The Mother of All Monsters

by Paula D. Ashe

In a community shattered by the abduction and murder of three little girls, an Indiana mother makes a grisly discovery about her seemingly upstanding son. Faced with the undeniable truth and overwhelmed with guilt, she must choose between protecting her beloved child or punishing the monster he may have become.

Note: This short story contains graphic violence and is not suitable for young readers.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Adult, Horror Thriller, Fiction

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2013

About the author

Paula D. Ashe is a thirty-something writer of dark fiction who only feels comfortable writing about herself in third person. Originally from Ohio, she resides in Indiana with her wife and too many animals. Paula works as a lecturer and Program Assistant for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Purdue University Fort Wayne. She is also a PhD student in American Studies at Purdue University. Before that she earned a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology, then an MA in Composition and Rhetoric and a graduate certificate in Women's Studies, all from Wright State University. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pauladashe and Twitter @pauladashe if you're into that sort of thing.

Reviews

[Michael Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, haunting story told through a deceptively simple narrative which peels back like an onion, revealing new layers of depth and meaning. A community is shocked and horrified by a series of disappearances. Three young girls, kidnapped and later found dead. A serial killer. Panic and paranoia spread through the community until a local mother makes a shocking discover about her son, home from his first year of college that sets the whole tale on its head. Her reaction, told unflinchingly through an epistolary framing device; a letter to her sister, brings up images of a traumatic childhood and illustrates well the philosophy of "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster". It also touches on the complex concept of nature vs nurture; are negative behavioral traits hereditary, or learned? It further poses the question; if it is in the blood, can it skip a generation? Though even if it seems to, is it really always there, lurking, suppressed, but waiting to come out in the right circumstances?

[Amanda M. Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Tale Both Short and Bleak

I won't go into the story here both because of the length and because I don't want to ruin the feel of its narrative. This story is well worth your time and a great introduction to the author, who writes a very satisfying and cerebral piece here. Highly recommended!

[Lydian Faust · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you discovered that your son had done something unspeakable? This extreme short story tackles that problem with some tough love. Narrated in first-person as a letter to her sister (a style that seems an imperfect fit, at times), this sickening tale of a mother's discipline is not for those with a weak constitution. I rather enjoyed it.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but intense

I really enjoy letter style books. There's just something about the presentation that draws me in.
The ending left with so much potential for another story and I really hope there's another letter to read.

[James Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning debut short story by a very gifted writer. Ashe manages to tug at the human experience through love and horror. A striking read.

[Bina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and really creepy!

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️
Great premise, terrible and unconvincing story.

[D.K. Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a riveting ten-minute read, and I loved it. Well done!

[Sebastian Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbing as hell. One of the creepiest serial killer stories I've read in along time.

[Brooke Warra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashe's writing is taught and keeps you engaged. A short read and one I'll not soon shake from my mind. Riveting and tragic.

[Geoff Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeeeeees, yes, yes.

Loved it. Short and sweet.

Even though I had an idea of the plot from the sites recommending it - I still smiled as the layers were peeled back.

Awesome writing.

[Em 🍓 · Rating 2 out of 5]

i’ve read one line horror stories better than this crap 🤮

⭐️⭐️ 2 stars

[Lain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this short read without knowing much about it, and I was pleasantly surprised. With a few strokes of a pen, a monstrous situation is revealed and you're not even left confused or conflicted as to why it all comes into full view. It’s a clever and fresh take on balancing moral judgments and utilizing what you know best (even if it is in the form of holding hands with your own demons) in a way I didn’t expect but really appreciated. This is a bittersweet outcome born from a horrendous past, in my opinion. Happy reading everyone!

[carley mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun quick read. A mother is writing a letter to her sister because she suspects her son is a serial killer. You won't expect the way she confronts him to confess.

[Koda bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh.

[Arielle Niklawski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm physically ill. I won't discredit the good writing for the content that is horrid and just absolutely sickening.

[Alexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

That damn Nike box…

The story could have been something but ended up as nothing.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Interesting narrative. Perspective of a Mother. It's short. Interesting read. I need more. I need the background story. I was left needing more.
Good short story overall.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story. It touches on one of my fears about motherhood.
While I like epistolary stories, I wasn't a fan of the narration at all, I think it takes away from everything interesting about the story.
I'm grateful I'm not a mother.

[Suzanne Mazzenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling

Every parent’s fear, every mother’s nightmare all rolled into one gut-punch of a story. Hooks you from beginning to end!

[Michael Francis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh 😀

[Lineree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a mom has got to do what a mom has to do.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

To summarize how I felt about this incoherent story: had it been any longer I would have needed a morphine drip to finish it.

[Klokopus Kokopos Kas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I'm biased because it hits on things I've been thinking about or my emotional state or whatever.. But I thought the mother perspective hit hard. It was short, it wasn't much. But it contained this serious and affective expression of feeling, and the mother perspective is one of the most alien things to me, and I think there is really something to appreciate about literature that goes into it, however brief in page space. All in all, I don't think it matters what the son has done, it's the response and deliberation and the emotional weight that's the core and the worth of the story. Liked it a lot, will read the rest of the collection. I don't know if you read your reviews, Paula, but in case you do, I think you're a cool human being.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is short so I'm going to be as vague as possible as there isn't much story. Also, my review will be quite short also.

I will start of by saying this is very dark, especially for only 15 pages and builds its layers really nicely. I saw a review say this book was like an onion, and I whole heartily agree.

The only thing - for me personally - is the length means that whilst this is a short story, I was left wanting more details. Not necessarily explanations of the plot, as I think this is delivered incredibly well but just a little more. I rated this a 3 even though it's more like a 3.5.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The format of this story being told through a letter threw me for a bit but then realizing why the character chose to write this letter tied it together. The mother had so much strength to decide to do this. I wish we knew more of her relationship with her own mother but I understand why she felt her blood was bad. it was a greatly written and I will be reading more from Paula D Ashe. As a mother myself to 3 boys I would’ve handled this the same way.

[Thought Bottle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only a few minutes to read. Very disjointed beginning. Comes together to be more disturbing than expected. Not totally sure how to feel about this one.

A woman writes to her sister about neighborhood news, college aged son going to school, renovating her basement and mental illness in the family. Also she’s a dentist.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, shocking and twisty

I really enjoyed this and would've loved for it to have been a bit longer!

I don't feel I can say much on this without spoiling it, but for all the size of the book, it's definitely worth reading if you like horror based around family and like to be a little bit shocked and disgusted.

Trigger warnings for child unaliving and SA.

[Lenn ♡ | anatomyofabooknerd (IG) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very short read, so I'll just leave a quick review. What I liked about this book is that it's told in an epistolary style and that the writing-style wasn't very hard to get into despite my first try at this author. It didn't creep me out the way I thought it would and as soon as the first clue was revealed, I already put two and two together. Despite that, I still found it a bit intense towards the end because I didn't expect THAT to happen. Overall, it wasn't something that will stick with me, but it was an okay read.

[Antonia Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in shock

The story is very short and written as a letter to the main character’s sister. 15 pages was absolutely not enough, I need more! I want to see what closure the sister got, the victims families. It definitely keeps your attention and was so good I had to reread it twice!