirror on the wall, he screamed in despair.

Unable to cope with the grief, the soldier sold all of his wife’s and daughter’s belongings. He couldn’t bear the memories of them, not knowing what had happened. A neighbor took pity, purchasing the mirror for his wife, and some of the little girl’s clothing for his visiting niece.

A month later, tragedy struck. When the soldier hadn’t heard nor seen any activity around the neighbor’s house, he decided to knock on the door. To the soldier’s shock and disbelief, the neighbor and his wife were dead, lying face down on the floor.

Turning them over, the soldier gasped.  Their faces were twisted, hair gone, and eyes blackened. The child was nowhere to be found. Running to the mirror, he grasped the sides, screaming once again. Days later, the soldier was discovered dead at the neighbor’s house, in the same condition as the others.

Over the years, when an owner of the mirror died, authorities recorded something odd about the mirror: A new face appeared on the mirror’s frame each time someone died. It is rumored to be the child of each previous owner.

“You will be mine” the man spoke to the mirror, chuckling at the horror behind its history. He has been interested in the mirror for two reasons: the mirror was originally sold in his home town, and, he knows his wife will love such an intricate gold mirror. He feels this one might complete her collection of antique mirrors.

Upon returning home, he gently kissed his wife, and headed into the bedroom with the mirror. “Would you like it in here?” he asked as she sat on the edge of her bed. She simply smiled and nodded, running her aged fingers through her hair with anticipation.

“Have a seat, love” he spoke softly, pulling a chair in front of the mirror. From her tiny table, she reached for an old silver brush, treating her long white locks to slow, gentle strokes.

“My love” she finally spoke. “Yes?” he stood behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to be a beauty queen someday” she said with a crooked smile, spraying herself with a tiny antique perfume bottle.

Beauty queen … ?

She stood to face her husband, greeting him with blackened eyes.

Original story © Cara Krzyzanowski 5 August 2016
Edits: Cara Krzyzanowski 27 August 2017
All Rights Reserved
For information regarding copyrighted works, please contact the U.S. Copyright Office here.

Author’s note:  This work is a prelude to something insecure and dark – a collection of strange and horrific shorts. The original story has been edited and condensed to fit the creepy pasta and flash fiction genres.  The word count is strictly coincidental.
No further shorts will be published here.

Full Of Crap

As I start my day [late] with a gigantic cup of liquid energy, I sit here prodding my lazy synapses for material.

After reading horrific articles about how bad red meat is for you, and why – which led to other nightmarish material – I closed all those nightmares, and opened a new tab to see what’s happening on WordPress.

Oh yeah!  Daily prompt time!  I love writing.  Even if it’s crap writing.  Because I always have stories to tell.  Whether it’s a personal experience, or something I read about, or something on the news, I have something to say.

While some people might think I’m just being an asshole by doing this, I just consider it my way of trying to fit in.  I never seem to fit in.  Even in my own immediate family.  They look at me sideways – or quietly laugh at me – when I have a few words to say.  But then when I’m quiet, I get “What’s wrong?”  Oh … nothing.  Then there are others who just think I always have to have the last word.  My own daughter even calls me a ‘one-upper’.

EXCUSE ME???

So I turn to writing.  I don’t have to deal with eye rolling or the knowledge that I’m being tuned out.

But today, I’m kind of at a loss for the daily prompt.  Today’s word is visceral.

I think I have an average vocabulary level for my age and education level.  But lately, either due to age, stress, sleep deprivation, high blood pressure, or all of the above, I find that I can’t quite find my words lately.  The dictionary is my best friend lately.

But it’s not just my vocabulary I’m worried about.  I think I’m losing my mind.  Especially when I can’t think of a word or the ‘right words’ mid conversation.  I’ll suddenly stop and panic.

I KNOW what visceral means.  I’m just at a complete loss for something meaningful.  Writer’s block perhaps?

Maybe I need more liquid energy.

On that note, I bid everyone a happy and productive day.

Relax

Have you ever gotten to a point to where you just can’t settle down enough to relax?  Do you have trouble falling asleep?  Are you anxious?  Your mind is racing, perhaps?

WARNING:  If you have misophonia, then stop right now.  What I’m about to recommend is NOT for anyone with misophonia.

For the those who don’t have sensitive ears, this may interest you.

Not long ago, I discovered something called ASMR.  It was by accident, when I was watching a YouTubers react video.  Phil Lester mentioned something about ASMR.  I had never heard of it.  Naturally, I Googled it, and found MANY videos.

Have you ever heard a sound close to your ears, and it made you shiver?  This is basically what ASMR is.  Except better.  Especially when you use earphones or ear buds.

The first ASMR video I encountered was this.

 

Masking tape was the first trigger for me.  If you don’t know what a trigger is, it’s basically whatever triggers your response – your shiver, or, as these ASMR community calls it, your tingle.  And believe me, once you experience that tingle, you will want more.

Since ASMR Darling has a more gentle approach, I began to search for something stronger – the male voice.  Even though these YouTubers whisper, there’s something about a male voice that triggers a bigger response.  Female voices only give me a mild tingle – usually in the back of my head.

This guy gave me a little bit more.

Pardon my example.  It’s his latest upload.  This one is one of his better ones, because he gets closer to the microphone.

Then there’s this.

First of all, what a cutie!  But WOW, does he give me tingles!  All the way down to my tailbone.  His whispering voice is deep, and he really knows how to work Frank, his 3D microphone.

But it’s not only tingles you can experience with ASMR!  If you’re one of those who gets into the zone with music, then this will almost definitely put you in a trance-like state – if it doesn’t outright put you to sleep.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/trance/

 

I’m A Forty-Six Year Old Dingbat

As of a few minutes ago, my entire life feels like a complete fail.  If WordPress had emojis, I would put all kinds of ridiculous things after the word ‘fail’.

Once in a while, I like to test my typing skills.  But when I came to a stand still at a compound number, it completely fucked my speed score.  Why?  Because I saw a damn hyphen in the middle of the number!

WHAT?

Why don’t I remember this from school?  Did the nuns not scare me enough?  Or have I chosen to mentally block out half of my childhood education?  I didn’t think I was bullied that badly.

I can only imagine what the bank thinks every time they honor a check I’ve written.  No wonder they won’t hire me.

F M L

 

Stop Following The Stream

As human beings mature, their tastes change. Fashion trends aren’t as important as they were in school. Hair styles become more practical. Musical preferences change. And so on.

On several occasions, a friend has told me that’s it’s next to impossible to make it big in the entertainment industry – unless you sell your soul to them, creating material that appeals to the masses. As Daniel Howell (YouTube personality) puts it, “Give the people what they want”. But he’s referring mainly to tweens, teens, and twenty somethings.

At around age 21, I noticed my tastes and interests greatly changing and broadening. I basically became my own person. I was no longer concerned with conformity.

This was especially true where fashion and music were concerned. In my opinion, a person shouldn’t be afraid to open their car window when listening to amazing, unique artists like this.

He’s an American born harp guitarist who has made a life for himself in Japan 30+ years ago after graduating from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Check him out on YouTube. He has uploaded many extraordinary tracks – music which is performed mainly on his self crafted harp guitar. There are a few videos featuring a drummer as well.

In my opinion, people are so caught up in mainstream music, that the true talent out there is often overlooked.

Don’t be afraid to find a different stream in life. There’s more to music and clothing than than Justin Beiber and Lularoe. Get out there and find out what YOU like! Not what someone else likes.