Adventures into the Unknown #84

When Ed Lambert discovers a fortune in stolen bank money hidden in a swamp house, his desperation to save his failing drugstore threatens to override his conscience—but a harrowing nightmare vision reveals the terrible cost of temptation. Written by the creators of "Second Chance!", this 1957 tale explores how a moment of weakness can spiral into a waking nightmare that changes everything.

A crow nests in Sir John's watch tower, and the English lord grows determined to be rid of it—but the bird proves far cleverer than expected, outsmarting every trap and ambush he devises. As weeks pass and frustration mounts, Sir John hatches a scheme he's certain will finally succeed, though "The Cunning Crow!" may have other ideas.

In "Strange Holiday!", Alaskan hunter Gil Bryant is rescued by a hidden civilization beneath the Arctic ice, only to learn that thirty years have passed on the surface. Disillusioned by a world he no longer recognizes, he sets out north once more, drawn back to the underground realm he barely escaped.

When archeologist Frank Marcuse drinks from an ancient flask discovered in the Pompeii ruins, he finds himself transported back to the city on the eve of Mount Vesuvius's catastrophic eruption—wearing a toga and the very wristwatch that now marks him as a sorcerer in the eyes of terrified citizens. As panic and greed clash in the shadow of the volcano's fury, Marcuse must navigate the chaos and danger of a doomed city while wrestling with a mystery far stranger than any artifact.

In 1873, the elegant steamboat Mississippi Queen embarks on what should be a routine voyage down the river with passenger Golden Whitney aboard, delighting all who witness its majestic passage. But when the vessel fails to arrive in New Orleans as scheduled, shipping officials grow increasingly alarmed—and despite extensive search efforts, the Mississippi Queen and everyone aboard vanish without a trace, leaving one of the river's greatest mysteries unsolved.