Thursday, October 28, 2010
Gothic Literature Story
Directions: Each member of each blog group must write their own Gothic Literature short story using their understanding of the tenents of Gothic Literature. For this week only, you have to write and post your Gothic Literature stories for your members to read and discuss. Good Luck!
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Grigg- Gothic Literature Story-
ReplyDeleteThe Menacing Laughter
Locked up in this small and cramped foot room I’m overwhelmed by the new smells, sights, and sounds. The puke overrides my nostrils and the gloomy dark stings my eyes. The hushed quiet merely adds to my demise.
It was the laughter; the laughter that drove me to my end, to the depths of my being. How can anyone be so jolly, so happy? The laughter burns my ears and scorches my mind. I have to do something. I have to get out. But leave my home, my only place in this world. No, I will have to take other means to eradicate this beast.
Returning home from a long day of errands I plan on relaxing alone. He had other plans for me. I spent all day doing his chores and abiding by his rules and this is how he repays me? I was already vexed beyond belief with the “cheery” cashiers at stores these days. Who came up with that obnoxious mantra “Service with a Smile” anyways?
When I first arrived home he was still asleep, thankfully, so I watched television in the few minutes of peace and quiet I had. This was my first mistake because after only a few minutes the old man had awakened from the noise. I could hear the screeching of his cane on the wooden floor over the noise of the TV. He walked in and sat down beside me without a word and began watching the show with me. This was my next mistake. I should have changed the channel because the show that comes on next on this particular channel is his favorite and he cracks up at it every time.
After a few minutes I got up and went to fix him some dinner. Ten minutes later I walked back in with a steaming bowl of soup and watched him gulp it down. Without me home during the day, he didn’t have any lunch. I took his bowl back into the kitchen and, like clockwork, that annoying tune that comes on every day at seven began.
The laughter had already started and my ears began to bleed. I hate the sound so much. What truly is so funny that it requires this outburst? Is he laughing at me? I may never know. What I do know, however, is that it must cease. Mistake number three: I let my anger get the best of me.
I decided to initiate my plan of action later that night, right before the close of the show, before the melodic demon tune came on again. As the seconds ticked away so did my patience; I had to keep reminding myself that my time will come. As the show came to a close I saw my chance. I frantically ran to the TV and yanked out the cord. Yielding this weapon high, I ran towards the old man, cord in hand. I strangled him, strangled him until he was blue in face. The deed was done. That high screeching laughter that I despised so much was forever silenced.
I found the space behind the TV to be an adequate enough hiding spot for the next couple of days until I could move him out for good. So I dragged that beast behind the TV, concealing him away.
I awoke the next morning with a feeling of great accomplishment. I knew there would be no laughter, no smiles at all today. In my abnormally cherry mood, I even invited the neighbors over for lunch. As we sat and talked, I glanced over at the television that concealed the body and knew nothing was detected. My deed was plenty sufficient.
I was walking into the kitchen to clean the dishes when one of my guests brought up this great new show that she found on TV; I heard her feet shuffling to get up and turn it on. I was frozen in fear. Then I heard someone call my name, asking if the TV was unplugged. I didn’t respond, just turned around to watch the horror. The young woman bent down and picked up the cord, found the plug, and plugged it in. Immediately the TV flashed on and the menacing tune was heard, just as the gasps of realizing began as she stood back up, observing the rotted corpse.
Allegra-Roses are Red
ReplyDeleteHe was born with mother Earth against him. At the time, his father could not explain to the neighbors why Gabriel could not socialize outdoors with other children properly without the fire from the sun blistering his skin and turning him the color of blood. The color of blood--that was the only bizarre thing that brought him happiness in his grey scale life. Since Gabriel was not allowed anywhere near light, it was his father’s inflictions that brought him to be so fond of this particular color. It was so different, so unique from everything else in his life. It brought him warmth and diversity to the boring color spectrum he usually saw. Even though he was always surrounded by complete darkness, he could still see the redness of his wounds overpower the shadows in which he lived.
There was not a time where he could remember another face besides his father’s; he could not even remember his own. His father’s face: the coarse black hair, bushy eyebrows, and those light grey eyes that would stare deep into his soul and make the pain of his harm ten times worse. Gabriel couldn’t be positive of the color of any characteristic of his father since he always came upon him in the dark--but his eyes, yes, the light grey color of his eyes he was sure of.
Gabriel loved his father. His father kept him safe from the sun’s fire, safe from becoming a demon in the sunlight. Gabriel felt as though he got what he deserved when his father beat him. His existence wasn’t fair to his father; he was his father’s mistake. He did not deserve proper love, his father always told him. His birth had been the cause of Marianne’s death.
Oh, Marianne. His father always spoke so fondly of her.
Gabriel was always unsure as to the exact reason he caused dread to his father. Was it because he resembled his mother, Marianne, who died giving birth to him, and he couldn’t be looked at without reminding his father of her wispy blonde hair, fair skin, and almond shaped eyes? Or was it the pure shame and humiliation of his father for having a son whose skin would burn upon impact with sunlight? Had Gabriel ruined his life? Only his father knew the answer to the reason of his rage every time he looked upon Gabriel’s face within the shadows. All that Gabriel was aware of is that he deserved every bruise, cut, and open wound that his father had ever so thoughtfully administered on him. And when he was done giving Gabriel what he deserved, he would hand him a hand mirror, so he could observe every tattoo of pain on his body in the dark with great detail. He made Gabriel promise one thing, however: he could not look at his face with the mirror. This promise Gabriel kept, because it was the least he could do after ruining his father’s life.
Allegra- Roses are Red Part 2
ReplyDeleteYears in the dark became decades, allowing Gabriel to grow into an adult. His father had been gone for days, and Gabriel sensed he was never returning. He listened to the ticking of the grandfather clock off in the distance from the moment he woke up as he waited in the shadows. He stood for hours, counting each tick like he did every day. After counting twenty five thousand and two hundred seconds, it was safe for him to assume the beast of the sky was no longer able to hurt him. For the first time ever, he put his hands to the doorknob and opened the door. He had seen the way the door was used many times while observing his father.
The light from the room he walked into was almost unbearable. At first, Gabriel believed he had misjudged the time and the sun had caught a hold of his skin. After a few brief seconds of sheer panic, his eyes were able to adjust to something other than the pure darkness he was used to. It was nighttime, yes, but Gabriel was accustomed to his own familiar shadows. Lying on a table nearby, he caught a glimpse of his father’s hand mirror. For a few minutes, he stood looking at his old wounds with the mirror in the new darkness. When he was done, he did not bother putting the mirror back and instead gripped it hard at his side as he walked around. At first he moved slow, but after he was able to make his way through the maze, he exited the house for the first time.
He was astounded by the spectacle of color that surrounded him. Never did he imagine that in the darkness of nighttime he could see such color. For once, it wasn’t just red that amazed him. The yellow of the moon and the green of the stoplight made him open his mouth in awe.
At first, he was in a somewhat desolate area. After hours of walking, he reached an area that truly horrified him. There was light, however it did not cause such an awful affect on him as the sun did. The most disgusting thing that he saw was the people. He looked into every person he passed eyes’, and scanned them from the feet up. Upon them were no bruises, no cuts, and no wounds in any form. They were all outsiders to his world.
What’s the matter with you people? he thought. Don’t you recognize what you’ve done? How can you be so careless, so unaware of any wrongdoing that you have committed? Where are your bruises? Where are your reminders?
His grip on the mirror hardened and his face burned with rage. For once, it wasn’t the sun that changed his skin color.
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ReplyDeleteAllegra- Roses are Red Part 3
ReplyDeleteAs he kept his moderate pace, his attention caught something lower than his line of vision.
What looked like a man was huddled up in the corner by the train tracks, un-groomed and sleeping. But that is not what caught his attention. Clutched in the man’s hand was some sort of red device with the blade out. Of course, when Gabriel tried to take the beautiful object for himself, the man woke up in a frenzy. Before the man could form any words, Gabriel covered his mouth with his hands. This man disgusted him, for he lived his day-to-day life without a scratch on him. He disgusted him because he was not aware of his sins or aware of his faults! He disgusted him because he had no reminders engraved on his skin, like Gabriel himself! He became thoroughly enraged by this man, and swiftly plunged the knife into his neck without a second thought. He saw red—lots of red, and it didn’t bother him one bit. After all, it was his favorite color. Before the man’s eyes rolled back into his head forever, Gabriel made sure to lift his mirror so he could get a glimpse of his pathetically unmarked body one last time. Maybe the second before his ultimate death, he could repent for not having his sins marked on his skin. Perhaps he could see himself in the reflection, just one more time.
After the blood lost its warmth and vivid color, Gabriel felt accomplished. When the two thirty morning train came along, he waited until the last car was right in front of him and jumped onto the back, holding on to the rail of the train and his mirror.
That night was a night Gabriel loved to remember. It was the first night of his career. He became known as a “serial killer”, but that is not the term he preferred to call himself. He helped those fourteen or so people he killed within the month of October. He revealed their true selves to them by making them look in a mirror as he cut their throat. He reminded them. The moment of their death, they were able to see the wound on their neck that represented all of their evil. Every drop of blood that trickled down their collarbone was their pure internal evil that longed to be shown externally. And when Gabriel was done teaching them their lesson, the same train would pass by, just for him and his mirror to escape.
This particular night however, Gabriel was excited about. This woman that he had lured to the tracks had by far the most evil he had ever felt. Her lipstick was as vibrant as rubies, and her dress was more vivid than blood itself. When she would smile, her red lipstick would crack her lips, and Gabriel knew that her blood was just dying to escape. Feeling pity for the evil inside her not being able to be released, Gabriel began to put his left hand in his pocket and clutch the red blade.
The woman, whose name was Rose, slipped off her black pumps and was barefoot when they began to walk next to the tracks. She was a few paces ahead of him, gently skipping and talking about something Gabriel had lost interest in a few minutes prior.
Allegra-Roses are Red Part 4
ReplyDeleteHis grip on the blade became harder. In the distance, he could hear the sound of a train. It was getting nearer.
“Do you hear that?” said Gabriel. He stepped closer to her.
“The train?” Rose questioned. “Do you ever sit at the railroad crossings just waiting for hours for them to pass by? It’s like they never end. You just sit there, and they make you late for work. ”
“Yes,” responded Gabriel. He had no emotion in his voice.
“I actually don’t mind it. It gives me time to think about things. I always wish I had more time to ponder. Sometimes--” she paused and giggled, and turned to face the tracks. “You’re going to think this is silly, Gabe, but sometimes I just wish I could lock myself into a closet for a day just to think about things. I’d have twenty-four hours all by myself alone in the dark. I actually think it sounds nice.” The train was getting nearer.
“You wouldn’t know,” said Gabriel, moving directly behind Rose. As she was about to turn around, Gabriel swiftly pulled the blade out of his pocket along with his mirror, pulled her back, lifted the mirror in front of her face, and slit her throat. He had never seen such surprise and horror in her face when she looked at her own reflection. But this time, when her eyes turned back and her evil soul was gone, Gabriel caught a glimpse of the most horrid thing—himself. The mirror fell onto the tracks as the train rushed by, shattering it into millions of pieces. As the wheels of the train caused sparks to fly, Gabriel ran. He did not run from Rose’s corpse, the train, or shame from what he had done. He ran because he saw his face. His face was unmarked and uncut, just like every other disgusting person he laid his eyes upon. But that was still not the reason he sprinted away from the crime-scene. When he looked at his reflection, he saw his eyes. They were the same light grey eyes of his father. It was as if his father was staring back at him from hell. He had broken his father’s promise by looking at himself in a mirror. It was the first time he had ever seen his own disgusting face.
When he stopped running, he was still at the train tracks. Did they ever end? He stood, panting. The light from the moon bore through his skin and he felt as though he was on fire. At last, he looked up and stared back into the distance. He knew where Rose’s body was, and that her sins were spilled onto the grass beneath her. He knew he had left his blade right next to her. Tonight, he did not feel as though he and his mirror had accomplished anything. This particular evening, he felt betrayed. Tonight, his scars from his father did not praise him for his good work. Tonight, the train wasn’t coming.
Grigg-
ReplyDeleteAllegra yours is so good! I like it because it is so original, unlike mine. I thought it was really interesting. I liked the detail in it, like when you described Rose's red lipstick and dress: "Her lipstick was as vibrant as rubies, and her dress was more vivid than blood itself." I also realy like the part about the mirror and him seeing his own reflection and his unscarred face. I thought the whole idea was very creative and interesting.
Arianna's Gothic Literature Story
ReplyDeleteIt was April 21st, the day I thought would never come. It is really my wedding day. The day I would wed to the most illegible bachelor in the state of Ohio. His name was Thomas Hasher and he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I know it sounds cliché, but it was true love at first sight. When I saw him one morning on my way to my lessons it was like time stopped. I had never felt the way I did that moment and my feelings towards him have not changed. He was a breath of fresh air for I had my bad share of men. In my teenage years I found myself caught in abusive relationships and my life was spinning out of control. It was not until I laid eyes on Thomas that I could finally let go of my old relationships. After I met Thomas my life became perfect once more. I started to forget those past relationships and moved on with my now perfect life. Everything was perfect, from the food to my wedding gown I could ask for nothing more. We wanted to have our wedding in the forest behind the chapel in our town. It was the perfect place and the perfect time.
As I sat in my bed daydreaming for what felt like hours my mother walked inside the room. “My dear Elizabeth, your day has arrived. Oh we have so much to do, we must get to work. Come, come the maids are waiting”. It was a slow, but exciting morning for my whole family. The maids were adjusting my dress while my mother did my hair. I was fed every minute and showered with presents and visitors. Never in my life had I felt so content yet overwhelmed.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteI had not seen Thomas all day and I was very anxious. Thoughts of what would come in the near hours filled my head and would not leave. As I waited patiently my moment finally came. As I slipped on my dress and was escorted by my father to the chapel I finally felt like all my dreams would come true. When we finally arrived at the church I could see the whole town filling into the old church. My heart filled with excitement until my sister who seemed very frantic interrupted me. I said, “Oh sister why the long face, I am to be wed in less than an hour. Yes me, to the man of my dreams.” She hesitantly replied, “My dear, Elizabeth I hate to bear this news, but the wedding has been cancelled. Thomas wanted to tell you himself, but he could not stand what it would bring to you. Thomas does not wish to marry you my dear, he said he feels it is the wrong time. He wanted me to convey the message that he is truly sorry.” My heart stopped, I couldn’t breath. Did my wedding just get cancelled? Did the person I changed my ways for just bail on me? My now perfect life had once again turned for the worst. I felt as if someone had ripped my heart out of my body and left it somewhere dark to rot away. My thoughts were interrupted by my mother, “Sweetheart, let’s get out of here. Let me take you home, oh when I see that boy I’m just going to…” I dropped my bouquet of flowers and began to run. I couldn’t be here, not now.
I began to run into the forest. I was crying so hard I couldn’t see where I was going when I tripped over a branch and fell to my knees. I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t go on with my life. I began to remember things from my past, the men who had wronged me and the things they had done. I changed my life for Thomas and now he made me feel no more than all the other men in my past had. I felt someone behind me. A gust of wind swept my face and the smell of pepper and cut wood filled my nose. It was Thomas… before I could turned around he said, “Elizabeth don’t be mad. I just got cold feet. You know I love you more than anything and would never hurt you. I just need time…” “Time for what? Time to lead me on more? Time to think about all the other girls you could be with. It’s someone else isn’t it?” He looked at me as if I was loosing my mind, “Elizabeth, dear I spend all my time with you. How could I? Its only you Elizabeth, I love you..” Those were words I had heard so many times before and at last I snapped. I looked to the ground only to find a large log of wood. I picked it up with all my might and smashed it into Thomas’ head as hard as I could. In that split second I saw the light of his eyes die. As he fell to the ground I became helpless. There was nothing else for me to do, but lay my soul down with his for eternity.
Comment #1
ReplyDeletePost #2
Arianna Amini
Grigg! I loved your story, I thought it was super original. I liked how the narrator hated the guy's laughter because it was really ironic. Most people associate laughter with happy and funny things, I have never really thought of laughter to be associated with murder. It was really cool how you put those 2 things together. I also liked the way you described the his relationship with the laughter like when you said, "The hushed quiet merely adds to my demise. It was the laughter; the laughter that drove me to my end, to the depths of my being. How can anyone be so jolly, so happy? The laughter burns my ears and scorches my mind." I could almost here the laughter myself the way you described it.
Comment #2
ReplyDeletePost 3
Arianna Amini
Allegra I loved your story!! It was so creepy and mysteriously it actually freaked me out. I love how you used "Roses are red" as your title because when I think of those words I usually think of that cute poem you write people when you're in elementary school, but the story kind of changes the meaning. I thought your charectors especially Rose were really creative and complex. I loved how through the story I kept imagining all the ways the story could end, but I never imagined how it really did end. The ending was my favorite part and it was so creative. I loved your story!
Grigg-
ReplyDeleteAri I thought your story was really cool! I thought it was so original that you had her kill the man even though he was trying to make up for his wrong doing. I really liked your last line: "There was nothing else for me to do, but lay my soul down with his for eternity." I thought that it was really interesting and I didn't get bored any time during the story.
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ReplyDeleteAllegra
ReplyDeleteThanks guys!
Ari I love your story! It's really creative and the words you used were symbolic and cool. I liked your last line " There was nothing else for me to do, but lay my soul down with his for eternity." Your word choice was awesome and really added to the mood of the story.
Kuhen-The Old Man
ReplyDeleteA wealthy old man lived alone with his servant in a big house that sat high up on a hill in a rural town. This old man had had a hard life his only child locked away for a gruesome crime and his wife having left him years ago. The house was old so whenever the wind would blow it would make the house shake and rattle so if either of them hears this happening they thought nothing of it.
So one day the old man and the servant were sitting down eating a dinner of potatoes fresh from the garden and meat that the servant had gotten from town. The old man thought the food tasted a little funny but thought nothing of it. As they are just finishing up they hear the familiar rattle of the house and figure it’s about to storm again so they make sure all the doors and windows are closed tightly. As they finish this up they feel a breeze coming in through the house. The look around to find the source and see the front door open and they know they shut it so they both find this odd. However the old man calmly shuts it and they both go to bed.
The next morning it’s still storming and as the old man is eating his breakfast he hears a noise behind him and thinking it’s the servant says good morning. There is no reply so he turns around and standing before him is his long lost crazy son who had been in prison for killing one of his best friends in a very cruel manor because the friend had said something he didn’t like about the game the night before. The old man screams and runs out the door only to find the servant outside chopping wood. He tells him what is happening and they agree to run to town. The old man feels a little tired already but just thinks it’s because he is old. As they run down the hill towards the town suddenly the old man stumbles and falls and the servant stops to help him up. They keep running but all of the sudden the old man falls again and this time doesn’t get up. He’s dead.
As it turns out he was poisoned. After the servant realizes the old man is dead he runs into town to find the sheriff however when they get back to the place where the old man was he is gone. Thinking something is amiss the sheriff starts to look around and they soon get back to the house. In his bed they find the old man and the sheriff realizes he has been poisoned. The primary suspect is immediately the servant because he is the only one who could profit from the old man’s death because he was the only heir named in his will. The sheriff said he would be back the next day to talk more with the servant because as far as he had heard the old man’s son was still in prison but he said he would check it out. The next morning when he returned he found the servant stabbed to death in his bed and the old man’s son half way to freedom in another country.