Creepy Worlds #61

When the Earth was young, a long-dead civilization left behind traces of advanced technology buried beneath Arctic ice. Bill Matthews and Professor Strogonov, representing rival nations, race to uncover the secrets of a mysterious dinosaur skeleton that may hold clues to a forgotten past—each determined to claim the discovery before the other.

Dexter W. Vandine, a gentle man long shaped by rejection and hardship, clings to a childhood dream of the mythical Gravy Train—a magical locomotive said to stop only for good deeds. When a group of outlaws exploits his reputation as a harmless local oddity to hijack a cash train, Dexter is unwittingly thrust into a plan that hinges on his quiet, misunderstood presence. As the rails tremble and danger looms, he faces a moment that could either shatter his fragile world or finally fulfill the promise of a journey he’s dreamed of his whole life.

In "Clem Never Does Anything Big!", a quiet boy from Hog Hollow finds himself at the center of an interstellar test when two alien visitors arrive, convinced Earth is too hostile for their kind. As they subject Clem to a series of increasingly absurd trials—only to be undone by Kentucky Lightning, a swarm of skunks, and a furious hornet attack—the aliens realize some planets are better left uninvaded.

Pierre Gordin, a renowned hunter and storyteller, encounters a colossal alien creature—later revealed to be a Rankar—after a crash in the wilderness, only to discover it’s not a mindless beast but a dangerous fugitive from a galactic zoo. With the help of telepathic aliens from Syrtis IV, Pierre devises a daring plan to lure the Rankar into a swamp using its own icy breath as a trap, using the creature’s strength against itself. The story builds around the tension of survival and the challenge of proving an impossible tale, leaving Pierre to wonder if anyone would believe his account of the sky beast’s fate.

In a tale spun from mist and memory, Owen David recounts to Inspector Blazer how his friend Gordon Barry became obsessed with a ghostly vision of Celia Crane, a woman said to wander the English moors in search of the road to London. Drawn by the haunting beauty of her apparition and the storm that follows each sighting, Gordon’s quest for adventure leads him into a perilous pursuit that blurs the line between spirit and reality.

Prince Jansen, burdened by his crown and longing for freedom, flees his royal duties after a comet threatens his planet, joining a scattered fleet of survivors. Meanwhile, Alice, a struggling actress who once dreamed of being a queen, rises to stardom on Earth—unaware that her life is about to intersect with the prince’s in ways neither could have imagined.