In this story by Mariana Enríquez, a six-year-old girl changes dramatically after a family visit to a supposed witch. She develops a series of severe phobias that make it impossible to leave her house and live a normal childhood. In her teens, her older sister tells her that the witch’s visit cured her mother, grandmother and herself of similar fears. Seeking help, they revisit the witch and learn that her family had had the witch cast an irreversible spell transferring the “old evils” inhabiting themselves to the girl. Themes include irrational terror, demonic possession, betrayal, despair, the supernatural. More…
The Easthound
This post-apocalyptic horror story by Nalo Hopkinson redefines the concept of puberty. A virus has swept the world, causing all who achieve adulthood to “sprout” into ravenous, werewolf-like beasts. To escape them, children hide in small groups. The story is told from the perspective of twin sisters, one of whom naively believes she caused the virus by inventing the word easthound. Their group are closely monitoring an older boy who is about to undergo the change and will soon have to leave them, when the unexpected occurs. Themes include violence, camaraderie, survival, childhood innocence, adult predation. More…
Exchange Value
This story by Charles Johnson explores the theme that wealth brings power. Two brothers break into the apartment of an elderly, reclusive neighbor. The woman, who has been living in squalor, lies dead in bed. In her living room are cash and other valuables worth over a million dollars, which they quickly move to their own apartment. The younger brother looks forward to the better life money will bring. However, he is overruled by his older brother, who suffers the same strange reluctance to spend any of it as the old woman had. Other themes include hoarding, paranoia, isolation, poverty. More…
Old Aeson
In this story by Arthur Quiller-Couch who wrote under the pen-name “Q” (No relation to the James Bond Q!), a very old man almost freezes to death outside a rich man’s house. The rich man takes the old man in and has him cared for. Nobody knows who the old man is or where he came from, and no one can understand his strange language. However, the old man has a mysterious power. He begins to suck the life out of the rich man, slowly turning him into an old man as he becomes younger and younger. More…
The Fish and the Ring
In this Scottish folktale, a rich and powerful man looks into the future and learns that the fate of his son is to marry a girl from a very poor family. He wants a high society wife for his son and does everything that he can to stop the marriage. He unsuccessfully tries to kill the poor girl twice, and is about to throw her over a cliff when she agrees to go away forever. A hungry fish brings them together again and teaches him that, no matter how much you try, you can’t change what is meant to be. More…