Lullaby

Carl Streator, a cynical journalist, finds himself embroiled in a chilling investigation after discovering a sinister pattern among Sudden Infant Death Syndrome victims: every child was read the same innocuous-sounding lullaby from an ancient poetry anthology just before their demise. This isn't a mere children's verse, but a 'culling song'—an archaic African incantation designed for merciful euthanasia. To his horror, Carl realizes he inadvertently used this very lullaby to kill his own wife and child years ago. His quest for answers leads him to Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent who also unwittingly dispatched her infant with the deadly poem. Bound by their shared, tragic secret and the terrifying power of the verses, Carl and Helen embark on a macabre road trip to locate and destroy every copy of the cursed book. Their journey is a darkly comedic, violent, and often philosophical exploration of death, free will, and the irresistible urge to silence the world's most irritating inhabitants, forcing them to confront their own morality in the face of ultimate, effortless power.