Friendship Beyond the Veil (A Haiku)

Retold by Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: I remember hearing this little tale a while back, where these gentlemen who were best friends used to play chess together all the time. Each of them tended to move in certain ways, and they knew each other’s tricks. Then one of the gentlemen passed away. Eventually, one of

The Phantom Stagecoach (A Haiku)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: The Butterfield Mail Trail used to run through my area, with its stagecoaches that ran between any number of stations to deliver mail and even people to various destinations. As such, a few stories related to them have popped up over the years, including that of a stagecoach once delayed

The Ghost Horse (A Haiku)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Based on a legend from my area about a ghostly horse that runs around the area where bandits supposedly hid their ill-gotten gains. Have you heard any tales about ghost horses?] Spectral horse so swift you run through the hills at night over buried gold

A Clean Ghost Story

Retold by Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Based on an actual story published around Halloween in the student newspaper at the college I attended as an undergraduate and graduate student. I did try to save the actual newspaper where it appeared, but that source material has since been misplaced and lost to time. It clearly had

A Ghostly Mistake (A Haiku)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Based on a true story. I used to live in an apartment at a mortuary. The apartment itself was actually a cheery place, and the people who worked at the mortuary were wonderful, but I unfortunately kept spooking one particular employee whenever I came to deliver the rental payments.] It

Mystic Desert (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Based on research I’ve done into the folklore from around my hometown.] I know a desert land where spectral stagecoaches rumble through the night      never to reach ladies dressed in wedding gowns who forever pace well-worn stations              desperate to reunite with distant lovers                             White horses once owned

Book Review: More Short & Shivery

More Short & Shivery, retold by Robert Sans Souci, features a collection of thirty folktales from around the world. It belongs to the same literary tradition as works like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, aimed at drawing in younger audiences through spooky twists and turns. They offer clever ways to enchant children with