Sump Pump: A Short Story of Spider Horror

by A.E. Hodge

Things couldn’t get much worse for Gary Crawford. Once a big-shot lawyer at a major firm, Gary left his job and moved to the country after a heart attack, hoping to find a new life free of stress. Big mistake. The new house is in shambles. Spiderwebs cover everything, and the spiders are so numerous he finds them in his cereal and in his bed at night. And now, the latest problem. The sump pump keeps turning on and off, keeping Gary up all night, and no matter what he tries, he can’t seem to fix it. The sound of the sump pump is driving him mad, pushing him closer and closer to the brink of another meltdown. His wife tells him he’s stressing over nothing. Even his plumber finds nothing wrong with the pump itself.Because the problem isn’t the sump pump. Something in the sump pit is operating the switch at night. And when Gary comes face to face with the culprit, another heart attack will be the least of his worries…

Genres: Horror

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2015

About the author

Author of two novels, ISLAND OF THE DOLLS and SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL, as well as short stories and novellas in the horror and dark fantasy genres.

Reviews

[Juliet Hartell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story fucked me up. This is about spiders in a sump pump, I am severely arachnophobic. I expected it to be a bit like the movie Arachnophobia, but it took quite the turn. Hodge is an incredible writer; the descriptions. I spent the whole time feeling like spiders were crawling all over me.

“The camera tripod lay on its side, sprawled next to the pit, its legs raised like some stiff, dead insect.” The way I cringed reading this, I could see it in my head. It will be quite some time before I go down into the basement again, especially near the sump pump.

[Nova-Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hate Spiders!!!!!

Omg this creeper me the f_:k out. Ugh nightmares are coming. But it's a great short read. Makes me glad I don't live in the country!

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was younger I would devour all the old black and white horror and sci-fi movies like “the fly” and “tarantula”…

This short Novella reminded me of these good old times.

Great short story if you’re afraid of spiders.

[Stuart Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never want to fix my sump pump again!

Fun read and now as my title suggest, I never want to fix my sump pump again! No thank you!

[Rachal Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy crawlies

Edge of your seat short story with nonstop action full of vivid descriptions of creepy and horrific spiders. Loved it

[Gina Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great creepy short story! I just love this author's work. Gary and Jackie moved to the country so Gary could get away and relax after he has a heart attack. Unfortunately he is being driven crazy by his malfunctioning sump pump. He tries several repairs to the pump in his scary basement but the problem may push him over the edge.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spiders! Ewwww!

[Thedevilsconcubine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yucky

I loved this story. I was Soooo creeped out. I am not overly fond of spiders and this gem did not help at all. I love that. Woot! I am telling everyone to read this.