These short stories have stalkers or characters who are coping with unwanted attention from someone who follows them and watches them. The stalkers have various motivations for their behavior, although some form of romantic infatuation is probably the most common. For other stories with a similar feeling, see also:
Stalker Short Stories
“The Devil’s Club” by Peggy Rothschild
Jessie doesn’t like visitors or talking about her past. The man at her door, Al, has managed to track her down in Alaska. He insists on coming in. He wants money.
This story can be read in the preview of Heartbreaks & Half-Truths: 22 Stories of Mystery and Suspense. (58% in)
“Prank” by Dino Buzzati
A man who’s hurrying home one night starts getting chased by a stranger. He confronts the man, who’s apologetic, but the situation doesn’t improve. (Summary)
“A Vision in White” by Lawrence Block
A man enjoys watching women’s tennis, and is particularly taken with a charming, blonde sixteen year old player, Miranda DiStefano. He drives—sometimes long distances—to as many of her matches as he can and watches the others on TV. He thinks about writing her a letter.
This story can be read in the preview of Catch and Release. (53% in)
“Beautiful” by Jeffery Deaver
Kari Swanson looks through a crack in her blinds. She sees the familiar old Ford pickup. She feels sick and tries to hold back tears. He’s found her already, even though she’s surreptitiously moved to Massachusetts. She put two thousand miles between them and it’s only been a week, but David Dale has found her. He became obsessed with her from her modeling work.
“The Stalker” by Joyce Carol Oates
Matilde goes to a gun shop in a mini-mall, though she doesn’t generally approve of guns. She already has a permit. They have everything but Matilde wants something basic—a used .38-caliber Smith & Wesson. When it’s all over, she plans to move away from Detroit and break off contact with everyone she knows. She sees him sitting in his car and he leaves her messages.
“The Stalker” by Faye Kellerman
Dana’s relationship with Julian was wonderful and romantic at first. The evening he proposed was the most fabulous of her life; even now she has to acknowledge that. After they were married, things gradually changed—always asking where she was and who she was with, going through her purse and dresser drawers and listening in on the phone.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
Connie, a pretty fifteen-year-old, lives with her mother and twenty-four-year-old sister, June, who’s a secretary at Connie’s high school. Connie’s mother is critical of her but praises June for being so steady. Connie goes with June and some friends to the movies or the mall, but they often end up at a burger place talking to boys. One day while hanging out with a boy she met, another shaggy-haired young man speaks to her. Soon after, she sees him again.
Read “Where Are You Going . . .”
I’ll keep adding stalker short stories as I find them.
