Short Story: Crockern’s Curse Part 1 of 5

A young couple investigating a childhood mystery on Dartmoor are menaced by supernatural forces linked to local folklore

Photo by Blake May-Price on Unsplash

Part One

Wade hadn’t expected his holiday to start with a car crash. Nor had he expected his wife, Sarah, to explain to the driver of the towing vehicle that the crash had been caused by something supernatural. He hadn’t seen what his wife claimed to have seen. However, he had felt the sudden drop in temperature inside the vehicle, as though someone stabbed a pole of ice through his chest. Their Range Rover had then swerved and hit a rock at the side of the road that ran through the rugged hills of Dartmoor towards Princetown.

Although autumn winds were beginning to bite, the sun was high in the sky, and the view was clear across the moors. Craggy rocks and tors were visible atop various nearby peaks, and the gorse and heather glowed in the late afternoon sun. Wade was grateful for the granite boulder that had halted the path of their vehicle. Had it not been there, they would have tumbled over the edge, and down the steep hillside beneath. This area had claimed the lives of many reckless drivers, despite the forty-miles per-hour speed limit, and the presence of many signs warning to drive with “moor care”. Given the presence of sheep, cattle, and wild Dartmoor ponies, it wasn’t unusual for these animals to wander into the road, sometimes around blind corners of the hillside. But according to Sarah, none of these factors had contributed to their crash.

Sarah’s eyes were wide, her face pale, and she spoke with rapid, nervous excitement. ‘Those hands,’ she said. ‘Those horrible, hairy hands. They just suddenly appeared from nowhere and grabbed the steering wheel. I saw them as clearly as I see you.’