Keishi Ando

In Disgusting Angel Smile, a dark short story following the daily life of a young child, we experience the supernatural possession of two mysterious plush toys. The aforementioned toys, an angel and a devil, are found one day in a toilet with the angel oddly being the toy the child hates. They say that its smile is disgusting and indeed, the angel’s smile seems to show at the most inopportune moments, making for a rather creepy appearance in general.

Bullied at school and at home (in a way), the devil and angel are the child’s only two companions, but even the angel with its disgusting smile seems to silently mock the young child. It is my thought that perhaps the child feels more at home with the devil because their world is a dark and unforgiving one, whereas the angel would be associated with goodness and light (normally.) But what of the angel’s gruesome smile? Is that also a testament to just how bad the child’s life has become, how hopeless and devoid of love and compassion their world is for one so young?

The author’s work has a poetic quality to it, not so much in the pacing of the story or in the words used, but in the very core of its being with the idea that something usually so pure such as an angel can be a glaring reminder of one’s constant despair.

Keishi Ando has an extraordinary mind and unique ideas, weaving his tales with his intense passion for the craft. I would recommend this short story to lovers of dark fantasy, horror- heck, anything dark!

Rated 4 stars.… (plus d'informations)