Another plane exists just below ours, just as another plane exists above ours: like paper stacked atop paper. These are the stories of two twins, L-on, and Kai’rah, who transcend these planes. Through them, the ebbs and flows of our lives become waves of consequence. Each represents half of the universe, and each brings to us the soft chaos in our lives.

It often feels as though our days are a series of tests. This framework is not lost in the stories within Hidden Horrors. As we age, and as we grow, we oscillate between conscious and unconscious states, naturally compartmentalizing each separately, but it is not so. It is our consciousness that drives our unconsciousness, and our unconsciousness which then drives our consciousness. Do we make our own decisions, or do a million invisible strings tug us toward infinity?

There are two sides to all things. Unity and discord operate through one another. There is no salvation from the gentle hands which push us into the future. The present exists only for a moment before it is shattered. And so, each moment we are faced with a decision, a confrontation of sorts. Do we act on our feelings? Or do we leave them by the road, malnourished and suffering? How do we trust our instincts in an age in which we no longer need them?

There are three stories in Hidden Horrors. In each, a person is brought face to face with the truths within themselves, and the reality which lies just below the surface of our world. There is an existing oral tradition for each, and though they are penned in a modern setting, have parallels that transcend time. As your actions echo the past, and call to the history of a missed opportunity, or a lost connection, so do theirs. As with most things, it is the undercurrents that pin these events together, rather than the loud, obvious things. Seek the hidden strings within each. Pull at them to find what lies between the pages, what transcends the black ink on white paper.

Leah Whitman