**Two short stories recount unsettling childhood experiences.** The first details a boy's recollection of his friend's disappearance on a mysterious road, leaving the narrator haunted by guilt and a lingering sense of dread. The second centers on a family's terrifying encounter with a seemingly possessed nutcracker following a new Christmas Eve tradition, resulting in tragedy and the abandonment of the tradition. Both stories evoke feelings of **childhood fear, loss, and the lingering impact of unexplained events.** The narratives utilize vivid imagery and suspenseful pacing to create a sense of unease.