Inspired by the classics of Victorian Penny Dreadfuls, this portfolio of horror shorts, oddities, and tales of the macabre from award-winning author Sarah Faxon, takes you through kingdoms of clouds, motel rooms crawling with unexpected guests, across the high seas, and to real-life haunted house stories. Bound within this collection are twenty-two tales of detectives fighting demons, vampires pushing academics beyond their sense of reality, and the consequences of not heeding the wisdom of elders.
The Twenty Two Tales:
Confession - A seasoned detective thinks he's working an open and close double-homicide, but when the suspect starts to talk of demons, the detective doubts everything he has ever believed. Through the Woods - An eldest daughter must bring food home to her starving family without succumbing to the temptation of entering the bountiful but cursed woods. Starlight - A 100 word short story about wishing on falling stars. The Swarm - Within the tight confines of an attic, a young first responder must save an elderly woman from the buzzing swarm he cannot see. The Gold Must Go - Being imprisoned in an assisted living facility had been hell enough for a Vietnam Veteran, until his middle-aged daughter demands he go to the dentist. Beneath the Nightstand - Alone in a motel room, a weary traveler must face the army of eight-legged monsters living beside her bed. Stowaway - The storm pitching the tall-ship
Euterpe is not the only villain a young stowaway will have to face on his voyage across an unforgiving sea. Ocean's Opus - A nautical tune as arranged by a tentacled conductor. For the Phone - When a failing high school senior's mom confiscates her smartphone, the spoiled student seeks a way to spite her mother's wrath. The Collector - A man obsessed with fine antiquities spots the treasure of his dreams. The Teacher - After being bitten by a vampire, a mother-scholar has lost everything, but when an invitation to teach at a world- renowned school arrives, she must decide if she can follow the school's pro-vampire curriculum even if it feels like a deal with the devil. The Butterfly Effect - In this one-hundred word drabble, the world is torn in two by humankind's inability to listen, speak, and think. The House - This story is the real-life collection of journal entries the author kept while living in a haunted house. The journal entries describe her experiences where the restless spirit hated her. You're Not Welcome - This is the second chapter to the haunted house tale, where a faceless demon confronted the author outside of her home. He Knows My Name - In this third chapter of the haunted house, Faxon describes a chilling real-life face-to-face encounter with the supernatural at a supermarket. The Medium - In this final chapter about the haunted house, a median reveals all of the unseen that had tormented the author and her cats for a year. A Knock at the Door - An abused and neglected wife must decide if she should answer a mysterious knock at her door. The Kingdom of Clouds - In the Kingdom of Clouds, a wise daughter of Patience and Starkeepers meets the fate of trusting the wrong god. Silence - A poem of a woman struggling to be heard. Not My Son - A middle-aged accountant's son would always be the apple in his eyes, but when police accuse his progeny of being a serial killer, the father must confront a bitter truth he long chose not to see. The Green Queen - After losing the war, a motherly-queen must face the violent-victors who seek the blood of her and her son. The Last Crusade - While the world turns its back on faith and tradition, a tormented monster hunter must face the demon he could never forget.
