Amanda DeGrasse
Bio
I love to write short stories. I am a lover of horror, fantasy, space, and Aliens. Writing has always been my outlet and a place to escape from real life.
Stories (23/0)
An open letter to my mom
Dear Mom I was thinking about who my hometown hero was and the only person I think of was my beautiful mother. I often wonder, where I would be if I didn’t have you? It is something I don’t ever want to think about. I call you often, I call you for everything, to tell you about my day, then I call you to bitch about something. You and I have a special bond, one like no other. You see, you were mom and dad. You made up for the part that didn’t exist. The part that hurt the most. You taught me to overcome everything. You were a single mother with a severe handicap son and daughter. Nothing stops you, ever. You carried on, you taught me to carry on to. You taught me how to keep on going when it really probably felt impossible for you some days. You never once complained about your situation. When my brother would land in the hospital for weeks or months on end you made the best of it. You took me to important meetings when it came to him, you included me and made sure you knew, I knew what was going on. It was so important to you that I was included. We were a team; we were a team lead by nurses who became family. I cannot recall you ever being negative about the hand you were dealt, you smiled and pushed forward. I am sure you cried alone in the shower or in the dark when nobody was around. You were dealing with such heavy things ALONE. My father was not there for one thing, not one., he left you and us to figure it out on our own. Somehow, I don’t know how, you never said one bad thing about him. If I said something mean or negative about my father, you would always say, “hey he’s still your dad, and you need to be nice.” He wouldn’t show up when he was supposed to visit with us, and you just made the situation so manageable. You would somehow make up for it. You were good at making magic happen when me and my brother were little. You advocated for me all through my school years, I was on an IEP and struggling with math. You watched me crumble because of a stupid state test I was having an issue passing. You stood by me and held me up when I was ready to walk away and just get my GED. You and my papa (your dad) had more faith in me then I had in myself. You took us on vacations and made the best memories. You made Christmas so special for us that I believed in Santa until I was 12. Who can say that- me? Yes, yes, I can. You have instilled “do the right thing” in my brain so hard that I have been able to slowly forgive people and move on. Moving on is hard, and it can be my downfall. We have always been close, and always will be. On the night my brother passed away, our bond grew stronger. I was the one that was there for you, you needed it more. You were caught in the sorrow of losing a child. You were trying to be so strong for me, and I think in same weird way my brother. I watched you try and stand so tall. I was so glad that I had you and you had me in those moments. I have children of my own and you are the same women to them as you were to me. I catch glimpses of you as you were when you were younger when I was little. It makes my heart full. I makes me thankful that my son and daughter get to have you as I did. The sparkle behind your eyes and glow in your skin is something I love to see. I often wonder to myself if we didn’t go through Hell if we would be where we are. You are such a special kind of person. When I look at you, I see courage, kindness, compassion, and love. I hope that I grow into the women you are. I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me and my brother. I love you mom.
By Amanda DeGrasse2 years ago in Families
GODSEND OWL
I used to be a trauma ER nurse that worked the graveyard shift, I saw a lot of things. I had one experience that really changed my whole life. I was working my shift when we had a bad car accident come in. There were six people involved, all were teenagers, and all were under the age of 18. It was a hot summer night and it had been raining most of the day with some thunder and lighting. I knew the ER was going to be slammed with firework accidents along the with usual overdose, and that one person at the party who had way too much to drink. I was about 25 years old when this happened, and I thought I could handle anything thrown my way. This night however changed that. I have always been able to deal with death and watching people die with no problem, I could disassociate from the trauma. As I was getting my gear on, I heard this loud blood curdling scream. OH NO! Was the only word that came to my mind. Nobody intercepted the parent of the child I was about to work on, and this was about to become a worse situation. I prepare myself to be asked a million times what happened, how was their child doing, then the security coming to remove the distraught parent. As I brace myself, there is nobody. No grieving parents just doctors and specialist’s accessing the damage this poor girl endured. She was only 17 years old and had been in the backseat of the car when a drunk driver hit the car head on. After what seemed like a lifetime, we were able to get her breathing again and intubated. The entire time this is going on- I can hear a woman in the waiting room screaming and crying. I was going to get this poor mother a tea and sit with her while we explained the next steps. Again, there is no women in the waiting room, nobody was hearing anything but me. I was feeling insane because I made sure I got enough sleep. The next thing I know I was assigned to the ICU because they needed staff and I was the only one on the floor that night that knew the ICU well. It used to be my old stomping grounds, so I knew the staff and what was expected of me on shift. I get up to the ICU and this girl we will call Emily was going to be on my rotation. The first few questions I ask was has next of kin been called? Has anyone been by to see her? The answer I got was not what I was expecting. I was told both her parents had died and she was left in the care of her aunt. Emily’s aunt was nowhere to be found. This was not an ideal situation, the poor girl had brain damage and if she got off her ventilator, we were not sure how far she would go, if at all. I was overcome with sadness for this poor girl. I never get this way, but there was something about Emily, I felt so sorry for. When we were going through her belongings trying to find some ID, we found a picture of what maybe was her and her dad eating ice cream cone on a park bench, she had to have been about 3 years old. They were looking at each other laughing, while ice cream melted down their hands. It struck a chord with me because I lost my father at very young age to, he died of cancer. I didn’t want her to be alone to deal with the aftermath of this life altering accident.
By Amanda DeGrasse2 years ago in Fiction
The Cottage
I grab my mop, bucket, and broom and head into my grandparents’ old house. I inherited their old house in Maine in the middle of nowhere. My mom told me (her dad) my grandpa wanted me to have it. I thought it was odd as I am not really someone who loves the outdoors. I packed my car and headed up on Thursday to beat the Boston traffic. The house was more of a cottage, more like a summer getaway camp. It reminded me of some place the frat boys would hang out on a long fall weekend. It was all mine, mine to manage and maintain. There was this part of me that wanted nothing to do with it, I wanted to sell it and just collect the money. I just couldn’t do it, I really wanted to, but I didn’t have it in me to abandonee it. It really was charming and cute. The little cottage is a two bedroom with an open floor plan and sunroom that looked out into the woods. The woods are my least favorite, I always felt watched when I would visit my grandparents, I even feel like I am being watched now. My grandpa was an odd man that loved space, aliens, and the paranormal. Their little cottage was filled with all kinds of weird books and cut out articles my grandfather found interesting. My grandmother just went with all his crazy collecting and stories, she kept the cottage in pretty good shape. After her death my grandfather just kind of hung out in his room and the kitchen. I was prepared to dust and declutter. Once I got to the house, I walked around to assess the mess. It was not too bad, so I grabbed my mop, bucket, and broom and headed for my grandpa’s bedroom first. His room was the worst of all. He had stacks of books and old newspapers dated to the 1950s. I took a deep breath and headed on in.
By Amanda DeGrasse2 years ago in Horror
The Laughing Man
I yank my earbuds out of my ears in horror. The laughing, the soul-shattering laughing. “What?!!? It’s following me.” Andy is looking at me, concern all over his face, “You ok, Max? You just turned white as a sheet.” I am holding the earbuds in my hand with my mouth half open. I hand him the earbuds, “put these in” I say. Andy puts the earbuds in his ears and just looks at me. “What? I don’t get it” He says sheepishly. I am stunned. I cannot believe he can’t hear the laughing. I say nothing and grab my earbuds back before falling asleep on our way to New Hampshire. We arrive at our destination. It’s a bit cold here, but it’s only for a night. We are staying at Patty’s friend Derek’s house. It’s a huge cabin in the middle of nowhere. The inside of the cabin is beautiful. As you walk through the front door the smell of sage hits you in the face. The entrance opens into a kitchen where everything looks like it’s out of a Harry Potter movie. Different spices are hung up around the kitchen and mason jars are lined up against the back of the countertops labeled with various spices I’ve never heard of. As we pass through the kitchen into the living room, which looks like an antique shop, I place my hands in my pockets just in case I get the urge to touch anything. Derek stops us right before we get into the next room and hands out blankets, pillows, and some crystals. He hands Patty her the items and points her down the hall to her room, next he gets to Andy and I and asks if we are together, I turn five different shades of red and say, “no just friends.” Derek then gives a half smile and says to Elliot, “would you mind sharing a room with Andy? You guys would be staying in the spare bedroom down in the basement.” Andy is so easy going, he says nothing, and Elliot agrees to the accommodations. They grab their things and follow Derek down to the basement.
By Amanda DeGrasse4 years ago in Horror
Mary
Mary was different, special in a way. Nobody knew Mary was real, well, except for me. We moved into this new house in New Orleans and that is when my life changed, forever. I was about sixteen years old and was homeschooled. Most people seem to think this would be a horrible idea, right? Nope, not for me because my parents had me signed up for everything under the sun. It’s because of all these extracurricular activities that I'm able to speak three languages, play the piano, violin, cello, and discovered my love for tennis. I was not some weirdo that never went out and did anything, in fact I did more than most of the other children my age. My mother had always wanted to be "that" mom, the mom that stayed home with her kids, elegantly prepared every meal, cleaned, and maintained her garden. Unfortunately, my mother could not have any more children after me because she had endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes. Getting me here was extremely difficult, so my parents decided that I was a blessing as it was and enjoyed the family, they were able to have. My dad was in the military for eight years or so, and when he got out, he ended up doing contract work for some multimillionaire. It has not been the toughest life, but it has been remarkably interesting for sure. My dad is a wonderful man that does anything you ask, and he supports my mother to the fullest. Meeting Mary, however, will change everything.
By Amanda DeGrasse4 years ago in Horror
Anxiety Battle
I am always with you. I am the voice that sits in the back of your head when your trying to sleep at night. I am the one that tells you to bite your nails when you’re in crowed rooms. I do not care that you need to be up at 3 AM for work, I do care about getting your mind racing, and as your speeding through the things you did or didn’t do during the course of your day, I am going to remind you that you are overweight and you didn’t lose any baby weight.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Psyche
Midnight Astrology
I love the stars, the planets, everything about the galaxy. I am always looking through my telescope late at night. The constellations of the stars always mesmerized me, they sucked me in. Everything about space was so interesting. I was always was up 'til all hours of the night hoping to catch a shooting star. Among the stars, though, ever wonder if aliens lurked through them? Above the clouds even? I never thought much about them 'til one late night. I was up in my typical spot looking out of my telescope when I see a huge bright light hovering over some trees in the woods. I was compelled to throw my shoes on and take a walk into the canopy of darkness. I had to stop myself, because it was 1:30 in the morning. Why would I even think about that!? I began to just track it. I was trying to find the source of the light and I couldn’t. It was so confusing to me that this light had no point of exit. I was about to call it a night and then I saw it. Three lights in a row pop up in the center of the sky, it was quick and faint, but I could make out a saucer type object. It blended in with the sky. I was kind of shocked but intrigued as to what it really could be. I was almost tempted to call it in to the police. What would I say to them? Hi? There is a weird light shining down in woods? I didn’t, and just watched the sky instead for the rest of the night. Nothing eventful really happens and I call it a night around 4 AM.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Futurism
The Witches
I came from a small town down south, my parents got divorced and my mother wanted to move back to her hometown. I was given the choice to either stay with my aunt or move across the country with my mother. I wanted change myself, so I packed my stuff and went with my mom to upstate New York. My mother told me that she bought a house with a huge backyard and my room had its own bathroom. I was more than excited to start my new life, I was going to be a junior in high school, high school for me in my own town was hell. I was made fun of because I looked like boy. I had a buzz cut, flat chest, and weighed maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet. I a lesbian and nobody wanted anything to do with me. I was called names like freak, fag, monster, and my absolute favorite chick that wants a dick. I hated the kids in my school, they tormented me. I was beaten up by boys, had my pants pulled down to see “what I was.”
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Horror
Harold
I was looking out my bedroom window one night when I saw something a little strange. My family and I had just moved from Mississippi to Salem Ma and I was having a very hard time adjusting. My dad just took some new job in Boston as an accountant. My mother was staying home with us kids while my dad did his nine to five things. I was having a really hard time getting used to everything and everybody, nobody was super friendly, and the weather sucked. I had so many friends back home and now I have none.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Horror
Mr. Death
It was a warm fall day when I decided to go for a run. It was the perfect day, sun shining, the temperature could be described as sweater weather, and the leaves danced with the most colorful reds, oranges, and yellows. I was training for a 5k later in the year and wanted to make sure I was perfect for the part. I always ran alone, with headphones in my ears, listing to whatever podcast was new that day. This would all change the day I ran into this non-human creature. I go running around two thirty in the afternoon because I refuse to run at night, I never feel safe here in the city. I always go running by the water, it’s beautiful, and no bushes, just huge trees and busy with people.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Horror
The Ouija Board
Have you ever wondered if ghosts are real or what happens when you mess with the dead? I did and now I am paying for it in the worst way. One day I was bored and called a few friends to come over to my house. That was the night that changed my world forever. I had a Ouija board tucked away in my attic and it was screaming to me to be played with. I quickly went up to my attic and grabbed that little gem. For weeks I couldn’t stop thinking about it and when I was going to use it. When I bought my house, it was in the attic, and I was going to throw it away. Instead, I just left it there. I forgot about it for a while until I was putting away my Christmas stuff and it fell off the shelf, almost hitting me in the head. I have always wanted to use an Ouija board, so I picked a rainy Friday night when I had nothing else going on. My friends and I were sitting around my kitchen, eating pizza, and joking around. Then I decided to grab the board and place it in the middle of the table. There are no instructions, so I found a YouTube video on how to use an Ouija board, and off we went.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Horror
The Old State Hospital
I am working late in this school that the town has decided to renovate. This school use to be an old state hospital and just looks like a giant lost cause. I have no desire to be here, never mind until midnight. I am going to be buffing the floors and polishing the wood in the new library. I will also be sweeping, vacuuming, and making sure all the last details are done and clean now that the contractors have cleared that area. I have been at my job for the last five years bouncing from school to school. To put it simply, I go where I am needed. I usually work with a partner, but she called out tonight due to being sick—as if I haven’t heard that excuse several times before. I am upset because we are the dream team of clean and typically get everything done quite efficiently. Most of the time we can either leave early or play cards before securing the building for the night. Tonight is going to be long, lonely, and boring being stuck by myself. I have heard a lot of rumors about this place and it’s not anything good. I guess the state hospital held more than just tuberculosis patients. It was also home to doctors with what some might call sinister intentions. It is because of this that the state hospital has very dark secrets and heartbreaking tragedy inside its walls.
By Amanda DeGrasse5 years ago in Horror