'These days, you can find anything you need at the click of a button. That's why I bought her heart online.' Spirits in jam jars, mini-apocalypses, animal hearts and side shows. A girl runs a coffin hotel on a remote island. A boy is worried his sister has two souls. A couple are rewriting the history of the world. And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium. The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night is a collection of twelve haunting stories; modern fairy tales brimming with magic, outsiders and lost souls. Animals Jacob Plum pie. Zombie green. Yellow bee. Purple monster In the dark Little deaths The beginning of the world in the middle of the night Pebbles Aunt Libby's coffin hotel Sea devils Human satellites Bright white hearts