Author Dennis Higgins
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#Horror Story for #Halloween

10/23/2015

4 Comments

 

​The New Orleans Horror Story – By Dennis Higgins

This is my first attempt at a scary short story.
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The New Orleans Horror Story – By Dennis Higgins
 
New Orleans
1906
 
She was beside herself with grief at the loss of her only child. I reckon she was a good mom.  I never did take much to the child though, too whiny, always needin’ something from me.
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My name is Claire Badeau and I am the only housemaid and nanny for this here large mansion. My employers treat me alright for rich folk, although I don’t have much dealing with the mister. They both sure did love that child, however. Now he’s over in the parlor, laid to rest. Folks will be coming later to pay their respects to the poor thing. I haven’t yet seen him myself. But I figured this would be a good time since no one is up before dawn and the house is pitch black. I now know what they mean by that old saying, it’s always darkest before the dawn. Not even the moon can shine through those heavy black curtains hangin’ on the windows and surrounding the little casket.
 
As I strike a match to light the lamp I’m holding, my thoughts go to the boy. I had tried hard to be a good nanny. I even attempted to give in to his tantrums, but it was so difficult sometime. I know it wasn’t entirely his fault, being brought up with a want for nothing the way he was. Must be nice having all that money his granddaddy made selling munitions to both the Yanks and our boys in gray. Traitor is what I say. They named the child after him, Albert Ashford the third.
 
As I creep towards the coffin containing the body of this nearly four year-old boy, I am grateful neither the Ashford’s nor their doctor questioned that bottle of tonic they found near his still, little body. It was my newly opened bottle of nerve tonic. I never thought it would harm their precious child. I only wanted to calm him down a bit since he was havin’ one of his temper fits over a broken wooden toy. I lied and told the Mrs. that I had taken it myself that day, so she gave it back to me.
 
The shadows in the room dance with the flicker of the oil lamp as I creep closer to the poor little thing. I try to walk slowly so the floor boards don’t creak too much. I don’t much like being around the dead. Makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. But I feel I must pay my last respects now, since later I will be busy servin’ folks.

 
I creep closer and closer and can just make out the silk lining of the coffin’s interior. I am almost there when a faint noise startles me. I stop dead in my tracks. It sounded like a whisper coming from somewhere in the room. I look, but my eyes can only make out the fine marble sculptures on the fireplace. The room is still, maybe too still. I am about to take another step when I hear it more clearly this time.
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“Claire,” the sound hisses out. It definitely came from the right side of the room. I continued walking while keeping my head turned, trying to perceive where that dreaded sound is coming from. Suddenly I am at the coffin. I look down at the motionless, pale little body and I become filled with grief and guilt.
 
“Oh, poor little Albert, what have I done to you?” I cross myself but somehow feel that God won’t be forgivin’ me for the transgression against this little one. I’d given him a gulp of my nerve tonic before. Maybe I gave his little body too much this time.
 
His face is so sweet and I get closer to give him a kiss when… his eyes pop open. I jump back and let out a little scream, but when I again look down at the boy, he looks to be at peace. It must certainly be my imagination playin’ tricks in the dim lamp light.
 
“Come on Claire,” I say to myself. “You know dead little boys can’t come back to life. Get a grip on yourself, old girl.”
 
I steady myself and the room becomes a dead quiet. Suddenly my lamp goes out for no reason and I am standing in total blackness. My hand fumbles past the bottle of tonic in my apron as I feel for the matches. Putting the glass from the lamp down on the table next to the casket, I strike the match. In the dim light from the little wooden stick in my hand, I see the boy. His head is turned towards me, staring at me. His eyes are wide and full of anger, like a mad dog ready to pounce. The match starts to burn my finger and I let it drop to the floor. I thrust my hand into my apron pocket and grab for the bottle of tonic. I need to calm my nerves. I open it and take a large gulp. It sears like acid going down my throat.
 
Poison, the tonic was poison. I didn’t know. I collapse.
 

The End
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​The story above was based on nothing but my imagination. For my book based on real events, be sure to read Pennies From Across the Veil. Release date, November 5th, 2015. Pre-order today.
4 Comments

The Age of Adaline #movie #timetravel

10/5/2015

3 Comments

 
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The film, The Age of Adaline was 12 years in the making. The first script began in 2003 by Screenwriter, J. Mills Goodloe. Salvador Paskowitz joined in, and after several rewrites, location changes and castings, it was finally released on April 25, 2015.
The film is about a girl born in 1908 on New Year’s Day. In 1937 when she was 29 years old, Adaline’s car runs off the road during a snowstorm. She ends up in a ravine of frigid water, goes into hyperthermia and her heart stops. But when the water is struck by lightning, she is revived, and something miraculous happens. She stops aging.
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Adaline remains 29 years of age for the next 78 years.
Blake lively (Gossip Girl, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Green Lantern) was cast in the leading role and does a fantastic job. She is just as believable as a modern woman in 2015 as she is in 1937, 1963, or 1996. 
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Ellen Burstyn plays Flemming, Adaline’s daughter, who in her later years had to pretend to be her grandmother, rather than her offspring.
Adaline loves deeply, but can never stay with the men she has relationships with, having to leave them before they can discover her secret. She also changes her name and identity every few years. Adaline’s 2015 love interest is Ellis Jones, played by Michiel Huisman. They meet at a New Year’s party. (Everything in this film happens on New Year’s) Ellis knows her as Jenny Larson.
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Ellis ends up taking Adaline to his home for his parent’s 50th anniversary party. His parents are William and Kathy Jones, played by Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker.
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SPOILER ALERT: The moment William Jones (Ford) sees Adaline, he recognizes her, calling her by her real name. But she quickly claims to be Adaline’s daughter. In a flashback, it is shown that he and Adaline were romantic back in the 1960s. As she always did, she left him. But she tells the aged William that Adaline loved him very much.
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Note: Anthony Ingruber played the young William Jones and manages to channel Harrison Ford’s looks and crooked smile. The actor even wants to play Han Solo.
William remains suspicious, and when he notices a scar on her hand, he then realizes she is his long lost love.

Harrison Ford is great in this role and the love he has for Adaline comes across well and believable.
The film comes to a very satisfying conclusion when the process that stopped Adaline from aging is duplicated… Yes, on New Year’s eve.
Directed by
Lee Toland Krieger

Produced by
Sidney Kimmel
Gary Lucchesi
Brett Ratner
Tom Rosenberg

Written by
J. Mills Goodloe
Salvador Paskowitz
Starring
Blake Lively
Michiel Huisman
Kathy Baker
Amanda Crew
Harrison Ford
Ellen Burstyn

Narrated by
Hugh Ross

Music by

Rob Simonse
This film is not time-travel in the strictest sense, but is a unique form of the genre. I highly recommend it.
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Speaking of love, Life and Death, don't forget to read my latest novel. CLICK> Pennies From Across the veil. 
3 Comments

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    Dennis Higgins
    Author of romantic, fun, time-travel stories.

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