Stories by Leon de la Garza
A femur sits just beyond the reach of the tide. The remaining light paints it in a cool white. There is no decaying meat on it. There is no trace of the body it called home. No ligaments. No blood. Not even a slight yellow tinge. Where is the rest of you, my dear? Where…
Start by answering your ringing phone. It’s the police. Panic for the shortest instant before remembering you haven’t left your house in weeks. It’s not illegal to stay at home, is it? Think hard. Feel a shiver climb half-way up your back and listen to the phone. Your mom is dead. Motherfucker. She died this…
A disembodied hand has killed a woman. John is sitting in his bed, watching the news in disbelief. It happened at a gas station just outside the town. There is video footage on the TV. A giant white hand emerges from the darkness offscreen, floating. It’s the size of a man. The woman cannot see…
The baby has been crying for days. Has it been a week? Has it been two weeks? In the mountains Jerome never counts the days. When he or Lily are thirsty, he brings water from the well. Hunting is an everyday endeavor. The sun tells the time. The seasons guarantee a motion through the years….
The time is 1:21 AM. You are walking across a park in your neighborhood. Sleepless nights curse you. Your mind swirls with terrible ideas from half-baked nightmares. You awoke tonight with the unsettling vision of a massive mattress overpowering a fragile old gentleman. He wanted to carry it, but it was too heavy, and now…
Start by ignoring it. For weeks on end pretend it doesn’t exist and take the long way towards your destination. During this period, every time you see it, feel a burst of goosebumps running down your back. Let the goosebumps increase on a daily basis until the thought of encountering it gives you a headache…
An alarm clock rings. Its beeping wakes you. Your eyes are sticky and your mind foggy from the nightmares you’ve endured. For an instant reality is uncertain. Mouthfuls of dirt were delicious just moments ago, but it can’t be. The rational mind is telling you it’s inedible, but a craving stalks you. The thought of…
The sun is shining through your window. You watched the sunrise after getting into the office, and now you watch the sunset. It’s spectacular, but you’ve been seeing it every evening for the past few months and now you’re bored of it. The day has been long and messy, and it seems it’ll go on…
Start on a Monday. Wake up listening to the alarm clock. Yes. Listen to the beeping and chirping and the vibrating of your phone. “Wuurrrrrr, wuurrrrrr, wuurrrrrr” it says. It’s time to get up. It’s time to take a shower. Walk half-naked towards it remembering the dreams you used to have and notice you stopped having them….