All Comments on 'The Blood Orange Moon'

Author does a decent job with his usual stories in the reconciliation genre but this is like a bad attempt at a VC Andrews story(and sadly, VCA was pretty bad to begin with)

Honestly, you should have left the original story alone. It really didn't need closure. Hell, what in life truly ever gets closure? Personally, not everything has to be neat and tidy. Certainly, not fictional stories.

Anyway, as a story, on it's own, it's not bad. As a horror story, well...It needed more build up. More suspense. More depth to the drama. It was too dry to fill in as a horror story.

If reality is but illusion, what horrifies isn't the thought that other things might exist beyond the illusion, but that we are no longer safe and sound within the illusion. From there, what a person perceives and imagines is what adds flavor to the story and stimulates the terror.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not up to par of your usual work.

Good effort, though, and I truly appreciate the time taken to write this story.

To me , this story had it all ! A little politics , ( love) trouble in Grant City , a

& a lot of paranormal non-consent - a veritable potpourri of ingredients all served up in a hearty 7 page serving. No miserly one/ two chapter installments stringing out the pathos for maximum effect and duration on the most popular list .

Rehnquist has flipped a coin & shown a side of himself that I suspected he had but had not hitherto seen . No diss intended to Grant City but it was refreshing to switch settings & genres.

Fear not you traditionalists- Micheal Jordan said his baseball sabbatical helped him appreciate basketball all the more & inspired 3 more championships . I'm sure at the end of all his wanderings - there will be another sad guitar riff borne of broken heart echoing in Grant City and duely documented by R.

Killer twist at the end with Steve's ghost being happy at his new target-rich environment. One could say this was a happy ending for everyone but the nurses !

...but the writing is about the best you've done. Some great imagery. You should always write quickly, if this is the result.

another great story....thanks!!

I did find one error though, You were talking bourbon , then started pouring brandy, then went back to bourbon. Enough nit picking, Great read!!!

I am in awe.....

Absolutely excellent. In terms of plot - credible that Mark and Sandy would have problems; glad to see them working them out (mostly) successfully. Redemption for Mark's dad was good too. But Stevie... wow. Evil is as evil does.

In terms of writing, wow.

JLRemora did a better job at bringing across a similar point than I did with mine.

The main issue I had with this story is not that the author usually writes LW but that this was not a well written horror story - there is no malignancy associated in mentioning that point.

It is not constructive or polite if there were personal attacks on the author and it is not doing an author any favor to offer banal platitudes just because he has given us a story.

The point of publishing in a public forum (which allows comments) is to have others critique the work - else they could just save it in their laptops.

as each has come, they are a better...

How can you top this'en?

I've had to turn into a lurker due to the local bigots, but have been A Lit man since way back into the mid-90's, and had to come out of hiding to say...

How can you top this'en?

Fantastic! SliperyRox

I was one of those that partially agreed with the general consensous that the mother got off a bit easy and there was a lack of complete closure at the end of Lazy Lemon Sun.

HOWEVER

This story illustrates the dangers of trying to write an unplanned sequel. Especially when you try to jump genres like Rehnquist did by making this a semi-horror story.

Overall its not bad. The characters were more or less consistent with the previous incarnations and it was nice that it extended the grown of several of the characters.

Unfortunately, the idea that Stevie's ghost was haunting the mother and that he was making her do horrible things came across as both cliche and false at the same time. Then again I'm the kind of person who always ends up wondering how and why the "heroes" in any slasher flick aren't making tracks for the next country right after the first killing. In my mind the first "maid" would have told someone about what happened and that would have resulted in some level of investigation, if only to try to guarantee that she didn't talk to anyone else.

So, I give it high marks for readability and interest, but had to say that it just wasn't as well plotted as the stories Rehnquist takes a bit more time to complete.

Glad to see him writing though. There aren't enough good stories being completed and posted here.

And since I share Mark's first persona, I think, between now and the thirty-first, you should produce and post a shorty that provides a denouement for Barbara and sends Stevie straight down the road to Hell!!!

DC

Given that the story line somewhat mirrors Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho I had a hell-of-a-time keeping all the characters straight. All 19 of them in this "short" story. I had to make a character score-sheet just to follow the story. (Who's on First?) And the fact that the author flipped back and forth between the first names and the sur names just added to the confusion. There was Alan...then there was Cameron...Then there was David...then there was Roberts... come on now was all that confusion really necessary? I think not.

I have enjoyed ALL of this author's previous works but this one comes up way short in my humble opinion (IMHO). Maybe the author tried a little too hard this time to add everything possible to the story...not a good idea.

I would like very much to see Rehnquist, just like Mark in this story, return to the Rehnquist that I found in the start of his writings. Please come back.....

Especially the twist at the end! Great story!

It was wrong to kill a top story just because of an halloween contest.

just true: it was no good.

Just too meandering about. Which is a surprise because author usually outstanding.

Contest or no contest this is a great piece of writing. Thanks for sharing.

this is what you call an ending if you would have left steve dead that would have been an ending

As good a horror story as F. Paul Wilson. I have no higher praise for modern practitioners of that genre. (Try Sibs). The Lazy Lemon Sun was as good as John D. MacDonald - for which there is no higher praise, and of whom the Judge has admitted being a fan.

First I will start out by freely admitting my core concern in term of creating a lead tag line was to use a catchy allitterative phrase ergo the demand/ differ/ denigrate opening salvo in my comment.

To the extent that I may have misled anyone that by using the word - denigrate -'that you were launching a attack of a personal nature , I apologize . The term was aimed in terms of the differing opinions in which we esteem the story, itself.

To cut to the quick of things, I enjoyed a lot & you did not ( as is your right). The loose definition of the term denigrate is to make less then - I thought the story was stellar ... You opined the story was less then that ( or so it seemed to me) . Ergo my shoot from the hip opening line which again was in a light-hearted vein.

I wish you well & will strive to be just a tad more concious of future endeavors in comment intros.

Especially for those who read the Lemon... But something went off the track in the horror end. It was kind of natural that it was the mother. If her nastiness had been soft pedaled a bitmore than we would have shock at the end.

Still, entertaining.

I'd just like to say thanks for not only writing a great story but also for entering it in the HALLOWEEN CONTEST. We've missed the participation of the great Loving Wives authors in the sites themed contests over the last few years.

Unfortunately many don't enter the contests because historically the tougher scoring of the LW category has made it almost impossible for a LW sstory to win.

But win or not I think it's important that authors like you participate. Hopefully others (DanielQSteele, ohio, harddaysknight, Just Plain Bob etc., etc.) will now follow your lead and participate.

Lets all hope.Thanks again.

but not really a "Rehnquist". No match to "The lazy lemon sun" or "The damp gray gone". From me 4* for your excellent style.

...mostly because Robert Bloch did that particular horror trope so much better. The parts about Mark and Sandy having difficulties after their reconciliation felt true-to-life, though. So it wasn't all a waste of time. On the whole, I'll give it a 4.

... with setting out to create a story that fits into a particular mold instead of letting the characters take you where they want to go.

I want to start by saying that I enjoyed the story and was on tenterhooks waiting to see how it would turn out. Rehnquist writes well whether he wants to or not. ;-)

That said, I can't help but think that this story feels grafted onto "Lemon Sun" in a way that doesn't feel natural. It might have worked better as a standalone story; it would require some reworking, but it would have been worth it.

Well I thought the Senator with the "Bear Hands" was scary enough. Personally, I think the whole family including Mark are nuts. Lets hope you have put an end to the Roberts family or is Stevie going to show up in Grant City and try to put it to Allisyn.

Even though John D. MacDonald is rolling over in his grave, I liked the tale.

MF

I liked it as a thriller. Amanda was clearly being stalked by "Stevie". I think it would have ratcheted the tension better if the former maids had gone missing but this works OK. There is clearly the mystery as to whether Stevie is really there ala Psycho. After Amanda enters "his" room and nothing happens it becomes likely it is Mrs Roberts that is the perpetrator.

I didn't like the forgiveness at all costs theme. Good people are not required to lay down in front of a buzz saw in the effort to remain good people. Mark's dad has shown true repentance. Starting to rebuild a relationship with him makes some sense. Slowly. Cautiously. But Sandy's parents? It seems like they show the regret of the incarcerated criminal, I don't like being in jail. The actions of their parents almost destroyed Mark and Sandy, not just their relationship, but them as people. Mark and Sandy should feel NO guilt for keeping Sandy's parents at arm's length. Mark and Sandy are just barely getting their relationship smoothed out. I'd be focused on my marriage and child. Sandy's parents can be worked on later.

Great story from one of the top five authors in this genre. I shuddered at the last four lines of this tale, got goose flesh, the hairs. . . , well you get the point. Superbly done oh great one. Thank you.

Just a wonderful story. A 5, and, if it isn't, it sure deserves to be a winner of the Halloween story contest!!!! While reading the story, I kept on having flashback to an old W. Faulkner story, "A Rose for Emily." Glad your story had a different ending. Only because you once asked.....about three paragraphs down from the start, "poor a cup" ..should have been "pour" and page 4, about 3/5 of the way down, "Content." You meant contended.

was Charles? He had to have an idea of what was going on. I did not care for the story at all, to many loose ends.

With Mark and his dad turning back to the good side of their persona made for a good ending.

I have enjoyed reading the whole series very much, fives all the way, and I hope that you do well in the contest.

Thanks for the good read

this the first story in a long time that has a true ending wish more of them did cant wait for the next one

THE ID CONTROLS. AN INSIGHT INTO THE "LEMON" TALE, GIVING CLOSURE AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, TK U MLJ LV NV

Reading Orange, especially the first four or so pages, was like reading something Victorian or even from an older part of English society. The ending, maybe the last third of the story, returned to the Southern voice style of Yellow. As far as I am concerned the Chief Justice has once again demonstrated mastery of telling us about human behavior.

I am not familiar enough with Faulkner's work, I know some about his writing but don't know his works intrinsicly. Orange even more than Yellow lays out that inbred insanity that seemed to be as prevelant in upper crust Southern society as it did in the Hapsbourgs of Europe. Finding the thread and turning that thread into a fine mystery story is a real treat.

Sorry for the profanity, but it fits. What a perfect Halloween story. I'll probably have nightmares. Great contribution. Also good to see everything is working out for all involved. Sure hope Stevie stays put, but feel sorry for that hospital since he is now in total control.

I like the continued exploration of colors in the titles. Oh yes, the story. Good writing as usual, the theme is not normally my cup of tea, but nicely tied in with the most recent story. Good ending, that is not really an ending, as Stevie can come back to haunt, or interfere at any time the author chooses, like maybe next Halloween.

I guess I did not expect Mark to turn as bitter and angry as you depict him and that is the best ending to the story. The restoration of the journey toward a happy family, which was more or less where I thought Mark and Sandy were at the end of the last chapter, errr story.

Mr. Chief Justice, this was one strange tale and it deserves to win!

As a story and the writing goes, you're one of the best. I just don't care for that kind of story, Halloween or not.Oh well,waiting for more.

But in the spirit of Mr. Hallow, I think we are allowed to forgive you for turning a good story into a pseudo horrow show.

Wow, I enjoyed this strange twist. It didn't quite satisfy my need for vengeance on the horrid mother, but I can see Mark's theme of being the better person and second chances working it's magic. I don't know if I'm comfortable with the idea of garnering sympathy for his mother and while she was a nasty piece of work (and I have no problem with the C word) I kind of felt that the use of it detracted from the whole Southern Gentleman aspect, although I suspect it could be a by product of what's happened that has changed Mark. I do respect the ability to weave a harsher reality of the after effects of everything that happened and that Mark was not just suddenly going to be okay.

You have a way with showing both sides of the story and evoking understanding. Looking forward to whatever you bring next :)

Very nice resolution/continuation to the previous Lemon arc but it would have been better had the Senator and Mark not seen the “ghost” at the end, leaving/revealing it as a figment of the imagination of their wife/mother and a sign of her madness. The story is great but somewhat mislabelled as horror. It's not really horror but about a woman with psychological problems.

But who was Charles and what was his role in all this? You left that one a bit too open… was he an accomplice or just a person who was taken advantage off…

I appreciate the fact you built in some troubles for Sandy and Mark’s marriage. It’s indeed more believable that they have to solve some real issues (trust,…) before getting back together completely. There’s work to be done and a deus ex machine solution in which all’s fair and happy is not real. So kudos for that.

I hope you use the characters of Mark and his extended family in more stories to come. Most of them (not Mom and Stevie off course) are very likeable and have it in them to flesh them out even more.

Very nice sequel to the Lazy Lemon series. You did a very nice job providing closure to most of the characters. Having Mark and Dave see the ghost (Steve) was a little far fetched, along with the ghost communicating with Barb in my humble opinion, however; it did not take away from the story, and it is certainly appropriate for Halloween. Thank you!

The only question left was posted by anon, "who is Charles?"

Loose ends finished, retribution for unrepentant mother. Some reconciliation for other parental units.

As far as horror goes; zombies and vampires are silly. Insane people can be truly terrifying.

Thanks again for all your contributions. This, no less than all the others.

Kudos for taking a great story like “Lazy Lemon…” and building on its characters; all the while shooting off in a totally different direction and keeping to a Halloween theme.

Your characters seem to effortlessly come alive and the dialogue is exceptional. I sometimes feel like an observer hidden in the corner of the room.

I’ll disagree with one other commenter about this story being mislabeled as “horror”. The greatest horrors visited upon mankind were not demons, devils or ghosts. Instead they have been the products of our own minds.

I believe I speak for almost everyone in thanking you for taking the time to write this finery and dis’in your clients!

As soon as "he" talked to the wife, I saw it was inspired by Psycho - from the blonde with a history coming to stay in the essentially deserted mansion (Bates Motel) - ending with the nut case sitting alone in the psych ward talking to herself.

One of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema to me isn't the shower sequence in Psycho. It's the ending when Norman Bates is sitting in the chair showing how good he can be. Enough to make the skin crawl.

So full marks for this one. You learned from the master.

well written and worth the read but for ME... and this is JMHO... not real surprises at all

Someone mentioned Faulkner in an earlier comment but, even as a Southerner, I have to admit that I can't stand Faulkner and have never read him. However, very Hitchcockian elements and I think we all realized that Stevie wasn't there...that it was just a multiple personality disorder brought on by the trauma of Stevie's suicide. Or was it? Is that sadistic laughter we hear in the distance? Maybe it was a Frank Herbert type of possession as the Baron possessed Alia? And then finally the John Ford ending with Kirby York and the Calvary riding in at the last minute to save the day. Whether it was supposed to be a wrap up of "Lemon Sun," a horror story for Halloween or both, it was a great read. Five Stars!

To find a story by the eminent Chief Justice on Lit is always a treat. To find two of them within a couple of weeks is almost a sensory overload.

CW

Bravo! A well-written story that would be worthy of a Hitchcock/Steven King thriller. Five stars a must!

Weird, I thought I had posted a comment, but it just vanished. Now I forgot what it was.

Anyway...

Although this story ties up a lot of loose ends (mainly the mom), it does create one more loose end. Who is Charles? How much does he know?

One thing I value more than the new storyline, it's a glimpse into the "epilogue" for Mark and Sandy. They did not have a "happily ever after", very realistic. It's almost painful to read how everything that had happened in the previous story, had changed Mark for the worse, to the point of raping his wife.

Personally, a man raping a woman is a total dealbreaker for me. I think that they probably would've been better off apart. With them staying together, they have a LOOONG way to go...it'll probably never be a "normal" relationship.

For this epilogue, I like the story.

I can see it now. Barbara breaks loose from Stevie (for whatever reason), and Stevie ends up taking over, who? Darling daughter of Mark and Sandy? Schuyler? After all, to borrow a quote from Lazy Lemon, there are Mom's genes in Mark and Schuyler as well.

Too many ways you can run with this story line, CJ. I'll horridly wait to see what's next.

Just as I had (finally) gotten over my nightmares of Norman Bates ("I don't want to go down to the fruit cellar. Do you think I'm fruity?"), you dream this up. The words "well-written" seem so inadequate. I have to admit, I DID see it coming around Page Four or so, but I was no less entertained when it arrived. As you intimated in the Forward, it was the perfect bookend to "Lazy Lemon Sun"; Mark takes a dark turn, like his Mother, but still finds his way back from the Dark Side of the Force. Oops, wrong genre. Nicely done!

What I liked about the story was that Mark and his father seemed to end up with a relationship after everything that had happened. On the otherhand, the idea of the mother being nutty as hell was a little over the top for me.

Thanks for sharing the story though. I enjoyed reading it.

Possessed depressed obsessed expressed

Desperate circumstance addressed

Relational displacement manifest

Political machination manipulative excitation

I seemed have gone Associative

though that was never my real motive?

So you scouried to pop this out

Something different - there is no doubt

Have to admit I kind of liked it

The crazy ending was almost frightening

But not a lick of music in it

And as for food - a drive thru dinner?

You did surprise me

this strange part 5 thing

Planning something for Thanksgiving

Perhaps the gift that keeps on giving?

Old loose ends tied up....new loose ends created. Like a previous commenter asked, "Who's Charles?" Lover? Psychopath? Sadist?

I think your next installment, if there is one, might not be in the LW category..............?

Thank you for a great story. Happy Halloween!

A good read but I thought there was way to much of a change in Mark's character. And thank those ignored clients for us. LOL Jim

This wasn’t as good as The Lazy Lemon Sun, which was a 10 star story, but mighty fine. Only people who have never been through a traumatic event, think you can reconcile with just a flick of the wrist. Doesn’t work that way. It takes time. I think Mark and Sandy’s efforts rang true. As for Barbara, that was, in my humble opinion, realistic, too.

I’m a sucker for happy endings, so I was glad to see a start of reconciliation between Mark’s dad and Sandy’s parents. To continue that hate is destructive. As far as Barbara is concerned, she may get well or not. Probably not. The Stevie persona will probably take completely over as you hinted at the end.

Do we need another story to find out? Not me! Leave Barbara to the imagination…and I don’t care a fig who Charles is.

Thanks for a wonderful story, MK.

Rq,

When they have to read and think at the same time, it gets confusing. Anonymous (s) should read story twice and write a book report for their wife or Mommy (for some the same) before submitting comments.

Thanks go to Scouries. Things that go bump in the mind definitely can be scarier than things that go bump in the dark. Glad he bumped your mind Rq. Fitting end for a great story.

Thanks for sharing on Lit.

x

I had a hard time reading this piece mainly because I found it hard going.

I had to set it aside because of the effort to read it.

I was happy that the ghost reappear at the end and that the mother wasn't just dellustional. My question is how without the assistance of the mother is Stevie going to affect any of the Nurses?

I enjoyed it anyway.

Not up to your usual standard. Still one of the better stories here, but...

I really wanted to like it. One of my few gripes with Lazy Lemon Sky was that the mother was a cardboard cutout bad guy. But this story felt tacked on. And the twist at the end felt contrived and unbelievable. Maybe I should have been ready for it in a Halloween story, but I wasn't able to maintain my suspension of disbelief at the supernatural ending.

I would really like to see this one continued, to see the relationships restored, and to see the crazy woman get her final comeuppance. I hope you will give it some thought.

spoken like the true asshole you are. why don't you write something so I can be the first to give you a well deserved "1"

the twists, and the originality, and the keeping with the halloween theme. Good stuff. Liked the Lemon Sky ones better, but maybe because this had sinister written all over it. Good stuff though. You write well.

Well done, but...ouch. Coulda done without the "mark raped sandy" bit too, if I'm being honest. Nonetheless, I am consistently impressed by your work. One of the few writers here who handles infidelity with grace and a deft grasp of the feelings involved. Superb.

what a crap

specially Mark&Sandy part

oh so well done. As it started I thought it was so much less than the first but then it got better and better. I see the link to Sandy's rape, didn't like it but see it What a great ending awesome I loved it. Jean

Combining a Halloween story with the epilogue - great idea - a little over the top well YEAH sure - but Mom was clearly way over the top from the beginning. Let us all remember in the part 1 she was bought off by Mark to let the maid go home on the holiday?? She was just about uppity and arrogant enou8gh to never ever consider anything she did could wrong or that anything she liked could be flawed.

Lose her ever loving mind in a dream world that worked as she saw fit - hell she always lived there the last steps were very tiny ones heh.

Well written IMHO - and a very good ending to the story of Mark and Sandy had a tough time coming to terms with the truth and their future but they seem ready to move forward now 0 NICE.

I mean, "creepy mother"-part was cool

but why did you have to ruin Mark&Sandy-Story ?

sorry , just don't see any happy-end for them now

not after the rape

You wrote one of the best stories ever, and then you fucked it up like this. One of the most important things about writing is to know when to shut the fuck up. You obviously didn't get that message.

Yes, this one smacked of some of the 70's and 80's horror movies. This story was a strange disconnect from the wonderful Lazy Lemon Sun series. As my title stated, I found the whole story unbelievable...in a bad sense. Because I had read the series first, the sequel could not rate a 1, but I did give it a 2. I guess you just set the bar too high and this story didn't make it. I still admire you as a writer...but we all have a few of these flops in our portfolio. Keep on writing.

Covered with excrement, it isn't worth cleaning.

but it hurts. You give us characters worth caring about, and have this much awfulness happen to them, it hurts. I loved the story, but can't re-read it like I can your others. It's just too hard. I do miss your writing, though, and keep hoping to see another of your stories.

I like that you showed the consequences of Mark and Sandy getting back together and that everything didn't just magically go perfect for them as soon as they got back together.

A hair raising story. Your last few stories have all had colors in their titles. Just like the Travis McGee books of John D. MacDonald. I love it! You also capture the same feeling of wonder that I had while reading the Travis McGee books. You are an amazing author. I hope you continue to weave your outstanding craft here on LIT. I can't wait for your next submission!

Mr. Norcal 62 was so right . There is nothing that could be added except this......

"1*" !!!!!!!!!!!

Was hoping for a finish to lemon sun but this was not a fun read. It got to far

out and did not address all of my questions that I had after reading lemon sun

such as what happened with his music and sort of skipped over his transition

into teaching I would still like to see another ending to lemon sun.

This one is better than the wrapper - the questions about the nature of Mark, the nature of power and what it does to people, the nature of transformation... a bit of supernatural "demon seed" speculation...

I did feel it was a bit short for the middle - we had two transformations in Mark, one in his father, one in his mother... even the chat between father and father-in-law was transformative, since the father did it not for influence peddling but for extended family... I could see this, to be entirely developed, run back in time to convey the deterioration of the marriage in first person, work to establish the character of the father as wheeler-dealer in first person... and then write it out as they find the limits of their status quo and the drive to change to something, hopefully, better. It would require a fullish novel - and I'm not sure the supernatural slant can carry it that far.

But, as I said, it shows quite a bit more in the middle than I expected from the beginning and end.

Green-something

please write some more.

I really enjoyed "The Lazy Lemon Sun", but I still wonder about the goal of this one...

you really resolved this well. Except, of course, Stevie. Does he have a ghost of a chance? A great Halloween entry. Thanks

Jack

I didn't like this as a sequel. Stand alone with more preface and different people yes, but as a sequel, NO!

Yes it answered questions, but raised more.

Thankyou for writing this

The old Mark is on the way back, his dad is becoming a human, it looks as though Sandy and Mark are going to work things out, her parents are coming around. He dad is really the one who needed to change. Since I don't believe in ghosts I won't worry about Stevie, he just lives in his insane mother's mind.

Thank you, Big R. for bring us this. If I had noticed this before I would not have made that impassioned plea for an Epilogue at the ending of Chapter 4.

Ole mom really goes over the edge. I think for what is in this story that you needed more development of the old characters. Personally, I think mom as nasty bitch would have played more interesting than mom as whacked out psycho. You took it the other way and mom as psycho was really well done. Pop and son staking out the vampire is well done, its the rest of the characters and their interactions which seem to be short changed. 4*

I understand it was a Halloween story and hence you felt the need to actually include something in that vein... but having an actual ghost of his sleazy brother almost takes some of the blame from his mom...

Like if there really is a ghost of him then she really is doing what he wants not just that she's a freaking whack job...

Add to that... why did the ghost show up now...? You typically expect ghosts of bad guys to not waste time continuing their sleazy actions... and yet at least what, eight years or more before he made an apparent appearance...?

Lame crappy lousy stupid boring verbose

Get to the fuckin point.i hated it

After enjoying the preceding series, and having a real sense of attachment to the characters, it was sad to see them suddenly involved in a ghost story. It cast a shadow on the quality of the original as well as being a far inferior story in itself. It felt a little like a someone had taken "Of Mice and Men" and dropped in a couple of extra chapters where they battled the Headless Horseman. I was very disappointed.

As the story progressed it was kind of Hitchcockian. Was Barbara conspiring with some perverted lover? Was Stevie still alive and the accident another staged event that Barbara cooked up to keep him out of prison? Or was it a reverse-Norman Bates? The only thing that leans toward it being the actual ghost of Stevie is Mark and his father both thinking they saw Stevie for a moment, but the previous series established that Stevie took after Barbara's side of the family while Mark and Schuyler looked like Dad, and they break in on her wearing Stevie's clothes and doing her psychotic best to actually *be* Stevie while replaying the last evil thing that Stevie did.

The nurses "Stevie" sees are like the fly that lands on "Mother's" hand at the end of "Psycho." Except that "Stevie* will harm the fly first chance he gets.

It amazes me that those that can't put two words together without screwing up. Can criticize someone who writes as well as you do. Somedays it doesnt pay to get out of bed. Especially with all the damn wannabee critics around.

It is indeed "Psycho" and a new Bates coming to life again in the form of Stevie's ghost .

I think I hated this story as much as I like The Lazy Lemon Sun.

Sorry, but some things are unforgivable and the things Mark's mother did, in both stories, is far out into that realm. Along with that, forgiveness just for the sake of forgiving isn't all that healthy. Even if you could get to the place where you truly forgave any of your parents for deceiving and using you that way, that doesn't mean you should bring them back into you life. It would take more than contrition, they'd have to have gone to extreme lengths to prove they'd reformed (like publicly acknowledging pretty much every crappy thing they'd done).

I'm not usually a fan of "halloween" stories but having enjoyed the original so much I felt compelled to read this one and enjoyed it immensely

ghost, rapes, all (even Mark) becomes crazy assholes? didn't like this "ending" at all.

This almost ruined a great story. Everything up to this last chapter was great. This chapter should just be deleted.

Yes, the characters had the same names as in The Lazy Lemon Sun

Yes, they even had some of the personality traits as their namesakes

but

No, the unanswered questions at the end of TLLS were not resolved with this story

In fact, more problems were generated than alleviated.

This would have been a better Halloween entry with new names and back stories for this scenario.

Congrats. Good story. Four out of five. And it was nice to revisit favourite characters for lazy lemon. This style of story is not usually my cup of tea but it was just understated enough to work.

maybe I'm just not into horror stuff

damn, this is really good

The Man Who Sold the World, is and always will be Bowie. Nirvana was a short blip in Rock and Roll, Bowie was a god. He wrote the song and only he should be credited for the lyric. (must be a generational thing). Otherwise, love your work.

I don't know why you wrote this, but

It was pretty good until the last page.

Was it a brain fart? A humour attempt?

Went from 3 1/2 to 1 in a quarter of a page