This prologue introduces readers to Mitchell and a tall companion, standing outside a suburban home under the guise of reading a gas meter. At first, their banter seems mundane—guessing whether the occupant is showering or cooking.
The tall man’s casual observations about clothes on the line and the scent of steam through the walls give the scene an odd voyeuristic intimacy. Mitchell, however, isn’t merely intrigued—he’s stimulated. The narrative pivots from a seemingly harmless game into something far darker as Mitchell contemplates how this small intrusion could enhance his own illicit practices. The final line, “The Beast woke once again,” signals the awakening of a sinister inner force lurking beneath his ordinary exterior.
Thematically, the prologue achieves several things at once. It juxtaposes everyday domestic details—gas meters, washing lines, showers—with predatory fascination. This tension creates unease: what seems banal is suddenly dangerous when filtered through Mitchell’s perspective. The Beast, described not in detail but with suggestion, personifies an inner compulsion. The reader is left unsettled, knowing Mitchell’s thrill derives not from imagination but from proximity to strangers’ private lives.
Narratively, the chapter sets the tone for a story steeped in voyeurism, hidden compulsions, and blurred boundaries between normalcy and deviance. The tall man provides contrast—treating the guessing game as boredom relief—while Mitchell internalises it, pushing it toward arousal and obsession. The presence of technology—hacking computers—links old voyeuristic thrills with modern methods of intrusion. Yet standing beside a stranger’s wall offers something visceral: warmth, moisture, scent. This primal immediacy excites him more than digital transgressions ever could.
The prologue effectively primes the reader for a psychological thriller. It suggests Mitchell’s descent into darker acts, guided by The Beast within him, while grounding the story in unsettlingly ordinary suburban spaces.
–Michael (Dark fiction. Author of SEETHINGS (the first book), free for a limited time)
Love, lust, and lies collide on land and water. A temptress, a faithful wife, and a photographer haunted by shadows drift into a world of seduction, betrayal, and control.
Marriages unravel, secrets surface, and civility dissolves into primal instinct. Nothing is safe. No one is innocent.
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SEETHINGS (first in the series) is downloadable and free for a limited time, here.
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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