Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction and Non-fiction

  • Home
  • Mike Scott Thrillers
    • Explosion: Down Below
    • Held Hostage: Search for the Juncal
    • Water Crisis: Day Zero
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Heart of the Maya: Murder for the Gods
    • Wreck of the Huron: Cuban Secrets
    • Guardians’ Keep: Mystery below the Adriatic
    • Flooding Hollywood: Fanatics at the Dam
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
  • Withrow Key
    • Lyin’ Fish
    • Tales from Withrow Key
  • Agent AJ West
  • About the Author
    • Publicity and Interviews
  • Nonfiction
    • For Cheap Lobster
    • Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery
    • Oral History
      • Batter Up!
      • Memories of the Valley
      • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
      • Capturing Memories: How to Record Oral Histories
    • Dive-abled: The Leo Morales Story
    • Keep on, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Story
    • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
    • Russia: The New Age
    • Scuba Diving Safety
  • Free Short Fiction
  • Other Fiction
    • Sea Turtle Rescue and Other Stories
    • River Town
You are here: Home / Free Fiction / When a costume isn’t & Left Behind

When a costume isn’t & Left Behind

October 30, 2018 By Eric Douglas

Below are my contributions to my annual Halloween short story collection. These are two flash fiction stories, each exactly 100 words each. For the last several years, I have asked writing friends to contribute their own stories.

Here is the link to read the rest of the submissions. You can find the links to the previous years, plus loads of other free reading goodies, on the Free Fiction page.

 

When a costume isn’t

“That’s a great costume!”

“Wow, you’re so realistic!”

“How did you get your face to look like that?”

People laughed and shouted to friends. Kids ran past, dressed as…well, just about everything. Celebrities, politicians, witches and ghosts and superheroes.

The young woman walked around the neighborhood stunned. She was confused when she first saw the crowds on the street. And then things got weirder when people handed her candy and other treats.

What sort of weird tradition is this? She thought. This is how I look all the time. Wait until I show them what a witch can really do.

 

Left behind

Eric woke up at his usual time on November 1.

He laughed to himself about the BS he heard the night before. The “veil between worlds grows thin on Halloween” the woman walking down the street said. Such rubbish.

The night before, when the kids came around for trick or treat, he kept his lights off and stayed inside. He didn’t believe in handouts.

Eric flipped on the television, but no one was there. The cameras were on, but the talking heads weren’t in their seats.

No one was outside either. Where was everyone? It was like everyone had disappeared.

Filed Under: Free Fiction, New Releases

Now Available!

Photojournalist Mike Scott is about to get married to the woman he loves — archeologist Frankie DeMarco – but her kidnapping sets Mike on a collision course with the treasure hunter who took her. The man wants Frankie’s help finding a 400-year-old shipwreck so Mike sets out to find it first to get her back […]

View Book

Spooky Flash Fiction For Advent 2025

December 18, 2025 By Eric Douglas

In the 1963 Andy Williams song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” there is a line that says “There’ll be scary ghost stories, And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.”

Take a flight in a biplane!

https://youtu.be/WN8BrcSNel0
https://youtu.be/lFWWbTXrTJQ?si=SJAadKSt9ZLCbOvX

How I got into diving!

https://youtu.be/gKhw-4tORAM

Heart Blog

Heart Survivor Book Proceeds to Heart Walk

Charleston author Eric Douglas will donate proceeds from his book Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery to the 2017 Charleston Heart Walk. Douglas wrote the book to detail his recovery from open-heart surgery and his return to fitness to inspire others facing the same diagnosis. In January 2016, Douglas visited his doctor to rule out the […]

More Posts from this Category

Heart Blog
  • Heart Survivor Book Proceeds to Heart Walk
    Charleston author Eric Douglas will donate proceeds from his book Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery to the 2017 Charleston Heart Walk. Douglas wrote the book to detail his recovery from open-heart surgery and his return to fitness to inspire others ...
  • Introduction to the book Heart Survivor
    The following is most of Chapter 2 from the book Heart Survivor. I thought it was important to help my readers understand that I should have recognized the signs and symptoms of impending heart issues, but even with that experience, ...
Read more

Return to Cayman book trailer

Sunlight Prints

Cyanotype printing, also known as Sunlight Prints, is an antique photo printing technique, first used around 1842. Cyanotypes are made by mixing two chemicals (ammonium iron citrate and potassium ferricyanide) and treating paper, cloth or canvas, making it sensitive to ultraviolet light. The sun turns the chemical blue while whatever is shaded stays white. One of the earliest uses for cyanotype was for naturalists to capture images of plants. The same process is used to create “blue prints” of … Read more

The Buzz

You want to explore the ocean, alongside Mike Scott! -- Rosemary E Lunn Diving Journalist and Scuba Industry Fixer
Land Sharks cover
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Substack
  • Threads
  • YouTube

Privacy Policy

 

NO AI POLICY: Eric Douglas/BooksbyEric does not use artificial intelligence tools to generate, draft, edit, or automate our core work—including writing, artwork or photography. Everything we produce is created by humans.

Copyright © 2026 ·