After her husband dies in a car accident, Marjorie Little feels abandoned. Stuck in the remote town where he grew up, she remains a stranger to those around her and wants nothing to do with the townspeople's odd occult rituals. But when her daughter is attacked -- scratched -- and left catatonic, Marjorie must face her own shortcomings and the possibility of real evil. "Scratch" is a short horror, a Hallow E'en Carol, about the bad things good people do.
This is one of my favorite short horror stories. I read it every year around Halloween. I don't want to give anything away but it's unique, well written, and scary. The characters are relatable, the scenery is well described (I always say that Rick uses setting as another character in his stories), and it's somewhat fast paced so it keeps you turning the page.