The world is getting scarier all the time. You never know what perfectly terrifying thing will happen next, even in a small town. A newspaper column years ago by Lydel Sims tells the fearful experience of Mrs. Wilma Sullivan, a widow who lives alone in Portageville, Missouri.

"You just won't believe what happened to her the other night when she was sleeping in her quiet house on a quiet street among quiet and friendly neighbors. She had gone to bed about 11:30...Not that she had worried unduly about her personal safety, but the doors were locked tight and nobody could have opened a window even if they had tried. She was sure of that.

"She picked up [a] novel...and settled down to read for a while. She grew sleepy. She put down the novel, turned off the light and settled down to sleep.

"…