The Reaper’s Image

The Reaper’s Image is an early Stephen King short story originally published in Startling Mystery Stories in Spring 1969. The story follows antique collector Johnson Spangler as he visits the Samuel Claggert Museum, hoping to acquire the legendary Delver’s Mirror, a rare Elizabethan artifact with a sinister reputation. As curator Mr. Carlin guides him through the museum, he recounts the mirror’s troubled history, including repeated attempts to destroy it and the mysterious disappearances of those who have gazed into its reflection. Combining mystery, suspense, and supernatural horror, this seven-page tale demonstrates King’s ability to create an atmosphere of dread around a single, haunting object.