36. Gothic – Philip Fracassi

This was fun and also a valuable parable about putting too much of yourself into your work. An evil desk with a bloody past history of sacrifices, warlock fights, and ruining lives is Tyson the formerly popular and successful horror writer’s birthday gift. He has a novel due in a month and it’s really obvious that his agent doesn’t think he’s got it anymore, which super sucks because his agent is right and Tyson feels it all the way down to his bones. His intrepid and very rich partner Sarah finds him this amazing antique desk which is carved with all kinds of creepy folkloric images and weird symbols and has a full piece of stone as the top and is hoping it will be a good source of inspiration. And it will, in a way, but Tyson is being told his stories now by the ancient spirits and this creepy old dude with white eyes who only he can see.

The family who had the desk stolen from them in a warlock fight’s last descendent is also looking for the desk and hired a private investigator in the New York City area who actually finds it and is easily able to get it back because Tyson realizes that his own ideas are better than letting a desk whisper to him. Who am I kidding? He’s a horror writer. He loves that desk, creepy attached spirit and bloodsucking splinters and all.

Ozymandias loved this blanket, even though it didn’t have a bloody and horrific history, it was just soft and suited his colors.