Question

"As Patricia rolled her eyes, Dave stared at her, trying to discern whether she'd been lying. 'So... that stuff about the sleepwalking. Was that... true?' 'Oh yeah,' Carlos said, shaking his head. 'Whole town seems to be coming down with it.' He paused. 'You’re not scared of the dark, are you?'
What feeling does the author create by ending the story with this question? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Answer 1

Answer:

By ending the story with this question, the author creates a feeling of horror, or even an eerie and uneasy feeling and dread for what the night will bring forth.

Explanation:

In the short story "Nighttime in Texas" revolves round the story of how Dave had went to Maine to visit his high school friend Carlos. The story covers the one night he reached his friend's home only to fund it locked and unable to be let in.

But the climax of the story is when Patricia told him about the severe 'condition' of the whole neighborhood's 'sleepwalking' nature. This weird occurrence has led to the whole neighborhood being kept under curfew. But most eerie and even signifying a sense of horror is the last sentence where Carlos asked Dave if he's "scared of the dark". This question ending the story gives the readers a feeling of uneasiness, a type of horrific ending which seem to further signify something bad will happen at night.