When I was a teenager, I discovered a cache of well-thumbed paperbacks that a friend’s uncle kept stored in his basement. That summer was my first introduction to Robert Heinlein, Frederic Pohl, Isaac Asimov and HP Lovecraft.
Up to this point, my only exposure to short stories were the anthologies – Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, etc. So I eagerly gobbled up that whole, musty library. But when I cracked the spine on my first Lovecraft horror story - it was like being infected by an addictive parasite. No one could create atmosphere like Lovecraft - or dwell on the gruesome details so lovingly. I still can’t get some of those images out of my head.
Now I am no Lovecraft, but I’ve always wanted to write a short story that scored high on the creepy-crawly meter. But modernized. And what could be more revolting than a child molester? And two retired guys with too much time on their hands - and revenge etched across their sclerotic hearts.
Theo Cage