Unusual Tales #14

When a farmer unearths what appears to be a petrified giant on his property, an anthropologist from State University arrives to investigate—only to find the mysterious figure has vanished without a trace. As Dr. Clay Robbins and the farmer search the surrounding hills, they stumble upon an astonishing discovery that challenges everything they thought they knew about the creature's true nature. This seven-page science fiction tale from 1958 mines genuine wonder from the collision between scientific skepticism and the impossible.

In "Approaching Normalcy," a mother frets that her brilliant young son, Jo, is too absorbed in his studies to spend time with other children. To bridge the gap, Jo creates a robot duplicate of himself to play with the neighborhood kids while he stays indoors, immersed in his work.

Young Richard Haley inherits enough money to finally demolish the decrepit family home built by his great-grandfather Jonathan back in 1850—but when he and his wife Jane attempt to leave the house for the last time, doors won't budge, windows stick fast, and an uncanny force seems determined to keep them inside. As the Haleys grow convinced the house itself is resisting their departure, Richard must reckon with his ancestor's dying wish that a Haley would always cherish the old place as family.

In "Alone," a man isolated by his own bitterness finds himself at odds with the world when a violent storm strikes—his neighbors’ desperate calls for help go unanswered, not out of indifference, but because he refuses to listen. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, this haunting three-page tale from Unusual Tales #14 (1958) captures the quiet dread of being cut off from others just when connection might mean survival.

Walt awakens from a three-month coma to a world transformed—strange men vanish before his eyes, his city lies in ruins, and everyone around him seems to know secrets they won't share. As Walt pieces together the unsettling truth about what's happened during his unconsciousness, he discovers that Earth itself has undergone a profound change that will soon demand everything of him.