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Countdown to Halloween 2024

Halloween ghosts and goblins and cryptids come out to play in this collection of Halloween stories retold by S.E. Schlosser, author of the 30-book Spooky Series. Stories get scarier each week until Halloween!

Don't Turn on the Light. Public domain image by Daniel Chekalov on Unsplash

Don’t Turn on the Light

    She commandeered the room in the basement of her dorm as soon as she realized she would have to pull an all-nighter in order to prepare for tomorrow’s final exam. Her roommate, Jenna, liked to get to bed early, so she packed up everything she thought she would need and went downstairs to study . . . and study . . . and study some more.

    Dispatched. Public domain image by the blowup on Unsplash

    Dispatched

      There was something odd in the tone of the dispatcher’s voice when he called to tell me a person needed picking up at Bramlett Road late one summer night in 1947. I shuddered when I heard the name of the street. I did not want to go anywhere near that area, especially at midnight. But I drove a Yellow Cab, and it was my job to pick up a call when it came. So I… Read More »Dispatched

      Burnt Church. Public domain image by Jenni Jones on Unsplash

      Burnt Church

        She was sophisticated, poised, and cultured. In retrospect, this should have made them suspicious. A teacher like her should be presiding over a girl’s school in London or New York, not seeking a position in a small town in Georgia. But at the time, they were too delighted by her application to ask any questions.

        Ghost in the Alley. Public domain image by Aaron Chavez on Unsplash

        Ghost in the Alley

          Rumors were rife about the alleyway behind the tavern. It was haunted, folks said. Haunted by the ghost of a young girl who had been found murdered in that self-same passage. People avoided the small street after dark, for the spirit was said to be a vengeful one. Of course, no one could name anyone whom the ghost had actually killed, but the tales were enough to keep people away from the alley at night.

          Big Liz. Public domain image by Alex Moliski on Unsplash

          Big Liz

            The owner of the plantation was a firm supporter of the War Between the States and had committed to send as much food as he could to the Southern army. Things were going well at first, until Northern soldiers began attacking the supply lines. The owner suspected a traitor among his staff, and soon discovered that the spy was a servant named Big Liz.

            La Corriveau. Public domain image by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

            La Corriveau

              Marie-Josephte Corriveau was a beautiful but ruthless woman. She married a good-looking man but soon grew bored with him. So late one evening, she stunned her husband with a blow to the head, then took a whip to his horse, which trampled him to death. The death was ruled an accident and La Corriveau was free to marry again.

              Pink. Public domain photo by frame harirak on Unsplash

              Pink

                She was always in the garden. Day after day after day. It drove him crazy. Supper never came when he wanted it and he had to go outside and kneel down in the dirt every dad-blame time he wanted to have a conversation with his wife. When he complained, she told him to get his own supper. Ha! She knew he couldn’t boil water without burning it.

                Shadow train. Public domain image by Railway Mania on Unsplash.

                Shadow Train

                  A miner was on his way to Dos Cabezas, where here heard there was good prospecting, when he found himself lost and alone in the flats just north of the Dragoon Mountains. In the blistering sun of midday, his burro dropped dead from heatstroke and the prospector knew that he would shortly follow if he did not find shelter and something to drink.

                  Milk bottles. Photo by Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash

                  Milk Bottles

                    She was just another poor, bedraggled woman, struggling to feed her family. He saw them all the time, their faces careworn, and blank. The Depression had created hundreds of them. He was one of the lucky ones who still had his grocery and money coming in to feed his family…