“Reality… What a Concept!” is the title of the 1979 comedy recording from the late, always great Robin Williams. Williams was also quoted as having said, “Reality is just a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs.”
Edgar Allen Poe expressed, “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”
C. S. Lewis stated, “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”
Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”
And finally Albert Einstein stated, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
Although there are natural rules, which govern the world in which we exist, in truth, everyone’s personal impression of their reality is somewhat different. By natural rules, I don’t mean regulations made by man but factors dictated by our surroundings. For example, the existence of the force we call gravity. You may choose to not believe in the law of gravity. Nevertheless, your personal beliefs are of little consequence if you are plummeting toward the earth at full speed without a parachute.
Every one of us has a slightly different take on what we perceive our individual realities to be. You may see a busker standing on the street corner dressed in old worn clothing playing a beat up guitar and singing for a few tips tossed into a tattered open guitar case. You might feel sorry for him. You may assume he must have fallen on hard times. You might even feel guilty because you have a job, which earns you a great deal of money and allows you to afford the finer things in life. You guess that he had some sort of breakdown, which caused him to lose touch with reality and has put him in this dire situation.
On the contrary, the busker may see you rushing by in a hurry to make your first meeting of the day. He sees your fine clothing and the permanent scowl of tension creased on your face. He may feel sorry for you because you are still part of in the proverbial rat race, the same rat race he managed to escape several years earlier. He is happy now because he has shed all of the so-called trappings of the world and now feels he is freer than he has ever been in his life. He may even feel guilty because he has so much freedom while you remain chained to your false sense of reality. Same situation but seen from two different perspectives. Neither one is either correct or incorrect. Neither view changes the scene in any way. It’s all just a matter of perception. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “perception is reality.”
However, personal interpretations aside, what would happen if reality, actual reality, those concrete natural laws somehow became so twisted and so malformed that reality as we knew it no longer could be thought of as reality at all? Such a realm is one in which we horror writers tend to exist. For a time, while we are creating our stories that unreality is our reality. Our job is to make the impossible seem possible, the unreal real, and this often takes us to places even we would prefer not to go. The trick is always to leave enough breadcrumbs so we can make it safely back from those horrifying places with our souls and minds intact.
History tells us that on October 3, 1849 the great master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe, was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, Maryland delirious and in grave distress. He was taken immediately to the Washington College Hospital, where he died at 5a.m. on Sunday, October 7. Poe never became coherent enough to explain how he wound up in such an abysmal condition. There are a lot of theories about his death but no concrete evidence. Maybe he simply lost his way back from those incredibly dark places his writing took him.
I can only hope that my own numerous journeys into that land of darkness will not someday take its toll on me. I would hate to think of myself thirty years from now in some home for the aged and infirm, cowering in bed with the covers tucked tightly to my chin. Would I be too afraid to leave the safety of my covers because the demons, which once only lived inside my mind, had since become as real to me as flesh and bone in my addled condition? I suppose we will have to wait and see.
In the meantime, please enjoy yet another journey into the darkest corners of my mind. This collection is called Malaformed Realities not just as a clever play on my last name, but because distorting and twisting reality into something it was never intended to be is what I enjoy doing best. And if in the process, I manage to disturb and frighten you along the way then all the better.
Stories included in this volume:
- When They Come For You
- A Love Best Served Cold
- MegaSynth RP-1
- Brass
- Inspector 17
- Hear No Evil
- Big Frankie
- Dinner With Andy And Meg
- Cold, Cold Women
- If Thine Eye Offend Thee
- Homecoming
- Passageways To Perniciousness
- Storage
- Cutaneous Horns
- Icehouse
- Single Panel
- The Brands
- Breathe
- Tools Of The Trade
- Zombie Party
- And The Scales Fell From My Eyes (A Novella)
by Thomas M Malafarina
Page Count: 240
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Publish Date: January 31, 2015
Imprint: Hellbender Books
Genre: Horror
FICTION / Horror
FICTION / Short Stories (single author)
You might also like ...
-
$6.99Knowing Nature in Northern Appalachia Smoke to ...Knowing Nature in Northern Appalachia Smoke to See By is a collection of 21 essays and stories, many never before published, written by award-winning essayist and columnist Ben Moyer. The collectio...
-
$19.95The autobiography of New Jersey State Trooper S...The autobiography of New Jersey State Trooper Sal Maggio, who served from 1967 until retirement in 2000 Sal Maggio dropped out of college, and joined the NJ Army National Guard. Then he entered the...
-
$9.99Fredric Klees' The Pennsylvania Dutch is the be...Fredric Klees' The Pennsylvania Dutch is the best and most inclusive volume with an over-all approach to its subject. "I have tried," he says, "to make this book a comprehensive treatment of the Pe...
-
$6.99It was a cruel turn of fate that bonded Jeffrey...It was a cruel turn of fate that bonded Jeffrey Claus to the master of the Ribner Trading Post, who knew more than he would say about the disappearance of the one document that could give Jeffrey h...
-
$19.95Herbert Stover was best known for his full-le...Herbert Stover was best known for his full-length historical novels full of action and historic figures, always with a twist of romance. However, before he sold his first novel to a New York publ...
-
$19.95Riley Shepard Brown has recounted the history o...Riley Shepard Brown has recounted the history of the United States Coast Guard, from its inception in 1790 until the outset of World War I. From the Revenue Marine to the Coast Guard Iron Men, Wo...
-
$9.99Author Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks introduces a new ...Author Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks introduces a new generation of children to the story of the life of Madame Sara Spencer Washington, founder of Apex News and Hair Company, once located in Atlantic Cit...
-
$19.95The beleaguered forces of General George Washi...The beleaguered forces of General George Washington were hard pressed by a well-equipped British army outside Philadelphia. Patriot victory depended upon the Spanish gold and powder that Colonel G...
-
$19.95The Underground Railroad was the only avenue o...The Underground Railroad was the only avenue of hope for fugitive slaves who followed the star of freedom north to Canada in the years prior to the Civil War. High rewards offered for the return o...
-
$19.95The Union forces faced disaster on two sides....The Union forces faced disaster on two sides. Confederate troops advanced determinedly from the South while, in the North, an amorphous army of deserters was being organized to strike at the back...
-
$9.99The Northern Appalachia Review is an annual pub...The Northern Appalachia Review is an annual publication making a place for the under-recognized literature of its region. The editors identify northern Appalachia as the Appalachia counties of Ohio...
-
$19.95Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr hav...Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr have combed New York and Pennsylvania for the gravesites and biographies of some of our most interesting and accomplished authors, musicians, actors, and...
-
$19.95A Family Saga Alice Lea plants a rock garden, ...A Family Saga Alice Lea plants a rock garden, but when Charlie Lukas brashly promises her roses along with a marriage proposal, she jumps at the chance for storybook happiness. Alice falls ill the...
-
$19.95Henry Shoemaker compiled these legendary tales ...Henry Shoemaker compiled these legendary tales set in the Juniata Valley of central Pennsylvania. Shoemaker's tales recall the transition of the landscape from forest to industrial logging and the ...
-
$14.95It is 1968 during a decade that has been labell...It is 1968 during a decade that has been labelled one of the most turbulent in history. The headlines are bold with many social and political movements happening including the Women’s Rights Moveme...
-
$19.95Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set i...Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set in the Black Forest of north-central Pennsylvania. Shoemaker's stories recall the decline of big game in the region and the exit of the native peoples ...
-
$19.95A dead mother. An auctioned childhood home. Los...A dead mother. An auctioned childhood home. Loss in the womb of a coal mine. Seldom Seen follows Brander, an Illinois native who moves to Alaska after high school to trap game and escape the hardsh...
-
$19.95Vermonter Mona Duval loves the covered bridge b...Vermonter Mona Duval loves the covered bridge beside her store. She loves local history and the rugged, rural nature of her home state. But when an ice storm collapses the bridge, she is bereft. Fr...
-
$16.95Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 4 “Whe...Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 4 “Where there is unity, there is the victory” – Syrus The most impossible invasion in history has begun. Two armies, one modern and armed with advanced we...
-
$14.95by Bob Ford Bramble Rambles is a collection of ...by Bob Ford Bramble Rambles is a collection of reflections (rambles) from Pastor Ford which were composed while he was exercising his hounds in the field (brambles) at dawn. They are intended to b...
-
$19.95A Pennsylvania Posthistory This is the first bo...A Pennsylvania Posthistory This is the first book about how the Pennsylvania anthracite story is told in the postindustrial age, and it places this discourse in the broader context of environmental...
-
$19.95A desperate English king had turned loose the s...A desperate English king had turned loose the swarms of native warriors to threaten the northern regions of the Susquehanna with death and plunder. General Knox called on Simon Braide to make the v...
-
$19.95Final Touchstones tells the story of four broth...Final Touchstones tells the story of four brothers leaving Sicily for America in the early 1900s. The author’s maternal grandfather is the seminal figure from age three through his later emigration...
-
$19.95Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set i...Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set in the Bald Eagle Mountains of central Pennsylvania. Shoemaker's stories recall the decline of big game in the region and the exit of the native people...
-
$19.95From Tom Tresh to Bryce Harper “The worst curse...From Tom Tresh to Bryce Harper “The worst curse in life is unlimited potential.” - Ken Brett High expectations come with being labeled “the next Mickey Mantle.” But once the media or an organizati...
-
$19.95Mahantongo Valley Pioneers Steve and Joan Trout...Mahantongo Valley Pioneers Steve and Joan Troutman recount the history of the Odenwald pioneer Peter Trautmann family who settled in the Mahantongo Valley near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania. Included ...
-
$24.95Quaker scholar Joseph Walton compiled an excell...Quaker scholar Joseph Walton compiled an excellent record of the discourse between the colonists and the various native nations during the colonial period in the Mid-Atlantic from primary sources. ...
-
$29.95EDUCATION EDITION One Woman’s Remarkable Escape...EDUCATION EDITION One Woman’s Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany The peaceful farm life of a teenage girl in Germany is abruptly upended when WWII comes knocking at her family’s door. One month b...
-
$29.95FAITH-BASED EDITION One Woman’s Remarkable Esca...FAITH-BASED EDITION One Woman’s Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany The peaceful farm life of a teenage girl in Germany is abruptly upended when WWII comes knocking at her family’s door. One month...
-
$9.99It’s time to change the way we define the natur...It’s time to change the way we define the nature of work. It’s not about obligation. It’s not about completing tasks. It’s about leading a life of contribution and meaning. But how do you build a c...
-
$9.99by John L Moore Revolutionary Pennsylvania Seri...by John L Moore Revolutionary Pennsylvania Series Months after the October 1781 surrender of the British army at Yorktown, pro-British Indians continued to raid American frontier settlements along ...
-
$9.99by John L Moore Revolutionary Pennsylvania Seri...by John L Moore Revolutionary Pennsylvania Series When the American Revolution began in 1775, neither the British nor the Americans wanted to involve the native tribes. “This is a family quarrel be...
-
$19.95A Marine veteran with PTSD gravitates toward th...A Marine veteran with PTSD gravitates toward the natural world to find refuge from a human world difficult to navigate. The inner beast is always there, always solid, always ready to fully embrace ...
-
$29.95The Vanderbilts. The Rockefellers. The Carnegie...The Vanderbilts. The Rockefellers. The Carnegies. The Pinchots? In America’s Gilded Age, successful families forged self-made and powerful aristocracies, but history slighted a wealthy, influentia...
-
$19.95Irene Fermi is different from other children. ...Irene Fermi is different from other children. Maybe it’s the way she dresses or how she talks. Maybe it’s the things she thinks. And while her sister is perfect, she is just the opposite. Longing...
-
$19.95Author and historian Guy Graybill presents the ...Author and historian Guy Graybill presents the mind-boggling analysis of the various falsehoods of folklorist, naturalist, and collector, Henry Wharton Shoemaker. Henry Wharton Shoemaker was born i...
-
$14.95Pettengill’s Fortune-Teller and Dream Book is a...Pettengill’s Fortune-Teller and Dream Book is an original occult compendium from 1860, comprising of fortune-telling by astrology, the zodiac, palmistry, the meaning of certain physical features on...
-
$19.95A Novel of Supernatural Horror Don’t play with ...A Novel of Supernatural Horror Don’t play with dead things. Anna Dingel is an introverted, socially inept 18-year-old raised in the family funeral home. And for some reason, her classmate Timmy—the...
-
$19.95SWEET DREAMS SERIES -- Book 3 Aki Sato is back…...SWEET DREAMS SERIES -- Book 3 Aki Sato is back… Aki’s life has surpassed even her wildest dreams. In five years, Aki has found success and stardom in music, and more importantly, love in her partne...
-
$19.95Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set i...Henry Shoemaker compiled these folk tales set in the Seven Mountains of central Pennsylvania. Shoemaker's stories recall the decline of big game in the region and the exit of the native peoples as ...
-
$14.95Supporting the Work of Children, Youth and Fami...Supporting the Work of Children, Youth and Families Toward Permanency. Stories of Hope & Healing for Children, Youth and Families WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY: Celia Anthony, Kristie Esquivel, Laura ...
-
$99.99Supporting the Work of Children, Youth and Fami...Supporting the Work of Children, Youth and Families Toward Permanency. Development of The 3-5-7 Model© Workbook: Supporting the Work of Children, Youth and Families towards Permanency was coordina...
-
$9.99How do you cope? How do you take control of you...How do you cope? How do you take control of your emotions? How do you strengthen your sense of peace and well-being? Help Yourself: 30 Magical Meditations to Boost Your Emotional Well-Being is a pr...
-
$9.99Still More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-Center...Still More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you ever wondered what would happen if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons? Not that many people would have this par...
-
$19.95A novel. Peter Grove, in search of ginseng in u...A novel. Peter Grove, in search of ginseng in upstate Pennsylvania, becomes embroiled in the events of the French and Indian War. A native of Lancaster, Grove travels throughout the Pennsylvania wi...
-
$9.99Even More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterI...Even More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you ever wondered what would happen if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons? Not that many people would have this part...
-
$9.99More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you...More Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you ever wondered what would happen if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons? Not that many people would have this particula...
-
$9.99Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you ever...Cartoons for the Somewhat Off-CenterIf you ever wondered what would happen if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons? Not that many people would have this particular won...
-
$19.95Thrice burned. Thrice reborn. Long ago, a creat...Thrice burned. Thrice reborn. Long ago, a creature imbued with great power committed genocide against the unsuspecting dark elf families of Svartalfheim. Thousands were killed. Few survived. One f...