That was macabre indeed! And, as Jim said, I couldn’t stop reading it. Excellent job, Dan! (I’m embarrassed not to have known the word silage, despite growing up partially on a farm. 😂) The part about the dream of not being able to breach the surface due to a transparent obstruction reminded of the 1978 film, “The Legacy”. Did you ever see that? I was a little kid and it traumatized me. There’s a scene where an excellent swimmer gets trapped beneath a glass obstruction that suddenly closes over an olympic pool.
Also just realised that The Legacy was directed by Richard Marquand of Return of the Jedi fame So I may have got it from the video shop thinking, “Well, if he directed that ....”
Thanks very much, Daniel. We’re surrounded by farms here as well so silage is a common smell in the warmer months 😁
That’s interesting about The Legacy movie. The poster looks familiar and, back in the day, my folks did let us watch most things so maybe I did see that scene and it contributed to my recurring nightmare 🤔
I might need to watch it and see for sure. Not that it will help of course 😆
Wow! So good! My recurring nightmare from childhood is riding on a packed bus, going through a tunnel that’s suddenly on fire. Some nights, we make it out of the tunnel; other nights, we don't make it out before I awake. It's been a year or more since I've had that nightmare.
Thanks very much Caro. Jeezo, that sounds even scarier than mine! It’s strange that we can still have these same dreams for so long. You’d think as we grow older our minds let go of things that scared us as children. Saying that, I’m still scared of the dark, so I can’t really make any suggestions! 😁
Oh my god, I was so distracted by the nostalgia of going to an empty swimming pool that I got dragged on in the quasi Lovecraftian horror breathless and ecstatic! One of the best horror stories I've ever read, congrats!
I'm wondering why I haven't seen this before? It's brilliant.
I remember an episode of 'are you afraid of the dark?' with basically a zombie caretaker coming out of the water to get you. I'm a strong swimmer, and used to compete...but I was always looking in the dark corners! 😂
This is terrifying. It's up there with the thing under the bed or falling from the sky.
I’m delighted folks are rediscovering this story as I really enjoyed writing it
I’m the exact same when it comes to swimming! I go three times a week and every time I climb into the pool I check the corners and the floor. Just in case! 😁
i like the idea... used to go to a horriible old swimming baths that stank of dead things...great idea the beast...the sacrifice pool, sonething ordinary with evil depths... and also taking your nightmare and owning it.
very much a fan.
i did think that he was somewhat blazé about the pack of zombies in the changing room, however!
Sounds like we went to very similar swimming pools back in the day. Although maybe yours weren’t populated by zombies. That was a common occurrence down our way! 😁
This was so great, Dan. I knew it was a slightly longer read so I'd been saving it for later on, but I just opened it whilst grabbing lunch to read the start and then found myself engulfing the whole thing in one go 😉😅👏
I got a lot of King vibes reading this. I also wondered near the start whether this was going to turn out to be based on your own recurring nightmares.
I don't have anything quite so specific but I have plenty of recurrence with themes in my nightmares. Dying in a plane crash are probably my most common ones, as well as witnessing a UFO and thinking "oh, shit, aliens really are here", which I immediately followed by an alien abducting me 😅
Yeah, I finished reading “Holly” recently which is King’s latest and the story there concerns a supposedly frail and innocent elderly couple who turn out to be anything but, so that probably influenced this one a bit
I think these recurring fears/dreams are about us not being in control. Every day we’re pretty much in control of our own destiny but, when we’re sleeping, that’s taken away and we feel vulnerable 🤔
Either that or I need to stop snacking before I go to bed! 😁
Haha, snacks *and* anxieties/fears. But seriously, I think you're right. There's definitely a correlation with my stress levels and crazy dream nightmares. My dreams are generally always really vivid, but there's a big change in tone between times of stress/worry and times of feeling far more relaxed.
That's great about King. Big fan of his work, though I haven't read much of his recent stuff. Hope you enjoyed Holly. Always open to you posting some book reviews alongside your stellar film reviews ;)
You’re right, Nathan. Stress and anxiety do play a huge part in dreams and nightmares. I’m the same. Higher levels of stress means the dreams are particularly scary. I don’t seem to have nice dreams at any time though 😳😁
Holly was actually quite good. Probably his best in a wee while. Originally I had planned to do book reviews as well but have never got around to it. Might think about starting that as well. However, as I’m reading Dune just now you guys have pretty much got that covered 😁
Hehe, I look forward to hearing those thoughts 😁 I'm sure some of them will align with my own, though I've likely held back a bit in my thoughts for Book Two, in part through wanting to try and make the length of the post a little shorter this time (though it's still being editing together by Claudia atm, so I might still end up adding some extra thoughts)
I'm pretty sure I'm forever going to think about this whenever I'm swimming in a pool now! (Maybe don't write one about the ocean, given that's my usual (albeit not that often) swimming spot!)
That was macabre indeed! And, as Jim said, I couldn’t stop reading it. Excellent job, Dan! (I’m embarrassed not to have known the word silage, despite growing up partially on a farm. 😂) The part about the dream of not being able to breach the surface due to a transparent obstruction reminded of the 1978 film, “The Legacy”. Did you ever see that? I was a little kid and it traumatized me. There’s a scene where an excellent swimmer gets trapped beneath a glass obstruction that suddenly closes over an olympic pool.
Also just realised that The Legacy was directed by Richard Marquand of Return of the Jedi fame So I may have got it from the video shop thinking, “Well, if he directed that ....”
Thanks very much, Daniel. We’re surrounded by farms here as well so silage is a common smell in the warmer months 😁
That’s interesting about The Legacy movie. The poster looks familiar and, back in the day, my folks did let us watch most things so maybe I did see that scene and it contributed to my recurring nightmare 🤔
I might need to watch it and see for sure. Not that it will help of course 😆
Wow! So good! My recurring nightmare from childhood is riding on a packed bus, going through a tunnel that’s suddenly on fire. Some nights, we make it out of the tunnel; other nights, we don't make it out before I awake. It's been a year or more since I've had that nightmare.
Thanks very much Caro. Jeezo, that sounds even scarier than mine! It’s strange that we can still have these same dreams for so long. You’d think as we grow older our minds let go of things that scared us as children. Saying that, I’m still scared of the dark, so I can’t really make any suggestions! 😁
Wild! You hooked me early and I couldn't stop reading!
Thanks very much Jim. I really appreciate that 🙏
Oh my god, I was so distracted by the nostalgia of going to an empty swimming pool that I got dragged on in the quasi Lovecraftian horror breathless and ecstatic! One of the best horror stories I've ever read, congrats!
Wow! Thank very much Saint-Lazare. That’s so kind of you to say. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. You’ve made my day 🙏😁
My pleasure, truly 💐
I'm wondering why I haven't seen this before? It's brilliant.
I remember an episode of 'are you afraid of the dark?' with basically a zombie caretaker coming out of the water to get you. I'm a strong swimmer, and used to compete...but I was always looking in the dark corners! 😂
This is terrifying. It's up there with the thing under the bed or falling from the sky.
That’s so kind of you Hanna. Thanks very much 🙏
I’m delighted folks are rediscovering this story as I really enjoyed writing it
I’m the exact same when it comes to swimming! I go three times a week and every time I climb into the pool I check the corners and the floor. Just in case! 😁
i like the idea... used to go to a horriible old swimming baths that stank of dead things...great idea the beast...the sacrifice pool, sonething ordinary with evil depths... and also taking your nightmare and owning it.
very much a fan.
i did think that he was somewhat blazé about the pack of zombies in the changing room, however!
Thanks very much Nick 🙏
Sounds like we went to very similar swimming pools back in the day. Although maybe yours weren’t populated by zombies. That was a common occurrence down our way! 😁
we just had rats in the drink machine...
Jeezo 🤦🏻♂️
No wonder we’ve got such fertile imaginations 🐀 😁
I've never been a good swimmer, so this story is pure nightmare fuel for me. Well done. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks very much John. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Even if it might give you nightmares 😁🙏
this was so good!
Thanks very much. I’m glad you liked it 🙏👍🏼
"He would be seriously considering his membership after this." 😅
I had a Mr Byers. Maybe it was the same guy! That cruel bastard. Very cinematic vignette, Dan. Great work!
Thanks very much Alexander. Really appreciate that 👍🏼😁
This was so great, Dan. I knew it was a slightly longer read so I'd been saving it for later on, but I just opened it whilst grabbing lunch to read the start and then found myself engulfing the whole thing in one go 😉😅👏
I got a lot of King vibes reading this. I also wondered near the start whether this was going to turn out to be based on your own recurring nightmares.
I don't have anything quite so specific but I have plenty of recurrence with themes in my nightmares. Dying in a plane crash are probably my most common ones, as well as witnessing a UFO and thinking "oh, shit, aliens really are here", which I immediately followed by an alien abducting me 😅
Thanks very much, Nathan. I’m glad you liked it 🙏
Yeah, I finished reading “Holly” recently which is King’s latest and the story there concerns a supposedly frail and innocent elderly couple who turn out to be anything but, so that probably influenced this one a bit
I think these recurring fears/dreams are about us not being in control. Every day we’re pretty much in control of our own destiny but, when we’re sleeping, that’s taken away and we feel vulnerable 🤔
Either that or I need to stop snacking before I go to bed! 😁
Haha, snacks *and* anxieties/fears. But seriously, I think you're right. There's definitely a correlation with my stress levels and crazy dream nightmares. My dreams are generally always really vivid, but there's a big change in tone between times of stress/worry and times of feeling far more relaxed.
That's great about King. Big fan of his work, though I haven't read much of his recent stuff. Hope you enjoyed Holly. Always open to you posting some book reviews alongside your stellar film reviews ;)
You’re right, Nathan. Stress and anxiety do play a huge part in dreams and nightmares. I’m the same. Higher levels of stress means the dreams are particularly scary. I don’t seem to have nice dreams at any time though 😳😁
Holly was actually quite good. Probably his best in a wee while. Originally I had planned to do book reviews as well but have never got around to it. Might think about starting that as well. However, as I’m reading Dune just now you guys have pretty much got that covered 😁
As with the last book, I have thoughts 🤔😆
Hehe, I look forward to hearing those thoughts 😁 I'm sure some of them will align with my own, though I've likely held back a bit in my thoughts for Book Two, in part through wanting to try and make the length of the post a little shorter this time (though it's still being editing together by Claudia atm, so I might still end up adding some extra thoughts)
My brother just sent me this trailer and I immediately thought of you Dan! ;)
https://youtu.be/z7kwxK3d3bI?si=8oO5QTTDCVuTgPjP
You see, swimming pools are not to be trusted! 😁
That looks OK. And anything with Kerry Condon in it is worth a watch
I actually went for a swim this evening and kept glancing down at the bottom of the pool, just in case 😁
I'm pretty sure I'm forever going to think about this whenever I'm swimming in a pool now! (Maybe don't write one about the ocean, given that's my usual (albeit not that often) swimming spot!)