Mammoth Book of Zombies, The [S.S. Ant.] by Various (Jones Stephen - Ed.)

Author:Various (Jones, Stephen - Ed.) [Various (Jones, Stephen - Ed.)]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Sci-fi, Zombies, Anthologies (various)
Publisher: Unofficial e-book edition
Published: 1993-01-01T02:00:00+00:00

"Which must have brought to light the fear of ghostly revenge on every local's tongue."

"In this case, no. Two men were hanged not long afterwards for his death. It was claimed that they killed him for money. But the house has not had a happy history. Violence has seemed to hang around it. It is said to be a place of ill luck."

"What, no tales of wandering revenants?" I asked. "No screaming skulls or bloodstains on the floor?"

Perhaps taking my remarks as derisive, Foster said, stiffly, that it was not the inside of the house that was considered unlucky.

"The only deaths in there have been from natural causes," he said. "But the grounds…" He paused emphatically. "The grounds are a different matter altogether. Superstitious foolery, some people might say, but it is said that it is an incautious man who will wander at night through the grounds of Elm Tree House."

"Well, there's at least one local man who thinks nothing of the sort," I remarked.

"A local man, you say?" Foster asked, genuinely interested. "You surprise me. There are few men in Fenley - though fewer still who would admit it - who would willingly venture into that ill chosen ground at night. Do you know who it was, by any chance?"

I'm afraid not. It was late last night and the darkness was too dense for me to make out his face. I took him for a tramp, though Poole, who's seen him before, has the opinion that he must be a local poacher taking a short cut to the woods."

"This surprises me indeed," Foster said, "though it just goes to show how poorly one can really know a place even after nearly ten years. It is generally supposed that the only poacher in recent times to venture there was Young Teb back in the late 90s, whose torn body presented the local constabulary with an embarrassing problem for months afterwards. His murderer was never apprehended, and the example the poor fellow presented is said to have dissuaded others from going there ever since. But this was nearly thirty years ago and I suppose the younger men might think nothing of going there now." Glancing significantly at his watch, Foster said that he really had to return to the library now. "It has been a pleasure talking to you," he said in parting, "but there is much to be seen to at the library before we close tonight. However, I hope you will call in to see me some time whenever you are here again. And if ever you want to know anything about Fenley you know where to ask."

Although I had learned a great deal during my stay in Fenley, I decided as I drove back along the lane that it was of little use to me in quelling Poole's rapture for the house. It was, in fact, just the kind of thing to allay his unease about the cellars and awaken in its place an interest in its history.

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