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Post by dem bones on Sept 30, 2019 17:55:40 GMT
"A pretty girl once loved me." Dennis Pepper (ed.) - The Young Oxford Book of Ghost Stories (originally 1994) Simon Marsden. Coolbairn House, Co. Wexford, Eire. Dennis Pepper - Introduction
Vivien Alcock - The Rivals
Marc Alexander - Spook House
E. F. Benson - The House with the Brick-Kiln
Ruskin Bond - The Monkeys
Sydney J. Bounds - Room at the Inn
Marjorie Bowen - The Crown Derby Plate
Redvers Brandling - Mayday!
Petronella Breinburg - It Was Rose Hall
Roberta Simpson Brown - Earthbound
Bernard Capes - The Marble Hands
Stephen Dunstone - Fat Andy
Jane Gardam - Bang, Bang—Who's Dead?
Adèle Geras - Carlotta
John Gordon - Little Black Pies
Grace Hallworth - The Guitarist
Julia Hawkes-Moore - The Chocolate Ghost
Kenneth Ireland - Children on the Bridge
M. R. James - Rats
Jerome K. Jerome - The Haunted Mill
J. M. Johnson-Smith - The Last Bus
Gerald Kersh - The Scene of the Crime
Maria Leach - 'Tain't So
Michael MacLiammoir - The Servant
Jan Mark - In Black and White
Joyce Marsh - The Warning
E. Nesbit - John Charrington's Wedding
William F. Nolan - Dead Call
Josh Pachter - Caves in Cliffs
Philippa Pearce - The Running-Companion
Ann Pilling - Gibson's
Alison Prince - The Servant
J. J. Reneaux - The Ring and the Rib
Lennox Robinson - A Pair of Muddy Shoes
Dal Stivens - The Hard-Working Ghost
Barry Sutton - The Tale of Caseley Halt
Rosemary Timperley - Christmas Meeting
Michael Vestey - An Apple for Miss Stevenson
Elizabeth Walter - Dual Control
Robert Westall - The Call
Mary Williams - The Little Yellow Dog Blurb: This is a collection of stories about all kinds and varieties of ghosts, drawn from many parts of the world and from many writers. There are stories about the spirits of people who have returned from the dead, as well as ghostly dogs, coffins, buses, weddings, railway stations, and, of course, haunted houses, full of fearful smells and cries in the nightVivien Alcock - The Rivals: (Pamela Lonsdale [ed.], Spooky, 1983). Eminently sensible John Pearce is not pleased to find a pretty girl, Lucy Wilkins, living next door to him in the allegedly "haunted" house, because, from past experience, pretty girls don't like him. For some unfathomable reason they prefer "good looking thickheads" over four-eyed brain-boxes any day. Lucy gets annoyed when he patiently explains that her house can't be haunted because ghosts simply do not exist. She insists that they do - and the one at home is out to get her. Realising that Lucy is genuinely frightened, John offers to spend the night in the room where a murdered woman reputedly walks ... Marc Alexander - Spook House: ( Not After Nightfall: Thirteen Stories to Haunt Your Dreams, 1985). The old Hillsdale place on Richardson Avenue is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a woman stabbed with a carving knife. Christopher knows this as his brother is a reporter on the Herald whose editor has killed the story as "too frightening to print." When Jeff Dyson (official school skeptic) dismisses the story as a load of rubbish, Christopher bets him a fiver he'd not spend a night there. Jeff accepts. That same evening they meet outside the gloomy property. With each boy resolved to prank the other, it's a safe bet that somebody will get spooked or, we hope, worse ... Philippa Pearce - The Running-Companion: ( The Shadow Cage & Other Tales of the Supernatural, 1977). Kenneth Adamson finally loses it with his invalid brother, pushes the despised cripple downstairs and sets out on his evening jog across the common. He'll report the tragic "accident" to the doctor when he returns. A thick mist falls .... and a phantom runner tags along, chases him up the steep slope of London Hill .... Grace Hallworth - The Guitarist: ( Mouth Open, Story Jump Out, 1984). If Joe thinks the skeleton stranger is good now, he should have heard him when ... Maria Leach - 'Tain't So : ( Whistle in the Graveyard, 1974). Obstinate old man Dinkins is dead but refuses to abide by the rules. Every new day finds him sat on his grave, calling out at passers by and generally carrying on like he were still alive. The townsfolk put their heads together to find a solution. |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Sept 30, 2019 19:41:16 GMT
If you haven't already read Alison Prince's "The Servant," then I think you're in for a treat.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 10, 2019 5:26:02 GMT
If you haven't already read Alison Prince's "The Servant," then I think you're in for a treat. Ah yes, The Servant is still unpleasantly lingering in the memory from recent encounter in Armada Ghost 15. Very similar in story structure to her equally grim and frightening The Loony. The accompanying Nick Harris artwork in the Oxford book is suitably haunting. I've not found any of her collections, so have relied mostly on anthologies edited by Mary Danby, Robert Westall, Dennis Pepper et al to sample her work. An admirable trait of these stories is that she seldom, if ever, lets her protagonists off the hook with a warning. Her pay off's leave gentle reader in no doubt that, no matter they've learned their lesson, for poor little Ginny, Cathy & Co. it is pain and suffering all the way. Roberta Simpson Brown - Earthbound: ( The Walking Trees & Other Scary Stories, 1991). Several years after that dreadful accident involving the harvester, Marty returns to the farm to visit his mother. Two pages of the magnificent macabre. J. J. Reneaux - The Ring and the Rib: ( Cajun Folktales, 1992). The impoverished old lady who cleans the church, an indomitable sheriff, and the hideously emaciated ghost of a murdered man collude to bring down Villien, the richest man in the parish, who thought he had bought everyone and everything. Barry Sutton - The Tale of Casely Halt: (Aidan Chambers [ed.], The Tenth Ghost Book, 1974). Driving through Dartmoor late at night, Dr. John Thomas is waylaid by a woman in the road who informs him of an accident, and a young girl in desperate need of medical attention. Dr. Thomas follows her directions to the station house at Casely Halt where, sure enough, a twenty year old woman, whose face seems strangely familiar, lies helpless on a settee with a broken foot, which he duly cleans and bandages. The next day he returns to check on the patient. The station is clearly long disused, it's platform overrun with weeds, and the house is derelict! At least Julie, whom he now recognises as "the missing girl on the moors" from recent newspaper reports, is still there. But what of the woman who raised the alarm? From his description of her distinctive dress sense, Julie has no doubt that it was the ghost of her mother, four years dead, who delivered her from a sticky situation. |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Oct 11, 2019 12:42:30 GMT
Ah yes, The Servant is still unpleasantly lingering in the memory from recent encounter in Armada Ghost 15. Very similar in story structure to her equally grim and frightening The Loony. The accompanying Nick Harris artwork in the Oxford book is suitably haunting. I've not found any of her collections, so have relied mostly on anthologies edited by Mary Danby, Robert Westall, Dennis Pepper et al to sample her work. An admirable trait of these stories is that she seldom, if ever, lets her protagonists off the hook with a warning. Her pay off's leave gentle reader in no doubt that, no matter they've learned their lesson, for poor little Ginny, Cathy & Co. it is pain and suffering all the way. That's an admirable trait she shares with Chris Priestley and, of course, Danby herself. |
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Post by dem bones on Oct 13, 2019 18:38:22 GMT
Gerald Kersh - The Scene of the Crime: ( Sad Road to the Sea, 1949). A policeman and a tall stranger carrying a little black bag discuss the brutal double murder that took place on this street thirty years ago. The killer, never identified, remains at large. Typical of Kersh, it's excellent. William F, Nolan - Dead Call: Kirby McCauley [ed.] - Frights, 1976. Frank receives an enticing 'phone invitation from pal beyond the grave. It's great here - come and join us! Rosemary Timperley - Christmas Meeting: (Lady Cynthia Asquith Second Ghost Book, 1952). A dandy young poet y walks into what he takes to be the wrong flat to meet a middle-aged schoolma’am spending her first Christmas alone. By the end of the brief encounter, both rightly conclude they've seen a ghost.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 16, 2019 5:24:07 GMT
Stephen Dunstone - Fat Andy: ( The Man in Black: Macabre Stories from 'Fear on Four', 1990). Andy, a 40-something who lives with his mum, lovingly tends the local churchyard as a volunteer, paying particular attention to the grave of a certain Louise, who drowned in a cave when he was a young man. He has good reason for such devotion as, despite Louise being the cruellest tease, he loved her. Louise didn't believe in Heaven. When you die you rot, though in her case "wild dogs will dig up my grave and I'll haunt you." Now the church is to be closed due to a combination of dwindling congregation, unsustainable operational costs and a subsidence problem. Andy is terrified that with God no longer there, Louise will return for him. Jan Mark - In Black and White: ( In Black and White & Other Stories, 1991). Why Mrs. Sanderson is reluctant to show the grandchildren her end of term school photograph. Dal Stivens - The Hard-Working Ghost: ( The Gambling Ghost & Other Tales, 1954). He approaches notorious skinflint Misery-guts Jackson and pleads for an unpaid job, any job, because working beats haunting. All he asks in return is that, at the end of a year's service, he gets to ride Misery's goat a short distance. Adèle Geras - Carlotta: Entries from the diary of Edward Stonely, art teacher, married with a four-year-old daughter, submitted in evidence at the Coroner's inquest into his death aged thirty. As a seventeen-year-old, Edward had a brief, passionate fling with Carlotta, a sixteen-year-old, newly arrived at the school. Just a bit of innocent teenage fun, except she didn't see it that way. When he dumped her, she took it calmly, merely remarking "I'm not ready to let you go. Not yet. Not ever." before throwing herself from a bridge. Now, a decade later, she's returned to haunt him. Dr. Armstrong suggests he exorcise her memory in a painting or sculpture ... Enjoyed all four but especially Fat Andy, Carlotta and In Black and White, the first pair being laudably grim. The Jan Mark deserves better than brief comment suggests. It was beyond me to elaborate without spoiling.
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Post by Swampirella on Oct 19, 2019 3:34:56 GMT
Stephen Dunstone - Fat Andy: ( The Man in Black: Macabre Stories from 'Fear on Four', 1990). Andy, a 40-something who lives with his mum, lovingly tends the local churchyard as a volunteer, paying particular attention to the grave of a certain Louise, who drowned in a cave when he was a young man. He has good reason for such devotion as, despite Louise being the cruellest tease, he loved her. Louise didn't believe in Heaven. When you die you rot, though in her case "wild dogs will dig up my grave and I'll haunt you." Now the church is to be closed due to a combination of dwindling congregation, unsustainable operational costs and a subsidence problem. Andy is terrified that with God no longer there, Louise will return for him. Jan Mark - In Black and White: ( In Black and White & Other Stories, 1991). Why Mrs. Sanderson is reluctant to show the grandchildren her end of term school photograph. Dal Stivens - The Hard-Working Ghost: ( The Gambling Ghost & Other Tales, 1954). He approaches notorious skinflint Misery-guts Jackson and pleads for an unpaid job, any job, because working beats haunting. All he asks in return is that, at the end of a year's service, he gets to ride Misery's goat a short distance. Adèle Geras - Carlotta: Entries from the diary of Edward Stonely, art teacher, married with a four-year-old daughter, submitted in evidence at the Coroner's inquest into his death aged thirty. As a seventeen-year-old, Edward had a brief, passionate fling with Carlotta, a sixteen-year-old, newly arrived at the school. Just a bit of innocent teenage fun, except she didn't see it that way. When he dumped her, she took it calmly, merely remarking "I'm not ready to let you go. Not yet. Not ever." before throwing herself from a bridge. Now, a decade later, she's returned to haunt him. Dr. Armstrong suggests he exorcise her memory in a painting or sculpture ... Enjoyed all four but especially Fat Andy, Carlotta and In Black and White, the first pair being laudably grim. The Jan Mark deserves better than brief comment suggests. It was beyond me to elaborate without spoiling. Kenneth Ireland - Children on the Bridge: Mr. Fulwood buys a retirement cottage in a nice country village. Now he's in the countryside "within a bus ride of the conveniences of a town. Just the right sort of combination"....."Even the children were friendly, far different from the preoccupied, surly ones he had encountered living in towns" He really doesn't know what he's up against when he meets the five friendly boys who sit on the wall of the town bridge. Very creepy; I'm really enjoying this collection.... |
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Post by dem bones on Oct 29, 2019 18:19:44 GMT
Kenneth Ireland - Children on the Bridge: Mr. Fulwood buys a retirement cottage in a nice country village. Now he's in the countryside "within a bus ride of the conveniences of a town. Just the right sort of combination"....."Even the children were friendly, far different from the preoccupied, surly ones he had encountered living in towns" He really doesn't know what he's up against when he meets the five friendly boys who sit on the wall of the town bridge. Very creepy; I'm really enjoying this collection.... : ( We're Coming for You, Jonathan, 1983). Mr. Fulwood, an OAP newly moved in to the village, is befriended by five boys who sit on the wall down by the river. The locals, once they realise he can see the kids, advise him to give them the widest berth. The vicar even suggests he moves out. What's wrong? "They are evil, Mr. Fulwood. That's what's wrong." Won't spoil it be revealing what form their mischief takes, but it wasn't what I expected! Agree with Swampi, this is a creepy one for sure. Mary Williams - The Little Yellow Dog: ( Chill Company: Ghost Stories from Cornwall, 1976). Seven-year-old Johnny adopts the stray as his playmate, helps him dig own skeleton from the sand hills so he can rejoin long dead master. Greyfriars Bobby meets Old Shep. E. F. Benson - The House with the Brick-Kiln: ( The London Magazine, Dec. 1908). " ... the countryfolk of Sussex are notable for their silence and chronic attitude of disapproval." Despite potential hostile reception, narrator and friend Jack Singleton lease the manor house at Trevor Major, lured by the prospect of a month's trout fishing and card games. The house was once owned by an artist, 'F.A.', who has left behind several watercolours, one of which depicts him stood beside the brick kiln out back, looking very sinister indeed. It becomes clear to both that the Manor is haunted, hence its availability at a "comically low" rent. The ghosts' re-enactment of a gory murder sends them packing. Michael Vestey - An Apple for Miss Stevenson: (James Hale [ed.] After Midnight Ghost Book, 1980). The Sheldons move from London to the Kent countryside, purportedly to give little Emma a better environment to grow up in. Estate agent is suspiciously delighted to get 300 year old Rose Cottage off the books, even at a ridiculously low fee. During World War II the Misses Stevenson opened it as a small prep school. Twenty years deceased, Amy Stevenson is loathe to let it go. |
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Post by dem bones on Oct 30, 2019 13:54:44 GMT
Josh Pachter - Caves in Cliffs: (Top Fantasy, 1985). "Someone forgot to tell them that the party's been over for years." Crete. In the late sixties, the multiple cave mouths in the cliff face at Malata were colonised by psychedelic flower children. Now holidaymaker Jack Farmer watches a pair of leftover hippies revisiting the scene of past glories. Suddenly hirsute chap turns on the woman, attacking her with a club. Jack unwisely plays the gallant.
Michael MacLiammoir - The Servant: (Peter Haining [ed.] Great Irish Stories of the Supernatural, 1992). Dublin Evening Herald). Shortly before setting off for France in 1916, Fusilier Kenneth Dane informs a young acting colleague that they'll not meet again as he is going to die in battle. Recipient of this news thoughtlessly blurts out: "Promise me that if you get killed you will come and tell me so."
John Gordon - Little Black Pies: (Catch Your Death and Other Ghost Stories, 1984). Ageing spinsters Emma and Sarah Stittle rolling pastry in the stifling, flyblown kitchen. Emma is furious at being ignored, but her protests fall on deaf ears. Sarah is too busy spitting out grievances to her pet jackdaw to realise hated sister's presence.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 7, 2019 9:52:07 GMT
Julia Hawkes-Moore - The Chocolate Ghost: Sarah and Kate open a cake shop on premises reputed to be haunted. They are. Ghost is that of Jim Evans, lover scorned turned misogynist who ended his days an unmourned suicide. After an initial violent altercation, the girls persuade Jim to become their business partner.
Ruskin Bond - The Monkeys: (The Night Train at Deoli & Other Stories, 1989). A nice gory one. Miss Fairchild fails to see the funny side when several langur dig up her flower-beds to get at the tasty dahlia bulbs. This goes on over consecutive nights until eventually she shoots one of the little fellows, which is considered very poor form. "It's not only that they're sacred to Hindu's but they are rather human," explains amiable old duffer, Colonel Fanshawe, when a newcomer has a run in with her grisly ghost.
Jane Gardam - Bang, Bang—Who's Dead?: (Jean Richardson, [ed.], Beware! Beware!, 1987). The Elms, Kent, is allegedly haunted by a girl in untrendy pinafore and long black stockings. That being the case, Fran, a psychic, ought to be able to see her. While the estate agent gives Mum & Dad the guided tour, Fran checks out the garden. There's no ghost at all! Only some girl at an upper window dressed in t-shirt and jeans, just like her.
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