Five Ghost Stories
October 3, 2017 5:35 PM   Subscribe

"Taiya" by Vanessa Fogg (The Future Fire, 2017): "Surprisingly, Patrick doesn't seem annoyed when he hears about the ghost. He's washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up and a dishtowel draped over one shoulder. 'A taiya you said?' He doesn't look up from the suds. 'Those things don't cause any harm.'"

"Ghost Town" by Malinda Lo (Uncanny, 2017): "1. October 31, 11:57 p.m.: McKenzie shows up at the Spruce Street Guest House a few minutes before midnight, dressed all in black as if she's some kind of ninja."

"If a Bird Can Be a Ghost" by Allison Mills (Apex, 2017): "Shelly's grandma teaches her about ghosts, how to carry them in her hair. If you carry your ghosts in your hair, then you can cut them off when you don't need them anymore. Otherwise, ghosts cling to your skin, dig their fingers in under your ribs and stay with you long, long after you want them gone."

"Twilight Travels with the Grape-Paper Man" by Sara Saab (The Dark, 2017): "When he appeared, the grape-paper man, I was half in half out of the fig tree in my grandmother's courtyard."

"The Ghost and Its House" by Yoon Ha Lee (self-published flash fiction, 2017): "The house had lain ruined for decades upon decades, quiescent at the edge of the town. Once, it was said, a fine family had dwelled there, wealthy at first, much given to parties and entertainments."

Bonus link: a review of 'Taiya' at Lady Business.
posted by Wobbuffet (4 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
One correction: I overlooked the fact that "Ghost Town" is a reprint from 2013. I had intended to post only stories from 2017, so I guess that's a bonus link too. Meanwhile, another good ghost story from Uncanny (2017) is "A Nest of Ghosts, a House of Birds" by Kat Howard.
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:45 PM on October 3, 2017


"If a Bird Can Be a Ghost" is really good. Thanks for posting this.
posted by curious nu at 6:06 PM on October 3, 2017


Bookmarked. I really enjoyed the first story - 'Taiya'. Looking forward to checking out the rest - thanks for this lovely post.
posted by Ziggy500 at 5:10 AM on October 4, 2017


Vanessa Fogg's notes on "Taiya."
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:48 PM on October 13, 2017


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