Gently Haunted Volume 1
Prepare to be subtly unsettled. Gently Haunted, Volume 1 by Eric Kilkenny is a collection of short stories that blurs the lines between reality and the bizarre, inviting readers into worlds where the mundane gives way to the monstrous, and sanity itself is a fragile thing.
Within these pages, you will encounter:
• Cosmic Grief: Meet James Coulter, an Oregon fisherman whose lingering sorrow over his lost son opens a terrifying connection to ancient, inhuman entities from the ocean's darkest depths, promising a grotesque transformation and demanding his service as their herald.
• Golden Filth: Witness the bizarre celebrity of Victor Arnold, a failed musician whose uncontrollable gastrointestinal distress unexpectedly produces precious metals, transforming a quiet town into a frenzied gold rush, until the "miracle" becomes a spreading, unspeakable plague.
• Engineered Madness: Explore the dystopian vision of Jasper Killington, a trillionaire who unleashes The Mind Mill, a brain implant designed for perfect cognition and societal control, only to find that human consciousness rebels with catastrophic and violent consequences.
• Culinary Carnage: Discover the dark secrets of Mr. Kubo, a quiet sushi chef whose surprising obsession with muscle magazines is revealed to fuel a horrifyingly unique, and unforgettable, sashimi platter.
• Familial Horror: Follow a young man grappling with family dysfunction and a terrifying ancestral "sight" that reveals the true, inhuman nature of the enigmatic beings known only as "the Ones Across the Draw," forcing him to confront a horrifying destiny.
• Scrotal Satire: Tune into the outrageously absurd world of Dickie "Balls" Balowski, a radio shock jock whose fixation on male anatomy in sports escalates into an FCC-defying spectacle that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about athletic apparel.
• Aqua-Absurdity: Delight in the truly bizarre events at Sea Monkey General Hospital, where Peter Salthaven receives a life-saving but hilariously intrusive arm transplant from his ex-wife's ex-husband, leading to a constant battle of clashing personalities and micromanaging limbs.
• Psychic Forensics: Join Carter Thorne, a former detective turned county coroner, and his "psychic" Boston Terrier, Bonkers, as they untangle a botanical murder mystery, uncovering a terrifying symbiotic relationship and an insatiable hunger for the dark truths hidden in every crime scene.
Gently Haunted, Volume 1 promises a journey into the unexpected, the unsettling, and the unforgettable. Are you ready to discover the secrets that lurk just beneath the surface?