hermit
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 21 
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Post by hermit on Jun 12, 2021 17:42:58 GMT
Years ago I read a short story from a book of short horror stories and I can neither remember the name of the book or the title of the story.
The story had a man moving into an old cottage in a small village. While he was being shown the cottage on the day of moving in, he was warned about midsummers night and not to observe the ancient stones that were in his garden. Needless to say curiosity got the better of him and he watched to see the stones start moving, then they started moving towards him and he runs back inside his cottage to hide, only to realise the walls where made of stone and the cottage enveloped him.
Does this story ring any bells to any of you that you can remember what book it came from?
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Post by dem on Jun 12, 2021 17:50:52 GMT
Our Library Priestess has a thread about Standing Stones, you might recognise something on there? Can you remember anything about the book cover? |
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hermit
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 21
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Post by hermit on Jun 12, 2021 17:51:06 GMT
I meant to say, I read this sometimes in the early to mid 80s and it was a very preloved book my book collecting uncle bought on one of his book market trawls.
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 12, 2021 18:19:20 GMT
Hi
I'm sure someone will be able to answer your request.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Jun 12, 2021 18:59:25 GMT
Years ago I read a short story from a book of short horror stories and I can neither remember the name of the book or the title of the story. The story had a man moving into an old cottage in a small village. While he was being shown the cottage on the day of moving in, he was warned about midsummers night and not to observe the ancient stones that were in his garden. Needless to say curiosity got the better of him and he watched to see the stones start moving, then they started moving towards him and he runs back inside his cottage to hide, only to realise the walls where made of stone and the cottage enveloped him. Does this story ring any bells to any of you that you can remember what book it came from?
It does not sound anything like "A Woman Seldom Found." So at least we can exclude that one. |
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Post by Dr Strange on Jun 12, 2021 19:09:56 GMT
It sounds a bit like "Where The Stones Grow" by Lisa Tuttle, which was included in Dark Forces, ed. Kirby McCauley (1980). Full contents are listed here - vaultofevil.proboards.com/post/9714/threadThe book was republished a number of times in the 1980s with different covers. This is the one I have, from 1981 -  |
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hermit
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 21
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Post by hermit on Jun 12, 2021 19:44:15 GMT
It sounds a bit like "Where The Stones Grow" by Lisa Tuttle, which was included in Dark Forces, ed. Kirby McCauley (1980). Full contents are listed here - vaultofevil.proboards.com/post/9714/threadThe book was republished a number of times in the 1980s with different covers. This is the one I have - any chance of looking it up please, dr strange? i admit it isnt a quest of great importance, only its been bugging me over the years. |
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Post by Dr Strange on Jun 12, 2021 20:29:38 GMT
Sure. It's got most of the plot points you remembered, but there's some other bits you might have forgotten (understandably if it's 30+ years since you read it). The main part of the story is actually set in the US in San Antonio, Texas - Paul Staunton moves into a house in the suburbs, surrounded by a large yard with trees, and backing onto undeveloped land. 19 years previously, Paul had been an 8 year old child visiting Devon in England with his mother and father. Here they had stayed in a small seaside village where some locals told them the story of "The Sisters' Way" - a narrow pathway leading up the cliffs from the beach to a meadow with three standing stones. Local legend had it that these stones would travel down to the beach on "certain nights" to bathe, and that they would kill anyone who saw them do this. Paul and his family were told this story on Midsummer's Eve - and Paul had then found his father lying amongst the stones the following day, apparently beaten to death. He also thought he saw one of the stones moving. Fast-forward 19 years to San Antonio, and Paul discovers three standing stones on the undeveloped land behind his property - and the following night will be Midsummer's Eve, the anniversary of his father's death. The ending is pretty much as you describe it - Paul is convinced the stones are coming to get him, so he retreats into the house, where he wrongly thinks he will be safe behind the solid stone walls of the house. The final couple of paragraphs describe the stone that makes up the house seeming to melt and flow, engulfing and absorbing Paul, and "turning him to stone".
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 12, 2021 23:42:08 GMT
It does not sound anything like "A Woman Seldom Found." So at least we can exclude that one.[/quote] You're very silly jojo, but you do make me laugh. Please do the Halloween line you did to the man selling tuxedos again. |
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hermit
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 21
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Post by hermit on Jun 13, 2021 0:00:19 GMT
Sure. It's got most of the plot points you remembered, but there's some other bits you might have forgotten (understandably if it's 30+ years since you read it). The main part of the story is actually set in the US in San Antonio, Texas - Paul Staunton moves into a house in the suburbs, surrounded by a large yard with trees, and backing onto undeveloped land. 19 years previously, Paul had been an 8 year old child visiting Devon in England with his mother and father. Here they had stayed in a small seaside village where some locals told them the story of "The Sisters' Way" - a narrow pathway leading up the cliffs from the beach to a meadow with three standing stones. Local legend had it that these stones would travel down to the beach on "certain nights" to bathe, and that they would kill anyone who saw them do this. Paul and his family were told this story on Midsummer's Eve - and Paul had then found his father lying amongst the stones the following day, apparently beaten to death. He also thought he saw one of the stones moving. Fast-forward 19 years to San Antonio, and Paul discovers three standing stones on the undeveloped land behind his property - and the following night will be Midsummer's Eve, the anniversary of his father's death. The ending is pretty much as you describe it - Paul is convinced the stones are coming to get him, so he retreats into the house, where he wrongly thinks he will be safe behind the solid stone walls of the house. The final couple of paragraphs describe the stone that makes up the house seeming to melt and flow, engulfing and absorbing Paul, and "turning him to stone".
DING DING DING! thats the story ive been pondering on, i had a feeling it was in one of these anthology horror books, but theres so many to look through in the lists and even harder to find info about each story on the internet. i thank you for checking it out for me.
i miss finding these old books, charity shops aint like they used to be. i guess i need to do the ebay thing
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 13, 2021 0:09:39 GMT
[quote author=" Jojo Lapin X" source="/post/68682/thread" [/quote]It does not sound anything like "A Woman Seldom Found." So at least we can exclude that one.[/quote] Jojo you could become one of those comedy magicians and go on tour to Las Vegas. I'll be your assistant and carry your top hat and cape. |
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Post by dem on Jun 13, 2021 5:21:08 GMT
Well played, Dr. Strange. Always preferred this cover. Dark Forces |
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 14, 2021 12:00:37 GMT
It does not sound anything like "A Woman Seldom Found." So at least we can exclude that one.[/quote] Jojo you could become one of those comedy magicians and go on tour to Las Vegas. I'll be your assistant and carry your top hat and cape.[/quote] Jojo have you ever considered sawing Swampirella in half? |
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