Literally Reruns – The Nail in the Coffin by Maédeiva Myre

This is the last of five super suggested Reruns from Joy – thanks so much we have enjoyed them all.

This piece has that brilliant same feel some of my favourite Poe stories have. I believe I can safely state being buried alive (and being conscious) is a personal fear or nightmare for a lot of people. Myre beautifully achieves that claustrophobic and helpless feeling, leaving us with horrifying sensory details and a heartbreaking last sentence: ‘and I wonder why am I still awake?’

The pacing and tone of the story suit it really well. I particularly like how the narrator ‘handles’ the situation. Because really, how else could you ‘handle’ something like this? Reviving old memories. Then doing it again and again until that is all you have. It is especially sad that the narrator only realises that they could’ve made more good memories when he’s already buried.

‘It’s like solitary confinement but with full body paralysis.’

Although I definitely wanted to know more of this story, it was cut off at the perfect time. Perhaps there was no more story, but I wonder… Why was he still awake?

This story definitely gave me the chills, and it’s also a reminder to go tell my family that I perhaps prefer to be cremated.

Questions for the author:

Q. The (seemingly) hungry creatures at the end definitely leave me wanting more, yet I won’t ask for it. My question though: Have you ever imagined more of this story, or was it always meant to just be open, even in your own head?

Q. I think you achieved the writing in the horror genre very well. Is it a genre you write more in. And if so, would you ever consider sending in another piece for us to read?

Joy Florentine

Maédeiva’s responses.

Q. The (seemingly) hungry creatures at the end definitely leave me wanting more, yet I won’t ask for it. My question though: Have you ever imagined more of this story, or was it always meant to just be open, even in your own head?

A. Just like everybody else, I am curious and facinated about what would happen when everything goes black. Since there are no clear answers, there are endless possibilities. So it made sense to keep it open. 

Q. I think you achieved the writing in the horror genre very well. Is it a genre you write more in. And if so, would you ever consider sending in another piece for us to read?

A. I want to write stuff that leaves an impression, it doesn’t matter what genre it falls under. And I would love to work on another story, but I am currently working on my novel.

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The Nail in the Coffin