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3 Deadly Drabbles — Here Be Monsters

Wendigo, Redcap, and the Hat Man

John Watson in Dark Flash Fiction · 2026-05-28 18:24 · 100 claps · 1.7 min read paywalled
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3 Deadly Drabbles — Here Be Monsters

Wendigo, Redcap, and the Hat Man

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Insatiable

It lived to feed but had been doing so long enough to know that its hunger could never be sated. No matter the size of the meal, the hunger remained, and so it stalked new prey in a state of permanent bloodlust.

In its true form, the creature was a fearful beast, all antlers and rotted flesh. When it possessed the human, it became hungrier still, relentlessly tracking others in a quest for food.

Today it stood as human and watched the wagon train cross the prairie. It smiled as its stomach growled, ready to feast on the Donner party.

Redcap

He sits in the high ramparts of the castle, picking at his overgrown teeth with fingers so skinny as to be skeletal. In the distance he spies travelers approaching, and he dances a jig.

With his stout little frame, he hoists a large rock, timing the drop perfectly so that it lands squarely on the heads of the castle visitors. He heard their gurgling screams fade to silence as he rushes down the steps.

He delights at all the blood, tipping his cap at the offering and dipping it into the sticky fluid, his cap a brilliant red once more.

Coronary

The doctor frowns and shakes his head as he looks at my chart. He tells me that while I definitely had a coronary event, he cannot figure out why. My heart is as healthy as a horse.

I smile and shrug, trying not to show just how scared I am. I ask him to leave the overhead light on, but he tells me I need to rest.

As the room falls into near darkness, I feel the tightening in my heart and hear the rattling breath. I look down and see the hat man perched on my chest, grinning happily.

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