Talking in the Dark
by Dennis Etchison
In Talking in the Dark, Victor Rippon is a lonely man from a small town. Ever since his wife left him, he's lived a quiet, bleak existence, with no friends to speak of. His only real interest is his favorite writer, Rex Christian. Victor is obsessed with Rex's horror stories, which somehow seem more real to him than his own boring life. Why do Rex's stories have such hypnotic power over his readers? As Christmas draws near, Victor has a chance encounter with Rex and learns the answer to this and to the age-old question, where does a writer really get his ideas?This original short story will thrill and chill you!