Can you escape from an evil wizard? Can you outrun a corpse? Can you learn secrets from a severed head? These terrifying questions, and many more, enliven twenty-two tales collected from around the world and retold. From China to Egypt, and Spain to Hawaii, people have gathered for generations to listen to spooky stories that make the backs of their necks prickle. You can share their nightmares of monstrous sea ghosts with sharp green teeth, women with blood-red hair that turns into snakes, skulls that defy death, and treasure chambers that can trap you inside forever. In huts and palaces, by campfires and hearths, people huddle close together to hear these tales. But if you read them alone, beware!

Sequel to: Ask the bones.

Story to tell (Ireland) -- Courting Astriah (Germany) -- Shaggy gray arm (Iceland) -- Prince's fate (Egypt) -- Headless horseman (Ireland) -- Knife (Germany) -- Werewolf in the forest (Eastern Europe) -- Secret (Italy) -- Severed head (Persia) -- Dangerous dead (China) -- Haunted bell (Spain) -- Gruesome test (Japan) -- Enchanted cave (Spain) -- Witch of the woods (Eastern Europe) -- Wishes gone awry (Scotland) -- Ghost of the rainbow maiden (Hawaii) -- Wife's tale (China) -- Youth without age (Turkey) -- Haunted violin (Germany) -- Evil sea ghost (Norway) -- Peasant's revenge (Germany) -- Wizard's apprentice (Eastern Europe).