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Making Ghosts: A Short Story
High school is the absolute worst.
Harrison Wendelken expected the ninth grade to be bad, but he hadn’t expected it to be torture. The victim of a hazing ritual reserved for freshmen, Harrison, overweight and awkward, is chased from his school to his street every day after classes are let out. Often, these chases end with him receiving a beating.
A social outcast, he takes solace in a friendship with another ninth-grade misfit, a girl the popular kids call Hard Mari. When Mari is targeted by Harrison’s tormentors, and humiliated in a way no person should be, the two outcasts realize they have to fight back. They have to do something that will change the lives of everyone involved.
They must commit an act that might end up haunting them forever…
“Making Ghosts”, a coming-of-age short story, is part of the anthology “Us in Pieces: Stories of Shattered Souls”,
Harrison Wendelken expected the ninth grade to be bad, but he hadn’t expected it to be torture. The victim of a hazing ritual reserved for freshmen, Harrison, overweight and awkward, is chased from his school to his street every day after classes are let out. Often, these chases end with him receiving a beating.
A social outcast, he takes solace in a friendship with another ninth-grade misfit, a girl the popular kids call Hard Mari. When Mari is targeted by Harrison’s tormentors, and humiliated in a way no person should be, the two outcasts realize they have to fight back. They have to do something that will change the lives of everyone involved.
They must commit an act that might end up haunting them forever…
“Making Ghosts”, a coming-of-age short story, is part of the anthology “Us in Pieces: Stories of Shattered Souls”,
- GenresShort Stories
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2022
52 people want to read
About the author
Felix I.D. Dimaro
18 books109 followersBorn in Nigeria, raised in Toronto, Felix I.D. Dimaro is an author of allegorical, dark, psychological fiction often centering around morality, mental health, societal conditions, the environment, or the real-life issues he has experienced. He has released eleven books to date, including the eco-thriller, “Black Bloom: A Story of Survival,” the extreme horror novel, “Humane Sacrifice: The Story of the Aztec Killer," and the tale of cat cloning gone wrong, "In the Darkness, Eyes and Teeth.”
When not writing, Dimaro is usually reading, watching professional wrestling, or running even though no one is chasing him.
To find out more about Dimaro and his books, head over to https://www.thingsthatkeepmeupatnight...
When not writing, Dimaro is usually reading, watching professional wrestling, or running even though no one is chasing him.
To find out more about Dimaro and his books, head over to https://www.thingsthatkeepmeupatnight...
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 17, 2022
Provocative and Packs a Punch!
Felix is a wonderful storyteller. This short is no exception to the fact. I don't want to say too much in fear of giving anything away, as this one is best left to the reader to discover! What I will say is that this is a brilliant, ultra-realistic depiction of bullying. Being a victim of bullying myself in secondary school, I found myself empathising deeply with the MC. Felix offers some of the most provocative work I've read from an Indie author yet. There is something Tarantino-esque and cinematic about his style which I adore and greatly appreciate.
This story lost one star for two reasons. The first being the title, which built up the expectation that I'd be reading a ghost story or a haunting of some kind, which this is not. However, it does fit in other ways. Felix's use of repetition is, at times, extremely effective. Drawing our attention to particular details for dramatic effect. I did find, however, that this repetition was overdone in places. This isn't so much "Horror" as it is dark fiction with horrific scenes. I would have liked to have learned more about the characters, as they were so well drawn, and feel that it could have, potentially, been great as a novella or even a novel, but such is the case with some short fiction.
This is a solid story, highly emotive and captivating, and full of interesting characters. I read this in one sitting, at times physically holding my breath in anticipation, and occasionally, in shock. This is a short story that packs a punch! Read it.
Felix is a wonderful storyteller. This short is no exception to the fact. I don't want to say too much in fear of giving anything away, as this one is best left to the reader to discover! What I will say is that this is a brilliant, ultra-realistic depiction of bullying. Being a victim of bullying myself in secondary school, I found myself empathising deeply with the MC. Felix offers some of the most provocative work I've read from an Indie author yet. There is something Tarantino-esque and cinematic about his style which I adore and greatly appreciate.
This story lost one star for two reasons. The first being the title, which built up the expectation that I'd be reading a ghost story or a haunting of some kind, which this is not. However, it does fit in other ways. Felix's use of repetition is, at times, extremely effective. Drawing our attention to particular details for dramatic effect. I did find, however, that this repetition was overdone in places. This isn't so much "Horror" as it is dark fiction with horrific scenes. I would have liked to have learned more about the characters, as they were so well drawn, and feel that it could have, potentially, been great as a novella or even a novel, but such is the case with some short fiction.
This is a solid story, highly emotive and captivating, and full of interesting characters. I read this in one sitting, at times physically holding my breath in anticipation, and occasionally, in shock. This is a short story that packs a punch! Read it.
March 27, 2022
Dimaro knocks it out of the proverbial park again with this one. A quick, painful gut punch. The amount of empathy that was built in a short number of pages for our protagonist and his friend was masterful. As usual with his work, this is not for the faint of heart. It deals with some heavy topics but they are handled with care by the author. As always I am looking forward to reading what Dimaro comes out with next. If you're sleeping on this author then you're missing out!
November 30, 2022
Not 100% sure what I was expecting going into this, but I really liked Felix's writing and I felt like the story came about in a very organic way. Reading the author's note at the end really out this book more into perspective for me and I am curious to see what the future has in store for Mari and Harry.
March 11, 2022
Review asap
August 23, 2022
Making Ghosts is a snapshot into the lives of two teenagers who are victims of bullying, and the decisions they make. The details included in this short story are incredible, even horrifying to read at times. It made me feel sympathetic for the characters, and emotionally invested in their fates. I did think there would be ghost stuff though, so I was a little disappointed not to get it. But this story of cruelty and vengeance is a sharp take on the dark side of humanity. It makes you wonder if you would do the same in the characters’ situation. Looking forward to reading the rest of the anthology!
book blog | twitter | instagram
book blog | twitter | instagram
February 17, 2022
Amidst my Stephen King readathon (25 down, 9 to go), I discovered our friend Felix Dimaro (@thingsthatkeepmeupatnight) just released his first novelette from his upcoming anthology. Since he's one of the two authors I would interrupt King for, I immediately grabbed a copy and dove right in.
Dimaro had the rare ability to display humanity in all its ugliness, making homo sapiens one of the most terrifying creatures out there. With the stark realism of bullying thrust right in our faces with Making Ghosts, he shows the reader true horror, with no supernatural influences at all.
If the rest of his upcoming book is as good as this first release, it will be a much-treasured addition to my growing Dimaro collection.
Dimaro had the rare ability to display humanity in all its ugliness, making homo sapiens one of the most terrifying creatures out there. With the stark realism of bullying thrust right in our faces with Making Ghosts, he shows the reader true horror, with no supernatural influences at all.
If the rest of his upcoming book is as good as this first release, it will be a much-treasured addition to my growing Dimaro collection.
March 4, 2024
This was my first time reading Dimaro’s work and I am an instant fan! If trigger warnings are important for you, be sure to heed them at the beginning of the story. Dimaro’s writing style was engaging and felt fresh in every page. There was a scene that was reminiscent of Stephen King’s IT and the barrens which I thought was cool. I won’t go into details but I enjoyed this short story overall! I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Dimaro’s stories!
March 28, 2022
Fantastic novella, my emotions were high reading this story and I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing at one point. The author created a complete story in only a few pages; full of bullying, neglectful families, love and revenge. This is the first peice I've read from this author, I have another of his books in my TBR cart that I think I need to make more of a priority now. Highly recommend.
March 20, 2022
4.5 ⭐
When Felix I.D. Dimaro @thingsthatkeepmeupatnight puts out a book, drop everything and read it!
He always manages to break my heart and make my gut wrench without writing gorey, gruesome tales. It's all in the subject that Felix chooses to write about. It's the real life situations no one wants to talk about.
This novella is prime example. Bullying.
Were you ever bullied to the point where you said enough is enough?
Felix, that scene hit hard probably for many people.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and I am impatiently anticipating the forthcoming anthology.
My support to Felix always.
When Felix I.D. Dimaro @thingsthatkeepmeupatnight puts out a book, drop everything and read it!
He always manages to break my heart and make my gut wrench without writing gorey, gruesome tales. It's all in the subject that Felix chooses to write about. It's the real life situations no one wants to talk about.
This novella is prime example. Bullying.
Were you ever bullied to the point where you said enough is enough?
Felix, that scene hit hard probably for many people.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and I am impatiently anticipating the forthcoming anthology.
My support to Felix always.
February 19, 2022
Felix, as I already mentioned on my Instagram, has the ability to create a huge story using only few pages. He always picks up the topics everyone acknowledges but no one really wants to talk about. And if we do talk about them we never ought to change anything about them. We tend to believe that an individual cannot really change anything because they are always weaker than a group. But are they really?
What do you think it takes to make ghosts? Where would you draw a line between what is still acceptable in this society and what isn't?
This review doesn't need me telling you a brief plot. This story needs to be heard just as other of the many similar and familiar stories need to be heard. We all tend to say the world is cruel, sad, unfair and so on... but has anyone ever stop to think why? I have a feeling, having read some of his books, that Felix is in the stage where he stopped to actually ask why, how and most importantly - when does it get to be too much?
I honestly can't wait to see where this story goes as the anthology continues with Us In Pieces: Stories Of Shattered Ghosts, set to be released in August 2022.
What do you think it takes to make ghosts? Where would you draw a line between what is still acceptable in this society and what isn't?
This review doesn't need me telling you a brief plot. This story needs to be heard just as other of the many similar and familiar stories need to be heard. We all tend to say the world is cruel, sad, unfair and so on... but has anyone ever stop to think why? I have a feeling, having read some of his books, that Felix is in the stage where he stopped to actually ask why, how and most importantly - when does it get to be too much?
I honestly can't wait to see where this story goes as the anthology continues with Us In Pieces: Stories Of Shattered Ghosts, set to be released in August 2022.
March 7, 2022
Felix I. D. Dimaro managed to do what a lot of indie writers only dream of: through both solid and prolific writing, he has carved for himself a rightful space in the indie scene, where readers go when they want what Dimaro has to offer. This is mainly because he was smart and skillful enough to write about topics that not only work, but that are also extremely rare to be found anywhere else.
Read a random reviews of Dimaro's work and chances are that you'll read something on the line of "Dimaro's writing shows us that the real horror is us," meaning that his stories aren't so much about what goes bump in the night, but more about how people can be monstrous.
'Making Ghosts' a 55 pages story, delivers exactly what we now want from Felix. A poignant, unflinching story that will keep you guessing as to how it will end.
'Making Ghosts' is just a taste of 'Us in Pieces: Stories of shattered souls,' the upcoming Dimaro's anthology due out in August.
We can't wait.
Read a random reviews of Dimaro's work and chances are that you'll read something on the line of "Dimaro's writing shows us that the real horror is us," meaning that his stories aren't so much about what goes bump in the night, but more about how people can be monstrous.
'Making Ghosts' a 55 pages story, delivers exactly what we now want from Felix. A poignant, unflinching story that will keep you guessing as to how it will end.
'Making Ghosts' is just a taste of 'Us in Pieces: Stories of shattered souls,' the upcoming Dimaro's anthology due out in August.
We can't wait.
February 19, 2022
“All day, he had stared at various clocks or at his strapless watch while wanting time to both slow down and speed up. Wanting to both delay what was inevitable and hurry up and face the inexorable.” Making Ghosts by Felix I.D. Dimaro
Dimaro does it again. He is truly a master of creating stories that may touch upon difficult topics, have you rooting for characters, maybe feel unsettled- but keeps you in a safe space. Making Ghosts is filled with suspense, romance, with a sprinkle of crime. Be warned, reading this you’ll feel a range of emotions. From happiness, joy, to absolute rage. And once you reach the end… you’ll be craving more.
Once I finished this, I was ecstatic to note the story continues in his anthology ‘Us in Pieces’ set to be released this summer. This is one we ALL have to lookout for.
Dimaro does it again. He is truly a master of creating stories that may touch upon difficult topics, have you rooting for characters, maybe feel unsettled- but keeps you in a safe space. Making Ghosts is filled with suspense, romance, with a sprinkle of crime. Be warned, reading this you’ll feel a range of emotions. From happiness, joy, to absolute rage. And once you reach the end… you’ll be craving more.
Once I finished this, I was ecstatic to note the story continues in his anthology ‘Us in Pieces’ set to be released this summer. This is one we ALL have to lookout for.
March 14, 2022
4.25 rounded down
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Once again, Felix Dimaro shows why he’s an author I’ll always prioritize in my TBR. Making Ghosts is a short story about the worst kind of monsters. The monsters that we see every day, perhaps even when we look in the mirror. In just 55 pages, I was fully invested in the lives of Harry and Mari. I felt their pain, their shame, and their anger. I wanted to see them win. Did I? I think that remains to be seen.
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I can’t wait to see what happens next and will be anxiously awaiting the release of the anthology Us in Pieces: Stories of Shattered Souls.
•
Once again, Felix Dimaro shows why he’s an author I’ll always prioritize in my TBR. Making Ghosts is a short story about the worst kind of monsters. The monsters that we see every day, perhaps even when we look in the mirror. In just 55 pages, I was fully invested in the lives of Harry and Mari. I felt their pain, their shame, and their anger. I wanted to see them win. Did I? I think that remains to be seen.
•
I can’t wait to see what happens next and will be anxiously awaiting the release of the anthology Us in Pieces: Stories of Shattered Souls.
July 13, 2022
This was a fantastic short story. I have heard wonderful things about Dimaro, and I was not disappointed at all. He did a good job at making you feel sympathy and like you can relate to the main character Harry (especially if you were a bullied kid in school). There's a little bit of everything going on here and it was all executed well in such a short amount of words. I really do wish we could have gotten an actual result of what Harry and Mari pull on their bullies...but the ambiguity is perfectly acceptable too. The title also is intriguing as well and really makes sense with the story. Well done and I plan on reading more of his books!
February 28, 2023
Making Ghosts is an unexpected story about a young boy, Harry, and the bullying he has to endure at school. His father chastises him for not sticking up for himself and the school is unaware or doesn’t care. He meets a young girl, Mari, who is bullied as well for the color of her skin. The two are pushed to their limits and you’ll discover how they make ghosts. This is an incredible story of survival and a reflection of societies blind eye to bullying. I cannot recommend this quick read enough.
February 14, 2022
Dimaro truly is a master of his craft. No one writes about the monstrous depravity that humans are capable of quite like Dimaro.
Take a chance on this one. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Just be forewarned that you will experience a whirlwind of emotions ranging from utter euphoria to absolute rage! And once you finish this story, you will be waiting, with bated breath, for 'Us in Pieces' to be released
Take a chance on this one. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Just be forewarned that you will experience a whirlwind of emotions ranging from utter euphoria to absolute rage! And once you finish this story, you will be waiting, with bated breath, for 'Us in Pieces' to be released
May 1, 2022
Addictive
I was really pulled into this story, just counting down the chapters until the sweet revenge came about. I really enjoyed the dark and dramatic events that unfolded in these two kids’ lives. Can’t wait to read more from Dimaro
I was really pulled into this story, just counting down the chapters until the sweet revenge came about. I really enjoyed the dark and dramatic events that unfolded in these two kids’ lives. Can’t wait to read more from Dimaro
February 15, 2022
Yet another amazing story by Dimaro. He has such a talent for writing characters I feel so many emotions for. In just 55 pages I feel more connected to these characters and the story than I do when reading most 350+ page books. I loved this story and Harry and Mari. I can’t wait for the anthology, Us in Pieces to come out.
March 30, 2022
Review to follow
March 14, 2023
Well-Deserved Five Stars
Wow. I haven’t read a story that packed a punch like this in a while. I can’t wait to see where the sequel goes.
Wow. I haven’t read a story that packed a punch like this in a while. I can’t wait to see where the sequel goes.
September 28, 2023
I felt that the narration dragged on a bit.
February 13, 2022
This short story definitely makes me want to read the anthology. There's a lot here in these short 55 pages. I do hope we get more of Mari's backstory! Dimaro's work is always nuanced with many things happening and always very well told. What a powerful story.
March 21, 2022
This guy really gets me to understand, sympathize, empathize, and have ALL the feelings for his characters. I feel like I have a new awareness and understanding of situations that I have fortunately not had to endure myself through Dimaro's writing. Once again, so much packed into a short story.
March 22, 2022
I had to read Felix I.D. Dimaro’s short story, Making Ghosts. I had no idea what it was about, but the warning at the beginning of the reading immediately put me in context. Making Ghosts is not an easy read. Harry and Mari are being bullied. And not just a little… Gratuitous violence, harassment, humiliation… How far can the situation escalate? It’s hard not to feel sympathy and to go back to your own memories. I loved it and can’t wait to find out what happens next in Felix’s upcoming anthology Us in Pieces: Stories of Shattered Souls.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews