Fireside Gothic – Andrew Taylor

A collection of three gothic stories

Content

BROKEN VOICES

“The emptiness of the place enfolded us like a shroud. The air was cold and smelled faintly of earth, incense and candles.” (Quotation page 44)

The narrator remembers one special Christmas, more than forty years ago. He is fifteen years old and has to stay in school over the holidays, together with a boy named Faraday, who is two years younger. Mr. Ratcliffe, an old, long retired teacher, takes care of them and during the evenings, he entertains them with ghost stories about the nearby Cathedral. Some of the stories have real backgrounds, such as the fate of Mr. Goldsworthy, two hundred years ago, and the beautiful anthem he wrote, since lost. Therefore, the boys plan to climb the tower of the Cathedral and search for the lost sheet of notes.

THE LEPER HOUSE

“There’s always a next time.” (Quotation page 159)

After the funeral of his sister, the narrator is on his way to visit a client in Ipswich and afterwards he would drive home to London, where he lives. But there are roadworks, the day changes into a dark, rainy, stormy evening when the traffic stops again. Therefore, he follows some local drivers, taking a narrow road, when one of the tires of his car is punctured. He leaves the car, starts to walk and suddenly he sees a light and arrives at an old cottage by the sea.

THE SCRATCH

“Two things happened that afternoon which were both important, though I didn’t realize their significance until later.” (Quotation page 176)

Clare and Gerald live in a rural area, near the Forest of Dean. Jack, Gerald`s young nephew, just back from the army in Afghanistan, is going to stay with them for some time. He dislikes their cat Cannop, because he generally does not like cats. He is sure that there must be wild cats in the Forest, because sometimes he notices a big, dark shadow on his daily walk through the forest. One day Clare sees a big scratch on his arm.

Conclusion

Three stories, modern versions of the well-known traditional Gothic novels, a perfect read for rainy, dark afternoons and evenings. The gripping, suspenseful plot starts from normal daily situations, which makes everything that happens plausible. There are always more solutions and explanations, left open for us readers to think about and find our own ideas. Just relax, light some candles and enjoy the high literary quality of stories and the eerie fascination.