 Horror/Scary: September 15, 2021 Issue [#10976] |
This week: On a dark desert highway Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night."
~from "Hotel California" by the Eagles |
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Horror stories are often set in dark, gloomy places, but one of the world's most mysterious landscapes is bathed in bright sunshine much of the time.
Deserts are an excellent setting for a horror story. Deserts are characterized by strange, beautiful, almost otherworldly landscapes. Very few people pass through the more isolated areas of the desert, so it is easy to imagine strange frightening things happening that many people might be unaware of.
Travel in the desert can be very difficult, and it is easy for inexperienced hikers or other travelers to get lost. Even a short time under the hot midday sun without water might be life threatening. Cell phones are unlikely to have service and help might be a long way off if your characters get in trouble.
Deserts are defined by lack of rainfall rather than temperature. Desert areas usually get approximately 1-8 inches of precipitation in a year. Hot deserts, such as the Sonoran Desert in the American Southwest are known for temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley. Some deserts, such as the Mojave get cold in the winter and may have snow in higher elevations. The temperatures in some deserts, such as the Sahara can get very cold at night.
Desert animals and plants have many special adaptations that allow them to deal with the extreme heat and dryness. Cacti perform a modified form of photosynthesis that helps them to conserve water. Desert animals are often most active at night when temperatures are cooler. Maybe the monster in your horror story is a human mutant or previously unknown creature with similar adaptations.
You might want to use creatures from regional legends in your story, such as the chupacabra of the American southwest. If you do use actual legends, make sure and research the tales so you will represent them accurately.
Something to try: Write a horror story that takes place in a desert.
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