Part of Stories of Lost Souls Book 1 by Peter Damsberg.
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In “Zig-Zag Street” from Stories of Lost Souls One Book 1 author Peter Damsberg brings the Bermuda Triangle to the backstreets. The main character, late for work through no fault of his own, elects to take a shortcut through town to get to the office. Somewhere along the way he gets snagged within a wrinkle in time. In such a place, the straight and narrow path becomes a circular one. The start is the finish. The finish is the start.
Damsberg’s tale is skillfully spooky in two distinct ways. The first is by his employment of subtly omitting a tiny piece of the ordinary in an otherwise regular setting. There’s nothing scary about a man walking through backroads in broad daylight on a weekday morning. But tweak it a little bit. Have the man keep arriving at the same spot. Have that man’s doubt about arriving at the same spot confirmed by the motionless state of his watch hands. Of all the possible antagonists in a story, nothing can bring someone to their knees like time. If there’s fire, bring water. If there’s brawn, bring brains. If there’s darkness, bring light. But if the foe is time what’s the recourse? Is there any?
In the face of an insurmountable foe, it’s also easy to lose focus, to be exhausted, to make poor decisions out of desperation. Damsberg takes this opportunity to show off his skillful spookiness in more classical horror fashion. Rather than the elusive omnipotent monster that is time, it is the self-summoned demon behind the door in an alleyway that does the antagonist in.
For the sake of the rest of us, I hope someone out there is ironing out the wrinkles in time on display in “Zig Zag Street.” Until I know for sure, I’ll stick to taking the long way to work in the morning, even if it means I could be a few minutes late to the office.
Author’s own Book synopsis of Stories of Lost Souls (One Book 1).
“Stories from the edge of reality which impinge upon the reality of the present. Mysteries, murders, and fantastic tales.”
-Peter F. Damsberg
Recommended Transient Visitors Stories by Dave if you liked this self-published book:
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David’s works are available in the shop!
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