Samuel's ghost Posted by jovack on Sep 30, 2008
hi all

this is my new story im doing as my final project at uni


Samuel's ghost

Poor old Samuel! he was asleep when his cottage caught fire, and when he woke up he was too late. he was only and land when he was burned to death: he got turned into ashes, and maybe cinders.  After a while, though, Samuel got up.  The inside of him got up and gave itself a shake.  He must have felt rather queer: he wasn't used to doing without a body, and he didn't know what to do next, and all around him there were boggarts and bogles and chancy things, and he was a bit scared.

Before long, Samuel heard a voice.

“ you must go to the graveyard,” said whatever it was, and tell the big worm your dead.”

“I must?” said Samuel.

“ and ask him to have you eaten up’” said the something.” otherwise you will never rest in the earth.”

“ I’m willing,” said Samuel.

So Samuel set off for the graveyard, asking the way of what ever he met, rubbing shoulders with all the horrid things that swarmed and scowled around him.

By and by, some have come up to an empty dark space.  Glimmering lights were cross seen and recrossing it.  It smelt earthly, as strong as the soil in spring, and here and there it gave off a ghastly Stink, sickening and scary.  Underfoot were creeping things, all around were crawling, fluttering things, and the air was hot and tacky.

On the far side of this space was a horrid great worm, coiled up on a flat stone, and its slimy head was nodding and swinging from side to side, as if it were sniffing out its dinner. 

Samuel was afraid when he heard something call out his name, and the worm shot its horrid head right to his face.

“ Samuel!  Is that you, Samuel? so you're dead and buried, and food for the worms, are you?”

“I am,” said Samuel.

“ well!” said the worm.” where's your body?”

“ please, your worship,” said Samuel-he didn't want to anger the worm, naturally-“ I'm all here!”

“ no,” said the worm.” how do you think we can eat you?  You must fetch your corpse if you want to rest in the earth.”

“ but where is it?” said Samuel, scratching his head “my corpse?”

“ where is it buried?” said the worm.

“ it isn't buried,” said Samuel “ that's just it.  It's ashes.  I got burned up.”

“ha!” said the worm.” that's bad.  That's very bad.  You're not taste too good.”

Samuel didn't know what to say.

“ don't fret,” said the worm. “ go and fetch the ashes.  Bring them here and we'll do all we can.”

So Samuel went back to his burned-out cottage.  He looked and looked.  He scooped up all the ashes he could find into a sack, and took them off to the great worm.  Samuel opened a sack, and the worm called down of the flat stone.  It sniffed the ashes and turned them over and over.

“ Samuel,” said the worm after a while. “ somethings missing.  You're not all here, Samuel.  Where's the rest of you?  You'll have to find the rest.”

“ I've brought you all I could find,” Samuel said

“ no,” the worm said.” there's an arm missing.”

“AH!” said Samuel.” that's right!  I lost an arm I had.”

“ lost?” said the worm.

“ it was cut off,” said Samuel.”

Samuel Frowned.” I don't know where the doctor put it,” he said. ”I can go and see.”

So Samuel hurried off again.  He hunted high and low, and after a while he found his arm.  Samuel went straight back to the worm.

“ here’s the arm,” he said.

The worm slid off its flat stone and turned the arm over.

“ no, Samuel,” said the worm. “ there's something still missing.  Did you lose anything else?”

“Let's see,” said Samuel. “ let's see... I lost a nail once, and that never grew again.”

“ that's it, I reckon!” said the worm. “ you've got to find it, Samuel.”

“ I don't think I'll ever find that, Master,” said Samuel. “ not one nail.  I'll give it a try though.”

So Samuel hurried off for a third time. But a nail is just as hard to find as its easy to lose. Although Samuel searched and scratched, he couldn't find anything: so at last he went back to the worm.

“ I searched and scratched and I found nothing,” said Samuel. “ you must take me without my nail-it's no great loss, is it?  Can't you make do without it?”

“ no,” said the worm. “ I can't.  And if you can't find it-you are quite certain you can't, Samuel?”

“ certain, worse luck!”

“ then you must walk!  You must walk by day and walk by night.  I'm very sorry for you, Samuel, but you'll have plenty of company!”

Then all of the creeping things and crawling things swarmed around Samuel and turned him out.  And unless he has found it, Samuel has been walking and hunting for his nail from that day to this.
Re: Samuel's ghost Posted by Billy D. Fuller on Sep 30, 2008
Very interesting................... Can't wait to see the finished product. You will be able to share it with us once you get your final grade?

Billy D.
Re: Samuel's ghost Posted by jovack on Sep 30, 2008
you can see it before then as i go i will be doing animation tests
Re: Samuel's ghost Posted by Wisers Mom on Oct 01, 2008
Sounds interesting.A bit creepy maybe.But then with Hallwe'en coming it is very timely!
Looking forward to seeing the progress.
Brenda
Re: Samuel's ghost Posted by puppetlady on Oct 01, 2008
Creepy.  Who's the intended audience?
Re: Samuel's ghost Posted by jovack on Oct 02, 2008
i think i will be aiming it at early teens 11 year olds up. i like the fact that its creepy the rest of the class is going for music videos or happy stories, i have a year to put it together. i just wish i could get this dam worm right   
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