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Post by dem bones on Aug 23, 2012 5:28:54 GMT
Mary Danby (ed) - 5th Fontana Ghost Book (Armada, 1973) Mary Danby - Introduction
Ray Gottleib - The Mourning Brooch
Christine Pullein-Thompson - The Skeleton Rider
Pamela Vincent - Sleeping Bones
Joan Aiken - Humblepuppy
Joyce Marsh - The Captain's Yacht
Iain Dennler - Macauslans's Castle
Lucy Norris - Paget
Sydney J Bounds - The Haunted Tower
Martin Ricketts - Uncle Jim
Kay Leith - The Old Greenhouse
Mary Danby - The Last EarlThe Mary Danby, Syd J. Bounds and Kay Leith contributions return from the grave in HarperCollins' Bumper Book Of Ghost Stories (1991), but #5 has no representative in The Green Ghost & Others. It's early days, and the series grew less condescending to its audience as it went along, but the following trio fall into the strictly 'for children', as opposed to 'for children of all ages,' bracket. Christine Pullein-Thompson - The Skeleton Rider: Toffee-nosed Derek, Simon, Lucy and Felicity Mellett are full of themselves after bagging loads of trophies at the pony trials. As they ride home across the moor, a kindly old timer warns them to avoid Devil's Pike after dark. They dismiss him as a "silly old fool" and, "probably drunk". Rufus, the Skeleton rider, and his equally fleshless horse have no liking for swollen-headed posh kids and chase them from their patch. "Go away. I'll fetch the police. Help, help!" wails Simon. "My father is the director of fourteen companies. My mother is a film star. We belong to the boss class" insists Derek, prior to fainting in terror. Only disappointment - a crushing one, admittedly - is that C.P-T fails to visit grisly horrible protracted torture-death on entire Mellett household. Kay Leith - The Old Greenhouse: Jane Lockslet and her mum are holidaying at Aunt Sarah's place in Marwick. Jane has borrowed her brother Jeremy's new-fangled cassette recorder on the understanding she tapes him some bird song as he needs it for an exam. Jane sets up the recorder in the old, neglected greenhouse prior to visiting the shops. It captures the voice of Aunt Sarah's late husband, Jim, enthusing over his prize camellia. Martin Ricketts - Uncle Jim: Robin, ten, returning home in thick fog, cuts through the park. A kindly old man helps him find his way to his front door. While they walk, Old Jim explains to the boy that fog is nothing to be scared of - it's merely a white mass of ghosts and they mean the living no harm. We are a very long way from Alison Prince! for convenience sake, two from earlier. Mary Danby - The Last Earl: Teenage tourists on a visit to Bardsea Castle witness a ghostly reenactment of the suicide of Papist William, the 6th Earl of Tremayne, at the conclusion of a struggle with Henry VIII's men in 1537. Badly wounded, the Earl threw himself from the battlements to evade capture. His corpse was hung, drawn and quartered just the same, but it's undoubtedly better he'd didn't live through the ordeal. Some nice atmospheric touches, particularly in the dungeon. Another that could have been nastied up a touch for an adult market. Sydney J. Bounds - The Haunted Tower: Dick Marsh and his little sister Sue spend the weekend with their Uncle Harry, a forest ranger whose bungalow stands in the shadow of an abandoned telegraph tower. When two hoodlum biker youths carelessly drop their lighted cigs at its base, they set it ablaze. The ghost of young Tom Archer, who fell down the steps and broke his neck, finally gets to transmit his first semaphore signal.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 18, 2023 10:35:29 GMT
Ray Gottleib - The Mourning Brooch: Holidaying with his uncle at a Kentish vicarage, Paul finds a black brooch beside a grave in the churchyard. Six-year-old Margaret King was killed in the Staplehurst rail tragedy of 1865. The distraught mother survived her less than a year. Paul slips his find in a pocket and forgets about it. The next evening, returning home by train from a day out in London, Paul is joined in his compartment by a lady in deep mourning. He really doesn't want to see what lies beneath the veil ...
Pamela Vincent - Sleeping Bones: Demolition of the ancient wing of Carstairs Hall releases Jeremy from the priest hole he's been locked inside these past 82 years. It was his conniving younger brother, Archie, imprisoned and left him to rot. Sir Archibald has since inherited the family estate and the title that goes with it. Time to settle the score.
Joan Aiken - Humblepuppy: (Puffin Post, A Harp of Fishbones and Other Stories, 1972). The author acquires a job lot of materials ex of Riverland rectory at auction. Along with two Persian rugs, a sewing machine, set of golf clubs, etc, a metal deed box with the ghost of a mongrel pup locked inside. Apparently a true benign ghost story.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 19, 2023 11:15:47 GMT
Joyce Marsh - The Captain's Yacht: Seventy years ago, a retired sea captain was lost in a failed attempt to rescue four children whose dingy had capsized off the Point. Now another group of kids are in difficulty during a storm. You've guessed.
Iain Dennler - MacAuslans's Castle: North Perthshire legend has it that that when the fearsome chieftain, Lord MacAuslan learned of his daughter Fiona's romance with a Campbell, he had them both hurled from Ben Tulbragh into the icy Loch below. His ghost still prowls the crag, dealing death to young lovers who defy his curse.
Lucy Norris - Paget: Sir Robert and Lady Lee were lost when a fire gutted the East Wing of the farmhouse on 3rd September 1871. Their ghost walk on the anniversary, still seeking their young son who they believed to be trapped in the blazing nursery.Tonight marks 100 years since the tragedy. Cora, eleven, meets a little boy soaked through and shiverying by the lake.
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