Don't Fall Asleep

By Hazel Bergen

Don't Fall Asleep – Five Terrifying Tales and Scary Stories

These stories, filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and heart-pounding moments, add an extra layer of excitement to the Halloween season. So, grab a cozy blanket, light a few candles, and dive into a book that will send shivers down your spine.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hazel Bergen
• Release date: Sep 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781738589708

Book preview

Don’t Fall Asleep

A Collection of Five Terrifying Tales and Scary Stories

By

Hazel Bergen

Copyright © 2023 Hazel Bergen

First published by Hazel Bergen 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permissionfrom the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, ordistribute it by any other means without permission.

ISBN eBook: 978-1-7385897-0-8

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-7385897-2-2

ISBN audiobook: 978-1-7385897-3-9

A word of caution

I am supposed to say that these stories are entirely  works of fiction. That the names, characters and incidents portrayed in the are the work of the author’s imagination. And that any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental... But that would be a lie.

If you recognize yourself in any of these characters and feel I have done you a disservice by the way you have been portrayed, feel free to let me know and I will make sure that in the next book there will be a character with your name who may or may not survive...

CONTENTS

A word of warning to the reader

Read this book at your own peril. The author, publisher and distributor waive all responsibilities for any impacts this book may have on the reader, including, but not limited to, bed-wetting, nightmares, mental wellbeing, anxiety disorder and an inability to trust people.

These creepy tales are best read out loud around a camp fire or with the lights dimmed and a lit flashlight beneath your chin.

It is advised to check under the bed and lock all doors prior to reading this book. If you hear suspicious sounds, whatever you do, do not investigate. It is best practice to hide out of sight (for example in a wardrobe or under the bed) and wait for the sun to come up or reinforcements to arrive.

Read on at your own risk. Good luck, dear reader, you may need it. May your journey be bone-chilling and spine-tingling.

Godspeed, and whatever you do,

Don’t fall asleep!

Hazel Bergen

.

ONE

AN ITALIAN HORROR STORY,

OR THE UNKINDESS OF BEING

I WAS NEVER SUPPOSED to go on that family trip to Italy, and ever since I wished I hadn’t. My father insisted I came, and I was still stupid enough to listen to him.

Ever since he had discovered he was twelve percent Italian he had this obsession about anything to do with Italy. Especially the food. Which had been a nice change from the dry genealogy obsession that made him take the test in the first place. Besides, my aunt and her two sons would be joining us for their spring break, so it wouldn’t have been very nice if I’d bailed.

We visited town after town and, on the drives in between, Dad would regurgitate the encyclopaedia on Italian folklore he’d apparently swallowed.

You are not planning to drag us around town again, are you, Gregor? Auntie Chloe asked. Because there are only so many old churches and fortifications I can look at before I turn into stone myself. I plan on spending any daylight hours on the beach in the next few days, with my feet up and my nose in a Renard novel.

Then we have exactly nine hours and seventeen minutes left at the beach. Cousin Berty showed me the sunset function on his new watch. Playing with that thing had been the highlight of his holidays.

Yeah, the beach! Cousin Bastian cheered.

Wouldn’t the world be a nicer place if we were all as easily pleased as a four-year-old?

Mum scoffed, but she didn’t say anything and pretended to be preoccupied with driving. I knew what she thought of the smut Auntie Chloe read.

As a matter of fact, Chloe, they do have some very ancient churches in Traceno, Dad replied, "but the place is also famous for its pastries. My guidebook says their torta di Pasqua is a meat pie that has been produced in this village according to a secret recipe for hundreds of years. The legend goes that the population was suffering from a terrible famine after sometime in the fourteenth century, when a particular bad harvest had not provided enough food to last them through the winter. By the time February came around the town’s food stores were bare The local priest, Padre Jaochim, ordered the people of Traceno to bring whatever food they still had left in storage to the monastery’s kitchens. Every last breadcrumb, potato peel or food scrap was picked up by the bakers, who pushed their carts from door to door.

"The