The Big Toe" (Scary stories to Tell in the Dark)

Schwartz kicked off the very first book with a story featuring rotting corpses, cannibalism, and the walking dead. In other words, "The Big Toe" is a pretty great representation of the rest of the series complete with an unforgettable image by Gammell.

A boy discovers a toe in his yard, digs it up, and gives it to his mom, who decides to make soup out of it before his pops cuts it into thirds for supper. That night, the nine-digit ghoul demands to know, "Where is my to-o-o-o-o-e?" The story ends with advice on how to scare your friends while telling it, plus an alternate ending. According to the notes in the back of the book, this one comes from the south where it's apparently okay to eat parts of dead human feet.