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Stories include: CHOCOLATE - Chocolate can kill a dog. That gave Weston an idea. BUTTER PECAN - It's been a long time since Iris indulged in her favorite flavor. PISTACHIO - Mr. Finchner swore he had to eat pistachio ice cream every day...or else. COOKIES 'N CREAM - Claudia accepts a last-minute babysitting job. VANILLA - Fr. Barnabas is called to an orphanage to discover which child has been possessed. ROCKY ROAD - Lyle risked visiting that one house on Halloween. STRAWBERRY - Three close friends go looking for a night of fun. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH - Revenge is a dish best served cold. BIRTHDAY CAKE - Tad has a unique way of celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday. BUTTERSCOTCH - They were a perfect match in every way. NEAPOLITAN - Her future depended on which flavor she chose. MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP - All because of a million- dollar life insurance policy. COFFEE - She couldn't remember why she'd forgotten how much she loved that flavor, until it was almost too late. |
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Excerpts: CHOCOLATE
When they arrived at their apartment, she checked him again for a
temperature, this time using a thermometer. She frowned when she
checked it. “Still no temp, but you look like crap.” She ran a hand
through his hair. “Why don’t you go lie down for a while? I’ll wake
you when the pizza gets here.” He agreed and turned to go into the living
room. She stopped him. “Why don’t you go lie down in your bedroom?” Weston narrowed his eyes at her. “I feel safer in here.”
She fetched the final two bags of groceries,
plus the bag of kitty kibble, kicked the car door shut, and carried
the items into the kitchen where she dumped it all on the table in
the breakfast nook. The cat continued to make its needs known, and
Iris snickered. “I know! I know! Hold on! You’re not
starving. Trust me.” Chuckling, she retrieved the pint of ice cream
and started to place it in the bottom freezer section but stopped.
Checking the clock on the microwave, she noticed it was a little
after five. “Oh, hell. Why do I have to wait? I deserve this.”
“And
I
appreciate your mother suggesting I hire you to babysit so I can
join them!” Mrs. Barker expressed. “Like I said, it’s difficult to
find someone willing to deal with an invalid. And when the lady I’d
originally hired for tonight called me at the last second to let me
know she couldn’t make it…” The woman sighed deeply. “You have no
idea how grateful I am that you offered to come. Now…” She turned to
her daughter. “You be a good girl for Claudia while I’m gone, all
right? You behave, and don’t give her any trouble.
Any
trouble, understand?” The last was said in a menacing tone that
Claudia found odd, if not a bit disturbing.
“It started about a week ago. Sister Ruth
took the children out to the playground, when she realized she’d
forgotten her whistle. When she ran back inside the classroom to get
it, she discovered… Well, see for yourself.” Pausing in front of a door, she produced a key and unlocked it. Pushing it open, she stepped aside to allow the priest to enter first. “We haven’t touched the place since the incident,” she informed him.
Mina made an attempt to console him. “Why
don’t you go check Shrouder’s Grocers over in Bullerton? They might
have some pistachio ice cream.” “They don’t! They don't carry it! I’ve gone
over there and looked! Even if they did, I’d never make it there in
time.” Bending over, he moaned loudly, almost pathetically. “No, no,
no, no, no! It’s gonna happen! It’s gonna happen!” Rounding the counter, Kally took the man by
the shoulders. “Are you okay, Mr. Finchner? Why don’t you sit down?” The man continued to moan and wail. “It’s too late! It’s too late!”
Britt made a disparaging sound. “Go ahead
and try it, loser. But don’t come crying to us when she drags you
inside and turns you into some kind of hideous freak.” Hitching his
Dracula cape over his shoulders, he took off down the sidewalk. The
others in the group gave Lyle sad eyes as if this was going to be
the last time they’d ever see him alive, and hurried after their
leader. Penny remained
behind, choosing to stay with him, and he wondered for how long. “I’m going in.
Coming with me?” he halfway invited. “No. I’ll stay here.
If anything happens to you, I’ll go get help,” she offered. It was
clear she was afraid, and he really didn’t blame her. He was
starting to get butterflies in his stomach, too.
“I take it you’re a Dracula fan.” “I take it you’re a
Halloween fan,” the guy countered. “Oh, yeah.” Alonzo
pointed out his two best buds standing a few away. “Freddie and
Carlos and me, we call ourselves the perfect trifecta of slashers.” Mr. Dirk nodded.
“Then I guess you and your friends are aware of the number of
policemen attending this party.” The man was funnin’ with him.
Alonzo decided to play along.
Since the participants for all the entries
were kept incognito to prevent the judges from showing partiality,
Sheriff Park had to find out who had brought the peanut laden ice
cream. Of course, Dottie had had no choice but to admit she was the
creator. She’d gotten a severe tongue lashing, but fortunately no
charges were filed, even though she tried to point out the obvious
fact that a recipe called “Peanut Brittle Cheesecake Ice Cream”
would contain peanuts. From that year on,
everyone was required to include a list of all the ingredients for
each dish, which was given to the judges. Although her name wasn’t
listed identifying which ice cream was hers, Mona and the other two
knew which one it was. They always knew. And now they made sure she
never won.
Emmie walked up behind her and laid her chin
on Georgia’s shoulder. She let out a long sigh. “Can you imagine
waking up next to that every morning?” “I try not to,”
Georgia admitted. “I wonder whose
birthday he’s celebrating this time? For that matter, whose were all
those other birthdays he celebrated?” “Probably family
members and friends. He’s probably so busy, he can’t go celebrate
with them in person, so he makes this little symbolic gesture in
their honor.”
She unobtrusively watched the man accept his
order. When he turned away from the counter, she swiveled around in
her chair so he wouldn’t discover she’d been eyeing him. Dipping her
finger in the whipped cream, she began spreading it down the sides
of both scoops. “Get. Outta. Town.
No way!” She glanced up to
see the man standing next to her chair. The smile on his face was as
bright as the twinkle in his eyes. “What?” That was when she
caught sight of his cone. Or rather, the whipped cream smeared
around his scoops. He stuffed a cream covered finger into his mouth,
sucked it clean, then pointed to the empty chair across from her.
The sign over the money slot read FORTUNES
TOLD $1. “That’s a bargain.”
Reaching for his wallet, he pulled out a single, smoothed out the
creases, and slid it into the slot. The swami’s eyes lit up and it
waved mechanical hands over the glowing crystal ball in front of it.
“You have a very
eventful future in front of you,” the pre-recorded voice intoned.
“Take your fortune, keep it with you, and heed it well.”
She sat in the chair across from the baby to
observe her eating, when a movement from the corner of her eye
caught her attention. The darkness remained just inside the
playpen’s interior. A form the shape of… Tandy’s breath caught in her throat, her
body frozen in fear as the baby’s shadow oozed between the bars of
the playpen and slowly made its way across the floor. It was clear
the entity intended on reconnecting with the baby.
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