Promises

Promises is a short scary story about a young girl who makes a promise to her first boyfriend that she will marry him. It was inspired by an old horror story by the Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen called The Demon Lover.

There was a young girl named Kathleen. When she was 16 years old, she fell in love with a boy who lived down the road. They spent all their time together, kissing and holding hands.

One day, the boy told her he had to go away. He had joined the army and they were sending him overseas. She promised that she would wait for him and when he returned, they would get married and spend the rest of their lives together.

A few months later, the young man was reported missing, presumed killed in action.

Kathleen grew up and, as time went by, she forgot about her first love. She met a new man and they got married and had children. Kathleen settled into her life as a wife and mother.

For years, she was so busy raising her family that she barely had time to think of anything else. Eventually, her children grew up and left the house.

One morning, after her husband left for work, she found a letter on her doorstep. She picked it up and turned it over. There was no stamp on the envelope. She tore it open and read the note inside. It was just one line.

“You didn’t keep your promise!”

She was puzzled by the message. It seemed angry and threatening. It made her think of things long ago, of the boy she had known when she was young. She tore the letter up and threw it in the garbage.

Later that day, Kathleen went shopping. It was her wedding anniversary and she wanted to cook a special dinner for her husband. She bought a lot of groceries and struggled out the supermarket door with the bags under her arms.

It was growing dark and she was afraid to walk home alone, so she flagged down a taxi. When it pulled over, she put the shopping bags on the back seat and got inside. It wasn’t until she shut the door that the taxi driver turned around and smiled at her.

It was a face she remembered from long ago. A pale, gaunt, rotting face.

Kathleen screamed in horror and tried to open the door but it was locked. As she beat on the window with her fists, shrieking with terror, the taxi drove off into the night.