Creepy Worlds #54

Bart Lanning, a brilliant scientist, becomes obsessed with proving that mirages are not optical illusions but temporary breaches in time caused by intense human emotion. As he investigates strange phenomena tied to tragic events—like a ghostly wagon train in Arizona and a recurring vision of Fouret at Niagara—he grows distant from his longtime friend Jim Vincent and the woman he loves, Nell. When a mysterious signal leads him to the edge of the ocean, he discovers a hidden world where the past and present collide, and the fate of Princess Karla may be linked to the very secrets he’s been chasing.

When a wartime explosion leaves Harry Miles with only five years to live, he channels his fate into a thriving career as a mystery writer—only to find his fictional creations beginning to step out of the pages and into his world.

In "The Reformers," a group of interstellar agents sent to corrupt alien societies by blaming their ills on comic books, alcohol, and fashion find themselves baffled when they land on a world where such indulgences coexist with peace and integrity. Shocked by a civilization that thrives without moral decay, the Reformers grow frustrated—and even more so when their leader, Satan, calmly reveals the truth: they’ve arrived in Heaven.

Professor Johnson and Mr. Trimble investigate a mysterious, immovable sphere buried deep in a Nebraska haystack, leading the professor to uncover a tiny, habitable world within its surface—complete with rivers, roads, and a ruined city—where survivors are attempting to repair something vital. As the sphere begins to move on its own, Professor Johnson realizes it’s not just a rock, but a living world on the brink of escape, and its inhabitants may still be fighting to survive.

In "Destiny Road!", Marvin Hunter’s routine detour takes a strange turn when he spots an injured girl on a quiet country road—only to discover her father was the very officer who rerouted him. As he helps her home, a photograph reveals a shocking connection between the girl and the man who changed his path.

Dr. Alex Costain, a psychiatrist obsessed with unlocking the mind’s hidden depths, recruits a homeless man named Mike Ferris as a test subject for an experimental drug meant to access forgotten memories. As the drug takes effect, Mike’s consciousness journeys through evolutionary stages—from medieval peasant to caveman to primordial sea creature—revealing the mind’s astonishing ability to relive humanity’s past. The story ends with Mike returning to his present self, changed by the experience, while Dr. Costain marvels at the transformation.

In "The Marshal," Western TV star Rex finds himself caught between dream and reality when the actor portraying Billy the Kid on set bears an uncanny resemblance to the outlaw from his vivid dreams. As the line between fiction and legend blurs, Rex must confront the unsettling truth of what—or who—he’s really trying to reach.

Herb Thomas investigates the mysterious decline of Jonesville, uncovering the tragic tale of the Prairie Belle, a locomotive whose ill-fated journey to Harper City ended in disaster. As he pieces together the story of Ephraim Flint’s doomed railroad dream and the sabotage by Ed Gormley, strange coincidences and eerie echoes begin to unsettle him—especially when he encounters a haunting photograph of Selena Flint. The past seems to follow him, and the line between history and the supernatural grows dangerously thin.

Frank Masters, a renowned photographer of submarine life, captures startling images of a colossal clam shell in the Coral Seas off Tarawa—only to witness it open and reveal an entire undersea city. Though he films the event in disbelief, his evidence is met with ridicule and skepticism when he attempts to present it to marine experts.

Jeremy Glenn, a servant with the rare ability to see into the past, uses his power to save a lost boy and later exonerate a wrongfully accused man, drawing the attention of Queen Elizabeth, who summons him to prove his gift. As he prepares to demonstrate his vision before her, a chilling revelation begins to unfold.