Walttriznastories's Blog

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY

December 20, 2023 at 8:58 pm Leave a comment

A writer’s group I once belonged to would celebrate Christmas at an Italian restaurant. The place had a unique room called the Pope’s room. It was a large circular room with a domed ceiling and had a large circular table and the walls were covered with pictures of past popes. In the center of the table was a bust of Pope John II. We needed a large room for there were often ten or more of us in attendance. The domed ceiling made for a unique feature. What was said on one side of the room, in a soft voice, could easily be heard on the opposite side. That phenomena gave birth to this story.

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? was accepted for publication by Bewildering Stories in October 2007.

                                      DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

W___ was known for his stories of murder and mayhem.  Tales of ghosts and monsters were his claim to meager fame.  As member of a writers’ group, he enjoyed sharing his twisted stories with the group and the support they provided.  But how could they know, imagine, that the stories, born in his twisted mind, would someday become reality.  W___ would carry demons within his mind.  Even his wife did not know the visions, the “truths” that journeyed through his muddled brain.

It was during November’s writers’ meeting that the group leader, S___, announced, “In place of our December meeting, I suggest we meet for a holiday dinner.  It will be a chance to relax and prepare for the year’s writing ahead.”  The approval of the group was unanimous.

Reservations were made and the day of the dinner arrived.  It was a rainy evening whenW___ set out for the restaurant, the back-and-forth motion of the windshield wipers gave him a slight headache.  He was one of the last to arrive, greeting his fellow writers; he took his seat next to S___.  The room was a large room with a single circular table at its center.  A curious aspect was the room’s ceiling.  It was domed with a most unsettling feature.  From one side of the room conversations, even in the softest whisper, were conveyed to the opposite side of this domed affair.

As the meal was served, W___ looked across the table to C___ and G___, deep in conversation discussing light matters.  Suddenly, the conversation changed.  To his disbelief, W___ heard them plotting his murder. A conversation manufactured in his brain.  He clearly heard their voices discussing every detail.  W___ sat in disbelief while those about him laughed and shared stories.  His friends asked if there was anything wrong, for he was visibly shaken.  “I’m fine,” he replied and left the restaurant to make plans of his own.

January arrived and it was time for another meeting.  S___ was the last to arrive.  “I have terrible news.  C___ and G___ have met with horrible accidents.  They are both dead.”

The group sat there in shock.  Disbelief was soon followed by sounds of sorrow and grief.

The year swiftly went by.  It was a good year with many of the members being published.  Once again, at the November meeting, S___ announced the plans for a Christmas dinner.  The site would be the same as last year.

W___ once again made his way to the restaurant, this time during a light and peaceful snow.  He greeted his friends and took his place.  Once again, he could hear the whispered conversations from across the room.  And once again he heard his murder being plotted, this time it was T___ and B___ who made the fiendish plot.  Once again two members of the group were visited with horrible and fatal accidents.

January found the group deep in sorrow once more.  That was five years ago.  And for each of those years, a Christmas dinner was held and shortly after, two more members met their demise.

Christmas neared once again, but there would be no Christmas dinner, for the only members remaining were W___ and S___.  A creature of tradition, W___ reserved the domed room for his private dinner.  There he sat, alone with no whispering conversations to fill his head.  He gazed around at the empty seats when his ears perked.  There were voices plotting his murder.  Looking out at the overflowing restaurant, he saw a young family that he was sure was plotting his end.  A fiendish smile crossed his lips.  His work was not yet done.

                                                     THE END

Entry filed under: free science fiction and horror stories, free stories, PUBLISHED WORKS, Walt Trizna, Walt Trizna's Stories. Tags: christmas, Christmas story, fiction, horror, short story, Walt Trizna, writer's group.