As the owner of a 19th-century home, I often think about those lives lived here before us and what they must have been like. As our homes are so much a part of us, those who have gone before us leave traces of their lives and loves behind. Here is a very short, yet poignant tale of just such an old house.

It seems that the author experienced the feeling of something lurking at the edge of human senses, feelings, and powerful emotions. This unique story straddles prose and poetry, as does much of Virginia Woolf’s work.

Woolf’s unique writing talents came naturally from her well-read parents. Her father, Sir Leslie Stephen (he was knighted for his literary services), was the creator of the Oxford Dictionary of Biography.

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Here is a relatively obscure tale of suspense for the scary season.

After checking into a small hotel to convalesce for the summer, a man becomes curious about an enigmatic guest who has taken up residence and the other end of the hall.

About the story:

As I can only read stories in the public domain, you might wonder about the reference to a Hitler mustache. That’s because this story was published in 1934 and the copyright was not renewed.

Julius Long was a lawyer and author of a few horror and detective stories. His work is not well known, but several of his stories, like this one, are quite good. He was not a prolific writer and died fairly young at age 47.

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When a young man seeks the perfect place to study for his universitymathematics exams, he finds an isolated house that seems ideal—too ideal. The locals whisper about the Judge's House and about the cruel magistrate who once lived there. But he is a man of science, dismissive of superstition. He believes in mathematical theorems, not ghost stories. As rats scurry through the ancient walls and something enormous watches from the shadows, he'll discover that some equations have solutions that rational minds aren't prepared to accept. From the master of Gothic horror, Bram Stoker, comes a tale where academic arrogance meets supernatural justice, and where the tools of execution become instruments of an older, darker judgment.

Bram Stoker, born in Dublin in 1847, is best remembered as the creator of Count Dracula, but his mastery of Gothic horror extended far beyond vampires. Before achieving literary fame, Stoker worked as a theater manager for the renowned actor Henry Irving, a career that gave him deep insight into dramatic tension and atmospheric storytelling. "The Judge's House," published in 1891, showcases Stoker's ability to build psychological terror through the gradual revelation of supernatural forces. Unlike his more famous vampire tales, this story explores themes of academic hubris and moral justice, wrapped in the claustrophobic atmosphere of an isolated house where past sins refuse to stay buried. Stoker died in 1912, leaving behind a legacy of horror fiction that continues to influence writers and filmmakers today, proving that the best ghost stories are those that make us question what we think we know about the world around us.

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As Halloween approaches we begin a time for scarier stories. For this short tale with a chilling twist we turn to prolific 19th century stories Ambrose Bierce for "A Wireless Message."

Ambrose Bierce is considered one of the 19th Century finest authors of shockingly realistic short stories. His most famous tale “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is one of our favorites and can be heard at Litreading.

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Rather than your typical October horror story, This chilling tale is a unique variation on your run-of-the-mill ghost story with a wicked twist at the end from the master of narrative misdirection, O. Henry.

O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, is considered one of the all-time masters of the short story. Known for his inventive twists, his work spanned many genres from comedy to horror. His short variegated life as draftsman, banker, and even federal convict, gave him a trove of experiences to weave into his tales.

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While Halloween is the season for scary stories, their popularity is timeless. That is why this dark tale of revenge still send chills down listeners spines after almost two centuries.

The Cask of Amontillado was first published in the November 1946 issue “Godey’s Lady’s Book” which demonstrates the universal fascination with scary stories. Poe understood humanity’s greatest fears and exploited them masterfully, making him the all-time master of the horror genre.

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Kate Chopin’s Doctor Chevalier’s Lie is a moving meditation on compassion in the face of tragedy. Set against the backdrop of a harsh and unforgiving city, the story turns on a doctor’s quiet decision: whether to report what he sees with unflinching honesty, or to soften the truth for the sake of those left behind. Chopin invites us to consider the value of mercy, the weight of dignity, and the moments when a carefully chosen falsehood can become an act of profound kindness.

Kate Chopin, born in 1850, was among the first American writers to explore the hidden truths of everyday lives. Living in Louisiana, she drew on its people and culture to shape her work. Her novel The Awakening shocked readers of her time but is now praised as a classic of American realism. In her short stories, like Doctor Chevalier’s Lie, she showed how even the smallest choices can carry profound humanity.

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Here’s a taste of the classic tales coming your way this October during Scary Story Season on Litreading.

Here is the perfect story for those times when you need to fill a few minutes with entertainment. This tale is a surreal story of a 19th century soldier traversing a dangerous section of the the Great Plains on foot to deliver dispatches from one Old West fort to another.

Having served in the Union Army, Ambrose Bierce was one of the greatest authors of short war stories and macabre tales. We feature a number of his stories here on Litreading, including his most famous, “The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”

In his search for new material about which to write, he crossed the border into Mexico during the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th Century and never returned.

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