According to James Howell's Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (published in 1659), "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." That philosophy is still true today. Here in my game room, Salem and I enjoy the simple act of play. In the drawer of the chess table, you will find 25 stories to read whether you win or lose.
All That Glitters - (September 2020) During the Great Exhibition of 1851, a poor girl, dying of consumption, meets a kindly stranger who takes her to see the Crystal Palace. Awake - (October 2020) A woman stricken with cancer wakes up one morning to discover that she died and was brought back by her scientist husband. Blondes - (June 2020) When an actress suffers severe burns after a car accident, a renowned plastic surgeon offers to give her a new face. Canterbury Tails: Empress - (August 2020) A history professor, strapped for cash after a recent divorce, finds a valuable book in a used and rare book shop: an early translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. City on the Hill - (July 2020) A man living at the base of a tall mountain longs to discover what wonders there are in the grand city located on its summit. |
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Danse Macabre - (July 2020) A competitive woman wants to surpass her neighbor's Halloween party by hosting a Danse Macabre dancing competition. Dear Me - (May 2020) In an effort to discover what is causing her to overeat, a morbidly obese woman consults a therapist who advises her to write letters to herself as a young child. Death in Miniature - (July 2020) A lonely heiress finds her purpose in life by constructing miniature murder scenes to be used in teaching forensic science. The Eclipse - (September 2020) According to an ancient Aztec belief, pregnant women should remain indoors during a solar eclipse to avoid the demons that are free to roam the earth while the light from the sun is blotted out by the shadow of the moon. Eglentyne - (October 2020) For Christmas, a writer receives a highly sophisticated computer program, one that not only checks his spelling and corrects his grammar mistakes but also changes his life. |
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En Garde - (August 2020) In order to impress his girlfriend, a theater arts student challenges the university's star quarterback to a duel. The Expert - (August 2020) Two police detectives rely on advice from a renowned former FBI profiler to catch a serial killer terrorizing their small town. Four-Two-Four - (May 2020) After moving into a new gated community with their parents, forty-eight children begin exhibiting bizarre behavior. Harvest of Memories - (June 2020) As a billionaire computer genius grows older, he fears age-related dementia. His company invents a way of harvesting memories and downloading them into a human brain. Long Live the Queen - (July 2020) When an esteemed director casts the elderly Queen of Horror and an ingénue scream queen in his latest film, a rivalry forms and sparks begin to fly. |
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The Lost Lenore - (June 2020) After seeing a Poe-inspired headstone in a cemetery, a woman wants to learn more about the artist buried beneath it. Quarantine - (August 2020) While in quarantine during a pandemic, a little girl encounters a stranger outside her window who begs to be let inside. Shelter from the Storm - (July 2020) Seeing news coverage of Hurricane Katrina awakens an old man's memories of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Taphophobia - (October 2020) A woman consults Lionel Penn in order to find the cause of recurring nightmares in which she finds herself trapped inside a box. Tears of a Clown - (August 2020) During a rash of suicides, a rookie detective encounters a mime who seems able to predict the future. |
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The Truce - (September 2020) On Christmas Eve 1914, German and British soldiers declare a truce and meet each other as friends in Ypres, Belgium. The Unthinkable - (May 2020) After losing his wife and newborn son, an undertaker fills the lonely hours with an unusual hobby: taxidermy. We All Fall Down - (October 2020) A pilot must face the consequences after dropping a bomb and killing millions of innocent people. The Wych Elm - (July 2020) When a murder investigation goes cold, mysterious graffiti appears in a small English village, asking, WHO PUT LIZZY IN THE WYCH ELM? Zelda's - (June 2020) A divorced man, living in a studio apartment in the city, sees a sign above a door in the alley that reads only ZELDA'S. He soon becomes obsessed with learning more about the mysterious owner of the business. |