Thursday Thirteen

Spooky Short Stories for the Threshold of Halloween

1. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
A sunlit village gathers for its annual ritual, one that is cheerful, ordinary, and horrifying. Jackson’s masterpiece of social horror exposes the violence lurking beneath tradition.
Read online (XpressEnglish)

2. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A woman confined for “rest” begins to see movement in the wallpaper. A descent into madness—or a haunting critique of domestic repression and medical gaslighting.
Read online (Project Gutenberg)

3. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
A murderer insists on his sanity, but the sound of a beating heart beneath the floorboards betrays him. Guilt becomes a rhythmic torment in Poe’s classic.
Read online (PoeStories.com)

4. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
A cursed talisman grants three wishes, but with cruel irony. A meditation on grief, fate, and the danger of tampering with the unknown.
Read online (Project Gutenberg)

5. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
In the catacombs beneath carnival revelry, a man exacts revenge brick by brick. Poe’s tale of betrayal and buried secrets chills with its calm cruelty.
Read online (PoeStories.com)

6. “The Summer People” by Shirley Jackson
A couple decides to extend their stay past Labor Day only to find that the locals grow strange. A quiet dread builds as the landscape turns hostile.
Read online (PDF)

7. “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin
A utopian city thrives, but at a terrible cost. Le Guin’s philosophical fable asks what we’re willing to sacrifice for comfort, and who bears the burden.
Read online (PDF)

8. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
A Southern woman clings to the past and to something more disturbing. Gothic decay and denial culminate in a macabre revelation.
Read online (PDF)

9. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
A woman receives news of her husband’s death and tastes freedom, albeit briefly. A haunting twist turns liberation into tragedy.
Read online (Owl Eyes)

10. “Charles” by Shirley Jackson
A mother worries about her son’s unruly classmate, until the truth emerges. Domestic absurdity masks a darker reflection of childhood and denial.
Read online (PDF)

11. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
In a dystopia of enforced equality, beauty and brilliance are punished. A rebel rises—and is swiftly crushed. Satirical, eerie, and disturbingly relevant.
Read online (PDF)

12. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
A teenage girl meets a stranger who knows too much. Inspired by true crime, this story simmers with psychological menace and seductive dread.
Read online (PDF)

13. “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl
A young man checks into a cozy bed-and-breakfast. The tea is warm, the pets are still, and the guestbook never changes. Dahl’s tale is quietly terrifying.
Read online (PDF)

*An AI tool helped put this list together*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 931st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway. 

Battling Bucks

It's time for the rut, and the young bucks are fighting over the does. The larger buck just lay there and watched; I guess he'd already won his fight when I saw these two going at it.

 

Falling Spring Falls

Falling Springs Falls is a breathtaking 80' waterfall that is one of the most visited and photographed spots in the Alleghany Highlands.

The scenic waterfall is located on Route 220 in Alleghany County, just five miles north of Covington, Virginia. The property has had extensive renovations to the overlook and grounds, including a picnic area, so that visitors can more safely stop and enjoy the view.

According to the book, “Historical Sketches of the Alleghany Highlands” by Gay Arritt, 82 acres of land including, the Falling Spring Falls was granted by King George III of Great Britain to Gabriel Jones in August 1771. 

In 1780 Thomas Jefferson, as Governor of Virginia, granted the property to Major Thomas Massie. The site was once visited by Jefferson to survey the falls, and he mentions it in his manuscript “Notes on the State of Virginia” written in 1781. “The only remarkable cascade in this country is that of the Falling Spring in Augusta,” wrote Jefferson, “...it falls over a rock 200 feet into the valley below.” 

From 1914 to 1926 a producer of travertine material, Ohio C. Barber Fertilizer Company, mined fertilizer in Barber, Virginia, now called Falling Spring. In 1927 Falling Spring Lime Company assumed operations until 1941. Mining operations necessitated the relocation of the falls where it now plunges only 80 feet.

On November 28, 2004, Mead Westvaco donated the Falling Spring Falls and approximately 19 surrounding acres to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Douthat State Park maintains the area.

One of the largest falls in Virginia, it cascades from an overhanging ledge and is easily visible from the roadway. 

Venturing from the overlook to explore the Falls is dangerous and illegal. The area beyond the fence is posted as no trespassing and violators are subject to fine.

 

Five Things

 

Last week, I:

1. Had a haircut.

2. Took a friend out.

3. Went to the grocery store.

4. Worked on my project.

5. Spent my evenings looking at Comet Lemmon through the binoculars. My attempts to take photographs of it were failures.

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In solidarity with federal workers, who were tasked in late February 2025 with listing 5 things they did the prior week in order to keep their jobs, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. On August 5, 2025, the federal government decided this was a waste of employees' time (as if we all didn't know that already). I have decided to keep it up, at least for now.

Sunday Stealing

Four 5's

FIVE things on my to-do list:

1. Bookkeeping work.

2. Write a letter.

3. Wash my car.

4. Walk on the treadmill.

5. Work on my project.

 

FIVE snacks I enjoy:

1. Nature Valley Cashew Bars

2. Brownies

3. Lays Baked Potato Chips

4. Nuts

5. Chocolate chip cookies

FIVE places I have lived:

1. In Salem, when I was very small.

2. In a trailer (mobile home) outside of Fincastle.

3. In an old farmhouse.

4. In my husband's grandmother's rental house.

5. In the house my husband and I built.

 

FIVE jobs I have held:

1. Guitar player in a band.

2. News reporter.

3. Freelance writer.

4. Legal Secretary.

5. Babysitter.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Do You Know the Way

Saturday 9: Do You Know the Way to San Jose (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, someone moves to Los Angeles looking for "fame and fortune" but ends up with a job "pumping gas." Today, the majority of service stations are self-serve, so very few people pump gas for a living. Can you think of another job that used to be common but doesn't exist anymore?

A. Telephone operator. File clerk. Secretary.

 

2) The San Jose travel bureau advertises "300 days of sunshine" every year. How is the weather where you are today?

A. Today it is sunny but very windy.

 

3) Lyricist Hal David became fond of San Jose when he was stationed there while in the Navy. Tell us about a place you visited that you have affection for.

A. My husband and I, and our respective families, usually vacationed at Myrtle Beach, SC. Once upon a time it had a great park with a rollercoaster, Ferris wheel, and other rides. There was a pavilion with arcade games galore. Some of that is still there, but much of it is gone, and Myrtle Beach is now the place to go golf and shop.

  

4) Composer Burt Bacharach grew up and worked primarily in New York until his marriage to actress Angie Dickinson. She had to live in Los Angeles for her career, so he relocated and remained a Californian for the rest of his life. Where do you feel most at home? (It doesn't have to be a city. It could be your favorite chair.)

A. I feel most at home in my own home, the one I live in with my husband.

5) Dionne Warwick thinks this week's song is "dumb." She won her first Grammy for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and, decades later, still sings it in concert, but she has not changed her opinion of the song. What is something everyone else seems to like but you just don't get?

A. Fox News.

 

6) Now in her 80s, with more than 60 years in show business, Dionne still enjoys performing. She told a reporter that she loves looking out into the audience and seeing an arm go around a shoulder, or a couple begin holding hands, when they hear her sing "their song." What song reminds you of a special romance?

A. Longer, by Dan Fogelberg

 

7) In 1968, when this song was popular, The Doris Day Show premiered. The show was, initially, a surprise to its star. Her manager/husband died suddenly without telling her he had committed her to a weekly sitcom. She was not pleased but honored the contract. Think of the last time you were surprised. Was it a happy or sad surprise?

A. It was a sad surprise.

 

8) According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names of 1968 were Lisa and Michael. Are there any Lisas or Michaels in your life?

A. I know a few Lisas and Michaels.

 

9) Random question: What are you looking forward to this week?

A. Halloween.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.