THE SOUND OF THE BELL

‘It was nearly 2am. Barker had arranged to meet Hill in this god-forsaken place upon the hour. He shuddered, but it was not due to the inclement weather, although the night was indeed a fearful one; thunder rumbled in the distance, intermittent flashes of lightning illuminating the sky in bursts and Barker was soaked to the skin. No, it was this place that struck a chill into his bones, which travelled up his spine like icy fingertips tripping lightly over it. ‘

In some ways, this is one of my favourite stories. This is because It is so reminiscent of the Victorian stories of Poe or Stevenson. It is creepy, but it’s also a little but funny, to quote dear old Elton.

It is set in a graveyard around the time when body snatching was prevalent. To say too much will be too much of a spoiler, but there is a little twist. Two snatchers go on a mission – one waiting for his partner in crime. He’s perhaps slightly higher class than his partner, but only marginally. The pathetic fallacy is so typical of these stories, but hopefully I have avoided too much cliche. I took proper medical advice from my own partner in crime to get the ‘body’ details just right. He’s seen more than a few dead bodies. (no, he’s a medic not a murderer).

The story unfold until the twist, and this is rooted in real history. I even manage to allude to the most famous body-snatchers of all – Burke and Hare.

I hope you like this one. Here’s another excerpt near the end:

‘The alternative would was that his coffin would have become one of those bearing the marks of the terrified inhabitant’s scratches inside the lid.’

 

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