Nine for the Nightlight

"Messages in the Lunch Room" A cranky teacher gets a tough lesson from a bowl of soup. "Mushed" : Jason is at the beck and call of his new and very lazy nanny. But Mrs. Cutshaw's hypocrisies concerning TV are about to give her a vivid wake-up call. "Ashburger" : After Kyle clumsily drips some hamburger grease in Aunt Tanith’s cremation urn, something unearthly is summoned from the ashes. "Missy Mage and the Mean Old Lady Down The Street": Jayona and Tyler have recently moved to town and just had the unpleasant experience of meeting the meanest woman in the neighborhood. When this cantankerous woman deliberately breaks Tyler’s toy robot, justice is served from an unexpected source. "Cal and the Birthday Party" : Cal is a bully who takes delight in ruining the fun of everyone around him. After spoiling the birthday party of a one young girl he is surprised when she still gives him a parting gift. This gift is like nothing Cal has ever seen before..and one that will whisk him into a world where he is as small as his character. "The Parrot": Jake Swafford has always resented nosy neighbor, Mrs. Harrison. But when Mrs. Harrison’s grandson brings a parrot to keep her company, Jake realizes that the old woman is no longer paying attention to him. Jake retaliates by sneaking over to Mrs. Harrison’s house during her naps to teach the bird some juicy new words. Mrs. Harrison soon hears what her pet has new to say, and the end result will leave Jake literally speechless. “Overanxious Mr. Miller": Mr. Miller has no contention about lording it over his children, Tina and Bobby. When they vanish Mr. Miller believes he’s been given another chance to make the kind of life that having children had deprived him of. But as Miller reaches the zenith of success the echoes of his past cruelties come to exact justice. “Stone Jimmy” : Merciless bullying from his older brother has made life insufferable for Russell. When sweet but eccentric Aunt Olympia offers Russell help he thinks the amulet she gives him is nothing more than a river rock. Very soon, however, Russell comes to realize the power of rural magic and the price of revenge. "The Ghost of Jacob Abel": it is moving day and Baby’s family learns that a mysterious jar of coins, a table and a ghost are part of the deal.