My junior year of film school, I had an internship at Barstowvania Movie Ranch. The term “ranch” was pretty misleading because the place was a tribute to classic horror and post-apocalyptic science fiction. There were car henges, dusty motels, European villages, and jungle swamps made out of old hose, all…

Ms. Pauline had been the Walnut Landing librarian since the early 80s, but she had never liked the historic grammar collection. Ironically, it was the whole reason she worked there. She had gotten the position because she was Dartmouth’s most promising grammarian in addition to being a library scientist. Daniel…

Trent was the kind of guy Jessica had always wanted to be with. He was eager to get married and start a family, and his job and parents would afford the two of them the opportunity to do those things with minimal difficulty. She didn’t suspect he was going to…

One day, a lonely ghost was bemoaning his fate in a decrepit old house. A cockroach scuttled through a crack in a baseboard and went right past the ghost, who heaved a sigh. “Even the cockroach has it better than me,” the lonely ghost said. “She is low and disgusting…

Hallowenocles, long favored by the gods, knew no fear. He had been born during a ferocious thunderstorm without crying. Some said that he was because Zeus was actually his father. Others said his house had very good walls and they didn’t make them like that anymore. During his youth, the…

St. Dunstan’s Catholic Primary had sent home a very specific letter on pink paper (reserved for the most important messages from the principal) explaining that no violent, bloody, sexually suggestive, or otherwise sacrilegious costumes could be worn to school on Halloween. …

Scott had bought the GT with the second paycheck as a junior partner. The first had been used to catch up on some credit cards. It was his pride and joy (the GT, not any of the credit cards). It was midnight blue with two wide stripes across the top…

Once upon a time, there was a little boy with a very handsome father. The boy’s name was Deckland, and the father’s name doesn’t really have any bearing on this story — all you need to know is that he was exceptionally handsome. Every Friday night, Deckland would watch his…

Ian watched from the porch as Connie and Esteban gleefully shoved leaves into one of his old shirts. He swelled with pride as the experienced older sister gathered and spun the bottom of the button-up before tying a knot to trap the crunchy stuffing inside. …