Candelabra

De: David Ajluni

Narrado por: David Ajluni

The year is 1981, and 21-year-old Kevin Foster is listless. He still lives at home, and is house sitting while his parents are on a business trip. He is also hopelessly in love with his neighbor and former classmate Marlene. As he checks the attic for rats one day, he finds a pewter candle holder, and things quickly get weird. He starts catching glimpses of a hooded figure around the house, and begins having terrible and very detailed death dreams.

Enlisting the help of Marlene, the two work together in an attempt to solve the mystery behind the haunted candelabra. But the more they learn, the less prepared they realize they are. Before long, things take a very dark turn, and Kevin and Marlene find themselves in the path of a sadistic witch hell-bent on making them suffer.

©2022 David Ajluni (P)2022 David Ajluni

Standout realistic characters

I like the horror, but it was how the characters felt real and relatable that helped in stand out in the genre. Looking forward to more from the author.

A promising debut of a new voice in horror fiction

David Ajluni does a fine job narrating his debut novella. At 21, socially awkward Kevin Foster is finding life as an adult challenging. With High School falling further and further behind him, he is lost as to what to do with his life. Should he find a job like his father keeps badgering him to do? Should he go to college? Should he tell Marlene, his longtime crush, his true feelings toward her? A run-in with a local bully only adds to his growing feelings of insecurity and worthlessness. When his parents leave on a business trip, Kevin begins to hear strange sounds coming from the attic, experience unsettling nightmares and sees, just out of the corner of his eye, a sinister hooded figure lurking around the house. Is he going crazy or is there a more supernatural explanation as to what’s happening? Ajluni’s performance, and some well placed audio effects, keeps the listener's attention and the spooky tension growing as Kevin is forced to confront the dark, evil presence in his house. It all leads to a satisfying ending that, with a nice Twilight Zone twist, hints at a possible sequel.