THE SWIMMER John Chever

　　Neddy Merrill plans to “swim the Lucinda stream” to get back home. He actually swims in the neighborhood swimming pools one after another to reach his destination. The story first takes place in the summer, but as the story develops, yellow leaves fall and winter sets in. He sees winter sky Andromeda and Cassiopeia constellations. As Ned swims in the pools, he encounters various people and families but somehow feels forgetful. He becomes so weak and tired that he wonders whether he can safely reach his house. But when he reaches it, it was empty. His wife and his daughters are gone.
On the surface, Ned’s plan is carried out as he planned, but in the deep bottom, he transforms from a vigorous man into a feeble, forgetful, Alzheimer's patient. The story develops with two different time spans. One lasts within one day, but the other covers his life. A mysterious story.

THE CRABAPPLE TREE Robert Coover

　　At the beginning of the story, a mother bleeds to death during childbirth (The baby is Dickie-boy.) and is buried under a crabapple. Her husband marries the Vamp, who then “cut Dickie-boy’s head.” He is buried under the crabapple next to his mother. The Vamp poisons her husband, and buries him under the crabapple, and abandons her daughter, Maleen, and goes on the run. (She may be under the crabapple, too, which means that she was killed by Maleen). Mareen is a queer girl who enjoys playing with piles of Dickie-boy’s bones dug from under the crabapple. Mareen inherits the Vamp’s house. Birds gather in the crabapple branches and eat the apples, and get louder and bigger.

　　A very scary story. It does not move the reader’s heart, but just gives a dark and spooky impression. There is nothing more to it. I don’t know why New Yorker chose this story.