Ankle-Snatcher by Grady Hendrix

 

 

"Your father did this terrible thing, not you. You don't have to be like him. What you make of your life is up to you." 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And another 5-star read right off the bat in the new year! I love pretty much anything by Grady Hendrix and this was no exception. Every child's (and sometimes adult's) worst nightmare.

Started: January 3rd, 2024

Finished: January 3rd, 2024

Synopsis: This short story follows a man named Marcus who is trying to pick up a girl at the bar. Romantic, right? While they banter and drink, Marcus reveals that his father killed his mother. And the father's final words before he left young Marcus? "He told me that he was very sorry, but the boogeyman had taken Mom away." If trauma was something you were looking for, here it is.

When Marcus takes Tess, his date from the bar, home, he grows increasingly paranoid about leaving the light off and leaving his bed. That's when the Ankle Snatcher comes into play. He drags (Hendrix writes in creepy detail) Tess under the bed and she is never heard from again. The way in which Hendrix writes these creepy death scenes in paralleled. He knows just the right words in order to make the reader feel unsettled. 

Losing his date, and eventually his sanity, Marcus is picked up my local police after Tess was reported missing and last seen with him. All the while, Marcus is fighting with himself as to whether the Ankle Snatcher is real or if it is a trauma-based delusion. Marcus ends up being sent to the same prison his father was sent to, awaiting whether or not his bed will be connected to the floor or not. 

In the end, Marcus is given a bunk mate and his bed is the top bunk. Which can only mean that the Ankle Snatcher will feed on whoever lies beneath him.

Final Thoughts: For a short story, this was a solid entry into Hendrix's writing work. It was just short enough to be terrifying while also long enough for me to ask questions and wonder where the Ankle Snatcher came from. I look forward to anything else this author writes and if you are in the mood for a quick scare, this will be for you. Just don't let your feet dangle off the bed...