Chapter One, excerpt from The Nostalgic Future www.hiddenhouse.world Falling Down the Stairs CRACK! Before … before! my ass hits the ground, before I even stumble, a deafening sound pierces my living room like electric lightning. It’s so LOUD against the stillness of my empty house. But there’s no one here to witness my personal catastrophe. I’m not bungee jumping or skydiving; I’m just carrying a laundry basket up a flight of stairs… and I misstep. An unimaginably loud crack slams through...

excerpt from The Nostalgic Future ©2026 www.hiddenhouse.world Isn’t it just like me to start my book at the end? In the future? This is my story. You may not believe me, but every single word is the Truth, which is actually harder to believe than fiction because it’s stranger and frankly, just more creative. This is the story of not just my journey, but our journey, the journey to the Nostalgic Future. It’s going to happen; it already is happening. It’s inevitable. Everything is rising to...

Who says you can't create horror in less than 500 words? (Originally published on Substack Jun 10, 2026) If it weren’t for those smallest most innocent of cherubs of plump perfection who do not yet know how above average their test scores are destined to be in a town of expectant parents and eager educators, Mr. Elsenworth’s mail route might otherwise lack the uncomplicated joy he has found these many years previous. What with that unpleasantness last summer, these folks only want to focus...