Gustavo’s story, Topside, had me staring at the wall for an hour after reading it, just thinking about the story. I could feel what the characters went through and the thoughts that passed through my head about my own life, and what my fate may be, were unending. It was truly incredible.
He thought he could see scratch marks clawed into the wall, but it was probably just his imagination. That was a concrete wall. They were inside a concrete well—actually, this well had a roof, so it probably counted as a concrete box. He wondered what purpose the architects had designed this space for. Was it there to give structural rigidity to a group of columns? Was it a storage area that had been closed off at the last minute?
All he knew was that it probably hadn’t been designed to hold ten people, especially ten people who’d been drugged and left there, packed like sardines but alive as the air slowly turned stale. He felt sleepy, probably from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. No one else moved.
He was no longer raging, no longer mourning the dream they’d lost, or the privileges that he’d enjoyed. There was no air for any of that.
He tried to scratch at the wall, but his fingernails were long gone.
Topside by Gustavo Bondoni, featured in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology (p. 313 – 314 ). Crone Girls Press.
Q (Crone Girls Press): What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Author): I read an article about this new trend in Russia called “Roofing”, which is basically parties up on the unprepared terraces of apartment buildings. The story grew from there.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: I think the best thing about horror is that it allows you to explore parts of human nature that other genres either skirt or deliberately avoid. There’s darkness in most genres, but the depths are different in horror, because the limits are removed.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: This one feels to me like it mixes supernatural horror with a modern, more violent vibe.
Q: The world has been through some turbulent times in the past few years. How have current events changed (or not!) your approach to the genre as a writer?
A: The truth is they don’t–not consciously, at least. Story ideas tend to pop into my head fully-formed, and I neither soften them nor modify them to accommodate what the world might think. Especially not when I’m writing horror.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I’m currently writing the third novel in the SF trilogy that began with my novel Outside. After that, I need to write an SF story for an antho. Then I’ll get back to my horror novel, The Everything Room.
About The Author
Gustavo Bondoni is a novelist and short story writer with over three hundred stories published in fifteen countries, in seven languages. He is a member of Codex and an Active Member of SFWA. His latest novel is a dark historic fantasy entitled The Swords of Rasna (2022). He has also published five science fiction novels, four monster books and a thriller entitled Timeless.
You can find out more about him on his website http://www.gustavobondoni.com
Be sure to check out their story in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology
Crone Girls Press 