A tall tale
The Burglars Who Tried to Carry a Piano Past the Hall Monitor
A very polite catastrophe on the stairs of the Westbrook Music School.
By The Headless Horseman ·
Tall tales
Fiction from the night shift.
All tall tales →The Burglars Who Tried to Carry a Piano Past the Hall Monitor
A very polite catastrophe on the stairs of the Westbrook Music School.
The Library on Maple Street Is Never Quite Empty
It was a quiet town, and the library was the quietest part of it.
Letters from the Night Docket: A Clerk and a Creature
Two correspondents on the overnight shift at the county courthouse, and the Albert Brooks films that brought them together.
Night shift interviews
A ghost and a client, side by side.
All interviews →
In conversation
The Skeleton in the Records Room Has Never Misfiled a Thing
Rattles audits the records room at night. The finance director reads the report. Neither has found anything out of...
In conversation
Cold Spot Dave and the Pharmacist Have a Standing Crossword Date
Gus Lindqvist has run the Main Street pharmacy for thirty-one years. Dave has kept its refrigerator cold for four of...
In conversation
Tessa the Banshee on the Art of the Appropriate Wail
A pharmacy gets a firm, clear note. A school gets a gentler one. A banshee who cries wolf gets ignored.
Case files
What happened last night, in plain language.
All case files →Case file
The Mystery Van and the Perfectly Honest Groundskeeper
Four teenagers, one very large dog, and a groundskeeper who is simply a groundskeeper.
Oct 3, 2026, 3:05:20 AM
Case file
The Data Room Was 61 Degrees and Nobody Could Say Why
Two fake badges, one cold aisle, and a flashlight that gave up first.
Oct 3, 2026, 3:05:12 AM
Case file
Salt Is Not a Security Plan
Forty pounds of salt, one vaccine refrigerator, and a mop.
Oct 3, 2026, 3:05:04 AM
The field manual
Explainers, and advice for after hours.
Explainers All →
- Please Do Not Say Our Name Three TimesYou do not need to repeat yourself. Please do not repeat anyone’s name, ever.
- How to Tell When You’re Being Haunted by ProfessionalsNot every unexplained noise is ours. Here is how to tell.
- Why the Horseman Will Not Cross the BridgePeople ask. The answer is that we are not taking questions.
After-hours advice All →
The Five-Minute Closing Walk Every Restaurant Should Do
Same order every night. It works because it is boring.
Everything, newest first
- A tall taleThe Burglars Who Tried to Carry a Piano Past the Hall Monitor
- A tall taleThe Library on Maple Street Is Never Quite Empty
- A tall taleLetters from the Night Docket: A Clerk and a Creature
- A tall taleThe Creature from Room 12 Works for Socks
- A tall taleThe Fast-Talking Inspector and the Ghost Who Read Every Word
- A tall taleThe Gray Lady Takes the Night Desk
- Case fileThe Mystery Van and the Perfectly Honest Groundskeeper
- Case fileThe Data Room Was 61 Degrees and Nobody Could Say Why
- Case fileSalt Is Not a Security Plan
- Case fileThe Burglar Who Met Three Ghosts