Showing results by author "Paul Finch" in Anthologies & Short Stories

Christmas, the happiest time of year. Plum puddings, candy canes, carols by the fireside. But outside, the mist lies deep and still. Frost gnaws at your fingertips. Shadowy forms lurk in the evergreens. It’s the season for ghost stories.

In 'The Poppet' a faceless wooden doll holds the secret to a chilling curse.... In 'Hell in the Cathedral', a bunch of tourists are marooned at the mercy of a voracious sea beast.... Check out these and other nerve-shredding tales...if you dare!

Christmastide. A time of feasting and good cheer. Gifts, cards, and blazing holly logs. Snow falls while family and friends trim the tree and kiss under the mistletoe. But it isn’t always joyful. It’s the coldest time of year. The days are short, the nights long. Chilling myths lie concealed behind the raucous revelry...The ghoulish events in the frozen workhouse...The undead presence at the costumed ball...The pantomime that became a massacre...The winter goddess with the heart of ice...The thieves who woke the dark side of the festive spirit...

The story of the Cumbrian witches in the small village of Bleaberry Beck is told in hushed tones and a quiet reverence that speaks of superstition and fear. Richard Henderson, Medieval Studies student at Oxford University, couldn’t be less intrigued. Picking up a ‘poppet’ from the village shop, he happily set off home with this birthday present for his little sister. But the faceless wooden doll holds the secret to a chilling curse.