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Saturday 20 January 2018

The Wall of Bones

Unique in England, the carefully-stacked wall of bones, almost 7ft high by 5ft wide, divides the cavernous crypt into two aisles, stretching into the gloom. To either side, shelves full of human skulls cram the walls from floor to vaulted roof. Records of the crypt can be traced back for centuries, but there is some confusion over the origin of its contents. Some say that the bones came from the numerous battlefields around the area, others are of the opinion that the bones were exhumed from a plague-pit.

The guardian of the crypt is an elderly monk; he is slightly hunched and slow in his mannerisms, his face hidden by a heavy cowled robe. He rarely speaks but instead nods and points to items of interest. The public who pay to see the bones think it`s all part of the act. Indeed, his eccentricity adds to the popularity of the crypt as a gruesome tourist attraction. There is an elaborately carved chair near the bones - for a small fee people are allowed to sit in the chair and pose for their holiday photos.

Possibilities

1 An eroded, easily missed sigil carved on the keystone of the arched entrance may be recognised as a representation of Anubis, Egyptian protector of the dead. In the shadows at the back of the crypt there is a door bearing the same sigil. It leads into one of the oldest ghoul colonies in England, established beneath a barrow built when the Phoenicians first reached England's South coast. The guardian is a changeling, appointed to watch over the gateway. The wall of bones has been slowly growing over the years and all cemeteries within a day's march have been robbed of bodies. Tourists are a minor disadvantage of such a palatial entrance-hall.

2 During a group tour of the crypt, the guardian shows unusual interest in one of the visitors, although he still hides his face and does not speak. He eventually backs off, and they leave no wiser. Over the next few days, the visitor becomes the focus of poltergeist activity - subtle at first, but with increasing intensity. During this time the guardian may be seen in the vicinity - but disappears if anyone approaches him.

The bones were recovered from a mass grave for Medieval plague victims. In the 17th century the bones were moved from the plague-pit to the crypt. However, the souls of the dead, angry at their inhuman treatment after death, have manifested as the guardian to point out their fate to the living. The guardian's interest arises because the visitor was wearing an item of jewellery, a family heirloom that the guardian recognises.

3 The bones are from a Medieval plague pit. However, the 18th century chair is something far more sinister. A few people who take the seat are later dogged by nightmares and hallucinations. They believe that they have the plague, and are covered with open sores and boils that drive them to distraction. Eventually, the hallucinations draw them back to the crypt where they disappear.

The guardian is a soul-eater, draining the souls of people who sit in his chair. He projects images of the plague drawn from the bones to drag his victims back to the crypt. He must strap his victims into the chair overnight to feed properly, which he does once each lunar month. Those who succumb are never found - the soul-eater sucks them dry and places their bones with the rest.

Inspired by the crypt of St. Leonard's Church, Hythe, Kent

© Helen Rich

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