Hi, I'm Lovar Burton and this is Lovar Burton Reads.

Where in every episode I hand-pick a different piece of short fiction and a read it to you.

The only thing these stories have in common is that I love them and I hope you will too.

Well, we're nearing Halloween and it's time to get spooky, y'all.

And we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge an author who has been putting her own unique twist on horror for years now.

You've all been requesting her work for a while. Her name is Kelly Link and she is a MacArthur Genius Grant winner

and the co-founder of Small Beer Press, which has been recognized as a leading small publisher of literary science fiction and fantasy for years.

And this particular story written by Ms. Link is called The Specialist's Hat.

It was originally published in Event Horizon and was reprinted in her collections, Stranger Things Happened, and Pretty Monsters.

Now, The Specialist's Hat is a gloriously creepy story about twin sisters who have lost their mother, their widowed father, and the house they all inhabit plays very prominently in this tale.

The house is the former home of a poet of some renowned, if not the best writing reputation, and we hear floating through the story bits of that poet's writing.

Now, like many of Kelly Link's stories, this one is dreamed like and funny and twisted and the narrative just doesn't go where you might think it will.

So, let's get into it. If you're ready, let's take a deep breath.

And begin.

The Specialist's Hat by Kelly Link.

When you're dead, you don't have to brush your teeth. Samantha says, when you're dead, Claire says, you live in a box and it's always dark, but you're not ever afraid.

Claire and Samantha are identical twins. Their combined age is 20 years, four months and six days. Claire is better at being dead than Samantha.

The babysitter Yannes covering up her mouth with a long white hand.

I said to brush your teeth and that it's time for bed. She says, she sits cross-legged on the flowered bed spread between them.

She has been teaching them a card game called Pounce, which involves three decks of cards, one for each of them.

Samantha's deck is missing the jack of spades and the two of hearts, and Claire keeps on cheating.

The babysitter wins, anyway. There are still flecks of dried shaving cream and toilet paper on her arms.

...