"October in the Chair" by Neil Gaiman

For today's post, I will be dipping into a very nice anthology of short stories called Poe's Children - The New Horror. This collection is edited by Peter Straub, and I will be looking at a story by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman.

My thoughts on "October in the Chair" by Neil Gaiman.

I felt like this story would be a real treat when right below the title it said "for Ray Bradbury". Quite simply, a nod from one of the current greats to one of the all-time greats.

One of the things that made Bradbury great was his ability to describe things so that the reader could feel them, taste them. Gaiman does this also in "October in the Chair", surely intentional. The tale is about the months having their monthly meeting, where they gather round and tell stories. It must be October in this story, because he is in the chair.

When October tells his story, it is of a boy who runs away from a cruel home, and finds a friend in a most unlikely place. The boy knows that if he were to keep on running, he would eventually get caught and be in some trouble. He longs to have a friend, and enjoy his childhood rather than live in fear. Gaiman, like Bradbury often did, does a masterful job at capturing the nostalgia and longing of being a child.

The boy meets another boy, Dearly, and they have a great time playing together. In the end, the boy makes a choice that will change his life forever.

Memorable quote: "I used to have another name, but I can't read it anymore."