Tales of uncanny and mysterious events help us recall the early-childhood thrills of celebrating Halloween. This week, we’re bringing you an assortment of eerie stories to savor during the month of October. In “Haunting Olivia,” Karen Russell offers a tale about two brothers searching for their sister’s ghost. In “From a Farther Room,” a businessman encounters a young creature at his house in the suburbs, after returning from a night out in the city. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson tells the story of a peculiar ritual that takes place each year in a small New England village. In “The Gospel According to Mark,” a medical student’s spiritual zeal backfires in an alarming way. In “Going for a Beer,” Robert Coover explores a lifetime in the blink of an eye. Finally, in “Kilifi Creek,” Lionel Shriver presents a story about a young woman’s harrowing experience while travelling in Kenya. We hope that these tales add some fun chills to your fall weekend.
—David Remnick
“The Lottery”
“The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions; most of them were quiet, wetting their lips, not looking around.”
“Haunting Olivia”
“I peer back under the surface of the water. There’s an aurora borealis exploding inches from my submerged face.”
“Kilifi Creek”
“It was a class of moments that most adults stockpile: the times they almost died.”
“From a Farther Room”
“Alert the media: unhappy, middle-aged white man on the loose.”
“The Gospel According to Mark“
“Espinosa understood what awaited him on the other side of the door.”
“Going for a Beer”
“He didn’t realize, he says, how serious they were.”
