Richard and Maria, a couple with two sons in college, are enjoying their new rural life when they are visited by the Black Eyed Kids, and their dream retirement becomes a nightmare.
For those who don’t know, Black Eyed Kids (or Children) is an urban legend that originated in the US in the 1990s. Since then, people around the world have claimed to have seen these creepy pale skinned, black eyed children, who range in age from 6 to 16. Often found at the side of roads, but always begging or asking for help in some way, providing aid to these sinister apparitions usually ends badly for the Good Samaritan.
I’m a fan of Pongratz’s writing, and I really enjoyed this creepy novelette. Richard and Maria are a lovely couple. They’re good parents, loving spouses, and hard workers. I wanted everything to turn out well for them, even as the unfolding plot became increasingly grim.
The preternatural element of the Black Eyed Kids is handled well. I particularly enjoyed how their appearances stayed within the realm of possibility, maintaining my suspension of disbelief, and rendering their scenes all the creepier.
Readers looking for a neat story with everything explained will be disappointed, but horror lovers keen to experience a chilling ghost story will love The BEK Curse.
I award The BEK Curse…
Iseult Murphy 
Thanks for sharing your review, Iseult. I haven’t read this one, and it sounds like it’s worth picking up. “I particularly enjoyed how their appearances stayed within the realm of possibility, maintaining my suspension of disbelief, and rendering their scenes all the creepier.” That’s a great endorsement of the book. Congrats to Jonny, and thanks for the recommendation!
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Thank you, Diana. This was a hit for me! I hope you enjoy it.
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Thanks Diana! I got a ton of inspiration from creepy podcasts and other books that covered this phenomenon in shocking detail.
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It sounds very creepy. I’m not a fan of gruesome, but I do love creepy!
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In my opinion, I would call it horror light, with more emphasis on suspense and the paranormal aspect of things. Many creepy moments for sure!
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“Horror-light.” I like that. 🙂
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Yeah, nothing super gory, but still really tense and disturbing.
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Thanks so much for giving my story a read! So glad you enjoyed it, and I hope neither of us has to deal with these terrifying children!
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Oh I hope we never encounter them! Fun to read about but not to experience! Thanks, Jonny.
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Right? It’s all fun and games until you’re the one in the horror story!
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I enjoyed this one too, Iseult! Congrats to Pongratz on another fun and scary story!
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It’s a fun creepy read all right. Thanks, Priscilla.
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I’m actually trying to come up with an idea based on the Black Eyed Kids stories, though so far I’ve been unsuccessful. I’ll have to read this one just to make sure I don’t overlap with it.
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Oooh! Would love to read your take on the phenomenon, Rami.
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If I have a good idea for it, I will try to write it. Hopefully it ends up being somewhat decent.
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If you write it, I know it’ll be good.
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Flattery will get you nowhere, but don’t stop
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Sounds good! On my TBR! Thanks for the review 🙂
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Excellent. Thanks, Valinora.
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