Holes for Faces (2013) by Ramsey Campbell

“If there’s a face at the edge of my vision, it must belong to a picture on the wall, even if I don’t remember any there.” (“The Long Way”)

Readers unfamiliar with Holes for Faces may wish to read my notes only after reading the collection.

“Passing Through Peacehaven”: Marsden gets off a train at an unexpected stop. He finds the station deserted and the surrounding area distorted. He eventually gets on a train, but it is not the train he was expecting.

“Peep”: A grandfather takes his twin grandchildren to the beach and the cinema. The grandfather has strange encounters with a red-haired, pale-faced figure who seems to want to play peekaboo. Grandfather's confusions accelerate. After his family leaves, he has to keep playing the game with the figure.

“Getting It Wrong”: Edgeworth gets a phone call from Mary Barton, a woman coworker, asking him to be her expert friend on a quiz show. Because Edgeworth used to own a video store, and now works in a cinema, she wants his help with movie questions. He gets the question wrong and is rebuked by the quizmaster. He gets another call the next night and gets the question wrong again. Mary is increasingly desperate on the phone, and never returns to work. Edgeworth gets a third call and gets the question wrong again.

“The Room Beyond”: Todd visits a hotel that is smaller than he remembers. His encounters with the staff are increasingly strange. He eventually finds himself in a room with a long unlidded box.

“Holes for Faces”: Charlie goes on holiday to Naples with his insufferable parents. They visit catacombs and see bodies embedded in the walls with holes for faces. After every meal, his mother reminds him to perform his ablutions by saying “Face and teeth” every time. Charlie becomes convinced he is doomed.

“The Rounds”: A man finds a briefcase on a tube train and returns it to the owner. The man sees the owner leave the briefcase on another train. He takes the briefcase to authorities, but is transported back to the beginning of the story, again.

“The Decorations”: A boy visits his grandparents for Christmas. David’s grandmother is afraid the Santa Claus decoration on the roof will break loose in the wind. Panic and freak-out ensue.