From the disturbing depths of Alex Gedgaudas's mind emerges a haunting collection of short stories that will chill you to the bone. Each story is a harrowing descent into the macabre, filled with spine-tingling twists and heart-pounding suspense th...
In the quaint town of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, there lived a girl named Alissa. She was a figure of pity and scorn among her peers at Cedarburg High School. Alissa's appearance was marred by hideous deformities and blemishes, her face an unattractive canvas of zits and scars. Her body, round and ungainly, drew cruel remarks and mocking laughter anywhere she went. Alissa's sole friend came in the form of Sam, a quiet and intelligent boy who saw beyond the surface. He alone befriended her amidst the sea of mocking laughter that surrounded her every day.
On the last day of her junior year by chance, Alissa stumbled upon a dusty, old lamp tucked away in the forgotten corners of an antique shop. With a curious twist after she brought the aged lamp home, she unleashed a genie, a being of mesmerizing beauty, his features reminiscent of Arabian royalty. The handsome genie, with a voice that carried the echoes of ancient wisdom, offered Alissa a single wish. Out of everything she could have wished for, she only wanted to have the beauty and popularity of that all her bullies possessed. But before he granted her wish, the genie gave a warning. He cautioned that nothing worth having ever comes easy, for the true beauty she already possesses, is only found within. His warning hung heavy in the air, a ghostly whisper of caution that Alissa dismissed with a casual wave of her hand. The allure of attaining gorgeous looks was too tantalizing to heed the genie's counsel.
And so, Alissa wished to possess all the qualities of her tormentors, to shed her ugliness like a discarded cloak. She craved the beauty of Sophia, the elegance of Lilly, the slender body of Carly, the melodic and hypnotic voice of Shawndell, the luscious locks of Emily, and the popularity of Josh.
As the summer waned, strange occurrences shadowed Cedarburg. Whispers of disappearances swirled through the town, casting a pall of fear over its inhabitants. Alissa's bullies vanished without a trace, leaving behind only suspicion and unanswered questions. When Alissa returned to school that fall, she was transformed. No longer did she bear the visage of ridicule; instead, she commanded attention with her radiant beauty and effortless charm. She became the embodiment of perfection, the envy of all who came across her.
But Alissa's newfound allure was but a mask for the darkness that lurked within. Unsatiated by her newfound popularity, she forced the genie out of his lamp to demand more wishes. She wanted even better looks. She wanted to be the smartest. She wanted fame, infamy, even! She hungered for more. The genie watched her with pity. 'Be wary of wishes granted, for what gleams bright in the hand may tarnish the soul in the end.' Alissa paid him no attention and discarded the lamp into her closet.
Her gaze fell upon Sam, her loyal friend, the embodiment of intellect and wisdom. One fateful night after she invited him to her bedroom to study, Alissa descended upon Sam with a ferocity born of desperation. A fight ensued where Sam had to work desperately to save his own life. His best friend became a terrifying creature of the night with sharp talons with a horrifying set of fangs. He sought refuge in her closet and barricaded the door. Alissa's sharp talons tried desperately to get to him; revealing the terrible truth that lay hidden beneath her facade of beauty in the process. With a chilling confession to her confused friend, Alissa admitted to the pact she had made with the genie. Each stolen trait exacted a toll, a blood price that must be paid in full. To possess the intelligence of Sam, she must consume his brain. In that moment of revelation, the facade shattered, revealing the monstrous truth that lurked beneath Alissa's newfound beauty. In order to gain the qualities and traits of all of her tormentors, she had to first consume what made them special. Sophia's face. Lilly's eyebrows. Carly's thin body. Shawndell's vocal cords. Emily's hair. Josh's head...
Mortified by the ghoulish truth, Sam trembled in fear as he stumbled upon the lamp hidden within the closet. Alissa's frantic attempts to break free only fueled his terror. With a shaky hand, Sam grasped the lamp and rubbed it, summoning forth the genie.
Without a moment's hesitation, driven by fear and desperation, he wished for Alissa to be confined within the lamp alongside him. A sudden stillness settled over the room; the frenzy of Alissa's attack quelled. Now trapped within the confines of the lamp, her fate hung in limbo, her future unknown. Sam didn't dare rub the magic lamp again to find out what lurked within. Haunted by the weight of his wish, Sam hurried home, his heart heavy with fear. Seeking refuge within the depths of his father's antique shop where he guessed Alissa first found the lamp, he unearthed a hidden trunk within a trunk. With trembling hands, he nestled the lamp within its depths, burying it beneath layers of forgotten relics and memories. Then he buried the trunk in the backyard, hoping that no one would ever find it again. But even as he sought solace in the idea of never seeing the lamp again, the thought of Alissa's fate loomed large, a reminder of the unforeseen consequences that lurked within the price of beauty.
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