The Boogeyman

The Boogeyman: Short story by Stephen KingThis story by Stephen King explores one of the greatest fears of many young children as they go to bed: the fact that some sort of evil creature may be hiding under their bed, behind the curtains, or in their closet. In the story, a man with serious mental problems blames himself for the death of his three children. He thinks a monster from his childhood killed them, and that it is now coming after him. Readers are left to wonder who or what this boogeyman really is. Themes include fear, imagination, paranoia, mental illness, filicide, guilt.

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Barcelona

Barcelona: Short story by Alice AdamsThis story by Alice Adams deals with themes of fear, preparedness, pride, gender expectations and poverty. As a wealthy-looking American couple walk through the darkened streets of Barcelona, a thief grabs the woman’s purse and flees. The husband gives chase and recovers it, but appears strangely disappointed when his wife tells him that she always carries her money in her pocket and the bag contains nothing of value. The wife reflects on how men are always “chasing something” to prove their self-worth, and feels sorry for the plight of the poor who must steal to do so.

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The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The Adventure of the Speckled Band: Short story by Arthur Conan DoyleThis story, considered by Arthur Conan Doyle to be his best Sherlock Holmes mystery, features one of his most creative (and unlikeliest) murder plots. Thirty-year-old Helen, Holmes’s client, is a victim of Victorian attitudes towards women. Fearing for their future, her dead mother had decided that she and twin sister Julia would not receive their inheritances until they married. Their violent stepfather, who manages the money, will become destitute should either of them wed. After announcing her engagement, Julia dies under mysterious circumstances. Helen fears that she will be next. Themes: decay, isolation, fear, murder, class, greed, hasty judgement, justice.

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The Love of My Life

The Love of My Life: Short story by T. C. BoyleThis T. C. Boyle story holds a powerful message for teenagers in their first serious relationship. All too often, young lovers mistake the closeness that comes with shared sexual awakening for long-term, enduring love. The truth remains hidden until the relationship is tested in some way, in this case with an unplanned pregnancy. Initially, readers admire the young couple for the strength of their affection towards each other. Disappointment begins with the girl’s selfish indecision about the pregnancy, quickly followed by disgust at the couple’s terrible treatment of the new-born baby and willingness to blame each other for what happens.

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Voodoo

Voodoo: Flash story by Fredric BrownThis story by Fredric Brown explores the use of black magic to solve a marriage problem. Mr and Mrs Decker have decided on a divorce. Love has turned to hate, and the break-up is not friendly. The biggest issue they need to agree on is the financial settlement. Mrs Decker wants half of everything; Mr Decker thinks this is too much. She knows voodoo, and tells him she could use it to kill and him and get everything if he didn’t agree. This leads to an all-or-nothing bet. Themes include hatred, divorce, greed, the supernatural.

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The Imp of the Perverse

The Imp of the Perverse: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeLike two of our earlier Edgar Allan Poe tales (The Back Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart), this story involves an unreliable, unhinged narrator facing execution for murder trying to account for his crime. He blames his actions on an agent he claims to be in all of us called the “Imp of the Perverse”. The Imp, he argues, is an urge that drives people to do things they shouldn’t for the simple reason that they know it to be wrong. Ironically, the Imp that drove him to murder also drove him to confess. Themes include perverseness, obsession, madness, self-destruction.

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The Right Kind of House

The Right Kind of House: Short story by Henry SlesarIn this story by Henry Slesar, a stranger in an expensive car visits a small-town real-estate agent to enquire about a dilapidated house that has a ‘For Sale’ sign out front. The agent advises that the owner (an elderly woman with an apparent sentimental attachment to the house) is insisting on over seven times a fair asking price. The man visits the woman to try to negotiate and is left with a bitter taste in his mouth when, after she proves inflexible, he is forced to agree to her price. Themes include crime, patience, appearances vs. reality, vengeance, justice.

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A Good Man is Hard to Find

A Good Man is Hard to Find: Short story by Flannery O'ConnorFlannery O’Connor is a master at coming up with stories in which almost every main character has some kind of flaw. It is hard to like any of this dysfunctional family of six (except maybe the baby) as they cruise down Highway 441. When their car overturns beside a deserted road, they attract the attention of a crazed killer who calls himself “The Misfit”. As the rest of the family are murdered around her, the grandmother tries to convince the Misfit that deep inside he is one of those hard to find men. Themes: prejudice, deception, violence, religion, “goodness”, redemption

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