Savannah Cooper-Ramsey

Scary Story in 200 Words or Less

I wake up, roll over, hug the only semi-sentient thing: my pillow – still hot with breath and sweat. The food will never run out; the water will never run out; when this house dirties, slip to the next. Do not fall. Bite down gently, gingerly – 30% of deaths in the Medieval Era derived from bad dentistry.

It’s only a carrot growing from my nose not the end of human history. And why not plug one of those suckers with mulch – a second seed in there for good luck and just let the roots wage war on the body – find hospice in the fecund, creep the synapses – tether the jaw, these creaky teeth in what’s been watching them.

Savannah Cooper-Ramsey lives in Philadelphia where she works in the service industry. She's published poems and an artist book, Not Fit For Print: Forthcoming Titles (Waterhouse Ltd Press, 2018), and received a PhD in Italian from Columbia University. 

Thanks to the 2022 Short Story students at University of the Arts for the writing prompt.