More Creepy Tales of Horror in Holland

Greetings dear reader and welcome to another terrifying Halloween edition of Horror in Holland.

As we approach All Hallows Eve it is once again time to explore the narrow space between terror and delight. It is the place where we like to be scared but we also like to be entertained. Why else would we share scary stories of ghosts and goblins and the terrible things they do if it was not for the thrill of being just a little bit scared while still feeling safe.

Well… Maybe there is another reason. Maybe we share these stories as a warning, a warning of terrors we have long forgotten were real. Maybe some stories can give us more than we bargained for.

Take for example these two new tales from the strangest of places, known as The Netherlands. If you survived last year’s tales with your sanity intact I commend you. However, you might not be so lucky this year. Once again you are the star of these stories. The only way to discover what will happen is to read on. However, maybe some stories where never meant to be read… You have been warned. Welcome once again to Horror in Holland.

Horror in Holland #4

Imagine that you are at a party or on a break at work or in some such other situation where basic social interactions and pleasantries take place. A Dutch acquaintance offers you what appears to be some kind of candy. This person is not someone you know deeply but you know him or her well enough to believe the person to be trustworthy. In fact, the thought of trust does not even consciously enter your mind.

The treat that they hold out towards you is small and round, or maybe it is shaped like a car or cat or some other innocent thing. Whatever form it takes it is always as black as the terrors of the night. Despite the ominous colour you take it. After all, who does not like candy with all of its sugary goodness, especially when it is free. However, it is sometimes the things that are free that cost us the most. Hungrily you take one big bite. Your last sane thought as you begin to chew is to wonder why the barer of the treat is grinning so strangely at you.

Suddenly it happens in an instant that seems to stretch on forever. Your taste buds are the first to scream out. The taste that hits them is just wrong. They were expecting something sweet, not this deeply salty and sour taste.

By the time the confusion between expectation and reality hits your brain it is too late. More tastes have started to emerge. The taste of sorrow, fear and madness.

Trying to escape this sensation you spit the sweet out, or maybe you swallow it. Either way it makes no difference. The taste does not leave your mouth. In fact it has changed once more, becoming the taste of beingalone in the darkness, of the sharp falling sensation that sometimes jolts you awake at night, of voices from under the bed. You don’t know how it is possible to taste these things but somehow you do.

Suddenly you realize you are alone. The Dutch acquaintance is gone. Were they ever there to begin with? You cannot tell as the taste in your mouth brings on a creeping insanity from the dark corners of your mind. The room starts to grow dark or maybe it is just your vision.

Somehow in your madness you find a glass of water and drink it down in one gulp. It does not help. It too has become the taste of salt, liquorice and terror. As the last of the light fades and your mind slips farther and farther away you can no longer recall a time before this began.

You scream out into the darkness, “Please! Give me anything to take this taste away!”

It does not take long for the darkness to reply with an evil laugh, “How about some raw herring?”

Horror in Holland #3

You’ve always been aware of how much the Dutch love mayonnaise with their fries. You know the difference between ordering ‘patat met’ (fries with) and ‘patat zonder’ (fries without) and how this relates to mayonnaise despite the condiment never being mentioned by name. You’re also familiar with the unwritten rule of the snack bar, that if neither ‘met’ or ‘zonder’ is not specified it is usually added automatically. That is how much fries with mayonnaise seems to be a part of Dutch life.

You know all this but despite your time in the Netherlands you’ve never understood the obsession. You don’t hate the taste of mayonnaise but you don’t particularly like it either. That is why you always order your fries ‘zonder’.

It is a simple act that has caused the occasional look of confusion from various snack bar attendants. They seem to struggle with the idea that anyone would want fries without mayonnaise. It has certainly marked you as an outsider but that is, after all, the life of an expat.

However, lately you have noticed that the Dutch obsession with mayonnaise seems to have increased. It’s being added to more and more foods where it does not belong.

The last few times you’ve ordered fries the man or woman behind the counter has added mayonnaise, despite you declaring, “patat zonder.” So far you’ve put this down to a misunderstanding or unfocused snack bar worker not really paying attention. It seems to be happening more often though. Wasn’t there something weird in their reaction the last few times you pointed out the mistake too? Something almost malevolent? Each time it seems like it takes a little extra effort to get them to change the order and give you what you asked for.

Finally, it happens. On your way home late from work one night you arrive at the train station with only five minutes to spare before your train leaves. You make a quick stop at the snack bar before heading up to the platform and order your ‘patat zonder’.

The train station is strangely quiet tonight. There is no sign of the usual late night commuters and drinkers returning home. Where is everyone?

You are distracted from your thoughts when the silent snack bar worker hands you a cone of fries with a great big dollop of mayonnaise on top. With a sigh you try to point out the mistake but he does not listen. In fact, he simply stares through you as if he is not even aware of your presence.

Tired, annoyed and hungry you give up trying to get the order changed. You think about throwing the fries away and getting something to eat from the nearby pizza place but then your stomach growls. It’s been several hours since you last ate because you’ve been so busy on that upcoming deadline. Plus your train is about to leave… You don’t hate mayonnaise.

Deciding that it is better than nothing you lift a mayonnaise covered fry and pop it into your mouth. If only you’d got that pizza instead. As the taste of mayonnaise fills your mouth you start to feel strange. A light tingling sensation starts to take over your body. You feel slightly dizzy for a moment and a strange sensation of being disconnected from reality comes over you. Your arms feel slow and sluggish despite continuing to move normally. No, not normally, without your control. Suddenly you realize you cannot stop eating. As you feel control of your body slipping away you think you see the mayonnaise move. It is then that a tiny voice declares, “one of us.”

The End

And so you have reached the end of another year’s Halloween Horror in Holland tales. The question now is, will you heed the warnings contained within or will you become their next victim. Maybe it is already too late. Maybe you will remain a part of these stories forever. Maybe that is why the stories were about you all along. Mahahahha.

If you are brave (or foolish) enough to crave more chilling nightmare stories then the first Spooky Tales of Halloween Horror in Holland is waiting for you.