“I Wait for You” by Eygló Karlsdóttir
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (2018) edited by Stephen Jones
Readers unfamiliar with The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories may prefer to read these notes only after reading the anthology.
A woman returns to her childhood home on Halloween, seeking answers about the afterlife. Her grown son has some truths to share with her.
Setting: A house and its surroundings, with a focus on a kitchen and a bedroom.
Characters: An unnamed woman, a ghost; her son, Johnny.
Halloween seen as: A time for the dead to reconnect with the living, with a focus on the complexities of family relationships and the enduring power of love and guilt.
Style: Supernatural, with a focus on emotional impact and the haunting nature of memory.
Point of view: Third person, alternating between the woman's and Johnny's perspectives.
Jay
