Some stories whisper. Some stories linger.

 And then there are stories like Buried Secrets — short enough to finish in the space of a coffee break, yet powerful enough to curl cold fingers around your spine long after the final line.

Christopher Scott Dixon has crafted an 18-page tale that punches far above its weight. I read it in just twenty-six minutes, but what unfolded in that time was a masterclass in atmosphere, tension, and supernatural dread.

From the moment Tom and Mary begin their quiet, uneasy search for her father’s grave, the narrative pulls you into an environment heavy with foreboding. Dixon doesn’t waste a single sentence; every detail feels sharpened and deliberate, building a mood thick enough to choke on. The woods close in. Secrets stir beneath the earth. And the sense that something unseen is watching them never once lets up.

Despite its brevity, the story feels astonishingly complete. Tom and Mary are sketched with vivid precision — flawed, human, and instantly believable — and when the truth reveals itself, the emotional weight hits hard. It’s rare for a short story to capture both character depth and creeping terror so efficiently, but Dixon handles both with startling ease.

Buried Secrets is the kind of tale that reminds you why short fiction exists: to strike fast, dark, and deep.

 If you’re a fan of supernatural thrillers, eerie atmospheres, or stories that leave a ghostly aftertaste… this one is for you.

Five stars.

 Highly recommended — especially after dark.