Russell and Rosalie Parker are not only the proprietors of England’s much-admired Tartarus Press, but also accomplished practitioners of the eerie tale.

Because he was immortal, he was still alive down there in Tartarus—suffering in eternal pain, hungering to return and take revenge on Olympus.

For instance, “Mr. Huffam, A Christmas Story” — found in the Tartarus collection — offers a sentimental variation on “The Silver Mask.”