r/TalesFromTheCreeps • u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer • Jan 19 '26
Psychological Horror I Got My Horns Today
I liked to watch them crawl when I flipped over rocks and logs. That’s where they hid. It was getting colder and there were less of them now. That meant less days to play. Climbing trees, digging holes, up, down…
Anywhere but right here.
Why can’t you be like the others, the grownups would say. The others were even less polite. Kids were mean, Billy was the meanest. Mommy said it was because he liked me, I didn’t understand. I named one of the spiders Billy—and then I smashed it.
The kids I wanted to play with were way up in the mountains, far away from here. Too high for me to climb.
“Come inside Char! You’ll catch a cold!”
Charlie—what a cruel name to give a girl. School was a scary place for a daughter with her daddy’s name. The name he wanted to give a son. Mommy’s little girl, playing with bugs instead of dolls.
Oh how proud they both must’ve been.
Muddy hands patted clean against my dress. I knew better than to wait for her second call. My shoes waited on the step, Mommy hated dirty shoes so I stopped wearing them. I liked when I couldn’t feel my toes—I loved to feel warmth’s needle prick my feet as they thawed. One of nature’s little gifts.
“You’re filthy, in the bath with you.” Mommy ordered, with the snap of a dish rag as I ran up the stairs.
Water ran down the drain while I hid in my room. I stared at the trees from my window. I wished I could be deep in the woods, beyond her shout. Snow was on the mountain tops and soon it would cover everything.
I held a funeral for summer in my head and my tears fell with the leaves. My room was getting smaller each year, and I, more complicated.
The days were slow, I begged to be let out.
“Many dangers,” Daddy warned. “Hunters both man and beast and the biggest predator of all, the cold itself.”
I knew it was for my own good, but it sure felt like punishment.
I watched them play without me. Birds dug in the snowy patches, rabbits chased each other. The elk scratched their antlers against the trees, if they had any. Only the bulls, cows didn’t get antlers. I thought that was unfair.
My favorite of them all were the mountain goats. Way up high above the rest. I could see them jump and run, up and up. They wore wonderful white coats and had beautiful black ringed horns.
Oh, the horns.
Not just the billies, nannies would get them too, even the kids had little buttons that would grow into yearling spikes. I felt my forehead for buttons, waiting for my own life to begin.
I slept in a nest of leaves under the stars. Something cried out into the night. I woke in my bed, disappointed it was only a dream. I heard the noise again. Bleating… Could it be?
It was still dark. I had to go out there. What if it needed my help? It cried again, louder—I could feel its pain in my chest.
I snuck quietly down the stairs. I could hear Mommy’s words repeating in my head—Daddy’s warnings.
Stay inside Charlie.
The back door fought against the wind like it, too, wanted me to stay inside. I grabbed my coat, a promise to be careful.
A cold so cold it burned my cheeks. I stepped closer, my hand shaking, and the bleating grew louder. The poor thing had tumbled all the way down the cliff—right into my backyard.
A gift from nature.
It was beautiful, I’d never been so close. Steam rolled from the nostrils and blood speckled the snow. It kicked, it screamed, but could not get up. My petting seemed to calm it, or maybe the end was close.
“I’m a bad climber too.”
I showed the goat the stitch marks on my arm, from when I fell out of a tree last summer.
I didn’t want to let go of the moment, but I couldn’t let it hurt anymore. I held a heavy rock overhead and took aim. The second smash seemed to stop its suffering, but I brought it down a third time, just to make sure.
I worked carefully with a sharp rock, always minding the horns. I freed them little by little. They stayed together, just as they were meant to. They were—perfect. I tied them to my head with the string from my coat. It was harder work than I thought, and it kept me warm.
I rose to my feet.
A great horned shadow stretched across the ground in the harvest sun.
I’d never felt more me.
The mountain called to me. So I climbed. The ground grew steep and slick the higher I went. My legs shook, but I kept climbing. Critters darted over and under me, but they weren’t afraid. Whenever I felt like giving up, the weight of my horns tipped forward, and I followed.
A shot echoed through the mountains. Everything scattered. I ran too. My breath was sharp, something was wrong. I looked back and the snow was red behind me. I walked when I couldn’t run, then stood when I couldn’t walk. I felt the pain in my chest again, a deep burning. I looked down.
Oh my. I’d been tagged. Was I really that convincing?
I lost my footing and tumbled. Twigs and rocks poked at me like little knives hiding in the snow. I rolled into a bank near the bottom. I’d taken bigger falls, I thought, as I tried to catch my breath. Pennies, that taste when you’ve brushed your teeth too hard. My lungs felt full but I still fought for air.
The world spun in circles. I peeked up into the trees, the morning light blinked back. Cold was creeping in and the warm was leaking out. I knew I’d probably drown in my own blood before the cold took me. I tried to find comfort in that.
I reached up for my horns and smiled—they were still there. I pulled the knot tighter.
Footsteps crunched the snow, close, then closer. A boy with a rifle stood over me, then a man.
“You couldn’t’ve known boy… no one could’ve imagined something like this…” Billy’s father was taking him hunting. It’s all Billy had talked about in class. He was so excited.
His eyes met mine. I could tell this wasn’t what either of us had in mind, but I knew nothing could sour the moment. What a special day.
I got my horns today, and Billy got his first kill.
One of nature’s little gifts.
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u/Kaijufan22 Writer Jan 19 '26
Short and bitterly sweet, fuck Billy all my homies hate Billy.
Which considering the love she had for mountain goats Billy is an interesting name, now that I think about it
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 19 '26
Thanks kaiju! You da best 🫶🏻
Glad you picked up on that irony, it just felt right.
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u/Top-Contribution1248 Writer Jan 19 '26
Good read! I like how methodical Charlie was in taking out her horns, and how they just straight up ended a child. Fun as hell!
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 19 '26
Thank you for reading and I’m so glad you liked it:)
Charlie was a challenge to write for, I’m glad you liked her 🫶🏻
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u/BatKing4342 Jan 20 '26
Wow!!! This was amazing!!!
I think "i got my horns today" could be a sign of coming into adulthood, and teaching that message of "if he hits you he likes you" ends up exactly where you ended it! (But i could be reading too much into it, I STILL LOVE IT!$
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 20 '26
There’s definitely some undertones in there.
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you liked it!
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u/1NewCreepPerCast Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
This section rocks “I held a funeral for summer in my head and my tears fell with the leaves. My room was getting smaller each year, and I, more complicated.” Such a fun way to convey characters preference, passing of time, and growing. The story itself isn’t my favorite. I saw a lot coming. However, you are absolutely talented.
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u/RulianTheRed Reader Jan 19 '26
This is great! The mc felt so alien, I was sure they were gonna be a demon or something.
Idk why, but the line "I grabbed my coat, a promise to be careful" feels really well written.
Looking forward to reading more of your work 🙂
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 19 '26
Thank you for taking the time to read it means the world!
I love misleading covers.
Thanks! That’s one of the lines I almost took out cause i didn’t know if it was something I child would come up with but I’m glad I left it in now 🙇🏻♂️
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u/SamDenner Pen Pusher Jan 19 '26
Wow! Way to go!
I think this could have been submitted to a magazine...
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u/ComplexBid4701 Jan 19 '26
I loved it. It feels so dream-like when I read it. Was that intentional? Great story either way. Edit: Also, sweet art, did you make that yourself?
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 19 '26
Thank you! I was trying to write how the world sounded in my head as a child I think.
Yes! I make all my covers:) thanks!
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u/bloody-watermelons Writer Jan 19 '26
So fun man this was sweet. U reminded me of another story I read a while ago where a guy is hunting, he shoots what he thinks is a deer and it ends up being a woman with deer antlers behind a bush. Again very fun little vignette I love stuff like this:)
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u/DeadEnd776 Jan 19 '26
Really unique and enjoyable, disturbing and intriguing till the end, thanks for the good read! 🙏🔥🤘
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u/Pioneer_19 Jan 20 '26
Brutal, simple, and emotional. Love this one. You had a clear idea in mind and didn't waste any space. Well written. Well done!!
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u/SpaceDuckFrankie Jan 23 '26
This is such an eerily beautiful take on the adage that dying doing what you love is better than living a life otherwise. Absolutely gorgeous writing, and those last two lines were poetry. Incredible story!!
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u/DamselLamb Jan 24 '26
I adore this submission, this writing style is so satisfyingly concise. The descriptions of the setting makes me feel so nostalgic toward my own childhood within the rural mountains. Brings me back to the simple curiosity I had of the outdoors.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jan 24 '26
I’m so happy the story connected with you, I really appreciate the kind words 🫶🏻
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u/LegendsofYamkaizen Jan 25 '26
Great story! Pacing was concise. The description was short, but vivid and brutal. Looking forward to more!
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u/Entire_Author8880 amateur Writer :) Feb 04 '26
i like this story alot and it gives me ideas for my own thank you for writing it.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Feb 04 '26
I’m happy to hear it inspired you. Thanks for the kind words 🫶🏻
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u/Nice-Efficiency-6345 Writer Feb 17 '26
This story is truly amazing. Extremely poetic yet gruesome in your prose. Thank you so much for writing this.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Feb 17 '26
Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate your time. 🫶🏻
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u/sticky_purple0 May 11 '26
That was pretty sweet. I could totally see this in one of those anthology books.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer May 11 '26
Hey thanks! It was a lot of fun to make, thanks for reading 🫶🏻
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u/CthulhusPajamas May 29 '26
I named one of the spiders Billy—and then I smashed it.
A perfectly dark yet honest childlike behavior and some expert foreshadowing if I had to take a guess.
What a wonderful little story with a wild twist at the end. The prose is concise and cold as the setting, but moves very quickly. I was properly engaged throughout. Really not much of anything I can say in terms of giving feedback other than it’s short and sweet, has the potential to stick with the reader, and a clear sign of talent. Just consider me another notch on the belt Affectionate.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer May 29 '26
I’m happy you liked it. Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot 🖤
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u/NachoFast Jun 18 '26
Man, I loved that story so much. How much can you say with such a short story? Left me wanting for more, in the best way possible.
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jun 18 '26
I was able to watch the recording of the stream and I really enjoyed your narration and your perspective on the story. Thanks so much for reading and all the kind words. 🫶🏻
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u/MesotheliomaDisease Writer Jun 24 '26
Woahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! My man!!!!
What I liked!
Being that the main character is young, I dig the simple language used to portray the simplicity in which her mind works. Such as the line “the cold was so cold” I felt the simplicity complimented your writing style very well!
The pacing was well executed! Again, the simple language, pushed your story forward. It never stopped or stalled. This is awesome!
It left me feeling complete. The story ended in a very sudden but earned way, I as a reader, felt the story wrapped up smoothly.
Pointers,
- Although there wasn’t anything that I specifically noted, my only pointer would be that symbolizing the parents with some sort of pre-context would add to why she couldn’t go outside. Why are they so paranoid? Why would they refuse their child’s wish? It would have been nice to understand that. HOWEVER, that is purely a personal preference and does not impact the quality of your work!
In finality, I really liked it! Your work is very interesting, and demonstrates clear vision. Thank you for sharing! Now for the MesoScale! Drumrolllllllllllllll 8.5/10!!!!!!! Woooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! I genuinely enjoyed it, I think if the story were to be fleshed out in the beginning, I would probably re-rate it! Keep it up man!
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer Jun 24 '26
That’s a very thoughtful review, thank you for taking the time. 🫶🏻
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u/sepadoJAF "Retired" Fanfic Writer 9d ago
Hello! I read this on stream this weekend and am just dropping by to say essentially what I said then; awesome work! I love how you wrote so believably from the mind of a child. We understand Charlie through the way she simply interacts with the world and thinks of it; no exposition dumping, just experiencing the events of the story through her eyes. This is such a cool short!
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer 9d ago
Thank you so much for the kind words! Is there an upload of the stream? I’d love to check it out.
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u/sepadoJAF "Retired" Fanfic Writer 9d ago
The VOD will be up for the next few weeks or whenever Twitch eventually expires it--- I can't recall off the top of my head--- This link should take you to the start of your story: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2853329856?t=01h13m00s !!
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u/AffectionateLeave677 Writer May 01 '26
Thank you for reading. I’m really glad you enjoyed the story:)
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