During their dance (Pierluigi Vanelli's delightfully grotesque choreography of writhing and grimacing), they ripped off the wallpaper to reveal a padded cell.

WSJ: Ghost Stories Sung | Spoleto Festival USA | By Heidi Waleson

One in particular haunts him to this day: He recalls being in a "padded cell" with just a thin exercise mat and a blanket.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Leon's phone call sets in motion a series of events that show David how, rather than being protected from the fears and anxieties of his daily existence by a prestigious City job, multiple maids and secretaries, and a peerless spouse, he has placed himself in a moneyed cocoon as insulating as a padded cell.

ECONOMIST: New fiction