So, because I'm not as brilliant as I pretend to be, I totally forgot to post an excerpt from Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan to bait people into reading it. This would have been a great idea for the first day I offered the book for free rather than the last. Yes, that's right. Today is the last day you can download Tales of Horror for free. So, get it today (8/22/17): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07435BPQR.
After today, I won't be able to make it free again for at least 90 days. So, hopefully the following is enough to whet your appetite.
And if you want to make sure you don't miss another offer like this, subscribe to my Books and Other Writings mailing list: http://eepurl.com/c0sMdb. And if you're into cryptozoology and the paranormal, why not subscribe to my mailing list so I can keep you apprised of the world of weird: http://eepurl.com/c0sNW5.
Alright, here's the excerpt. It's from the short story RE: Encounter. It tells the tale of a man in self-imposed exile and his battle with a terrifying beast that defies explanation.
To: SuperCuteTXNGirl75
From: RichMICHFarmer73
Subject: RE: RE: Stuff
Date: 10 May 2000
Dear Kelly,
It’s
okay, you don’t have to be sorry about my parents. I made peace with the whole
thing years ago. To be honest, I was never very close with them. I was actually
closer to my driver—yeah, we were so
well off I had a driver. Y’know, mumsy and dadsy couldn’t spare time to take
their little boy to school, esp. when I had to go to school outside of
Detroit—I’m sure you know why. But my mother didn’t do much besides read and
take care of the little yappy dog that I begged them for. Well, I didn’t ask
for Itsy-Bitsy—that bitch. My mother was the one that chose it. Anyway…
My
driver, James, was a cool guy. He had originally been a butler in New England
for a few decades. A real gentleman, but he would spend his vacations hunting
and fishing. He would often tell me how depressed he was to be in the city and
how marvelous the great outdoors were. He told me all of his hunting and
fishing stories, at least three times each. It didn’t matter to me that I’d
heard them before. I loved them all and he was a great storyteller. James and
the zoo are what made me really passionate about animals and the outdoors and
part of the reason why I don’t like the city. (The city’s already dirty and
dangerous by itself.) But after my parents died, I decided that I didn’t
require him anymore. I knew how to drive, but I wasn’t allowed to since that
was “the help’s job.” When I let James go, I gave him a nice cushy severance
pay and I still call him occasionally.
Good
to hear you have so much experience with firearms and bows. Now I won’t have to
teach you as much when we go hunting. And of course we can go fishing in the
Great Lakes. We can do some bowfishing and later some skinny dipping, ha ha ha.
Sincerely,
Rawlin
P.S. Yes, the reason
why I write these emails so formally is because of my upbringing.
P.P.S. Uh, you asked
about the calf. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. But, the circumstances
concerning his death are a little weird. I’m not sure if you want to hear about
it.
To: SuperCuteTXNGirl75
From: RichMICHFarmer73
Subject: Weird Creature
Date: 15 May 2000
Dear Kelly,
Well,
if you’d really like to know… A couple of days before I wrote you back last
time, something strange happened around here late one evening. I was in the
house, reclining after the day’s work. I was sitting at my computer about to
write back when I heard a commotion from outside. It was faint but I was able
to recognize it as coming from my herd. Believe it or not, cattle make more
noises than just “moo.” If they feel threatened, they’ll warn others by
snorting and stamping the ground. If they’re distressed or in pain, they do
“moo,” but it has a different pitch. Well, I heard this from the house, so I
got a flashlight and went out to investigate.
As I
got closer to the herd, I could see what was left of a great furor. Dust was
kicked up from the ground, the herd was spread out with all the calves on the
outside, and there was a distressed moo coming from the center.
When I
investigated, I found the calf on the ground ripped apart; his mother was
making most of the racket. I had never seen anything like it. Something had
bitten into the calf’s neck and tore it out. There were also claw marks on his
flanks. Now, this is weird as hell for a variety of reasons: 1. The calves
should be in the center of the herd if they’re attacked and the herd should be
clumped together. Meaning it was either able to sneak into the herd or was able
to break it up. 2. Sometimes wolves will rip open or break the neck of smaller
prey, but this is a damn calf! They are not small. 3. There shouldn’t be any
wolves on my farm in the first place! There is a fence built around it, but no
predator could jump it.
I
unfortunately couldn’t inspect the calf too closely because his mother was mad
with grief. She almost charged me a few times. So the next day, I called the
vet to have him examine the situation and see if he could tell what did it. I
had to use Lady and Duke to drive the herd away from the body. He said that it
was definitely a predator and looked like a wolf, but the tooth and claw marks
were too big. He also mentioned that the herd seemed restless and scared. And
to be honest, I’m a little alarmed myself.
About
a week ago, I saw this weird creature. I was driving home from a small venture
in town picking up feed. I was the only one on a dirt, country road and it’s a
long drive, but the day was beautiful. It was warm, so I had my window rolled
down enjoying the breeze and I was watching the sunset. The sky was aflame with
beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds. But, as I was looking out my window, I
saw this dark wedge shape suddenly rise out of the tall grass that lines the
road. As I got closer, I could tell it was some kind of canine. The head was
quite large and lupine with pointed ears. I didn’t stop for a better look
because I was pretty sure it was a wolf. But, there was something off about
it—I can’t put my finger on it.
And
then as I passed by, it turned its head and it made eye contact sending a
shiver down my spine. It had brown fur and black eyes. Another thing that
struck me as odd was that it could see over the grass, which I thought was
three or four feet high. A wolf or dog sitting down wouldn’t have been able to
see over the grass. And if it had been standing on two feet, I should’ve seen
its front legs, shouldn’t I? Well, as I drove on watching it in my mirror, it
disappeared back into the grass.
I have
no idea what it was. Would you know? I’ve never seen a wolf that large in the
wild, but with a steady diet, they can weigh close to 200 lbs. But what would
it be eating out here? Sure there are wild deer around, but I wouldn’t think
there were enough to feed a predator that size. If you have any ideas what it
might be, I’d like to hear them.
Until then, this has
been Rawlin J. Signing off from Weird Michigan.
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