Creepy Worlds #4

A thief returns under cover of darkness to steal the statue of Mala-Tor, only to discover that a mysterious tree has taken its place—and the artifact itself carries a curse for those with criminal intent. When the prowler finds himself in the grip of something far more powerful than he bargained for, the true nature of Mala-Tor's protection is revealed in "Behind the Veil!"

In "The Eyes of Mala-Tor," a desperate thief hides a stolen good luck statue beneath a tree, only to return days later and find the wood itself twisted into the very image he stole—now alive and holding him fast. The statue’s ancient presence demands justice, and when the original owner speaks through its voice, the thief’s fate is sealed by the law he tried to outrun.

Jonas Case is a deep-sea diver torn between his fiancée Barbara's ultimatum to quit and an inexplicable pull drawing him back to the ocean depths. When he descends to lay dynamite on the sea floor, he discovers something impossible beneath the glass-like surface—a breathtaking underwater city, and a girl whose gaze seems to reach across the distance and speak directly to his soul. Now Jonas must navigate the mystery of what lies behind the glass and what it means for his life above.

A con artist named Salinger steals a wish-granting machine from an inventor who brings it to his office, only to discover that the device grants wishes with a dangerous catch—it materializes only what's in your mind's eye, incomplete and worthless. When Salinger tries to use it to settle a debt with a dangerous creditor, the swindle unravels spectacularly, leaving him to face the consequences of his greed while the machine itself finds an ironic new purpose in an ash can.

Dr. Raymond Mantell recounts a disturbing visit from his colleague Prof. Charles Norton, who claims his experimental breeding program has produced dogs of near-human intelligence—and worse, dogs capable of reading human minds. When Norton realizes his creations may have already enslaved humanity through centuries of subtle manipulation, he fears they'll destroy him to keep their secret, setting off to confront them. Mantell's unsettling closing question lingers long after Norton vanishes: in a world where we serve our dogs' every whim, who truly holds the leash?

When a petty New York City employee sprays an experimental air purifier over Manhattan, the unthinkable happens—the entire city shrinks to miniature size, leaving Eliot Jones as the only person of normal stature. Suddenly wielding god-like power over millions of tiny citizens, Jones abandons his humble position to become a tyrant, but the trapped city's inhabitants aren't prepared to stay oppressed for long.

Albert Darret brings his wife Elinor on a European tour with a dark secret—he's determined to kill her and escape as a widower. After failed attempts in Marseilles, Rome, and Athens, he lures her to the Egyptian desert near the Sphinx for what he believes will be the perfect crime, but fate has other plans. A chilling tale of murder and desert justice where the ancient monument itself becomes judge and executioner.

When a solitary man named Jan Quill is given an impossible second chance—to live again, but only on Tuesdays—he makes the most of his one day each week experiencing the world he'd left behind. But when he falls in love with a young woman named Ellen, his gratitude turns to desperation as he realizes one day isn't enough, and he begins searching for a way to force the mysterious robed figure who granted him this gift to give him more time. As Jan delves into forbidden knowledge to bend the rules of his supernatural existence, he discovers that some bargains come with consequences far darker than he imagined.

Inventor Abner Grinn discovers a mysterious duplicate of his time-booth blueprint—fully materialized in his workshop—and when he tests the machine, it vanishes into the future and returns with photographic evidence of an alien world. Eager to prove his revolutionary invention, Grinn demonstrates the device to a group of reporters, but when an ambitious journalist seizes the opportunity to travel forward herself, the machine fails to return, leaving Grinn accused of foul play and unable to explain what's happened to his creation.

A desperate psychology student owes a brutal gambling boss twenty thousand dollars—money he doesn't have—and turns to his wealthy aunt Helen for help, only to be rebuffed. When his roommate Richard casually dismisses the possibility of a perfect crime, Clyde hatches an elaborate scheme: he'll frame Richard for scaring Aunt Helen to death with a midnight break-in, collect his inheritance, and escape his dire situation. But as Clyde waits outside the hotel, satisfied with his foolproof plan, fate has other ideas in store.

When a brilliant physicist at a remote European atomic research facility is passed over for promotion, his wounded pride and festering resentment make him vulnerable to a dangerous offer: foreign agents want the detonator plans he's perfected, and they're willing to pay handsomely. As Herman Dobbs commits to betrayal and begins delivering the classified designs, he finds himself trapped in a spiral of greed and paranoia, counting down to a rendezvous that promises wealth—but may deliver something far darker.

Two thieves plot an audacious heist aboard a liner, targeting a priceless ruby locked in the captain's safe—but when their escape goes sideways, one man's fatal weakness becomes impossible to ignore. This taut crime-and-suspense tale builds tension through meticulous planning, only to upend everything in a single desperate moment at the waterfront.

Clarence is a perpetual layabout supported by his wealthy uncle, and when his ambitious wife Myrtle grows tired of their meager circumstances, she pressures him to commit the unthinkable to claim the family fortune. As Clarence climbs the stairs toward his uncle's room on that fateful night, the story takes a dark turn that reveals what he's finally found his calling to be.

Walter Jordan schemes with his lover Dorothy to marry the wealthy Emma Greer and steal her fortune, but their greed and desperation spiral into catastrophe when a fire consumes both the money and any evidence of their crime. Scarred and bitter after the blaze, Walter discovers that Dorothy's affection was tied entirely to his wealth—and she flees in horror at the sight of his disfigured face, leaving him alone with nothing but the ruins of his plan.