Halloween Giveaway!

Well come on now, what kind of horror writer would I be if I didn't do a competition for you all for Halloween!?

So, as you can see, there are plenty of options and chances for you to win, follow, tweet, share, add, comment, yada yada, and you get some great booty and books for your collection. That's it. The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win. Simples! (Yeah, I was quoting that meerkat thingy then, **sigh**)

If you get chance, go have a read of my short flash fiction story -Bumble-Bee that I wrote last month for a Horror and thriller month that I hosted.

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                                       Honey-Bee.


 There are times when I wish for the old days. For bills, and jobs, and too
much TV. For fast food, sports cars, and thoughts about the ozone layer
and how we can repair it.


Now we know that there was never any way to repair it. That it didn’t
matter how high your cholesterol was in the end, because you would die a
slow and agonizing death anyway. So what would I say if I could go back in time and speak to the old me? Or even the
old you? I’d say this. Get fat. Eat the food that you love, because soon enough it will be gone. Love freely, and hate
with regret. Drive fast, but be mindful of others on the road, because one day in the not so distant future it could be them
that you need to save you. 

I would tell you not to waste too much of your time pondering what to do with your life, and just enjoy the here and now
as much as you can. Because before you know it, it will be too late. Doctor, lawyer, farmer, computer technician, police officer, delivery driver. In this world, that I live in now, none of that matters. Who you were isn’t important anymore. It’s who you
are now that is significant.

I look out across the ocean. The waves gently caressing the beach, with a sigh. 

“Mama?”

I turn to look at Lilly through the window screen of the car, her little hands clasping her teddy with all their might. Her
wide brown eyes stare back at me in confusion. Recognition finally crosses her face, and finally satisfied with who I am
and that I am not far from her side, she closes them again and snuggles back down into her car seat. I am never far from
her side. She is mine, and I am hers. It has been this way since we found each other. 

I slide off the bonnet of my car, take one last drag of my cigarette, and stub it out into the ground with a shake of my
head. I swore I’d never smoke again. That’s another thing to add to the list. If you want to smoke, do it. But be aware
that when they run out—the cigarettes, it’s a real bitch, and there’s no nipping to the shop to get more.

I walk to the edge of the cliff to get a better view of down below. The sun is just setting over the ocean, creating a myriad
of colourful beauty before my eyes. It’s easy to believe that everything is okay when I am up here. I can pretend that there’s nothing to be afraid of. No Bogie man hiding under the bed, no evil in the world. Just me, Lilly and the ocean.

I jump when Lilly’s hand clasps mine. Looking down into her sad face, I try to force a smile.

“You should be sleeping my little, Honey-Bee.”

She continues to stare blankly at me, and I reach down and pull her up into my arms. She doesn’t resist, but clings to me like a little koala bear. That thought makes me sadder still. She will never know what a koala bear is. Her hand tips my chin down so that I am looking at her again.

“Where are they?” she asks.

“Down there, Honey-Bee,” I say, pointing to down below.

She peers over as much as she dares, watching the abominations below. I feel her little body shiver and tense in my
arms.

“It is okay. We are up here, and they are down there. We are safe,” I reassure her.

“For now.” Her words cut into my heart, and I nod.

“Yes. For now, for tonight. And that it was matters. Tonight we can dance under the stars, Honey-Bee.” I smile and twirl
her around in circles, and she giggles. It is the sweetest sound that I have heard in a long time. Much better than the time
we found the little kitten crying out for its mother. And even better than the sound of the breeze moving through the long
grass in the field that I found Lilly hiding in. Though that is a very close second. My little Honey-Bee, hiding in the
sunflower field. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, until I saw her little face peering up at me.

Lilly and I dance until the sky darkens and the stars come out to sparkle upon us, though she does not ever let me put
her down. Lilly grows heavy in my arms, and her eyelids begin to flutter closed. I take her back to the car and place her in
the little seat. Clipping her in place, and being careful not to wake her up.

I light up another cigarette, and stand at the edge again, looking down at them. 

They gurgle, and hiss, their red eyes staring back up at me. The sounds of their jagged nails scrambling for placement on
the side of the cliff worries me, but they cannot climb. 

We are safe. For tonight at least. Me and my little Honey-Bee.

© copyright Claire C Riley

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