Weed By Night: Sarah L. Johnson
Reviewed By Simon Paul Wilson
I’ve heard only good things about Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks!, so I was very happy when I got the chance to review Weed by Night by Sarah L. Johnson.
After reading, it was clear that I would be reading more from both Demain and Johnson. Colour me most impressed.
Weed by Night is an excellent read, and definitely a short tale of horror worthy of your attention. It’s beautifully written and very creepy indeed. The ending is one of those that lingers and will haunt a few dreams, I’m sure. It may also make you hungry for SPAM. You’ll know what I mean once you’ve read it. Have a loaf of crusty bread ready.
The story starts with fifteen-year-old twins, Kaia and Jack, meeting their grandmothers for the first time. Their mother is going through some difficulties, so leaves/dumps them with her moms, promising that she’ll be back once summer is done and she’s got life sorted. Like the kids, I had my doubts about that promise.
It isn’t long before questions arise, such as what are the old women smoking on the porch each evening, and why place a mirror on the ceiling of a kid’s bedroom?
Obviously, this is a horror story, so you know things are going to get dark.
And boy, do they.
As I said earlier, the end of Weed by Night is deliciously eerie. It certainly made this reader grin with delight.
Johnson is a writer I definitely want to read more of. I thought she nailed the voices of the two teens, capturing their curiosity and fears perfectly. Bonus points for the Bendy and the Ink Machine reference.
Obviously, I want to stay clear of spoilers. Just go into it blind, as I did. I promise you, you’re in for a treat.
So, to sum up, Weed by Night is an excellent horror short. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
Weed By Night
Fifteen-year-old twins Kaia and Jack meet their grandmothers for the first time when they’re dumped like luggage on the front porch of their windy farm.
Mom says it’s only for the summer, but her eyes say different, and then she’s gone. Kaia is curious about her mom’s moms and their strange garden, the old barn, and the smoke coming out of their pipe when they sit on the porch in the evenings. The G-units say it’s medicine, grown on this land by women, for generations.
They say Kaia’s mother ran away. They say Kaia should have been born here. They say nothing about her brother. They favour her over her him, and it’s not long before Kaia begins to dream.
It’s not long before she begins to worry about Jack.
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin)
You can buy Weed By Night from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Simon Paul Wilson
Simon Paul Wilson is a U.K. based writer of horror and science fiction.
He is currently writing a cyberpunk horror trilogy, the first of which is GhostCityGirl and was published by Not A Pipe publishing in 2020.
Click this link for more info: Ghost City Girl
There now follows a list of writers who have influenced his reading tastes and writing style:
James Herbert. Stephen King, Shaun Hutson, Clive Barker, China Mieville, Haruki Murakami, Carlton Mellick III, Brian Keene, and Adam Nevill.
Simon lives somewhere in the middle of England with his wonderful family. He likes to listen to post-rock and progressive rock at loud volumes. He also plays a mean air bass.
Follow him on Twitter: @spwzen
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