I’m happy to move away from politics when it comes to tooting my own horn. Besides the two poetry books I published (both of which I need to find a new publishing company), I want to highlight a few of my works in progress. Specifically speaking my collection of short horror stories I have under the “Only Human” name. This is subject to change, as I’m not vibing with it anymore.
I mentioned back in January of 2023, about a collection of short horror stories I’d started working on. I wanted to give more of an update on my progress, considering it’s been more than two years. I’ve been toying around with the idea of three of these stories fully so as of now I will say the fourth story is not in the works. Sorry Tilt but you aren’t making the cut.
Getting into the Collection
This collection was born from the philosophical debate of what it means to be human. The complexities, contradictions, and mystery surrounding it all were what motivated me to explore the following themes. These stories will touch on elements of religion, belonging & becoming, society & community, individualism, and survival. I’m excited for all of my manic information gathering to yield this intense anthology. Let’s break it down!
Pariah: A contemporary horror
Pariah is the title given to the first short story within the collection. It focuses on themes of religion and mental illness.
Our main character, Talitha Parrish (a black woman) finds herself fighting for her sanity when the ‘devil’ comes knocking and expecting worship. Where are you to look for help within an extremely small religious town and a tightknit community that’s always viewed you as an outcast? The setting for the story takes place in Moral, Alabama. This small town is a combination of Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that blends my childhood summers with the ideals of the South.
“How many times do I got to tell you I’ll only call you by your God-given name? If your parents wanted me to call y’Asa they would have made that your first name!” It took everything Talitha had to keep from smiling as Ms. Barnes took off on her rant. Her ‘you’ coming out like ‘yew’ in her vehemence. “Is your name Talitha or not?”
The best way to escape an unwanted conversation was through diversion. The devil ain’t the only one with cheap tricks, floated through her mind. The familiar timber caused beads of sweat to slide into her eyes, the register blurring painfully for a second. Another shaky jab to the five key followed by the blessed ding of a working button. “Yes Ma’am,” grunted out past a dry throat.
I want this story to serve as a reminder of how important it is to stay on top of mental health needs. Whether that’s through medication, keeping loved ones informed, or even therapy the options are limitless and there’s no need to struggle alone! Lastly, I want to state that not all mental illnesses present as violent. That stereotype disproportionately affects individuals with schizophrenic and bipolar diagnoses and is unfair.
Residual: A supernatural horror
Residual is the second story in the collection and relies heavily on Algonquian folklore around the Wendigo. This creature is a fearsome beast that stalks and eats humans. These creatures are considered a cautionary tale about isolation, selfishness, and the importance of community (are you seeing a theme here?). This short story specifically focuses on the struggle between belonging and becoming both in terms of society and individually. How do you fight against a myth, especially when it’s trying to become you? What are you willing to do to be accepted by the same society that shuns you? This action-packed, race against time is sure to have you on the edge of your seat with an ending you won’t see coming.
Our main protagonist is a man named River Altaha (Salvadorian x Dine Native) and his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks. River is a below-the-knee amputee, survival expert, and professional nature photographer. During a backpacking trip into Aguja National Park, located in NM, River and his dogs come face to face with a monster made immortal through tales told on the ranch he grew up on. This leads to an epic battle between survival and rebirth. Aguja National Park is loosely based of North Truches Peak in NM.
“‘River Altaha,’’ his mother’s annoyed tone brought a smile to his face. Her Spanish-trained tongue rolled words gracefully, even when angry. Funny how at damn near thirty he was still being scolded by her. ‘“You didn’t answer my call.’” Another irritated pause. River took the time to roll his shrinker up and over the stump under his left knee. ‘” I know you won’t have service out there, but I also know you’ll still listen to this when you’re ready. So, listen to me hijo, be careful. There’s been a lot of weird activity out in Aguja National Park. Too many people are talking about troubling encounters with wildlife. Too many people going missing. Be alert. You know I worry about you. You’re always getting dirty, gusanito. Even more so since your father died. Come back clean for once. For me. Te amo hijo.’” The voicemail ended suddenly and the quiet was deafening after his mother’s voice cut off.
Sign: Sci-fi meets horror
The third story in the collection, Sign, is still in the world building stage. It’ll have heavy elements of horror Sci-fi that’ll also lend towards survival, community and the advantages of individualism.
This story will be the first to have cooperation between two protagonists against a common enemy. Nadia is a Tamil woman who struggles with an anxiety disorder and trauma-induced selective mutism. She communicates primarily through ASL and is considered tenacious, observant, and a calculated risk-taker. Luke is a tall ginger with a bad habit of frowning and an even worse habit of hiding his poor eyesight. How can these two strangers survive in a new environment when they’re being hunted by the unknown? How does a close-knit dynamic change when integrating into a new group?
Think, alien vibes but not as bulbous in the head? Honestly, I still need to think about how I’m going to do the world-building here…Sci-fi is a little out of my range but who cares! You cannot expand if you don’t step out of your comfort zone.
Not a part of the collection but…
The last horror-inspired short story I’d love to talk about, is finished! Oral Tradition has elements of fantasy wrapped around the importance of listening to oral stories. It follows an unnamed boy and his caretaker as she recounts the havoc an otherworldy cactus wrecked on a local African community. I very jokingly (and lovingly) refer to this story as my vampire cactus short.
“When people are desperate they’re the most dangerous,” The mchawi continued, pausing briefly to test the pastes consistency. “Those beasts you’re always so worried about were hunted to put fat back on the bones of our people, but meat wasn’t enough. Meat cannot grow vegetables or grain. Meat cannot produce fruit. Your beasts fled to the light leading hollow-bellied men and boney women.”
You can find out more about this short story and the others mentioned above in more detail on my Ko-fi! I’m going to go back to posting regularly as I update these short stories. The goal is to hopefully submit Oral tradition and maybe Residual to a journal for publication before publishing the anthology!
Thanks for sticking around and I look forward to updating you all further! Happy reading.
Hello! I hope you’re having a great day. Good luck 🙂