The Spook's Bestiary - By Joseph Delaney Page 0,8

the last of its strength in trying to hurt you. It is best to do this outdoors, somewhere where there are few materials at hand. Even so, accept that you will suffer at least a few cuts and bruises.

6. When the boggart’s strength is almost spent, lead it indoors, where the materials can’t be dissipated by the wind. Use salt and iron to finish it off. Make sure to take aim with care. You will only get one chance!

Not all boggarts are as difficult to slay as a stone chucker. The secret is to be crafty and try to get close to your target.

THE COCKERHAM BOGGART

I arrived at Cockerham just after dark one evening, summoned there by the village schoolteacher, who met me at the churchyard gate.

“Thank goodness you got my message,” he said. “You’re only just in time.”

Then he led me away from the church, down a narrow cobbled path between two overhanging buildings until we reached his cottage.

He was a typical village teacher, with bad dandruff and glasses with lenses so thick they gave him the appearance of a barn owl. He was also very tall and thin and bent forward from the waist. The wind could have blown him over at any moment—it was gusting hard, bending the branches of the sycamores and rattling the slates on the roofs. What caught my eye first, however, were his hands, which were large and bony, with long thin fingers. They were shaking so much that he had to try three times before he could insert his key into the lock. It was cold, but not that cold, so he was clearly terrified. Once inside, he offered me some potato soup, but I told him that I always fasted before spook’s business.

“Tell me what your problem is,” I demanded.

“There’s not much to tell, but it’s all bad,” he said, his voice all of a quiver. “The Devil’s here in Cockerham, and I’ve made a big mistake. I thought I was clever enough to deal with him, but I was wrong, and tonight at midnight he’s coming back for my soul.”

I smiled at him and, placing my hand on his shoulder, invited him to sit down. I tried to sound reassuring. “Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me the whole story?” I said. “Leave nothing out. Give me all the details. There may be something there that’s important.”

So the teacher began his tale. Most teachers like to talk, and enjoy the sound of their own voices; this one was different. Maybe it was because he was scared, but it took him less than five minutes from start to finish.

“The Devil’s been visiting Cockerham every night for most of the winter,” he said. “At first he just played tricks, rattling door knockers and overturning a few milk churns. But later he moved into the churchyard and started flattening gravestones, until finally he started frightening people to death—usually old people who live alone. Three have been found dead in just the past month, with such a look of terror on their faces that they’ve had to be put into their coffin facedown. Only then could the undertaker get up enough courage to nail down the lid.

“The villagers asked the parish priest to help, but after years of brave words in the pulpit, his response was disappointing. He suddenly decided to take early retirement, leaving the following day to live with his three sisters somewhere south of the River Ribble. So, having no one else to turn to, they finally asked me. They flattered me with kind words—told me I was the greatest scholar in the whole of the County; reminded me that I’d spent a lifetime reading and learning and passing on my knowledge to others. If anyone could get rid of the Devil, they said, it was me.

“Finally I agreed to help, not because of their flattery, but because I felt it was my duty. So, three nights ago, I cleared my schoolroom of all the desks but my own, and used my tattered and well-worn old copy of the Bible to summon the Devil.

“The malicious creature appeared immediately, threatening to drag me off to Hell, but then suddenly seemed to relent. With a sly look on his face, he ordered me to set him three tasks, promising that, if he was unable to complete just one of the tasks, he’d leave Cockerham immediately and never return. If he managed to do all three, however, my soul would belong