Three girls are attempting divination with a deck of playing cards; their mother appears with a different method of seeing the future. Another story from “When Things Get Dark,” this is a…
Category: Story a Day 2022
“In the Deep Woods; the Light is Different There” by Seanan McGuire
A woman, orphaned and divorced, goes to her father’s lake home, which has been empty for a long time; she spends a terrifying night hiding in a wardrobe. Another story from “When…
“Glow” by J.S. Breukelaar
On the eve of a “Humanity First” candidate’s election, a botched ICE raid on a mixed family of humans and aliens leads to a strange inter-species exchange. Though a bit heavy-handed, this…
“AAA Plus” by Brian Doyle
When his car breaks down, a guy splurges on the AAA Plus membership and takes full advantage of the unlimited towing privileges. This is a cute, funny little anecdote – not much…
“Bin Laden’s Bald Spot” by Brian Doyle
Osama Bin Laden’s barber reflects on Bin Laden’s bald spot (shaped like Iceland, complete with the Vestfjarda Peninsula), crew cuts, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Van Johnson, and justice. This is a funny,…
“For Sale By Owner” by Elizabeth Hand
Three friends have a clandestine sleepover in a beautiful, empty, secluded house in the woods, with disquieting results. Another from the “When Things Get Dark” anthology of stories inspired by Shirley Jackson,…
“A Hundred Miles and a Mile” by Carmen Maria Machado
A woman who suffers “moods” – moments of dread and quiet despair – finds a kind of relief in a department store encounter. This is a quiet and haunting little story, extremely…
“Funeral Birds” by M. Rickert
Lenore attends the funeral of Dolores, one of her home health care clients, but upon returning home discovers that Dolores has taken up residence in her apartment. This story, from a collection…
“A Lot of Things Have Happened” by Adam Levin
The narrator recounts anecdotes that may be connected by vermin, or animal cruelty, or human cruelty, or kindness, or just general cluelessness. This is a very “New Yorker” story: not much by…
“These Last Embers” by Simon Strantzas
A young woman returns to her childhood home to find it and her family transformed by a fire that has turned her bedroom to ash and her twin brother’s into a seemingly…