Part one of two.

    Poor body image and low self-esteem lead to the resurgence of Brenda’s eating disorder and a collapse in the structure of her life. Ghosts, water spirits and wraiths all appear in this tale where there are no easy answers—only opportunities to live and fight another day.“The Wishing Well” was first published by Axolotl Press, 1993. Copyright (c) 1993 by Charles de Lint.Cover art by Kel Flowers (www.kelfae.com)I can never recapture the feeling of first arriving in Newford and meeting the people and seeing the sights as a newcomer. However, part of the beauty of Newford is the sense that it has always been there, that de Lint is a reporter who occasionally files stories from a reality stranger and more beautiful than ours. De Lint also manages to keep each new Newford story fresh and captivating because he is so generous and loving in his depiction of the characters. Yes, there are a group of core characters whose stories recur most often, but a city like Newford has so many intriguing people in it, so many diverse stories to tell, so much pain and triumph to chronicle.— Challenging DestinyCharles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.— Alice HoffmanCharles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.— Holly BlackDe Lint is probably the finest contemporary author of fantasy– Booklist, American Library AssociationUnlike most fantasy writers who deal with battles between ultimate good and evil, de Lint concentrates on smaller, very personal conflicts. Perhaps this is what makes him accessible to the non-fantasy audience as well as the hard-core fans. Perhaps it’s just damned fine writing.– Quill & QuireDe Lint’s evocative images, both ordinary and fantastic, jolt the imagination.– Publishers WeeklyIt is hard to imagine urban fantasy done with greater skill– Booklist, American Library Association

    FEAR WALKS THE NIGHT 'Fear Walks the Night'; 'Punch and Judy'; 'The Florentine Chest'; 'Variety Show'; Prince of Darkness'; 'Death of a Rat'; 'The Echo of a Song'; 'The House in the Forest'; 'Goosefeather Bed'; 'Christmas Eve'; 'Three Shall Meet'; 'Lisheen'; 'Voodoo Drums'; 'The Strange Affair at Upton Stonewold'; 'Gypsy Hands'; 'The End of the Lane'; 'Twilight'; 'Do You Believe in Ghosts?'; Afterword by Neil Bell.

    BurrageThurlow's Christmas Story - John Kendrick BangsThe Ghost, the Gallant, the Gael and the Goblin - W.S. GilbertWho Rides with Santa Anna? - Edward D. HochThe Phantom Hag - Attributed to Guy de MaupassantThe Tale of the German Student - Washington IrvingThe Ensouled Violin - Helena BlavatskyDoorslammer - Donald A. WollheimThe Red Room - H.G. WellsThe Monk of Horror - AnonymousMr. Justice Harbottle - Sheridan Le FanuThe Flying Dutchman - TraditionalThe Parlor-Car Ghost - AnonymousThe Woman's Ghost Story - Algernon BlackwoodMiss Jeromette and the Clergyman - Wilkie CollinsThe Phantom Woman - AnonymousThe Spectre Bride - AnonymousThe Midnight Embrace - M.G. LewisThe Philosophy of Relative Existences - Frank R. StocktonThe Doll's Ghost - F. Marion CrawfordFour Ghosts in Hamlet - Fritz LeiberThe Old Mansion - AnonymousThe Dead Woman's Photograph - AnonymousUntitled ghost story - E.T. HoffmannThe Castle of the King - Bram StokerThe Canterville Ghost - Oscar WildeA Suffolk Miracle - TraditionalFather Stein's Tale - Robert Hugh BensonThe Old Nurse's Story - Elizabeth GaskellThe Body Snatcher - Robert Louis StevensonThe Ghostly Rental - Henry JamesThe Phantom Regiment - James GrantThe Tale of the Bagman's Uncle - Charles DickensThe North Mail - Amelia B. Edwards"The Penhale Broadcast" - Jack SnowStaley Fleming's Hallucination - Ambrose BierceThe Ghost of the Count - Anonymous