The Leaf-Sweeper — Muriel Spark

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I was walking with a friend, noticing what had changed in my absence, and what hadn't. We passed a long, large house, once famous for its armoury, and I saw that the iron gates were wide open...

So speaks the narrator of Muriel Spark’s haunting tale, ‘The Leaf-sweeper’, before going on to recount the disturbing and mercilessly witty story of a certain “madman” – Johnnie Geddes, hell-bent on outlawing Christmas – who meets the most terrifying of all apparitions: himself.

GALLEY BEGGAR POCKET GHOSTS

Turkey, baubles and jingle bells are all very well— but there's no better Christmas Tradition that the ritual of telling a gripping festive ghost story. Galley Beggar Press are delighted to revive this popular tradition in their Pocket Ghosts range— a series of beautiful, collectable books featuring some of the finest stories in the genre.