Pobby and Other Stories

Book excerpt: Five classic stories of horror, humor and the macabre from Jane Rice. From the Salem Witch Trials to a drowned man’s revenge and a man-eating plant, Jane Rice finds a macabre humor in some horrific stories. The House (1941) – The House hated. It had a grim and determinedly evil personality all its own, and it had set out to murder every member of the family, one by one— The Golden Bridle (1943) – The golden bridle was the answer to the golden dream of every jockey—it meant a winner in every race. But its golden touch had something, too, of the Midas touch— The Crest of the Wave (1941) – He was riding the crest— ’til a Delilah and a Judas tipped him into the river. After that—he rode them! The Elixir (1942) – Maybe it was the Witches’ Cup, maybe it was the mighty potion of mixed drinks she’d mixed—but something sent her from a 1942 Halloween party to a Salem witch-hunt. At the wrong end of the hunt! Pobby (1942) – Pobby was a difficult character for an author to handle. He kept coming around to visit the writer, demanding that the ending be changed. He didn’t want the plant to grow—