The tangible mystery of these stories is grounded in the peculiar relationships that unfold slowly, producing an unrelenting uncanny atmosphere. In each play, a family member has recently died and the survivors are left to deal with the consequences. In ''Tricks'' Gifford approaches the psychological territory of Kafka. We meet two men looking for something more than just sex from a prostitute. Are the men two halves of a severed personality? In ''Blackout'' Danny and Diane, an Oklahoma couple of the 1930s, cannot move beyond the grief of a personal tragedy. Refusing to accept the death of her son, Diane seeks refuge in low-level deliriums. In ''Mrs. Kashfi'' a young boy experiences a spooky visitation while his mother voyages into the sea of clairvoyance with a fortune teller. Written for David Lynch''s 1993 drama Hotel Room for HBO, two of these stories, ''Tricks'' and ''Blackout'' were nominated for the Cable Ace Award.
