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Murmurs of Madness
Murmurs of Madness
Murmurs of Madness
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Murmurs of Madness

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Twelve short Stories of unseen voices...mysterious mumblings into manic minds. Entities and apparitions, become visilized in visitation. A not so amusing muse, melancholy spirits and mysterious shadows whisper in the winds. Mysterious origins, malignant Jinns and psychotic pseudonyms...all murmurs of murderous madness !

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 9, 2018
ISBN9780463920275
Murmurs of Madness
Author

Victoria Roberts Siczak

Always a storyteller, my family now claims my fabrications are character traits of the weird and unusual! I grew up on the shores of the Oneida River in upstate NY and spent a lot of free time fishing, boating and swimming. I always loved science-fiction and fantasy and read books by authors Jules Verne, Tolkien, Stephen King, etc. My father was an avid reader and always bought a book for Christmas and my birthday. Mystery suspense, paranormal dimensional time travel, mythical creatures and mystical events are thoughts released from my weird little worlds in my mind into books. Presently I am writing a collection of short stories entitled "Murmurs of Madness”,tales which involve visions, voices, and visits from alternate domains and beings.

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    Murmurs of Madness - Victoria Roberts Siczak

    Murmurs of Madness

    Victoria Roberts Siczak

    Copyright © 2018 Victoria Roberts Siczak

    All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Any references to people, places and events are coincidental and based on the imagination of the author.

    ISBN: 1726268977

    ISBN-13: 978-1726268974

    Gallant Publishing 2020 Washington Square, New York, NY

    2018

    Distributed by Smashwords

    Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

    To all my family and friends because,

    "Sweet, crazy conversations full of half sentences, daydreams and misunderstandings are more thrilling than understanding could ever be."

    Toni Morrison, Beloved

    CONTENTS

    1. The Boy

    2. Muse App

    3. Mona Lisa & Mad Hatter

    4. Full Moon Madness

    5. Shadow Of A Doubt

    6. The Inner

    7. I’ve Seen The Saucers

    8. Listen To The Wind

    9. Bespeaketh

    10. Fanatical Figmental Fable

    11. Points Of Origin

    12. The Eye Of The Heart

    About The Author

    "A full moon brings out the madness in all,

    Ghostly visits, apparitions, summoned by call.

    Eerie shadows, strange boys, and an aggressive muse,

    Murmurs through frantic minds, voicing their views!

    What horrors flow through our hidden thoughts,

    Rendering all subjects to terrors unwrought!"

    Victoria Roberts Siczak

    1. THE BOY

    Alright Susan, Dr. Meyers stated, sitting across from me in one of the big overstuffed leather chairs. It seemed less vulnerable to sit…than laying prone on the leather chaise. At age fourteen, still in the awkward gangly stage, I sprang up, and almost tripped over my own feet hurrying towards the door.

    You did very well today, the doctor called out. I believe I won’t have to see you until after the holidays. Have Stephanie set up an appointment for you in February. Until then, you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

    With that I was dismissed for the next two months. It was November thirtieth, and I had once again lied to my psychologist during our session. Well, not so much as lied as in telling him what he wanted to hear, I thought. After six years of therapy, I had learned certain tricks, like not telling him everything or telling the full truth. It was a way of relieving duress upon the doctors, my family and acquaintances.

    I say acquaintances because I really didn’t have any friends…um human friends at least. After all, since the age of six, I was the girl who insisted there was a strange boy living in the woods…whom nobody else seemed to be able to see or hear!

    • • • •

    It was the summer of 2005 when the boy first entered my reality or let’s say my actuality. One day he simply appeared in the woods behind our house. I was seven, well almost. In three months and seven days I would be. My mother had finally allowed me to play outside alone, if I didn’t wander into the woods or too close by the river.

    For the first month or so, my mom would watch anxiously from the kitchen window. If I was not in her range of sight, she would open the back door and shout my name until I appeared from behind the shed or garden. Mom was a bit of a health nut and she had her own ideas about a glutton-free, healthy diet. Sunflower seeds from her garden were the main ingredient in most of the things she made for us to eat.

    As late spring turned into early summer, she became confident that I was content roaming around the large yard, playing with my dog Dandy and having play adventures in the safety of my own back yard. I did…up to the time I saw the boy standing just inside the line of trees. He just stood there staring and unmoving…watching silently as I threw the stick for Dandy to fetch.

    Hello, I called out to him, but there was no response of any kind. Dandy trotted back and laid the stick at my feet. He whined when I did not pick it up. I said Hi, raising my voice to be heard over Dandy’s insistent whimpering. Hush Dandy, I warned my companion. He doesn’t bite, I stated to the boy. He just wants you to think he might. Do you want to play with us? I heard the back door open.

    Who are you talking to Suzy, Mom asked, looking around the yard while carrying the laundry to hang on the clothesline. I looked back at her and then pointed towards the woods.

    This boy right here, I answered somewhat baffled. Couldn’t she see him here in plain sight, I wondered? Mom squinted in the late afternoon sun.

    I don’t see anyone, she stated laughing lightly. Are you having another one of your secret adventures, she asked? I shook my head in frustration.

    He’s standing right here by the woods mom! Don’t you see him, I remarked between clenched teeth. He won’t come any closer because I think he’s afraid of Dandy. Mom held a hand up to shield her eyes. She looked down at me and shook her head smiling.

    Okay Suze have fun with your new friend. Just keep clear of the woods and stay where I can see you, she answered bemusedly, pinning clothes up for the warm sun to dry. I shrugged my shoulders and turned back towards the boy.

    He had strange glowing, luminous eyes and I found myself completely mesmerized by them. Some strange gesture or sound must have escaped my lips because he covered his face with his hands and a soft eerie noise emanated through him. I gave Dandy the command to sit and stay. I thought he might frighten the boy with his shepherd size and stance. However, Dandy completely ignored me and bounded towards to boy, barking happily like he was meeting a lifelong friend!

    I was surprised by both the boy’s and my dog’s actions. Usually Dandy was overly protective and issued warnings to strangers by emitting a low warning growl while the hair on his back stood on end.

    Hey, I said softly, determined to show that we were not a threat. My name is Suzy, and this is Dandy. He won’t bite you…and neither will I!

    Slowly the boy lowered his hands and once again his strange beautiful eyes captured my complete attention. I smiled tentatively, and he responded with a slight nod of his head. Dandy danced around him joyfully, and while his attention was on my dog, I took a moment to observe his appearance and strange attire.

    He was very pale, and he was wearing a weird one-piece glowing kind of jumpsuit. His hair was so light it was almost white, and he was very thin. His eyes were strange…like other worldly, I thought to myself, Maybe he’s an alien, or an angel or something.

    I realized he was studying me as closely as I was him. He bent over and touched Dandy’s fur between his ears. To my surprise, my dog immediately calmed down and sat next to the stranger, wagging his tail in contentedly. The boy stood and turned his attention towards me.

    Wow, I exclaimed, completely baffled. You must have a way with dogs. Dandy usually barks and raises all kinds of a fuss with strangers. What’s your name? Where do you live? How old are you…I’m almost seven? He just stood there gazing steadily at me. Can’t you talk, are you a… I struggled to find the correct term. Are you deaf and dumb, I asked immediately regretting saying dumb. Then I realized if he were deaf, how could he hear and answer me anyways? Now I felt like the dumb one.

    The boy must have sensed my dismay because he came closer and reached out to touch my hand. I jumped slightly as a warm tingly sensation emanated from this touch. Then a feeling of euphoria and calmness came over me.

    Are you an angel, I whispered knowing somehow that he would understand. After all angels didn’t need to talk, they could understand what was in your heart like God could…right, I asked myself. He came closer, looking directly into my eyes. In them I saw a kaleidoscope of wonders…the stars, the galaxies, the universe…all in a fraction of seconds.

    I felt as though I were flying through the realms of the heavens. I witnessed the marvels and phenomena of totality. Then my mom called out my name, and suddenly I was back on the earth at the edge of the woods. It was getting dark and she was telling me it was time to come inside.

    I felt utterly bewildered, wondering where my angel had disappeared to. I peered into the darkening woods hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I heard Mom call again and I yelled that I was coming, giving one long last look of the woods in the dimming light. The boy was nowhere in sight. My sense of euphoria had diminished, and I felt a deepening sadness and regret that he had left so suddenly.

    • • • •

    So, tell me all about your new boyfriend, Dad inquired as I walked into the living room. He was watching the news and reading the paper in between the commercials. I plopped on the couch and took a deep indignant breath before answering him.

    He’s not my boyfriend dad. He wouldn’t even talk to me, but he certainly liked Dandy alright. He was kind of weird looking though, with white hair and skin, and he had strange shining eyes. He also wore funny-looking clothes and…and he could read my mind! I paused to catch my breath. Dad grinned and chuckled.

    Well you had quite an adventure for sure, he stated. "So, this boy with white skin and glowing eyes… is he a vampire like in the Twilight movie? I hope you didn’t let him get close enough to bite you!"

    My breath caught in my throat. I had begged my parents to let me watch the movie last fall…promising I would not wake them up with night terrors after. I hadn’t either, but there had been some intense scary moments. Especially when the bad vampires chased and tried to kill Bella!

    Mom kept reassuring me throughout the show that it was all make-believe. But those images of werewolves and vampires haunted my dreams at times.

    Now dad’s words brought new maddening thoughts to my mind. The boy…his pale skin and strange glowing eyes. The strange way Dandy acted around him, and the fact that mom couldn’t see him. Maybe he was a vampire or a werewolf and not an angel, I thought, frightening myself a little.

    For a moment I couldn’t speak. I remembered the vampires in the movie. Some were good, and some were bad. Even the ones that were good and only drank animal blood, had been bad before when they first changed. And there were evil ones that killed humans, animals, werewolves and other vampires. I couldn’t even imagine drinking blood of any kind because I got sick just seeing a drop or two! Dad noticed my sudden unease and drew me up to sit on his lap.

    Hey Suzy-Q, I was only kidding. You know that vampires are just made-up monsters in stories, right, he asked. I nodded, although the image of the boy’s pale skin and luminous eyes were planted firmly in my mind.

    He was dressed so strange too! An angel would be dressed in flowing robes and would have had wings! I shivered in the warm summer night. What if he came back, I wondered. Then thinking of the things he’d shown me and the way he made me feel…I worried, what if he didn’t?

    The next day I stayed inside most of the morning, frequently peering out of the kitchen window to see if the mysterious boy had come back. Dandy whined and barked, wanting to go out and play in the mildly warm sunshine. My exasperated mom shooed us both out of the house, so we were not underfoot while she made bread from ground sunflower seeds.

    I stayed close by the kitchen door. Dandy wanted to play, so I threw the ball for him to fetch. After the third time, he ignored it and headed straight for the woods, barking joyously like he did whenever we came home from work or school.

    Dandy come back here, I called apprehensively. He had disappeared into the woods, yet I could still hear him barking with exuberance. Dandy…Dandy! Come here boy, I repeated until mom stuck her head out of the back door.

    What is all the yelling about Suzy, she asked. I turned and looked up at her.

    Dandy ran into the woods and he won’t come back, I answered anxiously. She reached inside the doorway and handed me his leash.

    Well go and get him, she said. From the sound of his barking, he’s probably cornered another rabbit or chased a squirrel up a tree. If that’s the case, you’ll have to drag him back here or he’ll be out there barking the rest of the day! Reluctantly I took the leash from her hand. She was right, I thought. Once Dandy had some critter trapped, he would continue barking until he was hoarse or until the sun went down.

    I sighed loudly and walked slowly towards the tree line, calling for Dandy, hoping he would come bounding out at the sound of my voice. No such luck. I stood of the border where the back yard met the woods and peered into the trees and brush.

    Dandy was in there jumping around and barking excitedly. I breathed a sigh of relief. This was how he acted when he had a squirrel or racoon treed. I walked towards him, brandishing the leash in front of me.

    He yapped happily when he spotted me and then turned his attention back to the boy who stood a few feet back, his eyes glowing in the shadows of the trees.

    I froze, feeling as though I were in some sort of a vacuum. I couldn’t hear or feel the wind blowing through the trees although I could see the leaves fluttering.

    Dandy bounded forward, knocking me over with his playful action. Before I could fall to the ground, the boy was there, holding me and effortlessly lifting me up by my arms and holding me until I was steady on my feet. Dandy barked unceasingly, but one glance from the boy, and he stopped and laid down seemingly complacent.

    Suddenly I could hear and feel everything, as though my senses had been mystically magnified. The boy still held my arms with his pale hands, and again I felt ecstatic, exhilarated and enchanted by his glimmering eyes.

    I couldn’t move or speak, nor even breathe! He must have sensed my inner turmoil because he smiled gently at me at relaxed his embrace.

    I didn’t know what to do, turn and bolt back to the house screaming for my mom, or smile back at him. Vampire, fairy, mystical forest spirit or angel, I thought to myself. No, not a spirit or angel, because he had held me, and he was solid and strong too. Strong…vampires were strong. Some fairies like wood nymphs, brownies, and gnomes were strong and could be kind of bad and mischievous or downright wicked!

    He must have somehow heard my thoughts because he took a few steps back and waited to see what I would do. Honestly, I wanted to run. Yet his soft smile and beautiful lucid eyes kept me rooted to the spot.

    For a moment we just stared at each other, lost in our silent assessments. If he was going to bite me or hurt me, wouldn’t he have done it already, I reasoned with myself? Suddenly I heard a thin, whispery voice within my mind and I realized he was speaking to me.

    "Why would I want to bite or hurt you," he asked silently? I realized that Dandy was hearing his telepathic voice too. He cocked his head and stared intently at the boy. Thoughts and questions ran rapidly inside my head.

    "Which question would you like me to answer first," his soft voice inquired. I didn’t know how to respond. I was secretly (or so I thought) contemplating the odd boy in front of me…and that he had the ability to read my thoughts.

    "What is a vampire," he asked suddenly. My mouth opened but my tongue would not form words. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I found my voice.

    Vampires are monsters that bite you and drink your blood, I answered the best I could with all my six-year knowledge of vampires from the Twilight movie. Well…some are good, but they still drink blood and they have white skin and shiny eyes just like…

    I stopped, horrified at what I had revealed. The boy tilted his head, looking at me with his glistening eyes. He nodded towards Dandy. When I looked at my dog, his eyes were glowing just like the boy’s in the shaded darkness of the forest trees. I knew Dandy wasn’t a vampire, and maybe the boy was trying to show me this in his peculiar way.

    If the boy wasn’t a vampire, then what was he, I wondered. Where did he come from? Why was he here, where were his parents and why was my dog glued to this stranger as though they were the best of friends?

    Now it appeared as though Dandy could read my mind as well. He laid his head against the boy’s leg and wagged his tail, looking adoringly at him. The boy smiled and once more I felt him probing my mind.

    "I do not drink blood nor eat flesh from any living creature," he spoke in my thoughts. I come from a place very near and very far from here. I am trying to understand what you mean by a name. I have no name. I only know that I am.

    "I was speechless with astonishment. In church, we learned that God was always far and near, and He told Moses, I AM WHO I AM! Was this boy telling me he was God, or an angel of God, I wondered. What should I do? I did the only thing I could think of. I bowed my head and started to pray.

    Suddenly I felt his touch, as light as the wind on my cheek. I looked up into his eyes and he opened his mouth and spoke.

    "I am not the Great Infinite Power, only a part…as everything in existence is…as you are! See me, feel my touch and hear my thoughts. I am as you, both physical and energy coexisting in relativity," he related. I shook my head, trying to process his words.

    To my six-year old analysis, he was an angel or some other divine entity. I was about to ask him, when Mom hollered from the back door.

    Suzy, get Dandy and come in now. It looks like it’s about to rain and you know how bad Dandy smells when he gets wet! I did. Once Dandy’s thick fur was wet, it was days before the odor diminished enough for him to sleep on the bed with me. I stepped back and called to Dandy. He wouldn’t budge from the boy’s side.

    I have to go, I stated, my confused emotions making my voice thin and tinny sounding. Without a word the boy nodded at Dandy and slowly my dog walked a few steps to stand by my side.

    I turned to go, and the boy whispered in my thoughts. Please, come back here after the water from the sky stops falling. I intend no harm of any kind to you or anything else. I just want…to be.

    Nodding slightly, I walked away, careful not to run. Dandy trotted alongside me, occasionally looking back towards the tree-line. I did not look back, even when I heard his silent voice whisper, Goodbye for now…my friend.

    Along in my room that night, I considered all the possibilities of who or what this boy could be. I wasn’t going to rule out vampire…not yet. I knew some vampires could read minds as well. Maybe he was a good vampire or maybe he was something else, like an elf or a fairy. I know the word elf meant white-being who possessed magical powers and supernatural beauty. Fairies also had the power to enchant, and I certainly was enchanted by this strange boy. I don’t think he was a God, but maybe he was an angel, sent by God to protect and offer guidance. In my mind, he could have been anyone or anything!

    • • • •

    "Where are you off to so

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