It was real cold that night, not just Miami cold, and it was late. I'd had to wait until the girls were asleep to go out into the pre-Christmas lunacy of the mall because my wife and I were keeping up ... [+]
Floris M. Kleijne is the author of the Dutch thriller Klaverblad, as well as over forty short stories in a broad range of genres. He was the first Dutchman to win the prestigious Writers of the Future contest (in 2005, with the science fiction novelette Meeting the Sculptor). He writes both in English and his native Dutch, and his first novel, a Dutch thriller, was published in 2021 to widespread critical acclaim. Read more about his writing, including numerous free stories, on https://www.floriskleijne.com. "Echoes" is in Short Circuit #06, Short Édition's quarterly review.
"You didn't invite them in, did you, Sheila?" Grandfather Jessup clasped my biceps in his feeble grip and searched my face, worry akin to fear darkening his eyes. I patted his liver-stained hand and directed him back towards his recliner with gentle force. "Is the door firmly shut?" he asked. "Did you lock it?" "They were Jehovah's Witnesses, Gramps. Those, I never invite in." Turning back to the hallway before he had a chance to respond, I shook the doorknob so he could hear the lock rattle. "Firmly shut!" I called, raising my voice, but not enough. "WHAT?" Releasing a sigh I knew he wouldn't