The Unexpected #135 is an issue of the series The Unexpected (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1972.
Synopsis for "Death Come Walk With Me"
A man by the name of Kroy is in attendance as his rich uncle is about to pass away. An apparition suddenly runs out of the room holding an hourglass. Kroy gives chase but the figure escapes out the glass door. Kroy is in disbelief but he shakes himself back to reality as he reveals that he himself poisoned his uncle for writing him out of the will. Kroy is determined to posses his uncles wealth. Later as Kroy takes a walk, he encounters an accident scene where the victim is about to pass away. He again spots the apparition nearby holding an hourglass waiting for the sands to run out. Kroy chases after the figure and surprises him by taking away the hourglass. The macabre figure begs Kroy to return the hourglass. He explains that unless it is returned, no one can die. Kroy agrees to return the hourglass in return for his service. Kroy gives the figure of death a list of people that he wants dead. The messenger of death protests but Kroy threatens to smash the hourglass so he has no choice but to comply. Hours later, Kroy invites all of his relatives aboard a yacht where his rich uncles will is read. The will confirms that Kroy has been left out of the inheritance but he does not care. The boat is then suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning and sinks. Everyone perishes except for Kroy. He manages to float to a nearby island where he spots the messenger of death waiting on the beach. The messenger retrieves the hourglass as Kroy lay injured and miserable in the sand. Kroy begs the messenger to take his life but the messenger states that he is not scheduled to collect Kroy for years to come. The messenger of death departs leaving Kroy in his misery stranded on the island.
Appearing in "Death Come Walk With Me"
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Synopsis for "Fame Comes to Killer Farnum"
A man by the name of Farnham is tormented by the office bully Jack Elwin. Elwin is found murdered in the office one night and Farnham is the prime suspect. A police lieutenant named Matt Ryan is assigned to the case and he immediately obtains a confession from Farnham. Farnham confesses to the murder but his story is inconsistent and Ryan starts to doubt its plausibility. In the meantime Farnham starts to enjoy the notoriety he receives from being a murder suspect. As he enjoys the limelight, the true murderer is apprehended by Ryan. Upon learning of the arrest, Farnham grabs Ryans sidearm and shoots the murder suspect in front of the police lieutenant. He goes completely over the edge and begins to ask for photographers as he sinks further into his delusional state.
Appearing in "Fame Comes to Killer Farnum"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "This Tree Bears Deadly Fruit"
A young boy named Arthur retreats to his treehouse with his cat as he listens to police describe the violent death of his father. He enters the treehouse only to find a disfigured man there threatening to harm his cat if the boy does not bring him food and water. Arthur brings the man sustenance as well as medicine for his injuries. The boy begins to bring the man other supplies and keeps his presence a secret. At the same time the boys step father Sam is getting suspicious of Arthurs activities. He observes Arthur as he opens the house safe and retrieves a ledger. The boy takes the ledger to the treehouse where the injured man examines it. They are then confronted by Sam who is holding a gun. Sam refers to the injured man as John and the two begin to struggle. The boy escapes the treehouse just as it is struck by a bolt of lightning. The two men allegedly perish. The police then examine the ledger and find that Sam had actually embezzled from the company and pinned the crime on his partner John. Arthurs mother then reveals that John was actually the boys father.
Appearing in "This Tree Bears Deadly Fruit"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "The Map of Menace"
reprinted from House of Mystery Vol 1 96 Four Americans search for treasure in upper Burma. They discover an idle statue with an inscription which is deciphered by one of the expedition members named Jack. According to legend a goddess has been waiting centuries to grant someone one wish before she vanishes forever. It also describes the route they must take to locate the goddess herself. Unbeknownst to the others, Jack also discovers that there are three fatal pitfalls along the path and he knows exactly where they are. He decides to sacrifice his fellow treasure hunters along the way as they encounter each trap. Jack finally arrives at the site where the goddess is located but he then becomes trapped in quicksand and frantically wishes that his partners were there to save his life. The three missing expedition members reappear and rescue Jack. Jack had inadvertently used his one wish and his three partners are now present to claim the treasure left behind by the goddess.
Appearing in "The Map of Menace"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "The Carbon Copy Man"
reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected Vol 1 9 Franke Dorne has an amazing teleportation act in which he steps into a box and transports himself thousands of miles away to the amazement of audiences everywhere. When he appears in another place he is examined for fingerprints, weight and birthmarks to make sure it is the same guy and everything checks out every single time. The secret to Franks success is that he has an identical twin brother that helps him pull off the teleportation act. The only problem is that Franks brother George is getting nervous about being caught and he wants out. Especially since they advertise a $10,000 prize for anyone that can prove that the act is a fake. One day while on location for an act, George steps into a subterranean chamber which collapses and kills him. He had been assured by Frank that the chamber was safe. Frank rushes to the scene but is too late. Frank decides to go through his act one more time to collect a $200,000 sponsor fee but he then plans to run away before his act is discovered with no one appearing on the other end. As Frank examines his transporting box he is shocked to see a monitor screen that shows that there is someone else at his intended location that looks just like him. He then receives a phone call from someone asking him to meet him at the ruins at Mount Hualhaptec. Frank has no choice but to agree to the meeting. He arrives at the ruins and immediately spots the figure he saw on the monitor screen. He leaps forward to jump him and falls to the bottom of the ruins with fatal injuries. The figure approaches and to his surprise he is a dead ringer for Frank. At first Frank mistakes him for his dead brother George but the man confesses that he is not George but rather a triplet. Their parents did not have twins but triplets. The triplet wanted to complete the act with his brothers but Franks greed had ended that possibility when their brother George was killed.
Appearing in "The Carbon Copy Man"
- Appearances not yet listed
See Also