BROKEN MINDS: Three Tales of Perception and Obsession

In the darkest corners of the human psyche lie obsessions that transform, consume, and ultimately shatter lives. "Broken Minds" presents three haunting tales that explore the fragile boundary between perception and reality, between love and possession.

In "Visions," a man who lost his sight as a child finds himself haunted by dreams of a woman he believes must exist in the waking world. His lifelong search for her leads him down an increasingly desperate path, blurring the line between devotion and madness as he discovers that sometimes, what we see most clearly is what exists only in darkness.

"The Final Ascension" follows Emmett Caldwell, a seventy-two-year-old widower whose peculiar obsession with his apartment building's elevator evolves from eccentricity to something far more sinister. When the residents conspire to end his reign over their shared space, they unwittingly set in motion a meticulously engineered plan that reveals the terrible precision of a broken mind seeking its final journey.

In "Grandmother's Mirror," young Lily inherits not only her mother's striking emerald eyes but also the attention of her grandmother, Augusta—a woman obsessed with beauty and its preservation. As Lily discovers the terrifying secret behind an antique mirror and the true fate of her parents, she must confront a legacy of vanity that spans generations and defies natural law.

Each tale delves into the architecture of obsession: how it builds, room by room, until its inhabitants can no longer distinguish between the structures of their creation and the foundations of reality. With lyrical prose and psychological precision, "Broken Minds" examines the human capacity for self-deception and the shadowed passages that connect love to possession, genius to madness, and perception to truth.

This collection will appeal to fans of Shirley Jackson's psychological suspense, the existential horror of Thomas Ligotti, and the dark fairy tales of Angela Carter. These stories will linger in your thoughts long after the final page, like reflections that remain when the mirror has been shattered.

"A masterful exploration of how the mind can betray itself, creating both prison and escape in the same tortured breath."