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Spring 2010
Bryce R. Piper
Moongypsy Press
Krista moves to her new home, located across the street from a playground. A dark, quiet stranger sits vigil on the park bench, sips from a brown paper bag and watches the children play. The more Krista notices him there, the more her paranoia takes over.
She makes quick friends with her neighbor, June, and wonders why no one in the neighborhood is creeped out by the mysterious man. She repeatedly pries for information only to be kept in the dark via short answers that lack explanation.
When Krista becomes pregnant, she grows indignant. At a block party, she catches June a little tipsy and uses that to her advantage to demand the story of Orlando's vigil. Only to be wracked with shock, horror and an understanding she did not expect.
Though some prefer longer tales, as short stories can leave out much of the story, Orlando's Vigil will certainly rattle the reader in it's limited pages. This particular short is a rarity. It doesn't leave you with a ton of unanswered questions. It held enough action and plot that it didn't need to be a novel, even though it could be. It was a refreshingly light take on a sinister story that outweighed it's pages.
Orlando's Vigil is like a good cable series that can surprise you, sometimes several times over, in a short 30 minutes to an hour. Or maybe leave you wanting to know more of the story and at the same time, thoroughly shocked enough to not want to know all the details. I admire Piper's downplay of the meat and potatoes of the story, without failing to deliver a horror that needs no explanations. All the while, he maintains a reality that makes you question if the story is true. This kind of writing talent would also be well suited for the screen.
Orlando's Vigil has the makings of a memorable movie. Or add a couple hundred thousand words and Oprah will snatch that right up for her book club.
Available for the Kindle here. Also available from Moongypsy Press.
B+ -Alesha Brunell
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