Pretty When You Sleep: A Creepy Little Bedtime Story

by William F. Aicher

In this "creepy little bedtime story" by William F. Aicher, we wake up with a young woman in the middle of the night. It seems poor Thalia can't sleep, so she does what any other twenty-something would do - she checks her phone. Only then does she realize, she's not alone.

A quick little tale of suspense - another vignette of nighttime terror. Sure to thrill anyone who's ever had to spend the night alone in the dark. That means you.

9 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 12, 2016

About the author

William F. Aicher is the author of The Trouble With Being God, A Confession, The Unfortunate Expiration of Mr. David S. Sparks., Calibration 74, and the Phoenix Bones: International Monster Hunter series, as well as a series of short horror and suspense pieces collectively referred to as “Creepy Little Bedtime Stories.” Tending to lean toward the creepy and fantastical, his work has appeared alongside such well-known writers as Stephen King, Richard Chizmar, and Neil Gaiman.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he holds degrees in journalism and philosophy. He currently lives outside Milwaukee with his wife, three sons, and a pair of lazy cats.

Reviews

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling short story. Read for instant goosebumps.

[Lennie Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but completely terrifying. Just my kind of story! :)

[Alanna Rusnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aicher does it again with this unsettling short story. He presents a believable world in which the power of social media is brought to question. And that ending...I mean, what was the main character thinking??? Are we all really so starved for attention and recognition that we would condone inappropriate actions - even ones that put us in a potentially harmful situation? For what? Fame? This is a great piece to provoke conversation and to make us look a little more closely at our choices in regards to our online presence.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheHorrorsGrow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story about a girl named Thalia who wakes up in the middle of the night to find a man standing at the end of her bed staring at her. This short story shows social media in its contagious light. To say anything more could give this story away. While I didn't think I found it particularly scary while reading it... I must've been wrong since my roommate came into my room to tell me something as I was reading and I actually screamed. I am easily startled but um...

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thalia can't sleep. With only a phone for protection, she finds that she's not alone in her home. Someone is there watching her. Will help arrive on time? This is a creepy, suspenseful, and engaging short story.

[Glimac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throroughly enjoyed the writing but I didn't find the premise scary due to the main character's nonchalance as well as the story's awkward ending.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy nightmare

We all have nights like Thalia is having. Restless night, sweaty then cold, everything feels bothersome and sleep is lacking. But to wake up and throw covers off and swipe them back on and not realize you're being watched is scary. A dark strangers watching you at the foot of it bed, I'm not moving and barely making a sound. This is Thalias nightmare...awesome short story, left me wanting more and wondering about that stranger.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but interesting tale on social media addiction through a horror lens. The story didn't go the way I expected which is always good, and though I loved the ending I think it could've used a little more tweaking. That said, a good short story whose biggest crime, in my opinion, is it's so damn short!

[Shiftless McKenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy story and a bit scary. At first it appears to be one situation of a young woman pretending she doesn’t see a man in her room that quickly turns out to be much, much more ominous and psychologically distressing!

[Diane Chattaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I didn't see that ending coming. I feel a kindred spirit with the girl, I would have clicked like too.

[S.L. Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read for me. It’s a short, but I think the premise, as well as the main character’s reaction, is very relevant for the times. All-around creepy fun!

[Artist_carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but alittle creepy, wow if this happened to me I would flip out, but what Thalia did omg!

[Samantha Henthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and scary I read this last night when I woke up in the early hours. How fitting for the plot! A brilliant and creepy little bedtime story!

[Amber Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! nail biting chilling start to book. The author grabs your attention from the beginning. The reader is drawn into the victim's fear. Well written, very descriptive. This writer knows how to chill the bones of an audience. Just finished book - still thinking about it! Will definitely be reading more books from this writer.

[Iseult Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worst nightmare

Very scary story with some nice dark humor thrown in. An interesting take on what must be a fear of a lot of people.