Topic: Trying to Identify Horror Collection from mid-70's
When I was a kid, I got a book of scary stories for kids as a Christmas gift (probably 1976-77). That book scared the bejeezus out of me; I finally had to give it back to my mom, insisting she get rid of it.
I've been trying to find either the stories or the book for years since then. I don't remember all the stories well, but I can remember a couple that particularly scared me. Hopefully they'll ring a bell with someone:
One story featured a family with kids moving into a country house with a creepy old tree outside. Each night, the son sees the shadow of the tree getting closer and closer to the house. One night the shadow reaches the house, gets in, and comes alive, attacking the family. I don't remember how the story ends.
The other story I can recall had two kids, a boy and a girl, maybe brother and sister, who were messing around with alchemy or some book of transmutation. The girl (named Miriam, I remember that) gets turned into a horrible, small flying beetle creature, and the boy ends up squashing her. After she's dead, her remains are clearly those of a miniature human.
There was also a story about a haunted school bus, I think, but that is a very vague recollection. If you know the book, or the stories, that I'm talking about, please let me know! Thanks very much.
