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Book club discussion guide

Nightshift for the Dead

A horror short story by C.R. Lang · 6 min read

Read the story Printable guide (PDF, 110 KB)

About the story

A cemetery caretaker in a too-perfect small town discovers that the dead come out after midnight to repair the streets and wind the clocks, and that anyone who disturbs their work is smoothed away.

This guide assumes everyone has finished the story, so it discusses the ending.

Character map

Character map for Nightshift for the Deadhands the key tosmooth overwatchescame beforeworks amongHarlan TeagueProtagonistEdith MarshThe deadMr. DunmoreThe deadThe night workersThe deadThe missingThe smoothed-overWalter PikePrevious caretaker
The main character is in the highlighted box. Arrows show who acts on whom. Scroll sideways to see the whole map.
  • Edith Marsh hands the key to Harlan Teague
  • The night workers smooth over The missing
  • Harlan Teague watches The night workers
  • Walter Pike came before Harlan Teague
  • Mr. Dunmore works among The night workers

Who’s who

Harlan Teague · Protagonist
Caretaker of Greywater Cemetery for twenty-two years. Values routine above all.
Edith Marsh · The dead
Buried in the spring. Brings Harlan the brass key, cold-fingered and gentle.
Mr. Dunmore · The dead
In the ground since the year Harlan started. Pulls cable from a utility box.
The night workers · The dead
Dozens of the dead who mend the town in silence.
The missing · The smoothed-over
Voss the musician, the woman on Alder Street, the boy with the camera.
Walter Pike · Previous caretaker
The last name in the ledger, 1998.

Themes to look for

  • Order and its price

    The town runs perfectly. The cost is anyone who disturbs the routine.

  • Duty

    Harlan is chosen because he follows rules ‘without asking why.’

  • Community and conformity

    The town never questions its good fortune. Is that peace or complicity?

  • Inevitability

    Harlan was never afraid ‘because some part of him had always known.’

Discussion questions

  1. Harlan’s second rule, never be on the grounds after midnight, is one he ‘arrived at on his own.’ What does that tell us about him from the start?
  2. Why is Harlan more frightened by his lack of fear than by the dead themselves?
  3. The dead treat people who disturb the routine like potholes. What does the word ‘maintenance’ make you think about?
  4. Why do you think the townspeople never wonder how their town stays so perfect?
  5. The dead ‘escort’ Harlan to the shed rather than leading him. What’s the difference?
  6. What do the dead need from a living caretaker, according to the ledger?
  7. Did Harlan have a real choice when he signed his name?
  8. Is Greywater Falls a good place to live? Would you stay?

Craft corner

For writers in the group. Each term links to the writer’s glossary.

  • Atmosphere: The story is quiet and polite, not gory. How does it still build dread?
  • Foreshadowing: Reread the first paragraph. How does ‘a man who valued routine’ prepare the ending?

Try this together

Imagine the next page of the caretakers’ ledger. As a group, write the rules Harlan will pass to whoever comes after him, the way a job handbook would.