Do you like scary stories? How about monsters and things that go bump in the night? If you do, then I have the collection for you. This is an anthology of short scary stories, all of which are original; with more being added as time goes on. If you...
It was said that his paintings were so lifelike, they could have been mistaken for photographs. He painted anything and everything, from his mansion on top of the hill, to the bird houses in the trees on his property. Every painting was a masterpiece, and his daughter, Ruby, loved them all.
She was not like other girls. Ruby stayed inside most of the time, as the sun hurt her; and she never went outside when it rained. But that was just fine by her. While Ruby didn't have any friends, she did have her father's paintings.
Ruby would wander the big empty house, going from room to room and talking with each of the paintings.
Sometimes, the paintings were of things from her childhood. Other times, they were things from around town. One of her favorites was the painting of the great storm. She had been too little to remember the storm, but most people in town did.
The storm had been strong. It had nearly blown the town away! Except for their house, of course. It was a sad painting; one that seemed angry and alone. Her father had painted it not long after Ruby's mother had died. The little girl would pretend that there was something in the clouds. A monster maybe, but always her friend.
She read books about storms in her spare time, but also other things--mysterious places and ruins of lost civilizations. Aside from the paintings and the house, those books were Ruby's whole world. Which is why she was always excited when her father went into town. While he would buy new paints for his very special brush, he would also find Ruby a new book to add to her collection.
"Oh can't I go this time?" She would ask him in her best pouty voice.
But he would have none of it. Her father would then say, "Perhaps when you're older." And then, he would leave for the day in his carriage. Ruby was sad to see him go because she would be left all alone in that big, empty house.
This happened many times over, until one day, for just a little while, Ruby was no longer alone.
One of the boys from town, a rude young man named Pip, threw a rock at the mansion's big stained glass windows, shattering it. While the sound had scared her, the boy did not. He tried to scare her with his monster mask many times from that day on, but Ruby only would giggle.
"Why do you do that?" She asked him one day.
But the boy gave her an angry look in reply. He said, "Because you and your Pa are bad people. No one in town likes you."
Ruby was confused. She'd never heard anyone call her father a bad person. "Why do they think we're bad?" She asked.
"My Pa and the others think you're all magic. You're evil!" He said.
Ruby had never thought of her father as magic, but from that day forward, she couldn't think of him in any other way. If he were a wizard, then his brush was his wand, and the paintings he made, his spells. Ruby liked that thought and would have been happier still, but the boy showed up one too many times for her liking and quickly became a bully.
He would make fun of her and throw stones at the windows. Her father always repaired them, but soon, other children joined him in hurting their home. It got so bad, in fact, that the Painter finally threatened the children, who ran screaming to their parents. Now the whole town had it out for the Painter and his daughter.
They decided to burn his house, and threw a torch in through the gallery window. Ruby woke up screaming, and her father came in to find that her arm was on fire! Ruby didn't understand then, but when she saw the painting of herself in the gallery, and that the arm had been burned, the wheels in her head began to turn. Perhaps her father was magical after all.
After that horrible night, she begged her father to teach her how to paint, and he did so, but she could not use his brush until she was old enough. Years passed, and as the anger of the town grew, so did Ruby's skill with a brush. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she had become every bit the painter her father was.
He was to leave for another, farther town, to get more paint. However, on the way there, the angry townspeople, led by Pip's father, killed the Painter and threw his body into the sea. Ruby was left alone, but not defenseless.
Her father, in his wisdom, had left her his very special brush. And so, Ruby began to paint more than she had in her whole life. She painted a great many things. Some terrible, some beautiful, but all incredibly lifelike.
The town and its angry people would have killed her the next day, but strange things began to happen. People disappeared. Horrible weather destroyed homes of the rich and wealthy. Creatures and the stuff of nightmares roamed the streets.
Soon, there were very few people left in the town. They were afraid, but none more so than Pip. He had not been able to sleep since the night Ruby's father had been killed. He saw a great many things no soul should ever see. He could not even close his eyes for fear of what was behind his eyelids.
Mad with fear and deprived of sleep, he decided to go to the great big mansion on the top of the hill and beg Ruby to stop.
He arrived one afternoon, only to find that Ruby had been waiting for him. She wore a beautiful red dress, like her namesake.
"This way." She said, leading Pip into the gallery.
He followed, both quiet and very afraid. When they arrived in the gallery, Ruby went to the great big painting in the center of the room. She began to lay on color and did not look at her guest.
"M-miss?" Pip said in a shaky voice. "I-I've come t-to ask f-for your help."
He waited for her to respond, but Ruby did not. She continued her work. He could not see this new painting because her body blocked his sight. He swallowed, throat dry.
"D-did you h-hear me?" He asked her.
Ruby turned around, wearing a smile. "What do you think of my newest creation?" She asked.
Pip looked to the painting. Ruby had painted the gallery. Every detail was exact, and to his surprise, she had even painted the two of them into it. Her painted self was working on a picture within the canvas while Pip...
Pip's eyes widened. He was there watching her, but behind him was something very tall, very dark, and very hungry. The creature was stooped over him, so close that he could feel its breath.
That's when Pip felt hot air on his neck and the stink of half chewed meat. A low, menacing growl came from behind him.
What became of Pip after that meeting was never known. One thing, however, was for certain. None came looking for him. The town, empty as it was, burned to the ground that night. Some said it was from a single spark, but those that knew of the girl in that big empty mansion, with all its horrible pictures and strange magic, knew the truth. A brush stroke had started the fire and a brush stroke had brought Ruby's father back from death.
In fact, you can still visit that house on the hill, if you're brave enough. It overlooks the ruins of what had once been a town full of superstitious people by the sea. Now, a forest stands there, hiding the burnt remains. And Ruby, with her father, never really ages and is always welcoming to guests. But never hurt her works of art.
Those that do, strangely enough, disappear, and all that remains of them is a painting.
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