LET'S get an early jump on an upcoming holiday that, modern science notwithstanding, is still popular. Some of the world's high-quality authors have turned their considerable talents to the supernatural and produced engrossing fiction (e.g., Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Sheridan Le Fanu, Arthur Machen, EAP—it's a long list, and these are only a few of the anglophonic writers). Lesser-known authors have also taken a turn at the genre, one of whom seems very eager to impart the weirdness attached to . . .
(1) "The Curse of Cleopatra."
First appearance: Tales of the Frightened No. 1, Spring 1957.
Short story (12 pages).
Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).
"It’s risky business asking a Dream for qualifications."
IN the normal course of things, when somebody passes away they stay passed away, but our main character just might have found an exception to the rule . . .
Principal characters:
~ Tanopsis, Queen Cleopatra, William Rameses, Lucille Nile, Reeves, Jerol, and Mr. Samarko.
References:
(Note: All links to Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.)
- Cleopatra (HERE).
- Tanopsis (HERE)
- Osiris (HERE).
- "that Roman knave Antony" (HERE).
- The Book of the Dead (HERE).
- "the beloved Nile" (HERE).
- "Spanish galleons" (HERE).
- "the sarcophagus" (HERE).
- Anubis (HERE).
- "from the employment agency" (HERE).
- "general all-around Girl Friday" (HERE).
- "ad men" (HERE).
- "she made me feel exactly as Caesar must have felt when Cleopatra first rolled out of her rug in his quarters" (HERE).
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- "some stenography equipment" (HERE).
- "Egyptology is your hobby?" (HERE).
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- "the tree of pharaohs" (HERE).
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- "foundation devices" (HERE).
- "its Sphinx" (HERE).
- "its mighty pyramids" (HERE).
- "her Golden Barge".
- "living in Manhattan on the West Side" (HERE).
- "an Etruscan vase" (HERE).
- "a rich, maroon Arabian vest" (HERE).
- "a red felt, flat-topped Egyptian Fez" (HERE).
- "in the form of an asp" (HERE).
- "an unknown love letter from Josephine to Napoleon" (HERE).
- "A story as old as the Bible. Brother killing brother" (HERE).
Resource:
- We last encountered Michael Avallone concerning his "Great Night for a Murder" (HERE).
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(2) "The Stop at Nothing."
By Mark Dane (Michael Avallone, 1924-99; Wikipedia HERE; The Thrilling Detective HERE; and the SFE HERE).
First appearance: Tales of the Frightened No. 1, Spring 1957.
Short short story (7 pages).
Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).
(Parental note: Strong language.)
"Do what you please with the dollar but throw that wad of paper away somewhere. Anywhere. Eat it if you like."
IT'S not every day that someone gets a message from the Beyond—in a telegram . . .
Principal characters:
~ Sam Potter, Karen, Tommy, Max Barrett, Wesley Wells, and Carl (barely).
References:
(Note: All links are to Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.)
- "businessmen’s convention" (HERE).
- "fake telegrams" (HERE).
- "the bellhop" (HERE).
- "Seeing pink elephants" (HERE)
- "the baloney packing department" (HERE, definition 2; Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
- "Regular little pen wiper" (HERE).
- "the ridiculous magnums" (HERE).
- "the twenty case Ronson dream" (HERE).
- "all physiognomy" (HERE).
- "the one who discovered the Pacific Ocean and not Balboa" (HERE).
- "the theory of relativity" (HERE).
- "the tuxedoed guests" (HERE).
Resources:
- Trains not only often appear in detective fiction but also in tales of terror; perhaps they're a modern substitute for Charon's ride. For links to a few other locomotive-related stories that ONTOS has highlighted over the years, see "Resources" attached to Leland Sherwood's "Weight of Experience" (HERE).
~~~
(3) "Dead End."
First appearance: Tales of the Frightened No. 1, Spring 1957.
Short short short story (2 pages).
Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).
"You’ll never believe this but Emil Carraway, Ph.D., M.D., even D.D., wanted to be bitten by a vampire."
IT took a rock band to remind us of a hard truth: “You can’t always get what you want.” The question is, will Emil get what he wants?
Principal characters:
~ Emil Carraway and the vampire.
References:
- Ph.D. (HERE).
- M.D. (HERE).
- D.D. (HERE).
- "a vampire" (HERE).
- "to achieve immortality"; "the vampire-wampyr-nosferatu-un-dead legends and to realize that here, at least in myth, was immortality" (HERE and HERE).
- "the yogurt-eating centenarians in Georgia and Armenia" (HERE).
- "the iron curtain lifted" (HERE).
Resources:
- Our last meeting with Mack Reynolds was when he gave us "The Business, As Usual" (HERE).
- To see what other professional writers could also do with scary stuff, see "Eight Tales of Terror You Might Enjoy" (HERE).
The bottom line:
Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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