The Grin

Saul Tanpepper

Summary

When Cassie Ingersoll gets a last-minute babysitting call on Christmas Eve, she's tempted to blow it off. But extra money would be nice, and maybe Christmas won't be such a meager affair after all. Her problems begin almost immediately: a dead car battery, a house in the middle of nowhere, a storm brewing. Then, a mysterious warning: Don't feed the boy. She should have paid attention.
From the collection Insomnia: Paranormal Tales, Science Fiction, and Horror, which includes the following stories:
The Grin - a classic nightmare story extracted straight from the deepest recesses of a man-child's troubled mind.
The Scenario Egg - an investment broker enjoys the spoils of his fast-paced lifestyle until failure, a beautiful woman, and an odd-looking device conspire to make him second guess what is good and right, and what is real and fantasy.
A Thing for Zombies - a dark satire about young love and the steps one might take to win another's affection.
Reached in Error - The lines between technology and the paranormal blur in this tale about a device that allows the living to communicate with the dead.
Raise the Dead - when a mysterious musician applies for an opening in Chris Stephens's high school band, strange things begin to happen, some of them wonderful, some of them horrifying.
The Sacrifices We Make - a child's abduction wakes a drowsy little town from a forgetful stupor.
The Promises We Keep - young lovers make a vow that they never in their wildest dreams ever expected to have to keep.
Approximately 85000 words.
Some material may not be appropriate for readers younger than 14.

Available since: 12/15/2014.

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