There resides on the borders of all things a void, a gap between space and time in which neither light nor darkness exists. Neither heat nor cold touches this plain, and the silence and stillness is maddening. At the heart of this empty abyss is a single circular platform, floating in the nothingness like a cork in still water. The surface of this platform is like alabaster, and though it is as white as virgin snow it cannot be seen until you are standing upon it.
When you find this solid ground, you are greeted by 9 reflective surfaces that surround and enclose you to the ivory stage. You turn every direction, but find that in the reflective surfaces you do not see your image reflected back at you, for when you are in the great abyss your body is converted into an astral shape which you cannot perceive.
You spin wildly, trying in vain to see something other than the infinite reflection of the mirrors within themselves. You try to scream as you grow mad, feeling as if your mind is being torn asunder from bleakness engulfing you. Then you freeze, paralyzed when your form of visual perception locks onto one mirror that before you swore held no image.
What do you see in this mirror?
Each mirror is a gateway into which we look into ourselves. What we are shown are us, but not as we are in the world of our origin but in those parallel to it. The first image is always that which is closest to you, and when your eyes meet with your doppelganger’s you will see their world through their eyes and experiences.
But now you ask yourself, how did I get here? What brought me to this chasmal limbo in the first place?
That, you see, is what you must learn when you find the alabaster island and are greeted by the mirrors, for what they will show you will give you answers to what you seek. What can be said is this: you will live life 9 times and take part in events which will forever reshape your being.
So will you dare to look into your own eyes and see that which you did not wish to see? Does the aspect of facing the unknown fill you with dread and morbid fear? Are you willing to see the beast within or see all that could have been yours destroyed by powers and forces you cannot even comprehend?
The time has come for this one to see if he can…Already he has seen the first image and did not know it, and he has felt loss and helplessness. What will his mind be subject to when next he turns?
What is This?[]
Anthology of the Macabre is going to be a series of short stories of varied time, setting, and genre, ranging from gothic style horror to Lovecraftian style pulp horror. Each story, 9 in total, will focus on a character who exists parallel to one that exists in this world. These stories will not be arranged in any particular way so there is not subliminal sequence to follow. Meaning? Well, already the first of the 9 tales has been put up, but if you were to wait until they were all posted onto the site, you could jump into any of them without it affecting the final outcome of the story.
After all 9 of the short stories are completed, a final tale will be told of the one who views each of these nightmares. Who is this person? Why are they there in a nameless limbo? What are the mirrors? Pleanty of questions, pleanty of answers await.
I cannot promise a frequency to which these stories will be written and posted as they serve as writing exercises for me as I get back into the habit of writing regularly, but keep in mind the anthology will be finished within this year.
The first story of the Anthology of the Macabre is The Sad & Strange Fate of Vincent. As more stories are added the list will grow and hyperlinks will be added. So enjoy and as always your feedback is appreciated and welcome.