Fast Asleepwith Gena Marie

269 - " 'But the law requires you to tell what you're going to use it for.' Miss Emily just stared at him . . . until he looked away and went and got the arsenic." Tuck in and along with the British rock group, The Zombies, you may fall victim to Emily, too.

268 - "Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years the Old Gentleman had come there to find Stuffy Pete on his seat. . . But now he looked up at the Old Gentleman's face with tears of suffering in his eyes." Tuck in for this poignant tale (and one other) from the author renowned for unexpected endings.

267 - "Met the divinest man. Danced with him six times, a divine dancer . . . and he is terribly, divinely good-looking," gushed the heiress. Tuck in for the disturbing, anonymous caller's opinion.

266 - "The good man was choking with indignation and fear. '. . . how can they tell such lies as that to slander an honest man?'" Tuck in for this heart-rending story and discover his fate.

265 - From the master of ghost stories: ". . . I saw that there was some one else in the room besides myself. A man's figure stood between me and the windows . . ." Tuck in for a very unusual tale.

263 - Is ten years too long to wait . . . for a tour of your favorite restaurant's kitchen? Our author didn't wait long to be published. Tuck in for his first, most acclaimed, and more than a little twisted short story.

262 - Our first story of the season: "Inexpressibly terrified, I struggled to my feet . . . and may heaven in mercy spare me from another sight like that." Tuck in for the (famously missing) author's favorite genre, horror.

261 - He was more than a hitchhiker . . . soooo much more.

260 - A beautiful, "battered" little creature, not in the least like the . . . average beggar, approaches wealthy Rosemary. Rosemary's reaction? "Hungry people are easily led." Tuck in for New Zealand's own and find out what happens next.

259 - This controversial author shied away from nothing, including the unrest of the 1960s. Tuck in for her intriguing "bus ride" of a tale.

258 - Tuck in for the creator of "magical realism" . . . "At night, we heard the steady murmur of her body, heavy, moving between two darknesses. Most times, we would stay awake in our beds, hearing her stealthy walk, using our ears to follow her through the whole house."

257 - She thought he was dead. Instead he had just . . . left her . . . for another woman. Tuck in for the poignant tale from Maine's beloved author.

256 - "He took her arm and ran her into a blind unlighted alley . . . " Tuck in for the the adventure and its startling ending. Content warning: emotional distress

254 - "Whut would yo' ma say if she knew you was out here in these spooky ol' woods lookin' for some ol' convict?" Truman Capote could do anything at any age. Tuck in for two soft-centered Southern tales from his early stories.

253 - It's 1972 and "cheating" on your spouse is not only common, it's expected. Tuck in for the conclusion of "Peace and Love," Joyce Carol Oates-style.

252 - No, this one is not by Chekhov, but like that version there is sex outside of marriage -- 1972 style along with the social movement that excused it. Content warning: suicide is brought up in this story. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the U.S Crisis Hotline: 988 (24/7).

251 - Our author's childhood was anything but easy, yet he was very accomplished. Delve into his past, then tuck in for his poignant, most autobiographical story.

250 - A flood . . . and a mother's choice . . . From the author of another engrossing tale, "The Yellow Wallpaper," tuck in for the details of Mrs. Gilman's inspiration for both of these stories.

249 - Daughter Mabel was unconcerned about her future; she clearly had unexpected plans in mind. Tuck in and decide which assessment rings true: D.H. Lawrence truly was “the greatest imaginative novelist” or “a tasteless p____grapher.”

248 - A little apartment fire . . . a dismembered leg . . . and suddenly New York City has lost its appeal for Margaret. The beloved author again gives us a glimpse into her own life in this disintegrating tale.

247 - ". . . a chill ran down my spine, but what frightened me more than . . . the eerie cry was . . . mother." Why save Algernon Blackwood for October? Tuck in now for this deliciously disturbing tale.

246 - She left him . . . for a wealthy man . . . and now she's invited him to her lavish wedding in Paris. Tuck in for the champagne-fueled mayhem and find out if the elaborate ceremony actually takes place.

245 - Known for his self-revealing works (and his four marriages), our author makes use of his expertise in this scintillating story.

243 - "She noticed with a kind of horror that he was staring intently at . . . the corner of her left eye where she could feel the muscle twitching." Why does that eye twitch? Tuck in and find out.

242 - "The explosion! The house shook with the dull sound. There were other explosions in other yards on other streets." Tuck in for this startling "children's game."