Gibbet Hill (short story)
"Gibbet Hill" is an 1890 short story by Bram Stoker first published in a Christmas supplement of the Daily Express Dublin Edition.[1]
In 2024, the story was unknown to even Stoker biographers and literary scholars when it was uncovered by Brian Clearly, an amateur researcher and Stoker enthusiast[1][2] at the National Library of Ireland.[3]
Plot
The story revolves a man who meets 3 children standing in front of a memorial to a sailor murdered by three criminals whose bodies were hung up on Gibbet Hill. Together, the four walk to the top of Gibbet Hill. Distracted by the view, the narrator loses sight of the children. He takes a nap among some trees, and wakes to see the children a short distance away, before a snake passes over his feet towards the children, who appear able to communicate with and control the snake. Later, the children attack the narrator. The story culminates with the snake wriggling out of the narrator’s chest, gliding away down the hillside.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Hidden Bram Stoker Story Unearthed in NLI’s Archives by Amateur Researcher", 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Dracula author Bram Stoker's lost story unearthed after 134 years". BBC News. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b Patrick Freyne. "Long-lost story by Dracula author Bram Stoker unearthed at National Library of Ireland", The Irish Times, 19 October 2024.