Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to you all! My name is Dr Price and welcome to my Compendium of Horror! I suppose, to get us started, I should offer you a little story of my own...
My own little adventure into the realms of the Unknown occurred some years ago upon the purchase of a fine old house. Like most old buildings, it required no small amount of work doing to it, but I applied myself with some enthusiasm to the task and had, after a few weeks, made some decent headway. Paint stripped, old carpets taken up, repair work begun. There was a problem with the heating that needed fixing as some rooms remained permanently colder than others. It was likely related to the plumbing which made banging noises at strange hours. But nothing that couldn't be fixed, I was certain.
And then, one day, there came a knock at the door.
The person I found on my doorstep was a small old woman, with grey hair, bright eyes and an odd smile. She peered up at me.
“So you're the one who bought my house, eh?” She seemed delighted at this.
“I am indeed,” I replied. “And you are the previous owner then?”
She nodded, peering past me into the hallway. “Don't worry yourself,” she murmured. “Just wanted to see your face.” She looked back up at me and gave me a huge grin. “Just a curious old lady”. She stepped back onto the path, giving me a little wave. “I'll be off now. Have a pleasant evening!”
Then she was walking away. And perhaps that might have been the end of it, had she not suddenly turned back to me and said:
“And don't worry! There's nothing in the walls!”
Which, as I'm sure you'll agree, is the very thing to say to inspire the opposite of Not Worrying.
I was not, until more recently, a particular believer in the supernatural but her words struck me and my renovations expanded to include looking behind the boards in at least a few of the rooms, the cold ones – the ones with the noises.
The old lady, it transpired, was a liar.
Also possibly a murderer and, as it turned out, very hard to find. The police never did catch up with her.
The incident stayed with me, as I'm sure you can imagine. I told friends and family about it and they offered their own stories in kind.
And that is what started this little project! I shall collect together every story I am given, as long as at least some part of it can be verified.
So browse through, if you will, and welcome to my Compendium!
I used to think the scratching in the walls was mice, but now I’m too afraid to look!