The author of this short story has really understood the
meaning & the technique of how to create a really terrifying story. What is
marvellous about the author is that, he comes straight to the point without
using any unwanted descriptions, psychological rigmarole theories or anything
that distracts the reader from the main core of the story. That is why Joseph
Payne Brennan is successful in creating a horrifying story which can be marked
of as a real classic.
Anticipation & fear of the unknown are the main
ingredients of his plot which is accentuated with fine narration. In this
story, one can actually try to delve into the mind of a person so evil…..that
she made a pact with the devil, just so that she may not die. The story does
not therefore only terrify the reader but also makes the reader contemplate indirectly
about what exactly separates one from being evil & good……& exactly how
evil can a human being really become if given an opportunity to do so ?
The title of the short story is apt, for it is only ‘horror’
that a person encounters inside the worn down walls of Chilton castle. This
horror is however far from a usual ‘scare’ as one might put it to a lay man.
Infact, it is a horror right from the abyss of all evil & hate…….we
sometimes refer to it as hell while certain psychologists refer to it as……the
human mind.
The story begins with the author himself out on a leisurely
vacation in Europe concentrating on his studies on his family’s genealogy. His
father’s roots are well accounted for whereas his mother’s show a few gaps. He
decides then to go suddenly north towards the vicinity of the Chilton Castle.
He states at the beginning of the narrative itself that he is a sort of ‘distant
relative’ of the Chilton’s. The frightful part of the story is when I noticed
that the author’s middle name (Payne) coincides with the Earls of Chilton castle
as well, making me wonder for a minute whether I was reading a story or a real
persons account of what happened to him at a place called ‘Chilton Castle’. While
the author resides at the inn of the Red Goose, he meets the actual factor of
Chilton castle who looks 70 years of age & who is restless. This factor
apparently states that a week ago the 12th Earl of Chilton Castle
was laid to rest & that night was the night for the 13th Earl to
take his father’s place…..& to begin with, the young man had to be shown a
secret room in the depths of the castle. The factor implores the author to
accompany him with the 13th weak & wan Earl to the secret room as the
author was the only somewhat ‘near’ relation in the vicinity & the act had
to be carried out on that dreadful night itself.
The atmosphere during the whole narrative plays a great role
in what happens at Chilton castle. The incessant rain, the lightening &
thunder adds to the restlessness of all three men namely the factor William
Cowath, the 13th Earl Frederick & the author himself. However,
as it is noted in the short story, no one is left without blemish after they
observe what lies within the secret room in Chilton Castle. All three men dive
in deeper & deeper into the bowels of the castle until they come across a
rather modern brick wall which is immediately broken down by the factor to
reveal……….the room that had such a terrible impact on the weak & frail 13th
Earl that he lost his mind that very night. The nerve of the factor was shaken
on seeing what was in the room while the author himself the very next day
literally runs away from the castle & Europe to get back to America. All
three men were shaken by what they saw…..but what indeed did they see ???
The author himself before he meets the factor was
contemplating in the inn of the Red Goose about what exactly was contained in
the secret room of the Chilton’s. On the
basis of his research, he narrows down the following possibilities:
1.
In the room there exists the skeletal remains of
the Gowers who were left to starve to death by the Chilton’s & who in desperation
resorted finally to cannibalism
2.
The medieval torture tools were present in that
secret room with the last of their victims’ bodies still attached to them in a
grotesque fashion
3.
A female ancestor of the Chilton’s, a Lady Susan
Glanville who was supposedly a witch & was saved from the stake had
something to do with the secret room.
The author keeps us in the dark
till the very end…..when however the truth is known, it seems most horrible
& absolutely demonic in every term of the word which makes the story a
wonderful piece of literature. The author has remarkably enchanted us with the
truth & yet has frightened us to the extreme.
The short story is a fantastic work of art
which must be read with due reverence to its creator. I shall not divulge the
ending for obvious reasons.
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