Playing in the Dirt

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Playing in the Dirt

Short Story - Psychological Horror
Released: September 19, 2022 - Length: 4 pages (1209 words)

"Papa didn’t like my jokes or songs. He always said they were 'unnatural'..."

Is it nature? Is it nurture? Everyone grows up under a unique set of circumstances. Not all of them good. But what do you learn along the way?

Warning: This story is creepy!

Read the reviews if you don't believe us.

You will get a PDF (6MB) file

What people are saying

"'Playing in the Dirt' is terrific, inventive, and creepy!"

— Barbara McLaughlin, Author

"'Playing in the Dirt' is reminiscent to 'Flowers for Algernon'... On the surface Diamanti's piece is dark humor ending with a quick punch. Dig deeper and it takes you into the mind of a mentally deficient individual capable of great evil--this is a thought-provoking story."

— Andrew Miller, Author

"It's been hard for me to find just the right word for this chilling story, but I'll settle for terrific."

— June Griffin, Author

"The quality of the writing had me thinking this was leading up to something good... I wasn't disappointed."

— David Henson, Author

"'Playing in the Dirt' is like a spell; the voice lulls the reader into the world and mind of the character, and we experience things the way he experiences them... the story works like gangbusters."

— Jeffrey Schwartz, Author & Professor

"Dark and unsettling."

— Hugh Cron, Editor of Literally Stories

"Somber and shivery with a dash of dark humor."

— Ceinwen Haydon, Author

"I really love 'Playing in the Dirt' and Z.S. Diamanti has a really strong presence in character voice."

— Nikita Anderson, Author

"'Playing in the Dirt' is a great and haunting story."