Something to TICKLE your Fancy.

Step into the darkness of Africa with me…Don’t be afraid…after all, it is just my imagination.

Or is it?

 

 

 

Blood Moon over Africa…Breaking News…NOW IN AFRIKAANS IN E-BOOK FORMAT.

A growl shatters the stillness around them, and into the moonlight walks a creature that only nightmares are made off, Veronica stiffens as she sees what has invaded the yard, she feels Pastor Steve jerk next to her, and from Peggy comes a gasp of utter disbelief, that carries across the space between them and the creature, Philip buries his head in his hands at the sight of it.

 

Standing in the moon light, looking directly at the chicken houses, seeming to look right at them is a man, a man with the head of a hyena, it growls low in its throat, and slowly starts to make its way across the yard towards the chicken houses, its eyes glowing and it snarls, exposing wicked fangs.  The breeze picks up, and the creature halts, lifts its head to the night air, looks again in the direction of the chicken houses, turns in the direction of the mule, and shatters the night with a howl, before making off into the bush in the direction of the terror stricken cry that fills the night.

Blood Spoor in the Dark

The figure starts to claw at Lam’s face like a leopard, but rather than claws raking the body, Piet catches the glint of steel claws in the moonlight.  The killer had returned to complete the cult ritual of sacrifice.

Piet, clutching his .38 moves out from the cover of the forest and advances towards the Leopard Man.  All his anger at the atrocities that have been committed by these things against innocent people starts to boil over.

“Hey you sick fuck, I’ve got something here for you.”

The Leopard Man looks up at Piet, from his crouched position over Lam’s body, and snarls at Piet as if he were truly a big cat, then he springs towards Piet, his steel claws seeking the big man’s throat.

Piet side steps the man’s charge, and as the Leopard Man’s momentum carries him past Piet, Piet’s size 10 boots catches the man in the small of the back, sending him crashing to the ground.  Snarling and spitting like the leopard.

Piet looks down at the man, and places a heavy foot behind his neck, pinning him to the ground.

The Leopard Man squirms beneath the weight of Piet’s foot, and growls out a warning.

“You whites are fools, you cannot kill us for our magic is too strong, you do not realise our power.”

Piet drops onto the back of the struggling man.  Pinning him down with his full weight, the barrel of his .38 pressed against the back of the man’s head.

“It’s all mind over matter you sick fuck, I don’t mind, and you don’t matter.”

The report from the .38 in Piet’s hand echoes over the forest, and the face of the Leopard Man disintegrates from the force of the bullet.

“Ja, now go tell the people your fucking muti works.”

Blood Demon-Revenge

 

The interior of the warehouse is gloomy, with only the lunar light from the moon breaking through the skylight windows and the scattering of black candles that burn at intervals along the path leading up towards the front of the building where a crude altar has been erected.

Around the warehouse are people huddled together waiting for the arrival of the Lion Man, and to worship the demons of the dark in an orgy of blood.

The frightened whimpers of a young boy carry across the silence as they wait for their master to arrive.  The parents of the child have bound his hands and feet, for has not great glory been bestowed upon them by his being chosen by the great master as the one to feel the power of the claws.  His innocent blood is to be spilt to enable the master to speak to the ones from the dark side.

Movement from the front of the warehouse brings silence down on all that are gathered, and then before them, held by a chain appears a lioness.  The chain is padlocked to a steel bolt in the floor and the handlers move off to join those already waiting.

The low growls from the big cat fill the area, and then she lies down to wait, for she has been here before, and knows that before tonight is over, she will feed.

A figure appears before the assembled crowd, and a murmur ripples through them.  The Lion Man now stands before them.

Amos, now naked except for the skin of a lion, draped over his body, the head of the beast placed over his head looks out at the people below him.  The steel claws attached to his hands glint in the light from the candles.

His voice reverberates across the silent warehouse.

“Who brings the chosen sacrifice; stand so that I may see you.”

The couple stands with their bound son between them.

“Bring the boy forward so that we may please the elders, and they will open the doorway to the underworld.”

The Devil in Eden.

The village is made up of thatch and mud huts.  Half naked children run around in the dirt playing, while chickens scatter in front of them.  The women busy themselves around the cooking fires, while the men folk sit under the great tree smoking, and drinking homemade beer.

On the horizon, the massive storm clouds gather, the wind whipping the corn fields into frenzy and sending up dust devils into the darkening sky.  The villagers hurry to the shelter of their huts, and huddle together to wait for the storm to pass.

The night is dark as the thunder rolls across the sky, flashes of lightning turn night to day and the heavy rain pelts down through the canopy of trees as the killer moves silently towards the village.

No-one will hear the screams tonight as the thunder drums out across the sky, and the killer moves steadily through the forest in the direction of the sleeping village.  He pauses as he breaks through the thick foliage that surrounds the village.

Slowly he surveys the area, his eye moves over the mud huts, he smells the wood fires that burn inside, and hears the sound of people sleeping as he steadily moves across the muddy open area towards a hut closest to the edge of the forest.

He pauses at the door to the hut, his sense of smell tells him that the people inside are sickly and weak.  He tries the door, but it is wedged shut firmly from the inside, so he moves around to the back of the hut, and standing, tests the mud walls.

He applies his weight, and the wall starts to crumble.  Terrified voices ring out from within, that the Devil is here, and the sound of their fear drives him on, and with a lunge the killer enters the dark interior of the hut.

Now for something totally different…leave Africa behind and join the Masked Carnival in Venice…Meet Juliana, a young woman who has everything to live for…or does she?

Mask of Deceit

The eyes looking out from behind the mask are green, but that is all the man can see for her form is hidden in the folds of the flowing gown that she is wearing.  The mask itself is stunning, handcrafted and if she is anything like the beauty of the mask, then she is definitely a catch.

Her voice is husky and sexy at the same time; it sends shivers of delight at the thought of what is to come through his body, as she takes his hand in her gloved hand and leads him along the cobblestone walkway, almost as if leading a lamb to the slaughter.

The sounds of the masked ball not far away filters across the square, laughter fills the air as revellers soak up the atmosphere, the colours are bright, and there is a feel of gay abandonment as couples, groups move to and fro, their masks hiding their true features, and their costumes blend in with the crowds that swarm along the roads.

She leads him along the canal, the sounds from the square falling behind them as they cross the bridge, and he can’t believe his luck on his first night in Venice, to be chosen by such a beauty, and he tries to imagine what she looks like behind that mask.

They come to an alleyway and she pauses for a second, looks into the dark recess of the alley, then turning quickly, takes his hand again and leads him on.  He could have sworn that he heard her mutter softly into her mask.

“This one is for you Paul, my darling.”

“My Lady, did you say something?”

“No, I am just thinking about what is ahead of us tonight, you must have imagined it.”

She leads him into a room with a four poster bed in the centre, the light is dim and in the distance he can hear the sound of music, and her heavy breathing, which he takes as passion, and a sign that he is in for a good time tonight with a masked stranger.

The sound of falling cloth behind him, he turns and gasps at the beauty before him.  She is naked, but still wears the mask, and he feels the heat rush through his body, and desire for the masked stranger before him fills him, and he sheds his clothing.

“Do you like what you see Sir?”

“Yes My Lady, you are magnificent, but I wish to gaze upon your face, please remove your mask so that I might drink in your true beauty.

“I am sorry, you may have me, but the mask stays on.  Lie down, and I will come to you.”

He lies back onto the soft mattress, and she straddles him, moving up his chest and offering herself to him. His eyes close in ecstasy, and he feels her take his hand, and the soft feel of silk wraps around his wrist, then the other, and he is bound to the posts of the bed.   His eyes fly open in alarm. He sees her sitting on his chest, her weight holding him down, and in her hand, she is holding a dagger, and he hears sobs coming from behind the mask.

“My Lady, what are you doing?”

Without a word she brings the dagger down, the dim light flashes off the blade as it cuts deep into his chest.  His body arches as he tries to throw her off, he pulls at the silk holding his hands in place, but she rides him, gripping his body with her strong legs, and plunges the blade in again and again, the blood splatter being thrown across the whiteness of the bed.

His body shudders in its final gasp to hold onto life, and then with a death rattle in his throat, she slashes the sharp blade deeply across his throat, his body goes limp beneath her, the air in his lungs escaping through the deep wounds, as his blood soaks into the bed cover, dripping off the bed, to form a puddle on the carpet.

“There Paul my darling, I showed mercy, just like you taught me, I cut the throat of the animal.”

Without another word, she pulls the gown over her head, covering the blood on her body, slips the dagger into the folds of her dress, and without looking back at the dead man on the bed, leaves him, to be discovered when the occupants of the room returned.

She mingles once more with the groups, just another mask in the crowd.

 

If those teasers caught your attention, and you would like to sit back and enjoy a journey into the darkness, you can find them all on my Authors Page @ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00Q8L4NZ8