The room in the tower, and other stories — John Shaqi
The room in the tower, and other storiesBenson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
General
The room in the tower, and other stories
Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
English fiction -- 20th century; Ghost stories, English; Horror tales, English; Short stories, English
“But the exchange tells me you did, three minutes ago.”
“Mistake at the Exchange, sir,” said the voice.
“Very odd. Well, good-night. Warder Draycott, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir; good-night, sir.”
Dr Teesdale went back to his big arm-chair, still less inclined to read.
He let his thoughts wander on for a while, without giving them definite
direction, but ever and again his mind kept coming back to that strange
little incident of the telephone. Often and often he had been rung up by
some mistake, often and often he had been put on to the wrong number by
the exchange, but there was something in this very subdued ringing of
the telephone bell, and the unintelligible whisperings at the other end
that suggested a very curious train of reflection to his mind, and soon
he found himself pacing up and down his room, with his thoughts eagerly
feeding on a most unusual pasture.
“But it’s impossible,” he said, aloud.
He went down as usual to the prison next morning and once again he was
strangely beset with the feeling that there was some unseen presence
there. He had before now had some odd psychical experiences, and knew
that he was a “sensitive”--one, that is, who is capable, under certain
circumstances, of receiving supernormal impressions, and of having
glimpses of the unseen world that lies about us. And this morning the
presence of which he was conscious was that of the man who had been
executed yesterday morning. It was local, and he felt it most strongly
in the little prison yard, and as he passed the door of the condemned
cell. So strong was it there that he would not have been surprised if
the figure of the man had been visible to him, and as he passed through
the door at the end of the passage, he turned round, actually expecting
to see it. All the time, too, he was aware of a profound horror at his
heart, this unseen presence strangely disturbed him. And the poor soul,
he felt, wanted something done for it. Not for a moment did he doubt
that this impression of his was objective, it was no imaginative phantom
of his own invention that made itself so real. The spirit of Linkworth
was there.
He passed into the infirmary, and for a couple of hours busied himself
with his work. But all the time he was aware that the same invisible
presence was near him, though its force was manifestly less here than in
those places which had been more intimately associated with the man.
Finally, before he left, in order to test his theory he looked into the
execution shed. But next moment with a face suddenly stricken pale, he
came out again, closing the door hastily. At the top of the steps stood
a figure hooded and pinioned, but hazy of outline and only faintly
visible. But it was visible, there was no mistake about it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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