Crowing Hennie

Suburban Witchcraft Magazine - Issue 6

What happens when you mock Hennie?

Four college students, two meddlesome ghosts, and one chilling legend.

It’s Halloween night on campus and what was supposed to be a fun after party of ghost stories and spin the bottle for four college students spirals into a deadly nightmare. As it turns out, some spirits aren’t always as playful and forgiving as they may seem with an Ouija board, and some don’t like to have their story mocked.

One thing is for certain: Billy’s playful ghoulish antics are about to be one-upped on the scare meter, and this night will go down in campus history as the worst incident ever.

Crowing Hennie Cover Final

embellishment 2

“Crowing Hennie” is a paranormal thriller short story with comedic elements of ghosts, long lost legends, and Halloween shenanigans gone horribly wrong. With a balanced blend of spooky and humorous, this tale will leave you wondering if the legend of Crowing Hennie is real or not. It is part of Issue 6, published by Suburban Witchcraft Magazine in August of 2024 and features the poetry, fiction, art, and photography of a whooping sixty-five other creators as well as myself.

Excerpt:

Arthur flicked his gaze sideways to see Billy floating through the outer wall toward him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Wearing the Linkin Park graphic tee and black jeans he died in, the younger ghost was the epitome of a so-called bad boy.

“Yes,” he said. “Where have you been?”

Billy waved one hand. “Right outside campus scaring the pants off the old lady who’s always screaming about aliens and conspiracy theories.” His shoulders shook with laughter. “You should have been there, Arthur. I pressed through the veil enough to make noises while she had that weird transmitter thing on. You know, the one she swears she can hear extraterrestrial chatter over? I started making all these screeching noises, clicking and clacking, demented cackles. I sent the readings on that thing going bonkers. She freaked!”

“Billy!”

The teenage ghost somersaulted in the air before coming to a floating stand a couple inches off the ground beside Arthur, just a tad shorter than he. “She started running around her living room yelling, ‘Their cavalry is coming! Their cavalry is coming!'” He wiped away a ghostly tear. “Oh man it was totally baller.”

“Billy, the woman is crazy enough! You don’t need to make her go completely insane. Why do you always pick on the easiest targets?”

“Because it’s more fun!” Billy punched through his companion’s shoulder. “Dude, lighten up. You’ve never had a really awesome haunt until you make someone faint.”

“Don’t tell me you made poor Ms. Henderson faint.”

“You know it! Women scare so easily.”

embellishment 2

Publication Information

Issue 6
Publisher: Suburban Witchcraft Magazine
Contributing Creators: Poetry by Kim Malinowski, Gregg Norman, Jake Sheff, Emma Wilson-Kanamori, J.L. Moultrie, Patricia Russo, Clarissa Simmens, Marlene Effiwatt, Vikki C., Strider Marcus Jones, Brandon Shane, Michael Williams, JW Summerisle, Mark J. Mitchell, Satya Bosman, Chris Bevens, Philip Berry, Beau Brockett Jr., Alex Carrigan, Richard LeDue, Charlotte Cosgrove, Johny Takkedasila, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, Danielle McMahon, Nuala McEvoy, Saraswati Nagpal, Avery Pack, Damon Hubbs, MK Zariel, Steph Patterson, Melody Creek, Wayne Russell, & Sayani Mukherjee; Fiction by Thomas Koperwas, Peter Street, Robert Stone, Jasmine G. Crawshaw, Huina Zheng, Lauren Carter, Shelby Cohen, Dahlia Crawford, Laura Shell, Noll Griffin, Tinamarie Cox, JP Relph, Matias Travieso-Diaz, Rachael Lord, Michael Kochuga, James Reitter, Kathryn Henmann, Mary Buchanan, Henry Ceffalio, & Daelyn Morgana; Art by Matthew Gostelow, Laszlo Aranyi, Ly Faulk, Sadee Bee, Audrey T. Carroll, James Diaz, Michael Moreth, Bill Wolak, Chris Weidner, Edward Palmer, & Nuala McEvoy; Photography by Clarissa Simmens, Mirjana M., Lisa Fotios, & Lilartsy
Format: Imbedded Online Reader
Release Date: August 25, 2024
Length: 266 pages
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Art, & Photography
Price: FREE

“Dear creatives, this sixth issue of Suburban Witchcraft Magazine comes to your screens in a blazing passionate swirl of written words, composed and overhead songs of nature and US, transcribed through artworks and assembled like a raw, innocent summer in the corner of some box of myth and tell-tale.

Coined from the nether of the hottest July in the history of our planet, a wake amidst wars, a cry for beautiful existence. Throughout the experience of this issue let yourself find both hope and strength, through stories of time travel, remembering legends, found memories, the kindness of our now scorching Sun, and let it lead you both back into some gentler Julies, but also forward into many hopeful, healing ones.

Most of all, I hope that this issue inspires you into creating, and existing creatively, in whichever way it makes you shine and that it brings you an urge to connect to all of these creatives featured in this issue and beyond.” –Editor’s Letter by Mirjana M.

embellishment 2