The Little Stranger

Publication(s)

• First Publication
  • The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2004
• Other anthologies
  • Fantasy: The Best of 2004, 2005

Online access

This story is available online (with a free subscription) at AccessMyLibrary.com.

Summary

Ivy, a woman who seems to love children, writes to her deceased cousin about "little strangers" who come to her house.

Analysis

• Ivy is a plant sacred to Wicca.
• Ivy frequently uses a bicycle. This may be a reference to Elmira Gulch, the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in Dorothy's dream in the movie version of The Wizard of Oz.
• When Ivy writes "called" she qualifies it with "(phoned)". She has other ways of calling.
• Danny or Daniel has been used by Wolfe for evil spirits before , such as Daniel O'Donoghue (of Domdaniel) in A Cabin on the Coast.
• Wolfe has used the Hansel and Gretel theme before. See In the House of Gingerbread.

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