Kurt Mason
Bio
Teacher • Writer • Reader
Stories (55/0)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. Not really. What stood before me was a grotesque visage, a horrifying specter of what should be. The pallid skin, paper thin and filled with the deep crevices of wrinkles reflecting the unforgiving passing of time, seemed as though it was dripping off the bones. Eyes sunk deep behind the sharp edges of a brow bone, the emerald shimmer long since lost. The thin, patchy wisps of what was once hair the color of spun gold hung limply. A weakened arm raised slowly, as if weighted down by an unbearable burden, mottled skin covered the frail, skeletal hand that pressed against the glass. The mirror had become a constant reminder of the price I had paid. It wasn’t always this painful to look in the mirror. It wasn’t until the ravages of time truly began to sink in that the reflection became more grim.
By Kurt Masonabout 22 hours ago in Fiction
Unlikely Observer
Low-hanging branches whipped Ari’s skin, but he hardly noticed their harsh sting. His legs furiously pumped as he raced his bike down the woodland path. Tears left his sight blurry, but he knew the path like the back of his hand. A sharp turn ahead would have toppled another biker, but Ari leaned into the curve, shifted his weight effortlessly to bank the curve and kept speeding through the trees. A steep dip in the trail, a small wooden footbridge over the stream, and the final push up the embankment brought Ari safely to his sanctuary.
By Kurt Mason19 days ago in Fiction
Finding the Right Fit
I was excited to dive into this novel from the moment I saw the beautiful cover on the shelf of the bookstore. I had heard good things about it, and I was quick to grab myself a copy. However, as with most things, this got tucked away on my shelf at home as I wrapped up novels that were already in progress and tackled the stress of the holidays. With that being said, I decided to make this my first novel of 2023–and I am so glad that I did.
By Kurt Mason2 months ago in Families
Let's Get Shopping
To be honest, I am still processing this novel. This was, without a doubt, unlike anything that I have ever read before. When I saw this laying on the counter of the kitchenette at work, I thought that it was some sort of catalog for furniture, but it turned out to be a novel so unique that I couldn’t put it down. The layout, the images, and the overall flow of this novel make the reading experience something quirky and different compared to the countless other novels on the market.
By Kurt Mason3 months ago in Horror
The Game
I was looking for a quick read that would keep me busy for a couple of days, and I decided to pull “The Game” off of the shelf. This short novel (perhaps novella?) by Linsey Miller was something that I scooped up the last time the local bookstore was having a sale. It looked like a quick, easy read, and it seemed to have all of the ingredients of a good story: mystery, intrigue, young love, adventure, drama–what more could you want? However, after turning the final page, I felt disappointed and a bit let down.
By Kurt Mason3 months ago in Geeks
The Fate of the Final Girl
With Jamie Lee Curtis taking her final bow as the iconic Laurie Strode in the closure of the long-running Halloween franchise, I decided that it would be a good time to take “Final Girls” by Riley Sager off of the shelf as a tribute to the woman who revolutionized and embodied the essence of strength and resiliency that it takes to be a final girl. Often attributed as the first real example of a final girl, Curtis’ character Laurie Strode was the sole survivor of Michael Myers’ attacks that fateful Halloween night, but Curtis’ character highlighted the emotional, physical, and psychological burden that can come from being a survivor.
By Kurt Mason4 months ago in Horror
Mental Health Matters
For some, the idea of calling out of work can be an incredibly stressful thing. While employees exist who don’t think twice about taking a day off, there are countless others who work themselves into a frenzy at the prospect of all that comes with calling out of work. The prevalence of burnout in the workplace has risen to a point where it has become a national, perhaps even global, conversation. Employees are working like never before as the long lists of demands and expectations seem to be continually growing. People call out of work for a variety of reasons: vacations, sickness, appointments, emergencies, but the one that seems to have the most stigma is the idea of taking a mental health day. Why? Why are we taught to ignore the warning signs of our health in regards to our mental state?
By Kurt Mason4 months ago in Journal
Isn't It Bromantic?
Summer is the perfect time to kick back and relax with a good book. For me, summer reading has a different feel to it than winter reading. During the winter, I find myself getting cozy with a thrilling adventure or shocking mystery, but during the summer I want to sit by the pool with a nice steamy romance or daring drama. Beach reads, a popular subgenre of books designed to capture the ease of the summer spirit, are often a section of the bookstore that I overlook, but there was something about this book that caught my eye.
By Kurt Mason4 months ago in Humans
Watchers Unite
As an avid fan of all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I am ashamed to think about how long this book has been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. My Buffy obsession started as I would get up early in the summer to catch the early morning episodes on The WB network or as I would patiently wait to get one DVD at a time when Netflix still came in the mail. After finishing the series for the first time… and the second time.. I was continually disappointed that Buffy would no longer be in my life. I gave a fair attempt to the Buffy video game (yikes), I’ve read some of the comic and graphic novel series, and I have played the Buffy board game, but it was seeing this book on the display rack at the bookstore that reignited that spark of love I will always have for the Buffyverse.
By Kurt Mason4 months ago in Geeks
