Diabolical Plots #106, December 2023

“It Clings” by Hammond Diehl

Reviewed by David Wesley Hill

All I know about dybbuks I learned from googling the term while reviewing this story. Apparently, in Jewish folklore, they are the ghosts of dead people, who instead of moving on, take possession of the living, holding on to life in order to accomplish some final task. In fact, the very name of these ghosts is derived from the Hebrew verb “to cling”—hence the title of the story, “It Clings” by Hammond Diehl, the single December offering of Diabolical Plots. Generally, dybbuks are seen as malevolent beings, but poor dead Louie seems like a decent guy, just really into gardening and Miracle Whip—only he insists on coming back, braving the tines of multiple pickle forks to crash his own shiva (think Jewish wake) until Marla figures out how to put his stubborn clinginess to good use… An entertaining little tale, which … clings … to you despite a couple loose ends.