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MARY ELLEN : A psychological thriller short story
A Psychological Thriller Short Story
After almost twenty years, Mary Ellen’s return to her hometown is like entering a surreal and haunting nightmare. She had thought she left this all behind for good. The reason for her return? Her father’s funeral. But this trip back is more than just grieving and receiving condolences - it’s a reckoning with the ghosts of a past she worked hard to forget.
Merrily, her sister, known for her wild nature, seems even crazier than Mary Ellen remembers.
If not more.
Her quirks have grown more pronounced, giving Mary Ellen a glimpse into a mind seemingly on the verge of unraveling.
As Mary Ellen navigates the familiar yet alien corridors of her childhood home, she realizes that Merrily’s oddities might be the key to the very secrets she escaped all those years ago.
After almost twenty years, Mary Ellen’s return to her hometown is like entering a surreal and haunting nightmare. She had thought she left this all behind for good. The reason for her return? Her father’s funeral. But this trip back is more than just grieving and receiving condolences - it’s a reckoning with the ghosts of a past she worked hard to forget.
Merrily, her sister, known for her wild nature, seems even crazier than Mary Ellen remembers.
If not more.
Her quirks have grown more pronounced, giving Mary Ellen a glimpse into a mind seemingly on the verge of unraveling.
As Mary Ellen navigates the familiar yet alien corridors of her childhood home, she realizes that Merrily’s oddities might be the key to the very secrets she escaped all those years ago.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2024
About the author
Deena Thomson
21 books27 followersDeena Thomson Lives in Northern Ontario, Canada, surrounded by leafy trees, still lakes, her many children, and her stinky pug Augustus McCrae.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 27, 2026
Looking for a chilling short story, I turned to this piece by Deena Thomson. To call it odd would be an understatement, but it surely gets the reader thinking and wondering what's true in this psychological thriller. Thomson does well to put the reader in the middle of the chaos, while they beg for more!
Mary Ellen is back in her hometown after many years, though it is not a warm return. Rather, her father's funeral is her reason for being here and it is stirring up many emotions and ghosts Mary Ellen would prefer to leave in the past. Add to that, her identical twin, Merrily, makes the return awkward on many levels. As Mary Ellen probes into her sister's life and mental stability, many truths are unearthed, both about the past that scarred them and the years they have spent apart. Deena Thomson delivers something for the reader to ponder.
There is no doubt that Deena Thomson offers up a piece that is some mix of dark and worrisome. The narrative builds from the opening pages, jagged and without a clear direction, at least until things begin clicking. Thomson adds swift parts (read: chapters) that provide some context, while also peppering in more confusion than clarity for the attentive reader. Things are provided to the reader, but nothing is quite as it seems throughout this piece.
Characters prove unique and somewhat entertaining in this piece. There is no doubt that Mary Ellen plays a key role, though she has her moments as she seeks to find truths in the awkward return to a place that caused so much grief. I was committed to seeing how she would grow in this short piece, while also trying to make sense of the horror that had befallen her family. The reader is left with a few others who help push things along and complement the protagonist well. Things stayed dark the deeper the reader ventured, though I surmise this was Thomson's intent.
Surprises work well to keep the story edgy and offbeat. Deena Thomson works her magic with a number of well-placed ideas that emerge at inopportune times to keep the story unpredictable, never succumbing to overcompensation. There is something that does not entirely fit with this piece, though I am left to wonder if that was intentional or just my mental state as I read. Deena Thomson did something with this piece and it lingers for me, much like Mary Ellen's homecoming!
Kudos, Madam Thomson, for a quirky read!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Mary Ellen is back in her hometown after many years, though it is not a warm return. Rather, her father's funeral is her reason for being here and it is stirring up many emotions and ghosts Mary Ellen would prefer to leave in the past. Add to that, her identical twin, Merrily, makes the return awkward on many levels. As Mary Ellen probes into her sister's life and mental stability, many truths are unearthed, both about the past that scarred them and the years they have spent apart. Deena Thomson delivers something for the reader to ponder.
There is no doubt that Deena Thomson offers up a piece that is some mix of dark and worrisome. The narrative builds from the opening pages, jagged and without a clear direction, at least until things begin clicking. Thomson adds swift parts (read: chapters) that provide some context, while also peppering in more confusion than clarity for the attentive reader. Things are provided to the reader, but nothing is quite as it seems throughout this piece.
Characters prove unique and somewhat entertaining in this piece. There is no doubt that Mary Ellen plays a key role, though she has her moments as she seeks to find truths in the awkward return to a place that caused so much grief. I was committed to seeing how she would grow in this short piece, while also trying to make sense of the horror that had befallen her family. The reader is left with a few others who help push things along and complement the protagonist well. Things stayed dark the deeper the reader ventured, though I surmise this was Thomson's intent.
Surprises work well to keep the story edgy and offbeat. Deena Thomson works her magic with a number of well-placed ideas that emerge at inopportune times to keep the story unpredictable, never succumbing to overcompensation. There is something that does not entirely fit with this piece, though I am left to wonder if that was intentional or just my mental state as I read. Deena Thomson did something with this piece and it lingers for me, much like Mary Ellen's homecoming!
Kudos, Madam Thomson, for a quirky read!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
February 17, 2024
Short read. Predictable ending.
Not horrible.
Not horrible.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews