Botching book design

I really dislike the short stories we have to design this 28-page book based upon. The stories were about an old lady being forcible removed from her home and dying, a blind woman who gets attacked and her head booted in, a girl killing a pet bird and the author going to a book signing and chickening out from handing over his manuscript.

Here are two of my cover ideas, which I am less than pleased about.
I went forth with the second.


The final result: Catherine, the tutor preferred the back cover and suggested I use it as the front and scrap the business at the front altogether.