Josh Ripperger
Bio
Stories (12/0)
The Dragon, the Boy, and the Shadow
The night was cold. Beady yellow eyes stared through the barren canopy, watching a tired, little boy shiver under his tattered cloak. To protect himself from their stares, the boy buried his head into his knees and screamed.
By Josh Rippergerabout a year ago in Fiction
Carter's Crypt
"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window." The camera recording the speaker panned over to the secluded cabin. The building was old. Shingles were missing, logs were covered in vines, and cobwebs hung in the corners like streamers.
By Josh Ripperger2 years ago in Horror
A Royal's Mistake
“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.” The talking woman looked down at the baby in her arms and traced the crescent shaped scar that ran through the child’s left eye. “There was a time where we were the ones who lived in the Valley.” The woman looked at the stone walls of her room and added, “Back when the mountains were scenery in the distance, instead of our home.”
By Josh Ripperger2 years ago in Fiction
The Babysitter's Path
I can pinpoint the exact day my life went to hell. It was a Friday night and I was pissed. Mom and dad had decided to go out for the evening and instead of letting their teenage daughter watch her siblings they hired a babysitter. This babysitter thought she was hot shit too. She walked in about ten minutes before six. She had dirty blonde hair tied up into a messy bun, a pair of name brand blue jeans, a gray hoodie, and enough makeup on her face to make a clown jealous. To make matters worse, she was only two years older than me and sat across from me in study hall. Like, what the hell? Did they want me to be the loser of South High? Why did I even need a babysitter? I was fifteen, practically an adult, and my parents had the audacity to hire someone to watch me!? I didn’t complain though. No. That would just give my parents an excuse to do it again. Instead, I put a smile on my face, walked up to Olivia, and said,
By Josh Ripperger2 years ago in Fiction
A Mother's Promise
The ocean has been singing to me since I was a child. To help me sleep, the sweet alto tones of that voice would join the seagulls and the waves to form a chorus that could ease any mind. I always asked mom if she could hear the song, but she only shook her head and brought the covers up to my chin. She would then kiss my forehead and say, “I love you, Oliver.”
By Josh Ripperger2 years ago in Horror
A Slice of Time
The tiny brass bell connected to the door rings as you step into the ’50s themed diner. The checkered floors are disturbed by vast islands consisting of red upholstered booths and stools. Every seat is full. A low roar of speech blends itself with the slow jazz emitting from the jukebox in the corner. At the far end of the restaurant is a bar with trays of dessert littered about its surface. You aren’t sure how you got here. A man wearing all black and a white choker made of cloth scurries towards you. You cock your head and wait for the strange man to make the first move. He says,
By Josh Ripperger3 years ago in Fiction
The Family Farm
Demons can smell out a troubled soul quicker than a pile of shit can attract a swarm of flies, and we had an infestation of both. It was the middle of summer when I went to visit my dying father. The crops were half-grown, my clothes clung to my skin, my throat was dry, and I was tired of driving.
By Josh Ripperger3 years ago in Fiction
The Confession
Being shoved into a small brown confessional was not how I wanted to start my day. The makeshift room was dark, and the only light that could be seen was a small candle resting on a stump. A single chair was placed next to the earthly table and the two guards escorting me forced me into it. Once I was seated, the two robed wardens tied my arms behind my back and then wrapped my feet as well. When they finished, one of the guards knocked on the wall in front of me and a piece of it slid to the side revealing a masked figure behind a wall of mesh.
By Josh Ripperger3 years ago in Fiction